Spain is the country of Flamenco, Paella and Bullfighting. Generally, most people go to Spain to enjoy sun and beach. In fact, the country is the second destination for tourism in the world. The climate is good all the year and there are many beautiful villages and landscapes.
But Spain, also has a sizeable culture made from Roman heritage, making Spain one of the major Latin countries of Europe. Spanish life is marked by strong historic ties to Catholicism. Spanish art, architecture, cuisine, and music have been shaped by successive waves of foreign invaders.
In term of geography, the Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla. Spain is divided into 19 autonomous communities. Even if most of Spaniards speak Spanish it exists other official languages: Basque, Galician and Catalan. Spain has about 44 million inhabitants.
The political system is a Constitutional Monarchy. It’s a democracy which means spanish people vote for their politicians but they have a King (Juan Carlos) and a Queen (Sofia). Today, Spain has to face political and social tensions. It reaches a high level of unemployment (20%) and the deficit remains really important. Since the general elections of December 2015, Spain has no government. In fact, political parties are unable to agree on a new government wanted from Spaniards.
Madrid’s Puerta del Sol
Madrid, the capital of Spain, is the third largest city of the European Union after London and Berlin. It counts 3.2 millions of inhabitants. Madrid is divided into 21 zones and each zone is split into different neighborhoods. The starting point is Puerta del Sol. There, you can find the famous point zero mark, the point where all streets in Spain part. It is also an important meeting point for the people of Madrid. The most popular neighborhoods in Madrid are located around Puerta del Sol: Sol, Huertas, La Latina, Chueca, Malasaña,…
There are many universities, mine is localised in Vicálvaro at 45min away by subway link from my flat. I live in the center (Sol neighborhood) and as the majority of Erasmus people in Spain, i have found a shared flat with three other roommates.
Rey Juan Carlos University en Vicálvaro
Madrid is filled with parks; the tree population of Madrid is over 500 000, second only to Tokyo. The most popular park is Parque del Retiro which was one part of a place built for Felipe IV. The Atocha railway station has a 4000 sq meter indoor garden filled with tropical plants and the shops and cafes inside the station are always busy.
Madrid has seen an economic growth in 1980s and 1990s. It elevated the city position as an important industrial, cultural, economic and technological center for the entire European continent.
The city has some exquisite art museums. In fact, there are over 73 museums that contain exhibits that cover a wide range of human achievements and discoveries. The Prado Museum is the most famous, but the Reina Sofia Museum is the home of Picasso’s Guernica.
See you next week!
