Many different groups of people have settled in Spain
throughout history, including Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths,
Celts, Basques, and the Moors (Muslims who came from North Africa).f
The quill pen is thought to have originated in Spain about
1,400 years ago.f
The most enduring contribution of Spain to the world is its
language, which was imported to the Americas with the expansion of the Spanish
Empire in the 16th century. Now, more than 400 million people speak Spanish in
22 countries, including 35 million who speak it in the United States.a
Since the Pyrenees Mountains were such a significant barrier
in the north, and Spain is just 9 miles from Morocco in the south, Spain shares
much of its early history with Africa.c
The official name of Spain is the Kingdom of Spain.f
The Iberian Peninsula was one of several refuges during the
last ice age, so it was largely from Spain that northern Europe was repopulated
after the ice age ended.c
Famous Spaniards include Seneca, Hadrian, Antonio Banderas,
Penelope Cruz, Salvador Dalí, El Greco, Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Goya, Jose
Carreras, and Plácido Domingo.a
visit Spain Spain is one of the most visited countries in
the world
In 2006, 58 million tourists visited Spain and its islands.
Foreign tourists spent $51 billion in 2006. Spain is the second most visited
country in the world after France.a
Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo (1499-1543)
discovered California.f
In 1603, Spanish sailor Gabriel de Castilla (1577-1620)
became the first man ever to see Antarctica.f
Spanish sailor Juan Sebastián Elcano (1476-1526) was the
first man to circumnavigate the world.f
Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1475-1519) was the
first European to see the Pacific Ocean.f
The first novel, Tirant lo Blanc (1490), was written by
Spanish author Joanot Martorell (1413-1468). Translated as Tirant the White, it
played an important role in the development of the Western novel.f
The Phoenicians who entered Spain in the 8th century B.C.
called the peninsula Span or “the hidden land.”e
The official language of Spain is Castilian Spanish (74%),
though Catalan (17%) Galician (7%), and Basque (2%) are also spoken.a
Tomás de Torquemada (1420-1498) was the first Grand
Inquisitor in the Spanish Inquisition. His name has been associated with the
Inquisition’s horror, fanaticism, and bigotry. Ironically, he was a descendent
of a converso, or someone who had converted to Christianly from Judaism or
Islam. In 1832, his tomb was raided and his bones were stolen and burned.f
During the last ice age, most of Europe was covered in
glaciers, but most of Spain was far enough south to escape the ice.
Consequently, plants that were wiped out across Europe survived in Spain.
Europe as a whole has 9,000 plant species; there are over 8,000 plant species
in Spain alone, with 2,000 of them being unique to the country.c
Spanish inventor Manuel Jalón Corominas (1925-2011) invented
the mop in 1956.f
Spanish sailor and engineer Isaac Peral (1851-1895) designed
the first fully operative military submarine.f
Spanish surgeon and scientist Miguel Servet (1511-1553) was
the first European to describe pulmonary circulation.f
Spanish double agent Joan Pujol Garcia is perhaps the only
person ever to receive an Iron Cross from both the British and the Germans.
Code named Garbo, he played an important role in the success of D-Day at the
end of WWII.f
Spain is home to a type of tailless monkey, the macaque,
which is the only type of wild monkey that lives in Europe.a
corks Spain sells over 3 billion corks per year
Spain and Portugal provide most of the world’s cork. Cork
trees flourish in the dry Meseta region in Spain.c
The Moors, who ruled Spain for 800 years, introduced new
scientific techniques to Europe, such as an astrolabe, a device for measuring
the position of the stars and planets. At its height, Córdoba, the heart of
Moorish territory in Spain, was the most modern city in Europe, with
streetlights and running water.e
The famous Spanish poem Cantar del mio Çid tells the story
of the legendary El Cid, a Spanish hero in the war between the Christians and
Moors. The poem was based on a real man, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1043-1099).
He actually was a mercenary who fought on both sides. His name “El Cid” comes
from the Arabic al sayyid meaning “the lord.”a
Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe after
France and the second most mountainous after Switzerland.c
In 1478, the Pope gave the Spanish King, Ferdinand V, power
to initiate the Spanish Inquisition, during which people were tortured to prove
they were true Christians. Thousands of converts fled Spain as the Inquisition
spread fear across Europe. During the first 50 years of the Inquisition, 5,000
people were executed. The Inquisition was finally abolished in 1834.f
In 1492, Ferdinand V of Aragon and Queen Isabella paid for
Christopher Columbus to explore the west in search of a new route to India.
Columbus landed on one of the islands of the Bahamas by mistake. His mistake
made Spain one of the richest nations in the world for a time.f
In 1588, the king of Spain sent 133 ships (the Armada) to
England. Almost half of the ships sank in stormy weather or while fighting the
British navy. It was a significant defeat for Spain and marked the beginning of
the end of Spain’s global power.e
olive oil Spain produces over 260 olive varieties
The largest producer of olive oil, Spain accounts for 45% of
the world’s total olive oil production.
Compiled by Santiago Alejandro
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