50+ Interesting Facts About Spain

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  1. Spain is a constitutional monarchy located in southern Europe. It is one of the two countries (the other being Portugal) on the Iberian Peninsula.
  2. Despite being a monarchy, Spain is one of the only few full democracies in the world. According to the 2018 Democracy Index by EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit), Spain is at the 19th spot in the world with a score of 8.08 (out of a total of 10). (Source)
  3. Spain has 48 UNESCO World Heritage sites. These are the 3rd highest number of UNESCO sites in the world, just behind Italy and China (55 each).
  4. Before its construction in Paris in 1889, the Eiffel tower was originally planned for Barcelona. However, the city rejected the proposal due to its eyesore-like design. (Source)
  5. In 2015, a town in Spain became the first in the world to grant same rights to pets (cats and dogs) as humans. (Source)
  6. Spain has allocated more than 10,000 km2 of land to grow wine grapes. It is the largest area dedicated to wine in any country. (Source)
  7. The Spanish Christmas lottery has the world’s biggest payout. The total prize money of this lottery is $2.2 billion. (Source)
  8. Spain boasts a large area and population. It is the 4th largest country in Europe and the 6th most populous in this continent.
  9. Cadiz in Spain was founded around 1100 BC. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Spain has three cities on the list of the ten most ancient European cities. (Source)
  10. The bull is the national animal of Spain. "Bullfighting" and the "Running of the Bulls" are two main Spanish cultural activities associated with its national animal. (Source)
  11. About 60,000 animals die during 16,000 religious festivals in all regions of Spain every year. These include fatalities of nearly 11,000 bulls in around 1,900 festivals. (Source)
  12. Spain is one of the four countries in the world having a national anthem without words. The country discarded its traditional national song in 1978 after embracing democracy. (Source)
  13. The oldest human tooth was discovered in Spain in 2007. This tooth is at least 1.2 million years old. (Source)
  14. A Spanish novel is known as the first modern novel in the world. Don Quixote (the knight in the mirror) was published in 1605. (Source)
  15. In 2005, Spain became the 4th country in the world (3rd in Europe) to legalize same-sex marriage. The Spanish parliament voted in favor of gay marriages just a day after Canada’s legalization of such marriages. (Source)
  16. Homosexual behavior is acceptable in Spain. According to the report by PEW on global acceptance of homosexuality, Spanish society has an 88% acceptance rate for the LGBT community, the highest in the world. (Source)
    People carrying LGBT flag
    Spain has the highest LGBT acceptance rate in the world

  17. Spain is one of few Roman Catholic-majority countries in Europe. More than 70% population of Spain is adherent to Catholic Christianity. It makes it the 4th largest Catholic country in Europe and the 9th largest in the world. (Source)
  18. Spain has the highest number of bars in the world. There are around 260,000 bars, one bar for 175 inhabitants in the country.
  19. Spain has the highest rate of organ donations in the world. The organ donation rate in this European country was nearly 47 pmp (per million people) in 2017. Comparatively, Croatia has the 2nd highest rate in the world, with 38.6 pmp in 2016. (Source)
  20. The Tower of Hercules on the northwestern coast of Spain was built in the 2nd Century AD. It is known as the world’s oldest lighthouse. (Source)
  21. Real Madrid and FC Barcelona (the two biggest Spanish football clubs) are two of the richest football clubs in the world. (Source)
  22. Spanish National football team remained unbeaten for 35 consecutive matches between 2007 and 2009. It is the highest number of undefeated matches by any soccer team.
  23. The Spanish football team became the first and currently the only team to win three back-to-back major tournaments. It did so after winning UEFA European Championship (2008 and 2012) and FIFA World Cup in 2010.
  24. Apart from Spain, the Spanish language is an official language in several countries of the Americas and the Caribbean. It is due to the capture of these areas by the Spanish empire. The whole area comprising a Spanish-speaking population is commonly known as Latin America. (Source)
  25. Apart from Spanish as a national language, people also speak several other languages in different regions of the country. The most widely spoken regional languages in Spain are Catalan, Galician, and Basque.
  26. Basque is the majority language in the Basque area of Spain. It is considered the oldest surviving language in the world, with around 900,000 speakers. (Source)
  27. Spain has the highest number of blue flag beaches in the world. The country has 669 Blue Flag beaches. (Source)
  28. Before 2015, the minimum age for marriage in Spain was 14. It was the youngest marrying age in Europe. (Source)
  29. Spain has the highest proportion of oldest first-time mothers in the EU. 8.8% of women in Spain give birth to their first child in their 40s. (Source)
  30. Spain has the lowest fertility rate in Europe. This rate is just over 1.3, which is far behind the average EU fertility rate of 1.6. (Source)
  31. Spain is the 2nd largest automotive manufacturing country in Europe (after Germany). It produced more than 2.1 million cars and other vehicles in 2021. (Source)
    An automotive factory
    Spain is Europe's 2nd largest automotive manufacturer

