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Religion
The Roman Catholic Church plays an
important part in the lives of most Spanish
people. nearly everybody is a member of
the church and attends Mass on Sundays.
The priest is an influential member of the
community, and the church is a center
of local activities.Spain is situated on the iberian
Peninsula in the southwest corner of
europe. France and the Bay of Biscay
are to the north, the Mediterranean
Sea to the east, the Strait of gibraltar
and Africa are to the south, and
Portugal is to the west.FlAMenCo
Flamenco music and dance
were developed by gypsies in
Andalucia, in southern Spain.
Flamenco songs deal with
the entire range of
human emotion,
from despair to
ecstasy. Dancers
dress in traditional
costume and are
usually accompanied by
guitars and their own
handheld percussion
instrument, called
castanets. The men’s steps
are intricate, with toe and
heel clicking; women’s
dancing depends on the
grace of the hands and body,
rather than on footwork.Spain 496-
BullFighTing
Following ancient tradition,
men fight with bulls to
entertain crowds in Spain.
The matador, or bullfighter,
stands in the bullring and
teases the bull into a rage by
waving a red cape. When the
bull charges, the matador sticks
long, pointed barbs into the bull’s
shoulders. once it is exhausted, the
matador uses a sword to kill the bull.In Spain, bullfighting is a national sport. It is
very popular, but many people consider
it to be a cruel activity. This bullfighter
is shown wearing a typically
elaborate costume.TouRiSM
More than
60 million tourists
from all over the
world visit Spain.
Tourism employs
five percent of the
workforce and is
a major source of
income. Tourists come
to enjoy the sun, as the
climate is mild in the
winter and hot in the
summer. The country
boasts fine beaches, and its
old towns are full of interesting
buildings and fine works of art.SPAin ShAReS The iBeRiAn PeninSulA with Portugal. it
is the fourth-largest country in europe, and both its landscape
and its people are varied. The center of Spain is a hot, dry
plateau with snowy mountain ranges to the
north and south. The southern region of Spain
contains europe’s only desert. Spain has some
large minority groups, including the Catalans
in the northeast, galicians in the northwest,
and Basques in the north-center. Most of the rest
are Castilian Spanish. The country was torn apart
by a vicious civil war from 1936-39, and
right-wing dictators ruled Spain for
much of the 20th century. however, in
the mid-1970s the country formed a democratic
government. This change allowed Spain to join the european
Community—now known as the european union (eu)—in
1986, and to benefit from the higher standard of living
in the rest of europe. once reliant on farming and
fishing for its income, Spain experienced economic
growth after joining the eu. however, the global recession
of 2008 caused widespread unemployment, forcing the
government to take strict measures to save the economy.In many parts of Spain and Portugal,
the donkey cart is still a common
form of transportation.US_496_Spain_1.indd 496 22/01/16 4:49 pm