Related problems in Spain

National Day: 65438+ 10/2 (Spain-America Day 1492)

Capital: Madrid, population 3,065,438+600,000 (2002).

Area: 504,750 square kilometers Population: 39.5 million.

Religion: 99% believe in Catholicism

Language: Spanish (official language), Catalan, Galician.

State system: constitutional monarchy

National flower: pomegranate flower

National Stone: Emerald

Currency: Euro (old currency: peseta)

Time difference: 8 hours later than Beijing;

Reputation: tourism kingdom, olive kingdom;

National flag: rectangular, with an aspect ratio of 3: 2. The flag surface consists of three parallel horizontal rectangles, all of which are red from top to bottom, each accounting for1/4 of the flag surface; The middle is yellow. The yellow part is painted with the national emblem of Spain on the left. Red and yellow are the traditional colors that the Spanish people love, and they represent the four ancient kingdoms that make up Spain. There is a saying that red stands for game-writing protocol and yellow stands for yellow sand. Game-writing protocol and yellow sand symbolize the cool bullfighting of the Spanish people, which embodies the spirit of courage, tenacity and fearlessness.

National emblem: the central pattern is the coat of arms. There are six patterns on the shield: a yellow castle on the red ground in the upper left corner and a red lion wearing a crown on the white ground in the upper right corner. The castle and the lion are symbols of ancient Spain, symbolizing Castilla and Leon respectively; In the lower left corner is a yellow-red vertical bar, symbolizing Aragon in the northeast; In the lower right corner is a golden chain net on the red ground, symbolizing Navarra in the north; The bottom is a red pomegranate with green leaves on a white background, symbolizing Granada in the south; There are three lilies in the blue oval in the center of the shield, which symbolizes the country's prosperity, people's happiness and national unity. There is a big crown at the top of the coat of arms, which is a symbol of state power. There is a Hercules column on each side of the coat of arms. Also known as the Hercules Silver Pillar, the top of the left and right pillars are the crown and the imperial crown respectively, and the ribbon wound on the pillar reads "There are continents overseas".

National anthem: Royal March The Spanish national anthem originated from the March of Granada Army in Carlos III in the18th century. The Spanish royal family called it the March of Honor, and the folk called it the March of Infantry. The royal family has organized musicians to write new songs many times, but none of them can surpass this song, so this national anthem with songs and no words will continue. 193 1 In the second year of the Republic of China, Ode to Diego was adopted as the national anthem, but after the failure of the democratic government, it resumed its original national anthem status.

Population: 42 765 438+700,000 (2003). Mainly Castilians (that is, Spaniards), and ethnic minorities include Catalans, Basques and Galicians. Catalan is spoken in the northeast, Galician in the northwest and Basque in the north. Castilian, or Spanish, is the official language and the national lingua franca. Minority languages are also the official languages of this region. 96% of the residents believe in Catholicism.

State dignitaries: King Juan Carlos I and Prime Minister Rodrí guez Zapatero were elected in March 2004 and sworn in in April. Spanish Senate President Francisco Javier Rojo García took office in 2004.

physical geography

Climate: Meseta Plateau in the middle has a continental climate, the coastal areas in the north and northwest have a maritime temperate climate, and the southern and southeast have a Mediterranean subtropical climate. The northwest is humid, and the inland and southeast are dry. Average monthly temperature from north to south:1October 65438+9.4-10.3℃; July19.1-28.1℃. The annual precipitation is generally 350-500mm, and the mountain area is as high as 1, 500mm.

Mineral resources: Mercury reserves rank first in the world, including coal, iron, bauxite, molybdenum, pyrite and oil. The forest area is vast, including European oak, oak, chestnut and Chinese fir. Rich in sardines and lobsters.

Location: Iberian Peninsula in southwest Europe. It borders the Bay of Biscay in the north, Portugal in the west, Morocco in Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar in the south, France and Andorra in the northeast, and the Mediterranean Sea in the east and southeast. The coastline is about 7800 kilometers long. The territory is mountainous and is one of the alpine countries in Europe. Plateau and mountains alternate with each other, with the national average elevation of 660m, 35% of the country's areas are above 1000m, and the plains only account for 1 1%, making it one of the highest countries in Europe. The main mountain ranges are Cantabria and Pyrenees in the north and morena and Andalusia in the south. The Mullah Peak in the south is 3478 meters above sea level, which is the highest peak in China.

