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Due to great importance of stabilization in the Mediterranean region, Spain has been supporting political dialogue with the non-NATO countries in this area since In , with Spanish initiative, NATO began so called Mediterranean Dialogue with allied countries[6] from the south coast to contribute to security and stability in this region. As a result of the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States, deployment for Operation Active Endeavour began - an anti-terrorism mission that consists of patrolling the Mediterranean to control maritime traffic. On 4 February , NATO extended the operation area and began to monitor vessels passing through the Straits of Gibraltar in an attempt to prevent terrorist threats, and in March it was further extended to cover the entire Mediterranean[7].
Moreover, since the events of the 11 September in the USA and the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns, the potential geographic space for security cooperation between NATO and Dialogue countries has expanded eastward all the way to Afghanistan and possibly beyond[8]. The overall situation suggests moving the Dialogue forward to practical cooperation in a wide range of new areas including the following:. Thus, it should not be surprising that the National Defence Directive states that the Mediterranean area is of special interest to Spain and it is fundamental that it turns to be a region of peace, stability and economic well-being.
With respect to security and defence, the initiatives that speed up the dialogue and have impact on bilateral cooperation mostly economic reasons with the countries in the region are indispensable[10]. Within the geostrategic unity of the region, Spain considers the Mediterranean as a neighbouring area that requires much of its attention. This is caused by economic, demographic and cultural tensions between the northern and southern coast. Such situation may increase the risk of more intensified migrations on a bigger and uncontrolled scale or may result in frustrations caused by the lack of perspectives, which may be transformed in more or less intensive crisis.
To avoid such situations, there is a necessity to impose political solutions with other EU countries from the north coast, which are more prospective. The cooperation is mainly based on financial sphere and flow of investments capable of mobilizing local entrepreneurs and help them with proper development. These political solutions are also supportive in rising mutual confidence and fostering transparency of security and defence policy development.
The Dialogue is designed to complement and reinforce other international efforts to establish and enhance cooperation with the Mediterranean countries, which includes mainly the Barcelona Process within the EU, and initiatives taken by the OSCE. The EU membership enabled Spain to promote its defence policy in the Mediterranean region on a new multilateral forum. It can also influence the EU policy in this area. In , the European Council established the first strategic concept for the European Union, known as Solana Document[11].
The document refers to multilateralism as a base for the conviction that no country is able to face alone the complex problems and challenges of the contemporary world. Hence, the European security strategy stated the following necessity: In this way, Spain helped the EU establish a wider European policy towards the region, strengthening it at the same time. Mediterranean Partnership was initiated with the Spanish initiative in during the conference in Barcelona when the Euro-Mediterranean Association was established.
This partnership, known as the Barcelona Process, is of principal importance for political, economic, and social relations for dialogue and cooperation in the Mediterranean region.
It is also treated as the only forum gathering all actors of the region[14]. Political initiatives, changing the qualitative approach of the EU to the mediterranean policy promoted mainly by Spain as well as France and Italy , reflected by the Barcelona Conference [15] and further Malta Meeting , served as recognition of economic, political, and social problems in the region, being a common challenge that requires overall and coordinated approach.
Spain, being a promoter of the Partnership, aims at maintaining its importance for external policy of the EU.
Such approach is dictated not only by motives of prestige support for the initiative, which was a Spanish idea, and leading it. There is no doubt that due to this Partnership, Spain is able to realize important goals of its foreign and defence policy in the Mediterranean region. The initiative also reflected a desire among southern EU members then Spain as well to restore a perceived imbalance in the allocation of resources between the East and the South[16]. The main aim of the Partnership is to promote long-term stability through economic development and liberalization that are to be achieved through more opportunities for jobs in home countries, raising the standards of living and decreasing the attractiveness of extremist ideologies - all these were planned to limit illegal immigration causing security problems in the southern European countries, which probably concerned Spain the most.
During the EU Paris Summit in July , the nation Union for the Mediterranean also called the Mediterranean Union was established, which is supposed to strengthen the Barcelona Process through realization of concrete projects. The Union may have a significant impact on the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership. It may be of great economic and political importance if the projects realized within the Union contribute to economic growth of the region and become a real base for common actions. It is especially important for the non-EU countries which should be treated as equal partners in all projects.
Such situation is desired by Spain as creating conditions for economic growth of these countries which will gradually reduce the number of reasons for threats these countries generate. The Barcelona Process permits differential treatment of the non-EU Mediterranean countries, while at the same time encouraging gradual harmonization in the fields of economic development, democratization, and the Middle East peace process[17]. The autonomous communities have wide legislative and executive autonomy, with their own parliaments and regional governments.
