Pictured above, the Spanish Flag (Smith, 2013).
Name
The conventional long form of the country’s name is the Kingdom of Spain. The local long form is Reino de Espana. The short form is Spain and the local short form is Espana (Central Intelligence Agency [CIA], 2014, para. 51).
The capital of Spain is Madrid (CIA, 2014, para. 53).
National anthem
The national anthem of Spain is “Himno Nacional Espanol” (CIA, 2014, para. 71).
location
Spain is located in South-western Europe. The bodies of water surrounding it are the Mediterranean Sea, the North Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay (CIA, 2014, para. 2).
Spain’s geographic coordinates are 40 00 N, 4 00 W (CIA, 2014, para. 3).
Spain’s geographic coordinates are 40 00 N, 4 00 W (CIA, 2014, para. 3).
Meaning behind the flag
The flag of Spain consists of three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow and red. It also has the national coat of arms on the side of the yellow band. The pomegranate at the bottom represents Granada and the arms are framed by two columns that represent the Pillar of Hercules. The red scroll across the two columns bears the motto of “Plus Ultura” (further beyond). The red and yellow colours are symbolic of the oldest Spanish kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon and Navarre (CIA, 2014, para. 69).
Natural resources
Spain’s natural resources are coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower and arable land (CIA, 2014, para. 8).
Ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Spain are a combination of Mediterranean and Nordic types (CIA, 2014, para.18).
Languages spoken
The languages spoken are Castilian Spanish (74%0, Catalan (17%), Galician (7%) and Basque (2%). (CIA, 2014, para. 19).
Religion
The prominent religion in Spain is Roman Catholicism (CIA, 2014, para. 20).
Spain has a parliamentary monarchy. The king is Felipe VI and the president is Mariano Rajoy (CIA, 2014, para. 52-61).