  32. Spain is the world’s 2nd most visited country (just behind France). Around 82 million tourists visited Spain in 2017. (Source)
  33. Spain has the largest high-speed rail network in Europe. This 3,100 km long high-speed rail is the second largest in the world after China. (Source)
  34. Madrid Airport (MAD) and Barcelona Airport (BCN) are the 5th and 8th busiest airports in Europe. (Source)
  35. Madrid has the 2nd longest metro network in Europe after the metro network in London. Its length is more than 291 km. (Source)
  36. Spain is the 5th largest producer of wind power in the world. The country fulfills 18% of its energy requirement through wind power. (Source)
  37. A church in Spain has been under construction for 137 years. Construction of this church started in 1882, with a projected year of completion in 2026. (Source)
  38. A strange tradition and superstition in Spain is eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year. They believe it will provide 12 lucky months in the coming year.
  39. L’Oceanografic in Valencia (Spain) is the largest aquarium in Europe and the 3rd largest in the world. It holds 41.6 million liters (11 million gallons) of water. (Source)
  40. Spain defaulted on its debt 13 times. It is the highest number of defaults by any country in history. (Source)
  41. Spain has the 2nd highest unemployment rate in the EU. The unemployment rate here is 13.8%, which is just below Greece. (Source)
  42. Spain has the 3rd biggest wealth gap among EU members. Income inequality in this southern European country is 6.6%, just below Lithuania (7.3%) and Bulgaria (8.2%). (Source)
  43. Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world. Its olive oil production is nearly three times the second biggest producer (Italy). (Source)
  44. In contrast to many other countries, people in Spain can have two surnames, each from father and mother. A Spanish woman may only have a surname from her mother.
  45. The dish “Spanish rice” did not originate in Spain, but is a Mexican dish. It gained fame as Spanish rice because Spaniards introduced rice to Mexico. (Source)
  46. Restaurante Botin in Madrid, Spain, is known as the oldest restaurant in the world. It was established in 1725. (Source)
    Botin Restaurant in Spain
    World's oldest restaurant is in Spain

  47. A restaurant in Spain grills its food over a volcano. The temperature at this volcano is 450 Celsius. (Source)
  48. In 2002, the UK accidentally invaded Spain. The Royal Marines landed in Spain during a landing exercise in Gibraltar. (Source)
  49. In 2013, the Spanish Paralympics basketball team had to return its gold medals. It happened after the discovery of their fraud at the 2000 Paralympics games. (Source)
  50. Spain is known for several modern and ancient inventions. A few of these are spacesuits, electrical military submarines, toxicology, helicopters, the Gregorian calendar, and guerilla warfare. (Source)
  51. People in Spain like to enjoy and entertain themselves most days. They have around 13 days of fun in any month, which is more than most of the other countries.
  52. There were reports about the absence of an elevator in a 47-story building in Spain. These reports later proved to be false. (Source)

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