The distribution of powers may be different for every community, as laid out in their Statutes of Autonomy, since devolution was intended to be asymmetrical. Only two communities—the Basque Country and Navarre—have full fiscal autonomy. Aside of fiscal autonomy, the nationalities —Andalusia, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Galicia—were devolved more powers than the rest of the communities, among them the ability of the regional president to dissolve the parliament and call for elections at any time.
In addition, the Basque Country, Catalonia and Navarre have police corps of their own: Nonetheless, recent amendments to existing Statutes of Autonomy or the promulgation of new Statutes altogether, have reduced the asymmetry between the powers originally granted to the nationalities and the rest of the regions. Finally, along with the 17 autonomous communities, two autonomous cities are also part of the State of Autonomies and are first-order territorial divisions: These are two exclaves located in the northern African coast. Autonomous communities are subdivided into provinces , which served as their territorial building blocks.
In turn, provinces are integrated by municipalities. The existence of both the provinces and the municipalities is guaranteed and protected by the constitution, not necessarily by the Statutes of Autonomy themselves. Municipalities are granted autonomy to manage their internal affairs, and provinces are the territorial divisions designed to carry out the activities of the State.
The current provincial division structure is based—with minor changes—on the territorial division by Javier de Burgos , and in all, the Spanish territory is divided into 50 provinces. The communities of Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, the Balearic Islands, Madrid, Murcia and Navarre are the only communities that are integrated by a single province, which is coextensive with the community itself. In these cases, the administrative institutions of the province are replaced by the governmental institutions of the community. After the return of democracy following the death of Franco in , Spain's foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations , enter the European Community , and define security relations with the West.
As a member of NATO since , Spain has established itself as a participant in multilateral international security activities. Spain's EU membership represents an important part of its foreign policy. Even on many international issues beyond western Europe, Spain prefers to co-ordinate its efforts with its EU partners through the European political co-operation mechanisms. Spain has maintained its special relations with Hispanic America and the Philippines. Its policy emphasises the concept of an Ibero-American community, essentially the renewal of the concept of " Hispanidad " or " Hispanismo " , [ citation needed ] as it is often referred to in English, which has sought to link the Iberian Peninsula with Hispanic America through language, commerce, history and culture.
Spain claims Gibraltar , a 6-square-kilometre 2. Then a Spanish town, it was conquered by an Anglo-Dutch force in during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of Archduke Charles , pretender to the Spanish throne. The legal situation concerning Gibraltar was settled in by the Treaty of Utrecht , in which Spain ceded the territory in perpetuity to the British Crown [] stating that, should the British abandon this post, it would be offered to Spain first.
Since the s Spain has called for the return of Gibraltar. The overwhelming majority of Gibraltarians strongly oppose this, along with any proposal of shared sovereignty. The Spanish claim makes a distinction between the isthmus that connects the Rock to the Spanish mainland on the one hand, and the Rock and city of Gibraltar on the other. While the Rock and city were ceded by the Treaty of Utrecht, Spain asserts that the "occupation of the isthmus is illegal and against the principles of International Law ". Another claim by Spain is about the Savage Islands , a claim not recognised by Portugal.
Spain claims that they are rocks rather than islands, therefore claiming that there is no Portuguese territorial waters around the disputed islands. On 5 July , Spain sent a letter to the UN expressing these views. Spain claims the sovereignty over the Perejil Island , a small, uninhabited rocky islet located in the South shore of the Strait of Gibraltar. Its sovereignty is disputed between Spain and Morocco. It was the subject of an armed incident between the two countries in The incident ended when both countries agreed to return to the status quo ante which existed prior to the Moroccan occupation of the island.
The islet is now deserted and without any sign of sovereignty. Besides the Perejil Island, the Spanish-held territories claimed by other countries are two: Portugal stance has been the territory being de iure Portuguese territory and de facto Spanish. The Spanish Armed Forces are divided into three branches: Since , CO2 emissions have risen notably, not reaching the reduction emissions promised in the Kyoto Protocol for fighting climate change. In the period more than half of the years have been qualified as dry or very dry.
Spain is the country in Europe more exposed to climate change effects, according to Al Gore. Electricity from renewable sources in Spain represented The country has a very large wind power capability built up over many years and is one of the world leaders in wind power generation. Spain also positioned itself as a European leader in Solar power, by the country was second only to Germany in installed capacity. Spain's capitalist mixed economy is the 14th largest worldwide and the 5th largest in the European Union , as well as the Eurozone 's 4th largest.
