Fun Facts about Spain

Whenever someone mentions Spain, images of bullfights, serene beaches and flamenco dancers appear before us. If you go on a holiday in Spain or have read in-depth about the country, you will realize that summing up the country in these three words is not justifiable.

Spain, its history, culture, geography are so diverse that if you travel the length and breadth of the country, you will find a whole lot of differences in architecture, way of living, topography, etc. For those of you who are interested in knowing more about this enigmatic country, here are some interesting and fun facts about Spain.

• In the 16th century, Spain was among the most powerful empires of the world. During the first world war, Spain maintained a neutral position and in 1923, it began to be ruled by dictator Gen. Miguel Primo de Rivera.

• The capital of Spain is Madrid. Its currency is Euro. The population of Spain is approximately forty-five million.
• The coastline of Spain extends 4964 Km. There are more than 8000 kms of beaches in Spain.
• Today Christianity is the dominant religion in Spain. Around three centuries back, most of the Spanish people were Muslims.

• Tourism is the biggest industry in Spain. After London and Paris, Benidorm, a small beach-town in Spain has the highest number of hotel rooms. Some of the other famous places in Spain are La Rambla, Valencia, Ibiza, Madrid and Bilbao.

• Nudity is not an offense in Spain. It is legal. Same-sex marriage too is considered legal.
• Around 44% of the olive oil produced in the world comes from Spain. Three-fourth of the world's saffron comes from this country too.

• The Spanish people claim that it was them and not British who invented fried fish. According to them, British got the idea of fried fish from the people of Cadiz in the eighteenth century and later came up with fish n' chips.

• One of the interesting facts about Spain is that though most of its vineyards have white grapes, still it is more famous for red wine.
• Europe imported a lot of food products such as tomatoes, avocados, potatoes, cacao (for chocolate) and even tobacco from Spain.

• Beret (a kind of cap) was invented in Spain and not in France, as is popularly believed.
• Spain is one of the biggest importers of scotch whiskey. In fact it is one among the top five.
• Paella was not originally a seafood dish. It was made with chicken, pork, rabbit and snails by the Spanish people.

• One of the fun facts about Spain is that people in this country eat a very late lunch - between 2 pm to 4pm. Dinner is mostly had after ten in the night. Most Spaniards prefer to have breakfast in eateries or small hotels rather than having it at home.
• The tap water in Madrid is so clean that it can be drunk as it is, without filtering.

• Flamenco, which most of the outsiders think is just a dance, is in fact an art form which includes dancing, singing, hand claps and guitar playing.
• One of the interesting facts is that bullfighting is considered both an art and a sport in Spain.

It is a very popular sport and one of the main attractions for tourists visiting Spain. There are a number of bull rings in almost all the cities of Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.

• There is no denying the fact that Spaniards like to eat out and party, considering that Spain has the highest number of restaurants, bars and coffee shops in the European union.

• Soccer is the most popular sport. If there are matches going on, to get a place in a local bar is almost impossible.
• One of the funny facts about Spain is that when the Spaniards talk to each other, they stand very close and touch each other every now and then on the shoulder while talking.

• Another fun fact about Spain is that the teens date in groups till they turn eighteen. Only after that they go out as a couple.
• One of the strangest facts about Spain is that one can get prescription medicines as "over the counter" at chemist shops.

I hope you enjoyed going through these fun facts about Spain. To really experience Spain though, you need to visit this eclectic and culturally rich country. So go ahead and do a little Spain travel, and I assure you that you will not be disappointed with what you get.