Spain

Overview

Spain is more than bullfights, flamenco dancers and crowded beaches. It's a spectacular and diverse country, the north resembling the rolling, green hills of Ireland and the south giving you a taste of Moroccan landscapes and architecture. Its tremendous history is reflected in its prehistoric cave paintings, Moorish palaces, crumbling castles, Roman ruins, Gothic and Renaissance cathedrals as well as some very distinctive modern architecture. The uniqueness of Spain lies in the separate kingdoms which made up the original Spanish nation. These regions remain diverse in their language, culture, cuisine and art. They include: Andalucía, Aragon, Asturias, Basque Country, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra and Valencia. Areas of interest are not limited to each region, here are some highlights:

Beaches

Excellent and quiet beaches can be found near Malaga, Huelva and Almería in the south as well as near the coasts of La Manga, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Euskadi. If you do enjoy extremely developed resort towns, there are plenty of crowded beaches on the Costa de la Luz and the Costa del Sol. Interesting is the harbour of Almerimar with cosy bars, just south of El Ejido (Almeria).

Very unique architecture can be found in Córdoba, Salamanca, Granada, Toledo, Madrid... The visionary architecture of Antoni Gaudí and the Picasso museum are in Barcelona while Madrid is home to Spain�s top three art museums.

Countrysides

If you would rather get some fresh air, Spain is filled with opportunities to visit...more

History

The Iberian Peninsula has been occupied for many millennia. Some of Europe's most impressive Paleolithic cultural sites are located there-the famous caves at Altamira contain spectacular paintings which date from about 15000-25000 years ago. The Basques are the first identifiable people of the peninsula and are the oldest surviving group in Europe. Iberians arrived from south Africa during a more recent period.

Beginning in the ninth century BC Phoenicians Greeks Carthaginians and Celts entered the Iberian Peninsula followed by the Romans who arrived in the second century BC. Spain's present language religion and laws stem from the Roman period. Although the Visigoths arrived in the fifth century AD the last Roman strongholds along the southern coast did not fall until the seventh century AD. In 711 North African Moors sailed across the straits swept into Andalusia and within a few years pushed the Visigoths up the peninsula to the Cantabrian Mountains. The Reconquest-efforts to drive out the Moors-lasted until 1492. By 1512 the unification of present-day Spain was complete.

During the 16th century Spain became the most powerful nation in Europe due to the immense wealth derived from its presence in the Americas. But a series of long costly wars and revolts capped by the defeat by the English of the "Invincible Armada" in 1588 began a steady decline of Spanish power in Europe. Controversy over succession to the throne consumed the country during the 18th and 19th centuries leading to occupation by France in the early 1800s.

The 19th century saw the...more