Unemployment stood at By the mids the economy had recommenced the growth that had been disrupted by the global recession of the early s. The strong economic growth helped the government to reduce the government debt as a percentage of GDP and Spain's high unemployment rate began to steadily decline. With the government budget in balance and inflation under control Spain was admitted into the Eurozone in Since the s some Spanish companies have gained multinational status, often expanding their activities in culturally close Latin America.
Spain is the second biggest foreign investor there, after the United States. Spanish companies have also expanded into Asia, especially China and India. The reason for this early expansion is the booming interest towards Spanish language and culture in Asia and Africa and a corporate culture that learned to take risks in unstable markets. In the Economist Intelligence Unit 's quality of life survey placed Spain among the top 10 in the world. Crop areas were farmed in two highly diverse manners. They included the humid regions of the north and the northwest, as well as vast arid zones that had not been irrigated.
More than half of the irrigated area was planted in corn , fruit trees , and vegetables. Other agricultural products that benefited from irrigation included grapes, cotton, sugar beets , potatoes, legumes , olive trees , mangos, strawberries , tomatoes, and fodder grasses. Citrus fruits , vegetables, cereal grains , olive oil , and wine—Spain's traditional agricultural products—continued to be important in the s.
Because of the changed diet of an increasingly affluent population, there was a notable increase in the consumption of livestock, poultry, and dairy products. Increased attention to livestock was the reason that Spain became a net importer of grains. Ideal growing conditions, combined with proximity to important north European markets, made citrus fruits Spain's leading export. Fresh vegetables and fruits produced through intensive irrigation farming also became important export commodities, as did sunflower seed oil that was produced to compete with the more expensive olive oils in oversupply throughout the Mediterranean countries of the European Community.
In , Spain was the second most visited country in the world, recording 82 million tourists which marked the fifth consecutive year of record-beating numbers. Spain's geographic location, popular coastlines, diverse landscapes, historical legacy, vibrant culture, and excellent infrastructure has made the country's international tourist industry among the largest in the world.
Castile and Leon is the Spanish leader in rural tourism linked to its environmental and architectural heritage. Spain is one of the world's leading countries in the development and production of renewable energy. Non-renewable energy sources used in Spain are nuclear 8 operative reactors , gas , coal , and oil.
Spain has the most extensive high-speed rail network in Europe, and the second-most extensive in the world after China.
On average, the Spanish high-speed train is the fastest one in the world, followed by the Japanese bullet train and the French TGV. There are 47 public airports in Spain. Also, more than 30 airports with the number of passengers below 4 million. In the 19th and 20th centuries science in Spain was held back by severe political instability and consequent economic underdevelopment. Despite the conditions, some important scientists and engineers emerged. Since the Mobile World Congress has taken place in Barcelona. With the exception of the region surrounding the capital, Madrid , the most populated areas lie around the coast.
In , Spain granted citizenship to 84, persons, mostly to people from Ecuador, Colombia and Morocco. They reside primarily on the Mediterranean coast and the Balearic islands, where many choose to live their retirement or telecommute. Substantial populations descended from Spanish colonists and immigrants exist in other parts of the world, most notably in Latin America. Beginning in the late 15th century, large numbers of Iberian colonists settled in what became Latin America and at present most white Latin Americans who make up about one-third of Latin America's population are of Spanish or Portuguese origin.
Around , Spaniards emigrated in the 16th century, mostly to Peru and Mexico. During the same period perhaps , went to Latin America. The Spanish Constitution of , in its second article, recognises several contemporary entities — nationalities — [m] and regions, within the context of the Spanish nation. Spain is de facto a plurinational state. In some cases some of the territorial identities may conflict with the dominant Spanish culture. Distinct traditional identities within Spain include the Basques , Catalans , Galicians , Andalusians and Valencians , [] although to some extent all of the 17 autonomous communities may claim a distinct local identity.
It is this last feature of "shared identity" between the more local level or autonomous community and the Spanish level which makes the identity question in Spain complex and far from univocal. Spain has a number of descendants of populations from former colonies, especially Latin America and North Africa. Smaller numbers of immigrants from several Sub-Saharan countries have recently been settling in Spain. There are also sizeable numbers of Asian immigrants, most of whom are of Middle Eastern, South Asian and Chinese origin.
