Spain Travel

The Spanish National Tourism Board website introduces you to Spain's tourism resources and practical information. Tell us what type of person you are: adventurous, dreamy, romantic... We will recommend places of interest to you.

Want to know some important information about Spanish society and lifestyle to help you travel? For example, you may not know that the country's population has exceeded 47 million and that Spain has one of the highest life expectancies in the world; you may also not know that although there are other languages ​​in Spain, Spanish is the official language throughout Spain. We will explain it to you in detail below and tell you some other interesting things:

Population

The population of Spain has exceeded 47 million, of which about 12% are foreigners. The five most populous cities are: Madrid (the capital of Spain, with a population of over 6 million), Barcelona (over 5 million), Valencia (over 2.6 million), Seville (about 2 million) and Zaragoza (about 1 million). Spain has one of the highest life expectancies in the world (83.3 years), especially for women, which is 85.8 years, making it one of the countries with the highest life expectancy in the entire European Union.

Territorial organization and government system

Territorially, Spain is divided into 17 autonomous regions: Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, Catalonia, Madrid Autonomous Region, Valencian Community, Extremadura, Galicia, Navarre, Basque Country, La Rioja and Murcia Region. There are also two autonomous cities: Ceuta and Melilla. Spain's political system is a parliamentary monarchy. Furthermore, Spain has been a member of the European Union since 1986.

Religion

In Spain, religious freedom is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution. Therefore, although about 60% of the population calls themselves Catholic, it is actually a non-denominational country. In addition to Catholicism, there are people who believe in Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc., and each religion has its own space in Spain.

Language

Castilian (also known as Spanish) is the official language of the country, and you will see people speaking this language all over the country. On the other hand, there are other official languages ​​in certain regions: Catalan in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Valencian in the Valencian Community, Basque in the Basque Country and some parts of Navarra, and Galician in Galicia. An interesting fact: did you know that there are more than 500 million people speaking Spanish in the world?

Customs and Habits

When greeting, Spanish people tend to shake hands, especially in more formal social situations. In more informal situations, it is customary to kiss women twice on the cheek, first on the right and then on the left. In Spain, especially on vacation, meals are eaten later than in other European countries. Normally, breakfast is eaten at 10 a.m., snacks at around 12:30 p.m., lunch between 2 and 4 p.m., coffee after lunch, and dinner between 9 and 11 p.m. Especially in large cities, you can eat at almost any time, as restaurants and bars are usually flexible with their opening hours and can serve customers at any time. When eating in restaurants, Spaniards use a knife and fork. The fork is placed on the left and the knife on the right. People also usually eat Tapas, which sometimes allow you to taste different specialties without having to sit down.

Hospitable Personality

Spanish people like to share everything with others, even with those from abroad, in order to show them what makes them special. Even if those foreigners come from thousands of miles away, Spanish people have ways to make them feel at home. Spanish people like to spend quality time with friends and family: go out to parties, meet up for meals and have a good time. Spanish people are also known for their humor.

Enjoy the outdoors

You can always find an atmospheric open terrace. Why? Because much of Spain is sunny year-round (over 3,000 hours of sunshine per year) and Spanish people love to sunbathe. They also love to stroll the streets, and in cities there are many arcades where people take advantage of the long opening hours to shop until dark. You'll also find atmospheric places in many cities in the evenings, especially in the summer when there are many popular open-air festivals. Remember that the Iberian Peninsula is at the westernmost end of its time zone, so in the middle of summer it can still be bright at 10pm. Spain also has around 8,000 km of coastline.

Festivals

Spain has more than 300 festivals that attract visitors from all over the world. The most widespread of these are Christmas (between December 24 and January 6, when people customarily give gifts to relatives and acquaintances and all the streets are illuminated) and Easter (occurring on varying dates between March and April, a celebration known for its religious processions). In addition, each region has its own local festivals. Carnival in Tenerife, Carnival in Cádiz, Fallas in Valencia and San Fermins in Pamplona are some of the most international.