Spain is located in the southwest of Europe and shares the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal. Spain lies between 36 and 44 degrees north latitude, 9 degrees west longitude 18 minutes and 3 degrees east longitude 19 minutes. It is 840 kilometers long from north to south and 1000 kilometers long from east to west. With a land area of 504,750 square kilometers, the Spaniards say that their country is shaped like a cooked cowhide. Spain ranks fourth in Europe after Russia, Germany and France, equivalent to one twentieth of the total area of Europe. Outside the peninsula, Spain's territory includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

The northern coast of Spain is the Bay of Biscay, and the northeast borders France and Andorra. The towering Pyrenees mountains separate these countries. Facing the Mediterranean Sea in the east and southeast, you can reach Morocco in Africa by crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, which is only 14 km wide. Rectangular Portugal is Spain's neighbor to the west. The Strait of Gibraltar is the main route from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, and its strategic position is extremely important. Spain and Britain have long been fighting for sovereignty here.

Excluding Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, the Spanish coastline surrounded by the sea on three sides is about 3,904 kilometers long, but the coast is relatively flat, and the real natural harbors are concentrated in the north, such as ferrol, Ponte Vidra and Vigo. Cartagena is the only natural port in the Mediterranean. The coastline in the southeast is not a port, but a beautiful beach resort. The famous bays in Spain are Cadiz Bay and Valencia Bay.

Spain has not only beautiful coasts, but also towering mountains. In Europe, she is the tallest country except Switzerland. Most of Spain is an ancient plateau. The famous Central Plateau stands in the middle of Spain, accounting for about 60% of the national area, with an altitude of 600-700 meters. The central plateau is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cantabria Mountains in the north and the Morena Mountains in the south, and the Iberian Mountains in the east separate the central plateau from the Aragon Plain. The west side of the plateau slowly extends, the terrain gradually flattens, and finally disappears along the Atlantic coast. If you drive around Spain, you will see snow-capped peaks and rolling hills from time to time.

Spain can be roughly divided into five geographical regions:

Northern mountainous area: There is the famous Pyrenees in Europe, and the whole mountain range stretches for thousands of miles with picturesque scenery. Throughout the year, whether on the mountains or on the plains, green is everywhere. Especially in asturias, the mountains are continuous, the pines are boundless, and the forests are gloomy.

Mount Cantabria, near the Pyrenees, is more than 2,000 meters above sea level, facing the endless Bay of Biscay in the north, with lush trees and charming scenery. There are many wide valleys between them, and the lake is as clear as a mirror. What's more worth mentioning is that there are countless waterfalls, which pour down from a height and are filled with water mist all day long, which is spectacular. It is not only an important cork producing area, but also a pastoral and industrial area where cattle and sheep are everywhere.

Central Plateau: The Cordillera Mountains in the middle of the plateau divide the Meseta Plateau into the old Castilla Plateau in the north and the new Castilla Plateau in the south. There are many famous olive groves and animal sanctuaries on this rolling mountain. The northwest of the central plateau and the northern coast of the Atlantic Ocean are mostly mountainous areas and mountainous areas. The mountain road is connected end to end, and the car sometimes travels in the mountain for a long time, as if it were still in its original position.

Aragon Plain: Aragon Plain is located in the Ebro River valley in the southeast of the Pyrenees, and it is a roughly triangular wavy plain. In the paleogeological period, it used to be a vast inland lake. Later, the lake flowed into the Mediterranean Sea and gradually became a dry land. Aragon Plain enjoys a pleasant climate, abundant rainfall and fertile soil all year round. Known as the "land of abundant water", it is not only a natural granary in Spain, but also an important producing area of grapes, oranges and other fruits.

Mediterranean coastal mountains: The coastal mountains extend from Andalusia in the southeast to Catalonia in the northeast, with a total length of 1.500 km. Walking on the soft beach, the sea and the sky are the same, and tourists are like a tide. Murata in the southern Andalusian Mountains is steep and towering, with an altitude of 3,478 meters. It is the highest point of Iberian Peninsula and is known as the "national backbone" of Spain. This mountain is full of mist and breezes all year round, and it is a good place for summer vacation.

