Spains history

1
Spain Passion for the past, Inspiration for the
future
2
Spains history

• A cultural crossroads, A mosaic of people,
  languages, and religions

3
At the crossroads between Europe and Africa
Greek, Roman, German, French, and African
influences The varied architecture of Spain
illustrates the different peoples and religions
that have made their contributions to Spain
throughout history.
4
Religions Jews, Christians and the Islamic Moors

• There were periods in which people of all
  three religions coexisted peacefully, They all
  left their mark in the culture of modern day
  Spain and its people.

5
The varying geography of Spain

• High tableland plains Over 60,000 mi.2 are above
  2000 ft.
• Vast mountain ranges The Pyrenees, Central
  Sierras, Iberian, Cantabrian, Betic Cordilleras,
  and Sierra Nevadas
• Coastlines of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea

6
Queen Isabelle and King Ferdinand

• Spain is really the combination of two kingdoms
• Ferdinands Aragon and Isabelles Castile
• Officially united in 1716 as the centralized
  State of Spain

7
Abundant Mineral Resources have helped make Spain
wealthy and powerful throughout its history
Lead mine in Linares
Mercury, found in association with its ore
mineral, cinnabar.
Iron in the water at Rio Tinto
In addition to iron, lead and mercury, Coal, zinc
and lead are also important
8
A brief early history of Spains people

• From the earliest cave paintings at Altimira to
• 500 BC Greeks
• 200 BC Romans
• 4th Cen. AD Visigoths
• 700 AD Moslems
• 900-1500 AD Moslems lose ground to Christians
  moving from North to South
• 1492 Moslems defeated under rule of Catholic
  Christian monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, Jews
  expelled, Cristóbal Colon sails for Asia and
  begins Spains conquest of the Americas,
  Inquisition launched.

9
Spains rich heritage of scientific discovery

• Great Moslem scientists had schools of astronomy
  and mathematics and developed cutting-edge
  technological Instruments by which sailors
  navigated by the stars.
• The tradition of great Spanish scientists
  continues today In 1906 the Nobel
• Prize for medicine went to Santiago
• Ramón y Cajal.
• Today, a modern Spanish scientist, Maria
• Blasco is winning awards for her work
• in her field of genetics.

10
The rain in Spain rarely falls on the plain.

• Wet Spain
• In the North and North- West, it is cooler and
  there is enough rain to grow corn

• Dry Spain
• In the inland areas, the climate is continental
  with extremes of hot and cold, unreliable
  rainfall. Crops are apples and hazelnuts

• Mediterranean Spain-
• There it is warm and mild, and they grow grapes,
  rice in irrigated fields, vegetables, and citrus
  like the famous Valencia oranges.

11
Spains political climate today.

• Today, Spains parliamentary monarchy (similar to
  Englands) is on the leading edge of democracy
  and tolerance in Europe, reminiscent of its
  earliest years in which Jews, Moslems and
  Christians coexisted peacefully.
• In 1978 they signed a constitution that banned
  torture and the death penalty,
• and legalized same-gender marriages.