The single largest group of immigrants are European; represented by large numbers of Romanians, Britons, Germans , French and others. The arrival of the gitanos , a Romani people , began in the 16th century; estimates of the Spanish Roma population range from , to over one million. Their origin is unclear. Historically, Sephardi Jews and Moriscos are the main minority groups originated in Spain and with a contribution to Spanish culture. According to the Spanish government there were 5. According to residence permit data for , more than , were Romanian, about , were Moroccan , approximately , were British, and , were Ecuadorian.
This sudden and ongoing inflow of immigrants, particularly those arriving illegally by sea, has caused noticeable social tension. Within the EU, Spain had the 2nd highest immigration rate in percentage terms after Cyprus , but by a great margin, the highest in absolute numbers, up to Another statistically significant factor is the large number of residents of EU origin typically retiring to Spain's Mediterranean coast.
In fact, Spain was Europe's largest absorber of migrants from to , with its immigrant population more than doubling as 2. In , the government instituted a "Plan of Voluntary Return" which encouraged unemployed immigrants from outside the EU to return to their home countries and receive several incentives, including the right to keep their unemployment benefits and transfer whatever they contributed to the Spanish Social Security.
In alone, more than half a million people left Spain. Spain is legally multilingual, [] and the constitution establishes that the nation will protect "all Spaniards and the peoples of Spain in the exercise of human rights, their cultures and traditions, languages and institutions. The constitution also establishes that "all other Spanish languages"—that is, all other languages of Spain—will also be official in their respective autonomous communities in accordance to their Statutes , their organic regional legislations, and that the "richness of the distinct linguistic modalities of Spain represents a patrimony which will be the object of special respect and protection.
Occitan is spoken by less than 5, people, only in the small region of Val d'Aran. In the North African Spanish autonomous city of Melilla , Riff Berber is spoken by a significant part of the population. In the tourist areas of the Mediterranean coast and the islands, English and German are widely spoken by tourists, foreign residents, and tourism workers.
State education in Spain is free and compulsory from the age of six to sixteen. The institute was inspired by the philosophy of Krausism. The health care system of Spain Spanish National Health System is considered one of the best in the world, in 7th position in the ranking elaborated by the World Health Organization. Roman Catholicism , which has a long history in Spain, remains the dominant religion. Although it no longer has official status by law, in all public schools in Spain students have to choose either a religion or ethics class. Catholicism is the religion most commonly taught, although the teaching of Islam, [] Judaism, [] and evangelical Christianity [] is also recognised in law.
Most Spaniards do not participate regularly in religious services. The Spanish constitution enshrines secularism in governance, as well as freedom of religion or belief for all, saying that no religion should have a "state character," while allowing for the state to "cooperate" with religious groups. However, significant anomalies remain, including the presence of a blasphemy law in statute, which theoretically criminalises criticism of religion.
A blasphemy prosecution in Spain has happened as recently as There have been four Spanish Popes. Later, they became Doctors of the Church. The Society of Jesus was co-founded by Ignatius of Loyola , whose Spiritual Exercises and movement led to the establishment of hundreds of colleges and universities in the world, including 28 in the United States alone. Protestant churches have about 1,, members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approximately 46, adherents in congregations in all regions of the country and has a temple in the Moratalaz District of Madrid.
The vast majority was composed of immigrants and descendants originating from Morocco and other African countries. The recent waves of immigration have also led to an increasing number of Hindus , Buddhists , Sikhs and Muslims. After the Reconquista in , Muslims did not live in Spain for centuries. Late 19th-century colonial expansion in northwestern Africa gave a number of residents in Spanish Morocco and Western Sahara full citizenship.
Their ranks have since been bolstered by recent immigration, especially from Morocco and Algeria. Judaism was practically non-existent in Spain from the expulsion until the 19th century, when Jews were again permitted to enter the country. Currently there are around 62, Jews in Spain, or 0. Most are arrivals in the past century, while some are descendants of earlier Spanish Jews. Approximately 80, Jews are thought to have lived in Spain prior to its expulsion. Other sources suggest , converts mostly after the pogroms of and upwards of , expelled.
The descendants of these Sephardic Jews expelled in are given the Spanish nationality if they request so. Culturally, Spain is a Western country. Almost every aspect of Spanish life is permeated by its Roman heritage, making Spain one of the major Latin countries of Europe. Spanish culture is marked by strong historic ties to Catholicism, which played a pivotal role in the country's formation and subsequent identity. Spanish art, architecture, cuisine, and music has been shaped by successive waves of foreign invaders, as well as by the country's Mediterranean climate and geography.
