Spain (Sp. Reino de España)
- Robert Stevenson,
- Louise K. Stein,
- Albert Recasens,
- Belen Perez Castillo,
- Josep i Martí i Perez,
- Martin Cunningham,
- Ramón Pelinski,
- Jaume Aiats,
- Sílvia Martínez García
- and Arcadio de Larrea Palacín
- , revised by Maricarmen Gómez
Extract
(Sp. Reino de España)
Country in Europe. Its territory covers an area of 504,750 km², comprising most of the Iberian peninsula, the Canary and Balearic Islands and the towns of Ceuta and Melilla on the North African coast. It shares borders with Portugal to the west, and France and Andorra to the north. Its population of approximately 39·8 million (2000 estimate) is distributed among 17 autonomous regions, many of which preserve a strong sense of regional identity. Although Castilian is the official language of Spain, other languages are also recognized in some of the regions, for example, Catalan in Catalonia (Catalunya), Valencia and the Balearic Islands, and Gallego in Galicia. In addition, the Basque language is spoken in the Basque country (Euskadi) and parts of Navarre. (For a discussion of the musical traditions of the Basque people see Basque music.)
Christianity was introduced to the Iberian peninsula during the 3rd century and Catholicism officially accepted by the Visigothic rulers at the end of the 6th (...
