• Spain is located in Southern and Western Europe, with territories in North Africa.
• It is the largest country in Southern Europe and fourth-most populous in the EU.
• Capital city is Madrid; other major cities include Barcelona and Valencia.

• Early inhabitants included Iberians and Celts; later Romanized as Hispania.
• Conquered by Visigoths and then Umayyad Caliphate; known as Al-Andalus.
• The Reconquista expelled Islamic rule, leading to the unification of Spain in 1479.

• Spain led global exploration during the Age of Discovery, creating a vast empire.
• Centralized under Bourbons in the 18th century; faced conflicts in the 19th century.
• Experienced civil war and dictatorship until democratic restoration and EU entry.

• Spain is a secular parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.
• High GDP per capita; advanced economy is fourth-largest in the EU.
• Spanish is the second-most spoken native language globally.

List of newspapers published in Spain.