38 Facts About Spain

Spain, also known as the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España), is a transcontinental country with parts of its territory in the Atlantic Ocean and across the Mediterranean Sea.

Spain is the European Union's second largest country.

Spain produces more than one-third of the world's olive oil. Spain produces approximately 35% of the world's olive oil.

Football is a huge sport in Spain.

The vast majority of Spaniards are Roman Catholic.

Spain has nearly the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world.

Spain was one of the early adopters of wind energy.

Spain controls nearly 95% of the Iberian Peninsula.

Spain is the only European country with cities outside of Europe.

Flamenco originated in Spain. Flamenco is a sensual and passionate dance that is popular all over the world (even the Apple emoji dancing girl wears a flamenco dress!).

Every year in August, Buñol hosts La Tomatina. For the entire day, over 20,000 people participate in the world's largest tomato fight.

In terms of literature, Spain is a pioneer.

Spain is home to numerous prehistoric drawings.

On January 6th, both Spanish and Italian children receive the majority of their Christmas gifts.

The mop originated in Spain.

The first modern novel from Spain is "Don Quixote de la Mancha" by Miguel de Cervantes.

Only a small portion of Spain, mostly in the mountains, is classified as dense woodland. However, vegetation covers nearly half of the country.

In Spain, it is legal to be naked. It is not advised, but it is possible!

When the Spanish want to show how much they enjoyed their meal, they drop their napkin.

The Spaniards have a long life expectancy. Their life expectancy is 84 years on average. Women live for nearly 87 years on average, while men live for more than 81 years.

The average Spaniard has two surnames. They keep both their fathers' and mothers' surnames to honour both of them.

Over 500 million people in the world speak Spanish. It is the world's second most spoken language.

Spain, like England and the Netherlands, retains a monarchy. King Felipe VI, who took power in 2014, is the current ruler.

Madrid, Spain's capital, is one of the largest cities in Europe.

Spain has the lowest population density in Europe.

Along with Spanish, there are five other official languages in Spain.

Prior to 2015, the legal marriage age in Spain was 14, the lowest in Europe, but it has since been raised to 16 years old, in line with other European countries.

Spain did not participate in either World War I or World War II.

For nearly 40 years, Spain was ruled by a dictatorship.

Spanish people are easily identified because they speak very loudly.

The Spaniards enjoy burning things, especially large amounts of dried wood.

Almost everyone in the countryside goes by Paco, Pepe, or Javi.

In Spain, people dress up as devils and jump over newly born babies in order to cleanse them of original sin.

Spain has four major mountain ranges: the Pyrenees, the Sierra de Guadarrama, the Sierra de Gredos, and the Sierra Nevada.

Because of the sirocco winds, temperatures on the southern and eastern coasts are very mild.

The northwest coast of Spain is known as "Green Spain" because plants and trees thrive there.

Spain has the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone.

In Spain, the unemployment rate is higher than 13%.