24 Surprising Facts About Spain

Spain, a vibrant country on the Iberian Peninsula, is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and lively traditions. From the historic architecture of Barcelona and Madrid to the sunny beaches of Costa del Sol and the picturesque villages of Andalusia, Spain offers a blend of old-world charm and modern vibrancy. Its festivals, such as La Tomatina and running of the bulls, reflect a spirited culture that embraces both the traditional and the contemporary. With a cuisine that ranges from tapas to paella and a warm, welcoming atmosphere, Spain remains a captivating destination for travelers seeking both relaxation and adventure.

1. Spain shares land borders with Portugal to the west, Andorra, and France to the north. It is also bordered by the Bay of Biscay, the Balearic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Alboran Sea.
2. The country’s official name in English is the Kingdom of Spain and Reino de España in Spanish.
3. Roman ruled the country from the 2nd century BC, and the name of Spain was Hispania, which was used for the Iberian Peninsula.
4. The Spanish language is the 2nd most spoken on the planet, just after Mandarin Chinese.
5. Spain is the leading olive oil producer on the planet. In the year 1994-2013, the country produced 1,059,194 tons of olive oil, which is the highest in the world.
6. Spain holds most number of the bars in the European continent. In 2017 there were around 184,430 bars in the country.
7. According to the Spanish Center for Sociological Research, 52.0% of Spanish citizens identify as Catholics (35.2% as non-practicing and 16.8% as practicing), 2.4% as followers of other faiths (including Islam, Protestant Christianity, Buddhism, and so on), and 44.1% as atheists (16.8%), agnostics (14.4%), or non-believers (12.9%), as of September 2023.
8. The Teide mountain is the highest mountain peak in Spain, with an elevation of 3718 meters (12198 ft).
9. Restaurante Botín of Madrid, Spain, is the oldest restaurant on the planet and was founded in 1725. It also holds the Guinness world record for being the oldest eatery in the world.
10. Spain comes on the third spot in terms of most UNESCO world heritage sites, just after China and Italy. The total world heritage sites in the nation are 48.
11. Spain has a total coastline of 4,964 Km of coastline and has 566 blue flag beaches, that stands to be one out of every five beaches of the world.
12. The country has the 3rd spot on the globe in terms of wine production and has the largest area under grape cultivation in the European continent.
13. Spain is the 2nd most visited country on the planet after France. In the year 2023, about 85.7 million tourists visited the country.
14. It is a tradition in Spain to have two surnames that refer to each of the parental families. The person’s first surname is of their father’s, whereas the second one is of their mother’s first surname.
15. There is still a king of the king who is the head of the state, but somehow he has very little or no powers. At present, the king of Spain is King Felipe VI, the queen is Letizia, and they have three daughters named Leonor, Princess of Asturias, and Infanta Sofía.
16. The “Marcha Real” is the national anthem of Spain and is one of the four national anthems on the planet to have no lyrics. However, there were lyrics in the national anthem in the past that are not used now.
17. La Tomatina festival of Spain is the world’s biggest food fight which celebrated its 73rd edition in the year 2019. In the last edition of the festival, over 22,000 people threw about 150 tons of ripe tomatoes in the small town of Valencia.
18. The national animal of the country is the bull. Whereas the national bird is the Iberian Imperial Eagle.
19. The top exports in 2023 include Cars ($33.6 billion), Refined Petroleum ($17.2 billion), Packaged Medicaments ($12.7 billion), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($10.6 billion), and Vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins, and cultures ($7.57 billion).
20. Spain’s top imports are crude petroleum ($42.6 billion), petroleum gas ($24.6 billion), cars ($18.2 billion), packaged medicines ($13.2 billion), and motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($12.8 billion), with the majority of imports coming from Germany ($49.7 billion), China ($47 billion), France ($46.4 billion), Italy ($32.8 billion), and the United States ($29.6 billion).
21. In 2022, Spain was the world’s largest importer of tar ($201 million), electric locomotives ($190 million), fat and oil residues ($180 million), other locomotives ($152 million), and olive oil ($114 million).
22. In 2005 the country became the 8th nation on the globe to allow same-sex marriage.
23. The Eiffel Tower of Paris was originally intended for Barcelona, but Spain rejected the project.
24. Some of the very important inventions took place on the Spanish land out of which some are the space suite, modern mop, Hot chocolate, the telescope, the modern rules of the game chess, the stapler, the wheelchair, spectacles, the first type of modern cigarettes, antiseptics and the pencil sharpener.