Andalusian Plain: Located between the Mo Leneutre Mountains and the Andalusian Mountains. Here is a Ma Pingchuan, open and honest; Gwadar Keevil River runs through the whole plain from west to east, irrigating ten million mu of fertile land. Because the towering Andalusian mountains block the humid air from the ocean, the climate here is dry and the summer sun is like fire.

administrative division

The whole country is divided into 17 autonomous regions, 50 provinces and more than 8,000 towns. 17 The autonomous regions are: Andalusia, Aragon, asturias, Balearic, Basque, Canary, Cantabria, Castilla-Leon, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Estremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, la rioja and Valencia.

District planning/administrative center

Andalusia/Andalusia/Seville, Seville

Aragon Aragon/Zaragoza Zaragoza

Oviedo of asturias/Oviedo

Barry Alibaba/Mallorca, i.

Basque vasco/Victoria Victoria-Gaste

Canary/

Cantabria/Santander, Cantabria

Castilla-Leon Castilla and Leon/Valladolid Football Club

Castilla La Mancha Castilla La Mancha/Toledo

Catalonia A/ Barcelona Barcelona

Estremadura Estremadura/Merida Merida

Galicia, Galicia/Santiago de Compostela

Madrid/Madrid

Murcia Murcia/Murcia Murcia

Navarra Navarra/Pamplona

La rioja la rioja/Los Grognot Laugraud? o

Valencia/Valencia

Four major tourist areas: Canary Islands-Tropical Scenery, Sunshine Coast-Mediterranean Beach, Balearic Islands-Mediterranean Bath, Madrid-Ancient Cultural City;

Human population

The main ethnic group in Spain is Castilians, accounting for more than 70% of the total population. Catalans, Galicians and Basques are the most important three of Spain's 20 ethnic minorities.

Catalans mainly live in northeastern Spain, and Barcelona is the important town of Catalonia. A few Catalans live in Aragon, and there are about 600,000 people in Germany, Italy, Andorra and other countries. Galicians live in the Galician region in the northwest. Their origins are related to the Portuguese, and they are also very close in culture and language. Abroad, Galicians are mainly concentrated in Argentina, with a total of 975,000 people. Basques are distributed on the west side of the Pyrenees, living in the foothills of Cantabria and along the Bay of Biscay. There are about 300 thousand people abroad, many of whom are in France. Sociologists have so far failed to find the origin of the Basque nation. In these three regions, the national language and Spanish (Castilian) are official languages.

The three largest cities in Spain are Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, with a population of more than 2 million. On the mainland, which accounts for about two-thirds of the country, the population is only one-third of the country's, and the rest are concentrated in the industrial prosperity areas bordering the Mediterranean and Atlantic. There are 263 people per square kilometer in the province of Biscay maritime and 284 people in Barcelona. In some industrial areas, such as asturias, Basque and Catalonia, there are even more than 500 people per square kilometer. In some sparsely populated areas such as teruel, Soria and La Mancha, there are only 9 people per square kilometer. In the Mainland, the only place with a relatively high population density is madrid province, where the capital is located, with more than 500 people per square kilometer.

Spain's population is aging seriously. Spain has become one of the most livable countries in Europe. With the improvement of living standards, the average life expectancy in 1980 reached 76 years, second only to the Netherlands in Europe. Although it is a traditional Catholic country, influenced by the modern concept of marriage and family, young people tend to marry late, never marry and never have children. The marriage rate of men and women of marriageable age is only about five thousandths, which means that the proportion of cohabitation is huge. At one time in the early 1980s, the number of people getting married decreased by 25% every year. At present, women have an average of 2./kloc-0 children, and the family size has shrunk to about 3 people per household, which is a low level in Europe. However, the divorce rate in Spain is also very low, only 0.5 per thousand. Spain's child mortality rate is also relatively low in Europe, below 1%. A large number of overseas immigrants have also caused the low growth rate of Spain's population, which is the difference between Spain and other western countries.

At present, there are about 3.36 million Spaniards living abroad, including 2.207 million in America and 6.5438+0.07 million in Europe. Constant immigration is the characteristic of Spain's population structure, which is related to her colonial rule. After the discovery of the New World, a large number of Spaniards flocked to Central and South America and even parts of North America to look for gold and adventure. By 19 13, the number of Hispanic American immigrants reached 220,000. After the war, the direction of Spanish immigration reversed. Before 1960, up to 85% of the immigrants' target was the Americas on the other side of the Atlantic, and then it dropped to10%; At the same time, a large number of immigrants turned their new dreams to Europe, and their favorite places were France, Germany and Switzerland. After the war, the population of Spain who emigrated abroad was 1.5 million.

capital

The symbol of Madrid, the capital of Spain, is a bear standing enough to eat apples. Located in a mountain basin at an altitude of 670 meters, it is one of the highest capitals in Europe. The scenery here is beautiful, the sun is shining and the air is fresh. The number of sunny days every year ranks first among the major capitals in Europe.

