Country Profile Part 1

Sports
In Spain the most popular sport is football.  Two popular teams are Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.  These teams have been very successful for most of their history in La Liga and there is a rivalry between the two. Real Madrid is said to be the most successful team in Europe since they have won the UEFA champions league a total of 9 times.  A popular player for Real Madrid is Cristiano Ronaldo and a popular player for FC Barcelona is Lionel Messi

Music
In Spain different music is popular in different regions.  Andalusia is know for flamenco, and Aragon for jota, a type of music that has a dense percussive element. Madrid has a mix of both types of music.  Both flamenco and jota are popular but neither are native.  Well know performers from Spain include Enrique Iglesias, Ojos de Brujo.

Food

The most popular food in Spain is paella.  Paella is a dish consisting of rice and seafood and originated in Valencia. Another popular dish is Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup popular.  Turrón is a popular dessert eaten around christmas.  It is a nougat confection made from sugar, egg whites, and honey and often contains chopped nuts.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/common-foods-spain-14445.html

Religion

Roman Catholicism is most popular in Spain.  About 70.5% of Spanish people identified themselves as Catholic.  Most younger Spaniards do not regularly attend or participate in religious worship.  59% of Spanish citizens believe that their is a God, 21% believe there is some sort of spirit or life force, and 19% do not believe there is in type of God or Spirit. Islam is the second largest religion practiced in Spain.

Holidays and Customs

National holidays in Spain include New Years Day, Epiphany, Good Friday, Labour Day, Assumption, Fiesta Nacional de España, All Saints Day, Constitution day, Immaculate Conception, and Christmas Day. Some cultural traditions in Spain are bullfighting and a bonfire known as Hogueras that goes on during christmas time.

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/spain/Traditions-in-Spain/1013

TV shows and Movies

Popular tv shows in Spain are Cuéntame cómo pasó, El Barco, La República, Aida, and La Reina del Sur.  Popular movies are El Orfanato, Como Agua Para Chocolate, Vacas, and Abre Los Ojos. Some stars include Penelope Cruz and Guillermo del Toro. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/28/spain-books-tv-music-bestselling

Online News Sources

El Mundo   http://www.elmundo.es/index.html 

La Vanguardia   http://www.lavanguardia.com/index.html

20 Minutos   http://www.20minutos.es/madrid/

Forums for Expatriates

http://www.internations.org/spain-expats/forum

http://www.eyeonspain.com/

http://www.expatwomen.com/expat-women-countries/expat-women-living-in-spain.php

Government

Spain is a constitutional monarchy defined by the Constitution of Spain. The President of the Government who is also the first minister is currently Mariano Rajoy Brey, he was elected in 2011. The current Minister for the Presidency and Vice President is María Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría Antón.  Spain has a multi-party system. The two dominating parties are the right-wing People's Party (PP) and the centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). the PP is a conservative, catholic, and economically liberal party. The PSOE is a democratic party linked to general union workers.