Spain:MEETING POINT

Spain is country of contrasts, presenting different heights, relieves, and scenaries. All that has made our country very well-known internationally and tourism is actually the main income

The geographical location in the southwerstern end of Europe allows Spain to have unique contacts with the continents that surround us: Europe, Africa or even America, on the other side of the Atlantic ocean. This relationship has had a posivitive influence throughout the history.

The first inhabitants came from Africa and became the most ancient people in Europe . They brought us the use of fire and the first religious ideas

We share with France the decoration in the northtern caves, representing the main aspects in people´s life: haunting, motherhood, etc..

Several centuries after that, people from the end of the Mediterranean sea, arrived. They know quite well sailing and went along the Spanish coasts , establishing in different places. Most had their origin in Fenicia and they contributed to the development of the people they got in touch with.

Greeks and Romans also used the Mediterranean Sea as a way to travel and they brought their tecniques, habits, culture, way of life and something very important: the language

The disappearance of the Roman Empire allowed us to know other people – The Barbarians. In this case they didn´t improve culture, but took us to the feudalist system that spread all over Europe

Again, and from Africa, people with big importance for us came. They meant an important cultural, tecnological and economical advance- a development that turned Espain into a reference in Europe, although , as they have a very different religion- ISLAM, they were prosecuted.

Spain was an example of mixed cultures and religions, as we could find Christians, Jews, Muslims….

However, during the reign of Elisabeth and Fernando , other religions, different from the Catholic were prosecuted

At the end of the XV century, the advances in navigation and the knowledge of geography made that kings wanted to turn Spain into a great country and this made possible the discovery of America

The discovery of America brought ont only wealth-gold and silver or products such as potatoes, tomatoes, cocoa, tobacco, but also a knowledge of new cultures: Incas, Mayans, Aztecs…..

The XVI century was a period of development for Spain and it was called “ THE GOLDEN CENTURY”, when Spain had the political and cultural power worldwide

But the historical evolution didn´t benefit Spain and the country entered in a period of decadence

The XIX century was a period of political, economical and social changes that ended as it began- with a war against the United States in which we lost our colonies in America ( Cuba) or Asia ( Philippines)

The XX century has been varied. We lived a terrible civil war whose consequencies come till today

During the XX century, we have also passed from not participating in any of the World Wars to having an active participation in the European institutions, becoming an example of the impact that organizing events such as the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 can have in a country

And showing the world that Spain has turned into a country of many contrasts and cultures