In ancient times, Madrid was just a small village on the Manzanares River, ruled by Romans, Visigoths and Arabs. The name of Madrid comes from Machirit, which was a fortress built here by Arabs in the 10 century. 1083, the Spanish drove the foreign rulers out of the Iberian Peninsula. 1562, Felipe II moved the capital from Toledo to Madrid, which is a strategic place in the center of the peninsula. At that time, the city had only 30,000 residents, but now Madrid has a population of nearly 4 million and has become the political, economic, cultural, transportation and financial center of Spain.

Madrid is now a modern city. 10% of Spain's total industrial output value comes from machinery manufacturing, chemical industry, construction, leather and wood processing, food and other industrial sectors in this capital. Since the opening of the first railway in 185 1 Madrid, Madrid has been connected with more than 20 cities in China and major cities in the world, and the Spanish road network has been extended to all parts of the country with Madrid as the center. Subway transportation is the main mode of transportation in Madrid. The total length of the subway is about 100 km, with1000000 people entering and leaving every day.

Madrid is full of places of interest. This 1000 Arc de Triomphe, more than 3,000 squares and 50 museums 1992 was rated as "a famous European cultural city", full of strong historical atmosphere. The triangle between the three main squares-Sun Gate Square, Central Square and Spain Square-is the center of Madrid. Sun Gate Square is called the center of Spain, where there is a sign from which Spaniards calculate the mileage of cars, trains and planes to all parts of the country. There is the famous Cervantes monument in Spain on the Spanish square. On one side of the monument is a statue of Isabel, the founding queen of Spain, and two pools symbolizing the calm Mediterranean and the turbulent Atlantic Ocean. On the other side are the world-famous bronze statues of Tangi and Sancho's servants. The Columbus Monument was erected in Columbus Square. The statue of Columbus in the distance and the fountain in the shape of a three-masted boat at the foot are also one of Madrid's landmark buildings. The image of the sculpture "Lion Chariot" on the Goddess of the Earth Square is often used to mark the city of Madrid. This square is a place where fans of the famous club Real Madrid celebrate.

Just like when you arrive in Beijing, you must go to the Forbidden City. When you arrive, people always visit the Oriental Palace, the royal palace in the west of the city. This is a grand and solemn classical building with obvious Italian style. The palace is all made of marble and is U-shaped. The ground floor is open to tourists and the gate is guarded by knights. The interior of the palace is resplendent and magnificent, and rare treasures compete with mural carvings, which is amazing. 1975 After King Juan Carlos ascended the throne, the royal family no longer lived and worked here, and the Oriental Palace became a place for grand celebrations, where the king would receive distinguished guests and accept credentials from foreign envoys.

Strolling in Madrid is like being in a huge park, where the grass is lush, the trees are shaded and the fountain sculptures are beautiful. The most beautiful scenery is the retirement park, which covers an area of 130 hectares. According to legend, it was built by a group of veterans. There are towering old trees and lush green grass in the garden. Simple and elegant buildings and sculptures can be seen everywhere. Waterbirds play on the mirror-like lake, couples embrace on both sides of the road, children are happy, and young people sing softly with guitars.

With the development of tourism in the last two decades, in addition to many new institutions and commercial buildings, Madrid has also built many gorgeous restaurants and hotels, mainly for foreign tourists to rest. In the new architecture, the "Gate of Europe" is impressive both in architecture and aesthetics. Two symmetrical parallelogram towers are located on both sides of the expressway respectively, and they are inclined at an acute angle to each other. This building was built for the European Union Conference in Madrid, showing a fearless heroism.

politics

According to the Constitution, Spain is a country ruled by law with social democracy and a parliamentary monarchy. The throne was inherited by Juan Carlos I and his direct descendants. The king is the head of state and the supreme commander of the armed forces, representing the country. Parliament is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, which exercises the legislative power of the state, examines and approves the budget and supervises the work of the government. The government is responsible for governing the country and reporting to the parliament.

