Interesting Facts About Spain
Facts 1 - 20
1. Spain is officially called el Reino de España - the Kingdom of Spain. The motto of Spain (el lema de España) is in Latin - Plus Ultra - meaning 'further beyond.' The motto is visible on el escudo de España - the coat of arms of Spain.
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Spain is divided into 17 regions known as las comunidades autónomas (autonomous communities). These regions are:
Andalucía, Aragón, Principado de Asturias, Islas Baleares, País Vasco, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Cataluña, Extremadura, Galicia, Comunidad de Madrid, Región de Murcia, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, La Rioja, Comunidad Valenciana.
Two of the above regions are islands: Canarias and Islas Baleares.
2. The Spanish language is spoken in the following countries (in addition to Spain): Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Spanish is also widely spoken in parts of: Andorra, Belize, Gibraltar, Morocco, the Philippines and the USA.
3. In Spain, the Spanish language is officially called Castilian (el castellano).
In addition to el castellano, there are some regional languages spoken in different areas of Spain, such as: Catalan (el catalán), Galician (el gallego), Basque (el vasco also known as el euskera),
Valencian (el valenciano).
4. The lands of Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra form a large territory known as the Iberian Peninsula - la Península Ibérica.
The national airline of Spain is called Iberia.
5. The Spanish flag is made up from three horizontal stripes coloured rojo, amarillo gualda, rojo.
The flag is called la bandera de España and also la Rojigualda.
The Spanish coat of arms is on the yellow stripe.
la bandera = the flag
6. The capital city of Spain is Madrid. It is the largest city of Spain and is built on the River Manzanares.
(el río = the river).
The symbol of Madrid is 'a bear eating from a strawberry tree'. This symbol is called el Oso y el Madroño. Below is the symbol of Madrid and a famous statue of the bear in la Puerta del Sol, the main square of Madrid.
La Puerta del Sol literally means 'the Door / Gateway of the Sun'. The public square is positioned in an area that was originally at an entrance in the old city wall. The entrance faced east and therefore the rising sun, after which it was named.
La Puerta del Sol is the most central area of Madrid and is considered to be the centre of all roads in Spain. This central point is called el kilómetro cero (kilometre zero) and there is a plaque in the pavement of the square to show the exact location.
7. In Spain, it is the tradition to have two surnames: one from each parent. Following a law that came into force on 30 June 2017, parents can choose which surname should be positioned first.
Here is an example -
a. A person called Jaime López García marries Elena Martín Pérez.
b. Their child is named Juan.
c. Their child's full name becomes Juan López Martín or Juan Martín López.
An interesting fact: The famous Spanish artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso is best known by his mother's surname. Ruiz was from his father and Picasso was from his mother.
The word for 'the surname' is el apellido. Some of the most common Spanish surnames are - García, Rodríguez, Martínez, Martín, Fernández, López, González, Sánchez and Pérez.
8. The patron saint of Spain is Saint James (Santiago). His shrine is situated in the cathedral called la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northern Spain. (Pictured.)
The cathedral is the destination of a famous Christian pilgrimage route called The Way of St. James. In Spanish, it is known as el Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
The symbol for the famous route is a scallop shell - la concha de vieira. It is also known as the pilgrim's shell - la concha del peregrino.
The shell can be seen on the signposts that show the direction to the cathedral when walking along The Way of St. James.
9. The Spanish coastlines have distinctive names, such as -
la Costa Brava - the Rugged Coast
la Costa Blanca - the White Coast
la Costa Dorada - the Golden Coast
la Costa del Sol - the Coast of the Sun
la Costa de la Luz - the Coast of Light
la Costa del Azahar - the Orange Blossom Coast
la Costa Tropical - the Tropical Coast
la Costa de Almería - the Coast of Almería
la Costa Cálida - the Hot Coast
la Costa Vasca - the Basque Coast
la Costa Verde - the Green Coast
la Costa de la Muerte, also known as la Costa da Morte - the Coast of Death (because of the large number of shipwrecks).
It is believed that the sea surrounding the coastline called la Costa de la Muerte, in Galicia, north west Spain has the highest number of shipwrecks in the world. This part of the sea is in fact the Atlantic Ocean with its powerful currents and storms combined with a rocky area.
la Costa de la Muerte
10. In Spain, many people celebrate their 'name day'. This is known as el día del santo. Every day of the year is a Christian feast day when a particular saint or event is commemorated, for example:
24 June - St. John the Baptist - San Juan Bautista: for those with names such as Juan and Juana.
3 July - St. Thomas - Santo Tomás: for those named Tomás or Tomasina.
29 September - St. Michael - San Miguel: for those named Miguel, Micaela, Miquelina.
¡Felicidades en el día de tu santo!
11. Spain has a royal family - la familia real española. Their family belongs to la Casa de Borbón - the House of Bourbon. Since 19 June 2014, the King of Spain (el Rey de España) is Felipe VI and his wife the queen (la Reina de España) is called Letizia. They have two children called Leonor and Sofía.
The official residence of the Spanish royal family is el Palacio Real de Madrid (photo below). It is used for state visits and special ceremonies. The Spanish royal family does not actually live there though. Instead, their private residence is at el Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid.
According to Spanish tradition, the heir to the throne is called príncipe (prince) or princesa (princess). Spanish princes and princesses who are not going to become King or Queen are called infante (m) or infanta (f). This title means 'an infant or child of noble birth.'
Therefore, the two children of the king and queen are: la Princesa Leonor de Borbón and la Infanta Sofía de Borbón.
