Wikijunior:Europe/Spain
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Spain is a large country in south western Europe. It shares borders with France, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar (governed by the United Kingdom). The capital city is Madrid. Other big cities are Barcelona and Valencia. Spain is one of 15 countries which use the Euro as its currency.
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[edit] Spain's History
Between 1936 and 1939 Spain fought a bloody civil war and with the support of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, the nationalist side won the civil war.
Between 1936 and 1978 Spain was controlled by General Francisco Franco and was run as a dictatorship.
Spain has been a member of the European Union since 1986.
[edit] Spain's Geography
Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe (after France). Spain has many high mountains with the largest mountain being Teide at 3,718 metres in the Canary Islands which are located off the African coast.
Spain has a mostly Mediterranean climate with warm winters and hot (often very hot) summers.
Spain is home to many breeds of animals including the rare Iberian Lynx.
[edit] Spain's People
Spain is home to over 45 million people. The majority of people in the country are ethnic Spanish. There are also large minorities of people from Morocco, Ecuador, the United Kingdom, Romania and France.
Spanish (Castilian) is the most spoken language in Spain. There are also large numbers of Catalan, Basque and English speakers.
The majority of Spanish people are Catholic Christians (76%). There are also large minorities of Muslims (3%) and people of no religion (19%).
[edit] Spain's Sights
Spain is the world's second most popular tourist destination. 60 million people visit Spain every year with the majority of tourists from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
The most popular destinations for tourists are the Canary Islands, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and the coastal regions of the country.
