Main Cities

 

Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain; it has the 3rd largest GDP in the European Union and its influences in politics, education, entertainment, environment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities.

 

Barcelona is the capital and the most populous city of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain. Barcelona is today one of the world's leading tourist, economic, trade fair/exhibitions and cultural-sports centers, and its influences in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science and arts.

 

Valencia is the most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain.

 

Spanish Culture and Traditions

Modern Spain and its culture is based on variety of influences, from Roman Empire to Visigoths, Muslims and Roman Catholic church; it is a melting point of Basque, Catalan, Galician and Andalusia languages, cultures and traditions.

The main features of the Spanish people mentality - vitalism (the love of life in all its forms), individualism, humanism, intuitive-meditative mindset. The ratio of Spanish to reality formed the basis of the position of "I and the world", the focus is always his own, with its rich scale of sensations, his family, friends, then - the country and the image of humanity as a whole. Spanish people are very sociable and spend a lot of time in public places.

Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious (Roman Catholic), national and regional observances. Each municipality is allowed to have a maximum of 14 public holidays per year; a maximum of nine of these are chosen by the national government and at least two are chosen locally. National holidays are: Christmas, New year, Easter, Labour day, Assumption - 15th Aug, National Day - 12th Oct, Constitution Day - 6th Dec and so on.

 

Famous people

• Picasso, Goya, Salvador Dali - Painters.
• De Cervantes, Federico Garcia Lorca - Writers.
• Hernan Cortez, Vasco Nunez de Balboa - Explorers.
• Luis Bunuel, Pedro Almodovar - Movie directors.
• Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz - Actors.

 

Spanish cuisine

The two basic ingredients of all Spanish food are olive oil and garlic. It is simple and non-pretentious cuisine known for its favourites such as Iberian ham, sherry, paella, sangria and tapas.

Paella - There are as many versions of paella as there are cooks. It may contain chicken, pork, shellfish, fish, eel, squid, beans, peas, artichokes or peppers.

Spanish Tortilla - it is a slow cooked, thick omelette with potato filling; can be served either hot or cold.

Gazpacho - It is made from blended vegetables, and it contains tomato, peppers, cucumber, onion, garlic and bread crumbs, as well as water, olive oil and vinegar.

Basic words in Spanish