Above: Su Majestad el Rey de España
Vocabulary:
Su Majestad = Your / His / Her Majesty Su Alteza Real = Your / His / Her Royal Highness
el Trono y la Corona de España - the Throne and the Crown of Spain
12. Spanish people love to sing and dance. The most famous type of Spanish music is called Flamenco or la música flamenca and it belongs to the south of Spain.
Flamenco music has three ingredients:
1. el cante - the singing
2. el baile - the dancing
3. el toque - the playing of instruments
The instruments played are:
the guitar - la guitarra and castanets - las castañuelas.
El toque can also include:
a. the clapping of hands - las palmas
b. the tapping of heels - los taconazos
c. the rhythmic beating of a box-like drum called un cajón.
Other types of Spanish music and dance are - bolero, fandango, farruca, jota, malaguena, paso doble, seguidilla.
In Spanish-speaking parts of Latin America, the following dances originated - habanera, mambo, rumba, salsa, tango.
13. In the southern city of Seville (Sevilla) there is a form of Flamenco song and dance called la música sevillana. Every April there is a big festival called la Feria de Sevilla. It is also known as la Feria de Abril. At this festival you see the local people dancing and singing sevillanas. Many people wear traditional Flamenco dress.
La Feria de Abril de Sevilla lasts for one week and starts on Monday two weeks after Easter Day.
Each year, there is a poster to advertise the event. The festival began as a cattle market in 1847 with tents erected for the selling of the animals.
Nowadays, the tents are striped in bright colours and inside there is music and dancing. The tents are called casetas (little houses). Most of the casetas are erected in an area of the festival known as el Real de la Feria.
Every year, there is a temporary gateway to the Feria, called la Portada. The gateway is covered in electric light bulbs so that it is is lit up at night time. There is a special opening ceremony when the lights of the festival are switched on. This ceremony is called el Alumbrado.
Below are two images of the gateway, including an antique photo.
14. A traditional item to use, during the hot Spanish summer, is a hand-held fan called un abanico. It is also part of traditional Flamenco costume and can be used as an accessory during a Flamenco dance.
15. La mantilla is a traditional Spanish headdress for females. It is a lace veil and is worn on special occasions. The veil is held in place by a hidden comb called la peineta. This special comb can be of a style that raises the veil high on the head.
Below is a portrait of Spanish actress and singer Raquel Meller - painted by artist Julio Romero. There is also a photo of the 'high comb' that is designed to be hidden under the lace veil.
16. The drink known as sherry comes from the Spanish town of Jerez and the surrounding area.
The full name of the town is Jerez de la Frontera. The word for sherry in Spanish is the same as the name of the town:- el jerez.
Sherry is a strong wine and it comes in four varieties -
fino (very dry and pale in colour)
amontillado (dry with a nutty flavour)
oloroso (full flavour and dark colour)
manzanilla (meaning 'chamomile' because it is said to have a similar appearance and flavour)
If you go to the famous Feria de Sevilla (mentioned earlier on this page) you will see that sherry is a popular and traditional drink there.
The wine produced in the area of Jerez de la Frontera is also made into vinegar called el vinagre de Jerez.
17. A traditional Spanish pastime between March and October is to go to an arena to watch a bullfight - una corrida de toros. The official name for this sport is la Fiesta Nacional and it is considered to be un patrimonio cultural - 'a cultural heritage' of Spain. The sport of bullfighting is called la tauromaquia.
There are some areas of Spain that disagree with the existence of bullfighting, such as the regions of Cataluña and the Canary Islands - las Islas Canarias.
¿Qué opinas de la tauromaquia?
What is your opinion about bullfighting?
a. En mi opinión, la tauromaquia es una tradición cultural.
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b. En mi opinión, la tauromaquia es la crueldad.
The earliest-recorded Spanish bullfights took place in the 11th. century.
The bullring - la plaza de toros - that is considered to be the most important and the most famous in Spain is in the town of Ronda in Andalucía. It was opened in 1785 and is one of the oldest in Spain.
The bullring of Ronda is also the home of la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda - a historic, royal academy established in 1573 for the training of horses and the teaching of professional horse-riding.
Image: la Plaza de Toros de Ronda. Photo by Mihael Grmek, Wikimedia.
The most famous bullfighter in Spanish history is the legendary Pedro Romero from Ronda. He was born in 1754. During his career he killed over five thousand bulls without ever being hurt. He died in 1839.
This is a portrait of Pedro Romero, painted by the famous Spanish artist Francisco de Goya.
18. Some famous Spanish artists are:
17th Century - Diego Velázquez
18th Century - Francisco de Goya
19th Century - Joaquín Sorolla
20th Century - Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró
The painting below is the very famous work called 'An Old Woman Frying Eggs.' In Spanish, it is called 'Vieja Friendo Huevos.' It was painted by Diego Velázquez in 1618 and is visible at the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Some interesting facts:
a. The artist Diego Velázquez is best known by his mother's surname. His full name was Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez. His father's surname was Rodríguez de Silva.
b. Diego Velázquez was born in Sevilla.
c. The painting of the old woman frying eggs was completed when he was just 19 years old!
d. Below is a self-portrait (un autorretrato) of Velázquez, painted around the year 1640.
19. S E A T is a Spanish car manufacturer. The company was established in 1950. The letters SEAT stand for Sociedad Española de Automóviles de Turismo, meaning: Spanish Society for Touring Cars.
20. El Teide is a volcano (un volcán) on the Spanish island of Tenerife, (one of the Canary Islands). It reaches an altitude of over 3,700 metres and is considered to be a symbol of the Canary Islands. El Teide last erupted in 1909.
It is the highest Spanish mountain, even though it is not situated on the Iberian Peninsula.
The volcano el Teide is depicted in the centre of the coat of arms of Tenerife.
Image of el Teide by Daniel Gainza, Wikimedia.