Speak the Culture: Spain: Be Fluent in Spanish Life and Culture

Sizing up Spain

Remove neighbouring Portugal (not that you’d

want to) and Spain shapes up a bit like a t-shirt,

the historic regions of Galicia and Catalonia

sticking out like stubby sleeves. It hogs the

Iberian Peninsula, the south-western clump

of Europe that was once an island but drifted

north and collided with Europe, pushing up the

Pyrenees as it went. That epic mountainous

border with France and Andorra still feels like a

barrier, one that has traditionally disengaged

Spain from the rest of Europe and nurtured the

region’s distinctive cultural heritage. Elsewhere, much

of Spain is bordered by water: the long Mediterranean

coast covers its eastern flank, famouscostasunravelling

from Catalonia down to Andalusia, while the Atlantic

both bites at the south-western corner and laps at the

northern coast, in the guise respectively of the Gulf of

Cadiz and the Cantabrian Sea. Borders with Portugal and

the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar complete the

picture.

Much more than dust

Spain crams more scenic variety into its frame than

might be expected of a land renowned as dry and dusty.

The northern coastal strip is lush, green with forest

and pasture, while at the southern end Spain harbours

Europe’s only bona fide desert in the Almería province of

Andalusia. In between, themeseta, a vast plateau

averaging over 500m in altitude, dominates the interior.

This upland blanket, characterised by endless sun-

battered plains, rolling hills and ripples of rugged

mountain, covers almost half the country. Mountain

ranges (sierras), thread across themeseta, but the

biggest peaks on the peninsula are found beyond, in

Islands in the sun
Spain reigns over two
significant island groups:
the Balearics off the
eastern coast are
actually a continuation
of mountain chains in
southern Spain, risen
up out of the sea; the
volcanic Canary Islands
are found off the north-
western coast of Africa.
Both archipelagos
remain key components
of the Spanish whole.

6

1. Identity: the
   building blocks of
   2. Literature
   and philosophy
   3. Art and
   architecture
   4. Performing
   arts
   5. Cinema
   and fashion
   6. Media and
   communications
   7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
   the details of

1.1.1 The lie of the land