Here are some aspects that we consider interesting and good to know about Spain and Gibraltar:
- Spain has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – pre-historic rock art, historic cities and buildings, bridges, national parks, and landscapes.
- Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world.
- Spain produces over half of the world’s olive oil – more than 1.5 million tons.
- Spain was the first country in the world where wind power was the greatest source of electricity.
- Madrid is not only the capital of Spain it is also the geographical center of the country.
- The oldest restaurant in the world is in Madrid – awarded by Guinness World Records to Restaurante Botín, which has been open since 1725.
- Spain is the country of fiestas, with hundreds of festivals taking place throughout the year.
- Spain’s Christmas lottery has the world’s biggest payout – of some €2.24 billion.
- The Spanish national football team topped the FIFA World rankings for five consecutive years – from 2008 until 2013.
- The first modern novel is Spanish. The book translated into more languages after the Bible, and the one that holds the title of the best book in history, was written by a Spaniard, Miguel de Cervantes. It is “Don Quixote” and was written in 1605.
- The Sistine Chapel of Prehistory is in Spain – Near Santander lies the Altamira cave. In this cave, a lot of prehistoric drawings have been discovered of very varied shape and meaning.
- Gibraltar is just 6.8 km2 in size and, with a population of about 30,000 people, has the 5th highest density of any country or territory in the world.
- There’s only 29 km of roads.
- Every time a plane lands at the airport, the road into Gibraltar gets closed down.
- You can get married in Gibraltar with just a day’s notice – and it will be recognized worldwide.
- “The Rock of Gibraltar” as it is made out of 200 million-year-old Jurassic Limestone.
Author: Nicoleta Galea
