By: Will Gastright The bull fighting country

Geography and Climate Spain is nearly as large as Nevada and Utah combined! 5th largest country in Europe. >500,000 square miles. Much of central Spain is a high plateau surrounded by low costal plains. They have important mountain ranges such as Pyrenees mountains, and the Iberians. The longest river there is called the Ebro its 546 miles long. Due to mountains and the ocean Spain experiences extreme temperature conditions Northern Atlantic coast is damp and cool. Central Plateau long, hot dry summers. Mediterranean coast has a subtropical climate with average temperature of 57 degrees F.

Natural Resources Spain's natural resources include coal, iron ore uranium, mercury, gypsum, Zink copper and potash. Farm and ranch products include grains, citrus fruits, wine grapes, vegetables, and animals. 1/3 of the land is available for cultivation. Cultivation of olive trees is a major agricultural activity. Major industries include food, metals, chemicals, automobiles, and machine tools. Tourism in Spain is the 2nd largest in the world. 52 billion US dollars.

Lifestyle impact The manufacturing of mass transit vehicles, Solar products, and other energy products have created good jobs and a good life for the Spanish people. The high heat in a large part of the country makes for late afternoon naps and late evenings when the temperature is cool. Seafood, Olives, and other agricultural products make up a good source of diet and work.

Economy Their GDP per capita in 2012 is estimated at $30,412. GDP is the total output of a country and divides it by the number of people in the country. They’re a developed country and have the 12th largest economy in the world. Lead the world in Renewable energy; solar power, wind energy and 14 Nuclear Reactors. Very high standard of living. Capitalist mixed economy. Private and state funds drive the economy. Government has high influence over the economy through policy making and control. Tenth Highest quality of life rating index in the world. Uses 9 factors to rank countries including: Health, Family, Community, Climate, Job Security and others. The United States ranks 13th for example.

Culture Strong historical Roman influence. 71% of the population is Roman Catholic. Picture of Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. School students have to choose to study ethics or Catholic Religion.

Culture Picasso and Salvador Dali remain two of the 20th century's most well know and prized artists. Picasso was known as a cubist and Salvador Dali was know as a Surrealist.

Cultural Spanish people entertain themselves with Soccer. FC Barcelona Football club is very popular team. The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona Spain is a famous activity where men show how brave they are by running with a heard of bulls in the streets. The La Tomatina in Valencian is a famous tomato fight that involves the whole town. Started after a street brawl when thugs used tomatoes as weapons. Now an annual celebration.

Culture The Spanish people still have a Siesta and eat late and stay up at night. The stores take Siesta from 2pm till 5pm and the bars and restaurants Siesta from 4pm till 8 or 9 pm. This allows the store owners to grab a late meal and a nap from the restaurants and then the restaurants get to take a late break. Tapas is a Spanish word meaning “to cover”. They eat a dinner called Tapas. It’s a large spread of small servings like appetizers. It is meant to encourage conversation while eating. Jamon iberico or pata negra is a cured pork dish of the Black Iberian Pig famous in Spain. It is a salted and dried pig that is fed olives and acorns. My dad ate this while in Europe and said it was really great.

Current Events Recent financial crisis with troubled lender Bankia. Spain has to borrow money from European Union to bail out business. This is similar to bank bailouts in the United States. Spain did not want to bail out its banks. The United States called and lobbied the Spanish Government to take the bailout to prevent economic crisis.