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COUNTRY - SPAIN
From the beautiful coastline of Catalunya to atmospheric Andalucia and the historic walled cities of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain is a country with many different faces. As one of you noted in our survey: “It has almost everything.” What each region shares in common are the promise of spectacular landscapes, and the readiness to celebrate no matter what the event. To experience the true essence of Spain, time your visit to coincide with one of the countless saints days and festivals that crop up throughout the year. Join the world’s biggest wine fight in beautiful Rioja, celebrate carnival against the spectacular backdrop of Playa La Conca in San Sebastian or watch the Semana Santa parades fill the picturesque streets of Seville.
Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe, the second-largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth-largest country by area on the European continent. With a population exceeding 47.3 million, Spain is the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the fourth-most populous country in the European Union. Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid; other major urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Málaga, and Bilbao.Modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 35,000 years ago. Iberian cultures along with ancient Phoenician, Greek, Celtic and Carthaginian settlements developed on the peninsula until it came under Roman rule around 200 BC, after which the region was named Hispania, based on the earlier Phoenician name Sp(a)n or Spania. At the end of the Western Roman Empire, Germanic tribal confederations migrated from Central Europe, invaded the Iberian peninsula and established relatively independent realms in its western provinces. One of them, the Visigoths, forcibly integrated all remaining independent territories in the peninsula, including the Byzantine province of Spania, into the Visigothic Kingdom.