Spanish Culture Midterm

How many autonomous communities are there in Spain?

17

What are the two autonomous cities that Spain holds outside of the country?

Ceuta and Melilla in northern Morocco

How many Romani people live in Spain?

An estimated 600,000, with the largest number living in Andalusia

Who are the names of the Spanish royal family?

King: Felipe VI

Queen: Letizia

Princess of Asturias: Leonor

Infanta: Sofia

What is the current political system of Spain?

Spain is a multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy, with the king acting as Head of State, and a council of ministers, presided over by the president, holding executive power.

• The current king, Felipe VI, was crowned in 2014.

• Pedro Sánchez became president in 2018, he currently presides over a coalition government.

What international politics is Spain involved in?

Spain is a member of:

• The European Union (EU)

• Group of Twenty (G20) (Permanent guest)

• The United Nations (UN)

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

• The European Commission (EC)

• Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB)-

• And many more…

How much money does Spain get from tourism?

Tourism drives Spain's economy by attracting millions of visitors each year

• over 12% to the country’s GDP and over 100 billion euros in revenue

• The first six months of 2025 alone saw over 44 million tourists visit Spain

Which city has more tourists thus far in 2025, Madrid or Barcelona?

Over ten million tourists have visited Madrid thus far in 2025, compared to 8 million visitors to Barcelona.

Economic landscape in Spain

• A significant portion of the Spanish population is employed in the service sector, and there has been a significant growth in retail services

• Spain’s finance sector has rapidly expanded

• Spain’s burgeoning technology sector, with startups and innovation hubs, drives modern economic development and diversification

• Spain's agriculture focuses on key exports such as: Olives and olive oil, wine, fruit, meat products and more

• The manufacturing sector supports automotive, chemical-pharmaceutical, metal and textile industries

• Though exports are increasing, Spain imports more goods into the country than it exports out, which results in a trade deficit

Unemployment problem in Spain

Spain continues to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the EU, currently at 10.29%, unemployment is particularly high amongst young professionals, aged 16-24

When was the metro system in Madrid created?

Inaugurated in 1919, the Madrid Metro is the 14th longest rapid transit subway system in the world.

What does majority of the pop. in Spain religiously identify as?

Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in Spain, with 58.6% of the population identifying as Roman Catholic

• Only a small percentage of the population (18.8%)
  identify as Practicing Catholics. By contrast, more
  people identify as Atheist, Agnostic or Indifferent to
  religion.

When was the freedom of religion established in Spain?

The Spanish constitution of 1978 establishes freedom of religion, and Spain has no official state religion.
That said, the country maintains several agreements with the Vatican City, including government funding for churches

When did immigration in Spain start to increase?

• Immigration began to increase sharply in Spain after
  1998.

• In 1998, immigration accounted for 1.6% of the
  country’s population.

• As of July 2025, immigration now accounts for 19.64%
  of the population.

What countries are majority of Spains immigrants coming from?

Currently, the majority of immigrants entering Spain are
from:
-Morocco
-Latin America
-Eastern Europe
-Western Europe

When is Three Kings Day celebrated in Spain?

6th of January

What was the traditional gift giving holiday in Spain?

Reyes, or Three Kings Day, was traditionally the country’s gift-giving holiday, complete with letters sent to the kings by children. Now, it is celebrated along with Christmas.

When is the National Day of Spain?

12th of October

• It commemorates the Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the Americas on the 12th of October 1492

• The 12th of October is a national holiday, so government institutions and administration offices are closed on the day, as are most banks and shops.

Music styles from Spain

Flamenco is the most famous, other unique musical styles can be found in Galicia, Catalonia, the Basque Country and others

21st century innovation in Spain

• Recently focused significant resources on developing wind and solar power to generate clean electricity

• Heavy investments in sustainable infrastructure have helped Spain reduce carbon emissions effectively in the last twenty years

• Promotes environmental responsibility through strategic policies supporting green energy and conservation efforts

Police forces in Spain

• The police in Spain are divided into two forces:
  National and Municipal.

• Municipal: Limited to operating in their city area and
  subject to control from the local ayuntamiento.

• National: Can operate in all cities and large urban
  centers in the country. Subject to control from the
  Ministry of the Interior

What is the Guardia Civil?

The Guardia Civil, or Civil Guards, are military police force who operate primarily in rural and coastal areas at a national level, including sea patrols. They are subject to control from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense

Sports in Spain

• Soccer is the most popular sport in Spain, with over 60% of the population
  expressing an interest in the sport, and nearly 18% of the population practicing it as a recreational sport regularly.

• The two most famous sports teams being Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

• Spain is one of two European nations to win both:
  The FIFA World Cup (2010)
  The FIFA Women’s World Cup (2023)

Tourism in Spain

• 11 million tourists visited Spain in July 2025

• The tourist industry contributes to over 12% of the
  country’s total GDP.

• Over ten million tourists have visited Madrid thus far in
  2025.

• Over 8 million tourists have visited Barcelona.

• Over 44 million tourists visited Spain during the first six
  months of 2025.

• The tourist industry contributes over 100 billion euros
  annually to the country’s economy

Legendary origin of Madrid

The legend of the founding of Madrid states that the Greek prince Ocno received a vision from Apollo, god of the sun, that he would find his fortune in “The land where the sun dies.”

Ocno travelled for ten years before finding a fertile and rich land, inhabited by a people called the Carpetani. There, with their help, he built his city of riches.

Historical origins of Madrid

• The earliest evidence for the City of Madrid dates to the 9th century ACE.

• The city was founded as a fortress by the emir of Cordoba, Muhammad I.

• The Arabic name for Madrid was, in this period, Maŷrīṭ.

Symbolism of Madrid

A bear eating from a Madroño, or strawberry tree, is a prominent symbol of the city of Madrid, present as a statue and on the city’s Coat of Arms

What is the meaning of the bear and the tree symbol?

Despite some linking the bear and the tree to the Madrid’s legendary founding, the truth is that this symbol, dating from the 13th century, represented an agreement between the villa of Madrid and the church.

In this agreement, the church had jurisdiction over the fields, and the villa had jurisdiction over the forests.

Thus, the bear represents the fields (controlled by the church) and the strawberry tree the forests (controlled by the villa).

Old capital of Spain

Since the 6th century ACE, the capital of Christian Spain had always been Toledo.

Madrid became the capital of Spain in 1561, when Phillip II of Spain moved his court from
Toledo to Madrid, and built his royal monastery-palace, El Escorial, in the area

Wars in Spain

Madrid has survived major conflicts, most recently during the Spanish Civil War, when it
was assaulted for two weeks by Nationalist forces and successfully defended by the Republican defenders, then besieged from November 1936 until the end of the war in 1939

Urban expansion of Madrid

• Madrid has grown significantly since the original
  construction of the Moorish fortress in the 9th century.

• Currently, Madrid covers an area of 604.45 km2
  (233.33 sq mi).

• In 1842, Madrid had a population of 157, 397
  inhabitants.

• Today, the population of Madrid is 3,322,416
  inhabitants.

The royal palace in Madrid

The Royal Palace is a majestic symbol of Madrid's royal heritage and architectural grandeur. It covers 135000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) and contains 3,418 rooms, making it the largest royal palace in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

Origin of Plaza Mayor in Madrid

Originally a market square, it has been used for coronations, executions, and mass gatherings.

The square is now a popular tourist site, with a multitude of terrace bars and restaurants within it.

Puerta de Europa / Europe Gate

Inaugurated in 1996, they are currently used as the headquarters of banking entities, such as Caixabank, and act as one of Madrid’s financial centres