Diplomacy: it advocates "peace and security" and pursues a foreign policy of "Europeanization, Westernization and Democratization" with "peace, disarmament, protection of human rights and international cooperation and unity" as the leading principles.

Relations with China:1On March 9, 973, Spain established diplomatic relations with China. In April 2005, Spanish Senate President Royo Garcia visited China. In July 2005, Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero paid an official visit to China. In 2004, the bilateral trade volume reached US$ 7.223 billion. From June to May 2005, it was $398,654.38 billion, up 48.3% year-on-year. From June 5 to 10, 2005, President Hu Jintao paid a state visit to Spain. In July 2006, Spanish Crown Prince Felipe paid an official visit to China. In June 2007, King Carlos I paid a state visit to China. The relationship between China and Spain is at its best in history.

economy

Spain is a moderately developed capitalist industrial country. The gross domestic product ranks eighth in the Organization for Economic Development and 1 1 in the world. The main minerals are 8.8 billion tons of coal, 65.438+0.9 billion tons of iron, 500 million tons of pyrite, 4 million tons of copper, 6.5438+0.9 million tons of zinc and 700,000 tons of mercury. The total forest area is 1 179.2 hectares. The main industrial sectors are shipbuilding, steel, automobile, cement, mining, construction, textile, chemical, leather, electric power and other industries. Service industry is an important pillar of the western national economy, including culture, education, health, commerce, tourism, scientific research, social insurance, transportation and finance, among which tourism and finance are relatively developed. Due to the pleasant climate, numerous historical and cultural sites and developed tourism. It received 3.9 million foreign tourists annually (1983). Tourism is an important pillar of the western economy and one of the main sources of foreign exchange. Agriculture accounts for only 7% of GDP, mainly planting wheat, corn, sugar beet, olives, grapes, citrus and so on. Olive oil production ranks among the top in the world. Milk, meat, animal husbandry and fishery are developed. Member States of the European Economic Community. Export industrial products, citrus, olive oil, wine and cork. Import oil, cotton and machinery. Famous tourist attractions include Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Sunshine Coast and Beautiful Coast.

culture

Religion:

Since Roman rule, Spain has established its position as a Catholic country. After the "reconquest" war in the eighth century AD drove the Arabs out of the peninsula, Catholicism completely controlled the whole of Spain. In the Middle Ages, Spain's "inquisition" ran across Europe, indiscriminately torturing and killing pagans, from princes to ministers to ordinary people. During the Reformation in Europe, Spain became a thorn in the side of western European countries. /kloc-after the 0/8th century, the contradiction between the church and secular forces intensified, the anti-religious right movement rose day by day, and the church power gradually declined. However, 94% of Spaniards still believe in Catholicism, and the rest are Protestants, Jews and Muslims.

Spain is divided into eleven parishes, of which Toledo parish is the largest and most important one. Bishop Toledo has been a cardinal in Spain since the Gothic period.

The influence of Catholicism is more reflected in the daily life of Spaniards. Like other Catholics, the most important moments in Spanish life are spent in the church: baptism after birth, first communion, wedding and funeral after death. There are many festivals in Spain. One reason is that every city, village and occupation has a saint as the patron saint. Every saint's birthday, cities or trade associations will hold large-scale mass and religious demonstrations. In addition, every believer also has his own patron saint, who not only celebrates his own birthday, but also celebrates the birthday of saints, called "Día del Santo". Spanish names are mostly taken from saints. The most common male and female names are "Jose" and "Maria", and both men and women often use these two names together. For example, the former Spanish Prime Minister was called "jose maria Aznar".

Press and publication: national newspapers 155, national magazines 170. The main newspapers are El Pais, Abesai, Le Monde, Catalonia and Pioneer.

The main news agency is the official news agency Effie, which was established in June 1939. There are also private European news agencies and Rogos news agencies.

The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television is in charge of radio and television. There are more than 200 radio stations in China, mainly Spanish National Radio, private Spanish Broadcasting Company, Intercontinental Radio and Spanish People's Broadcasting Station.

Spanish TV is a state-owned national TV station with two channels. There are also local TV stations in Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia, Basque and Madrid. 1989, the government approved the establishment of three private TV stations: multi-channel, antenna -3 and TV 5. 1997 two digital TV stations began to operate.

Important festivals: religious festivals are still the most important ceremonies in the country in a year, and even the focus of people's lives. In the life of citizens in this country for one year, the spiritual and material focus should belong to these festivals.