Spain is the largest country on the Iberian Peninsula which it shares with Portugal. To the northeast is the Pyrenees Mountains border with France and to the northwest is the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal is to the west of Spain and the Mediterranean Sea lies to the south, south east and all the way along the east coast of the country. The Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea are also considered Spanish territories, as are two autonomous cities on the border with Morocco, Melilla and Ceuta.

The Kingdom of Spain is a constitutional monarchy which is part of the European Union. It is also a member of other organisations such as NATO and the United Nations. During the Middle Ages the Spanish created the world’s first truly global empire and as a result there are 500 million Spanish speakers spread across the New World. Today Spain is one of the most developed countries in the world and it has the world’s twelfth largest economy.

Visiting Spain is an incredible cultural experience as the country has more UNESCO World Heritage cities than any other. The two largest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, are among the best in the world for art, architecture, food, fashion and football. Spain has miles of coastline and mostly experiences hot and sunny weather making it a prime golfing destination. But it also has mountains which are excellent for skiing in the Sierra Nevadas and Pyrenees. There are many incredible festivals in Spain, most of them religious, and also unusual pastimes such as bullfighting and flamenco dancing. The country makes fantastic wines and tapas.  

More than 46 million people live in Spain and the population is made up of 88% native Spanish with 12% of immigrants, mostly from Latin America and North Africa. Castilian is the official language but 17% of people speak Catalan, 7% of people speak Galician and 2% of people speak Basque. 94% of Spaniards are Roman Catholics.