FREE ESSAY ON SPAIN

SPAIN

SPAIN
BY Morbius
The country of Spain lies on the continent of Europe. The capital of Spain, Madrid, is
located in the central region known as the Centro-Meseta. The country of Spain is made up
of four regions: El norte, El este, El sur, and Centro-Meseta. Spain's large area of
195,988 square miles covers about five sixths of the Iberian Peninsula. It is one of the
largest countries in Western Europe. At its widest point, Spain stretches 635 miles from
east to west. It stretches about 550 miles north to south. Spain's longest coastline lies
along the Mediterranean Sea and stretches for almost 1700 miles from the eastern end of
the Pyrenees mountain chain to the strait of Gibraltar. The Pyrenees, one of Europe's
largest mountain chains, is 270 miles long. They are practically impassable to humans
because are formed from only steep gorges that lead higher summits. Spain is surrounded
by the Atlantic Ocean called the Gulf of Cadiz. The Huelva, Rota, and Cadiz ports lie on
this coast and further up the Guadalquivir River is the ancient transportation center
Seville. Some other major rivers in Spain are the Douro, Tagus, and Ebro rivers. 
More than thirty-nine million people reside in the country of Spain. That is because it
is made up of a large ethnic diversity. Its location between Europe and Africa has
resulted in a great mixing of races and cultures. The only distinct minority group
generally recognized as outside the racial-cultural mainstream of Spanish society is made
up of Gypsies, many of whom still follow nomadic life-style along the roads and highways.
Fairly large communities of settled Gypsies are found in the cities of Mucia, Granada,
Barcelona, and Madrid. Spain is overwhelmingly urban, with seventy-six percent of its
people living in towns and cities. This concentration of Spain's people heightens the
impression of emptiness that so often is commented on by the travelers, specially those
who cross the Meseta. Most of the Spanish portion of the Iberian Peninsula is very thinly
populated. In the Centro-Meseta region only the areas around Madrid and Saragossa have
dense settlements. There are many different kinds of languages spoken in Spain. Modern
Spanish or Castilian, is spoken throughout Spain and is the official language. Castilian
is often a second language. In el norte two regional languages are widely spoken. One,
the language of Basque people, is called Euskara. It is on of Europe's oldest languages
but is different from the Indo-European and Uralic languages spoken across the rest of
Europe. The constitution of 1978 made Euskara an official local language and afforded
increased political autonomy to the Basque provinces. In the region of Galicia a language
known as Gallego is widely used, and also since 1978 it too has been recognized as an
official language to be taught in schools. Modern Portuguese evolved from Gallego, which
resembles a cross between Portuguese and Spanish. A kind of common Galician language is
beginning to emerge as a spoken tongue in the province's larger towns. Catalan is another
language that enjoys a special status under Spain's constitution. It is a romance
language with highly developed literature. Most of the seven million people who speak
Catalan are located in el este. It is the official language in the three communities
Catalonia, Valencia, and Balearics. Catalan Speakers also live in the eastern fringe of
Aragon, Andorra, southwestern France, and part of Sardinia. Catalonia's government
promotes its official language both at home and in other countries. 
Religion is very important to most Spaniards. Many Spanish people are baptized, married
and buried as members of the Roman Catholic church. Under the 1978 constitution the
church is no longer Spain's official or established faith, though financial support is
still provided by the state. As a result, the church's influence in Spanish society has
declined sharply, though officially more than ninety four percent of the population is
reported as being Roman Catholic. The church supported the democratic movement and so
helped foster the new attitude of tolerance and personal freedom found in present-day
Spain. Many of Spain's non-Catholic citizens are members of some Protestant Church. Small
Eastern Orthodox congregations are found along with Muslim and Jewish groups. Among
non-Christian Jews form the major community.
One thing that sets the Spanish apart from most Europeans living beyond the Pyrenees is
their national spectacle of bullfighting. Every city and most towns of any size host a
bullring, where the crowds cheer their favorite but jeer the matador, as he faces the
bull. The matador taunts and teases the bull until the end when he ultimately kills the
bull with his sword. Many Northern Europeans are critically and condemn it as a cruel and
blood sport. Most Spaniards do not see it this way. To them bullfighting is an exciting
test of bravery, skill, and grace. Mining activities over most of Western Europe, have
declined sharply. In Spain, however mining continues to play a role in the economy. Spain
produces almost all the copper mined in the twelve countries of the European communities,
and it leads in the production of lead and zinc. Spain is also Europe's leading producer
of high-grade iron ore. In terms of total iron ore produced, Spain follows only France,
where most of the ore is of far lower quality. Spain's coal mines located in Austria and
along the Sierra Morena, showed a steady increase in production from 1975 to 1985. In
1985 Spain was Western Europe's third largest coal producer, behind Britain and West
Germany. In the production of lignite, a low-quality from of coal, Spain also ranked
third. Although its position has declined, agriculture a significant part of Spain's
national economy and landscape. Spain has more than twelve millions acres under permanent
percent of Spain's workers are employed in agriculture, and in 1987 they produced about
six percent of the gross domestic product. They produce crops such as sugar cane, cotton,
mulberries, citrus fruits, bananas, dates, figs, almonds, sunflowers, olives, tomatoes,
green beans, avocados, wheat, rice barley, and tobacco. There are many wild animals that
roam the land of Spain. Sheep and cattle are usually used for livestock. Other animals
such as bulls, horses and donkeys often drift around, unnoticed by the people that pass.
This is the geographical information of Spain.