TOEFL Test Centers in Spain

EDU February 16, 2019

Spain Overview

The Kingdom of Spain is a parliamentary democracy in southwest Europe with the capital Madrid. The country extends over large parts of the Iberian Peninsula and has extensive stretches of coastline in the northwest on the Atlantic and in the east and south on the Mediterranean. There are also several archipelagos outside the Iberian Peninsula and two exclavesin North Africa to the national territory. Characteristic landforms are the extensive high plateau of central Spain (Meseta) and the over 3,000 m high mountains in the north (Pyrenees) and in the south (Betic Cordillera). With Andalusia on the south coast, one of the driest and hottest regions in Europe is located in Spain. Because of the mild winter climate in the south-east of the country, Spanish vegetable farmers supply almost all of Europe with tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in the winter months. In addition, Spain achieves the world’s largest olive harvest and is the largest producer of olive oil.

With the discovery of America, the Spanish crown rose to become a global colonial and trading power. More recently, the Spanish royal house of Bourbon-Anjou, as a guarantor of democracy and the rule of law, gained high popularity among the Spanish population during the 1981 military coup. However, when numerous scandals about ex-King Juan Carlos I became known , the crown lost a lot of its popularity. His successor King Felipe VI. Since taking office in 2014, he has been striving to restore the monarchy’s reputation and dignity in Spanish society, among other things by renouncing the paternal inheritance as well as great social commitment.

The ethnic diversity of Spain with Castilians, Catalans, Basques, Galicians and Andalusians, who each differ in their own tradition and language, is considered to be the origin of domestic political conflicts due to efforts to separate territories. Stood up in the 2000s, the terrorist agents of ETA pursued autonomy efforts of the Basque country at the heart of the dispute with the Spanish central government, has been brewing for 2017, the unresolved conflict over the autonomy of Catalonia.

With a gross domestic product (GDP) of 1.25 trillion. € (2019), Spain is the fourth largest economy in the European Union. The political and cultural metropolises of Madrid and Barcelona form densely populated and highly industrialized economic centers with global appeal. The landscape, cultural diversity and historical heritage make Spain very popular as a holiday destination around the world. With around 84 million guest arrivals and a share of the GDP of almost 15% (2019), the tourism sector is one of the most important branches of the economy.