International Travel Guide International Air Travel Business Travel International

Spain is Europe's fourth main country after Russia, Ukraine and France. Spain occupies about 80 percent of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, Gomera, Fuerteventura and Hierro in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco. It is separated from Morocco by the Straits of Gibraltar and has both a Mediterranean and Atlantic Coastline. It has a population of 40 million people, and Madrid with a population of 3.5 million is its center. Over 98% of people are Roman Catholic, the support being made up of a few Protestants, Muslims and Jews. Castilian Spanish (Castellano) is the state talking.

Much of Spain is mountainous. Spain's prime rivers are the Ebro, Duero, Guadalquivir, Guadiana and Tagus. The climate is mixed, with extremes of warm in the interior and cold in the mountains. In Summer, most of Spain is pretty hot, with the exclusion of the northern coast regions, the Bay moderated whose temperatures of Biscay Spain is an excellent European trek destination, offering sunny beaches, good food and lilac plus tapas, small plates eaten in a lively atmosphere in tapas bars, and interesting festivals.