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Spain has much to do and see. The people are friendly, the scenery outstanding, the beaches beautiful, the days are sunny, the mountains high, the plains vast and the nightlife exhilarating.
Today's Spain is a vibrant country hardly three hundreds years old. Tourism has changed Spain but it still retains its character and individuality. The economy is growing quickly due to joining the European Union and against a backdrop of stable government and a multilingual work force major international corporations are investing in the country. However, a stones through from the sky scrapers and business hub lay villages which are almost untouched and still using old fashioned agricultural practices. These areas are lined with orange and lemon grooves and have an abundance of almond and olive trees nestling along with vines.
Spain does not just comprise of the Mainland but also includes The Canary Islands and The Balearic Islands. It also administers two small Moroccan enclaves and near Africa, three island groups. The Mainland alone has a coastline of 2100km and covers half a million square meters of land. In fact it is the second largest country in Europe. Spain's interior is a plateau named Mesta which has many deep valleys made by rivers. The highest point in Spain is actually in the Canary Islands, Tenerife, Mount Teide is 3,718m above sea level.
Spain's population of 40 million is lower than a lot of European countries and with only 78 people per square meter the population is one of the lowest in Europe. Spain is 97% Catholic but has a low birth rate. Life expectancy however is high, women live on average to the age of eighty and men live till seventy five. One million British expatriates now live in Spain.
Spain's great appeal is its climate however the influence of the Atlantic and Mediterranean mean a varying climate throughout the country this said summers everywhere are hot. However in the winter the Costa's and Islands are mild and often surprisingly warm whereas the north of Spain is the wettest. Northern Spain is lush and green, the Costa's offer sand, sun and blue waters of the Mediterranean, Andalusia is blistering hot in summer, the Balearics and Canaries are as a rule always pleasant, Madrid varies between sizzling hot and freezing cold and Córeloba in the South is known as "the frying pan of Europe".
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