The centuries-long colonial era globalised Spanish language and culture, with Spain also absorbing the cultural and commercial products of its diverse empire. The earliest recorded examples of vernacular Romance-based literature date from the same time and location, the rich mix of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultures in Muslim Spain, in which Maimonides, Averroes, and others worked, the Kharjas Jarchas. During the Reconquista , the epic poem Cantar de Mio Cid was written about a real man—his battles, conquests, and daily life.
It is also remarkable the Valencian chivalric romance Tirant lo Blanch written in Valencian. The Baroque is the most important period for Spanish culture. We are in the times of the Spanish Empire. Other writers from the period are: Realism offered depictions of contemporary life and society 'as they were'. In the spirit of general "Realism", Realist authors opted for depictions of everyday and banal activities and experiences, instead of romanticised or stylised presentations.
The group that has become known as the Generation of was marked by the destruction of Spain's fleet in Cuba by US gunboats in , which provoked a cultural crisis in Spain. The "Disaster" of led established writers to seek practical political, economic, and social solutions in essays grouped under the literary heading of Regeneracionismo. The Generation of or Novecentismo. The next supposed "generation" of Spanish writers following those of '98 already calls into question the value of such terminology.
While still driven by the national and existential questions that obsessed the writers of '98, they approached these topics with a greater sense of distance and objectivity. Salvador de Madariaga , another prominent intellectual and writer, was one of the founders of the College of Europe and the composer of the constitutive manifest of the Liberal International.
All were scholars of their national literary heritage, again evidence of the impact of the calls of regeneracionistas and the Generation of for Spanish intelligence to turn at least partially inwards. Spain is one of the countries with the most number of laureates with the Nobel Prize in Literature , and with Latin American laureates they made the Spanish language literature one of the most laureates of all. The Spanish writers are: Saramago was also well known by his Iberist ideas.
The Generation of '50 are also known as the children of the civil war. Seneca was a philosopher during the time of the Roman Empire. That is the case of Ibn Arabi , Averroes or Maimonides. Humanist Luis Vives during the Renaissance. Enlightenment in Spain arrived later and less strong as in other European countries, but during the XIX century liberal ideas arrived into Spanish society. At the end of the century, socialist and libertarian ideas also flourished particularly strong at the intellectual level, with thinkers as Francisco Pi i Margall , Ricardo Mella or Francisco Ferrer Guardia. Most contemporary philosophers include Fernando Savater and Adela Cortina , creator of the term aporophobia.
Artists from Spain have been highly influential in the development of various European and American artistic movements. Due to historical, geographical and generational diversity, Spanish art has known a great number of influences. The Mediterranean heritage with Greco-Roman and some Moorish and influences in Spain, especially in Andalusia is still evident today.
There are many other autochthonous styles such as the Pre-Romanesque art and architecture , Herrerian architecture or the Isabelline Gothic. Francisco Goya painted during a historical period that includes the Spanish Independence War , the fights between liberals and absolutists, and the raise of contemporary state-nations. The Plateresque style extended from beginnings of the 16th century until the last third of the century and its stylistic influence pervaded the works of all great Spanish artists of the time. There were two Schools of special flair and talent: Spanish cinema has achieved major international success including Oscars for recent films such as Pan's Labyrinth and Volver.
Due to its historical and geographical diversity, Spanish architecture has drawn from a host of influences. Simultaneously, the Christian kingdoms gradually emerged and developed their own styles; developing a pre-Romanesque style when for a while isolated from contemporary mainstream European architectural influences during the earlier Middle Ages, they later integrated the Romanesque and Gothic streams. There was then an extraordinary flowering of the Gothic style that resulted in numerous instances being built throughout the entire territory. The arrival of Modernism in the academic arena produced much of the architecture of the 20th century.
Spain is currently experiencing a revolution in contemporary architecture and Spanish architects like Rafael Moneo , Santiago Calatrava , Ricardo Bofill as well as many others have gained worldwide renown. Spanish music is often considered abroad to be synonymous with flamenco , a West Andalusian musical genre, which, contrary to popular belief, is not widespread outside that region. Pop, rock, hip hop and heavy metal are also popular. Vitoria-Gasteiz jazz festival is one of the main ones on its genre.
The most popular traditional musical instrument , the guitar, originated in Spain. Cibeles Madrid Fashion Week is one of the most important fashion weeks in Europe. Spanish cuisine consists of a great variety of dishes which stem from differences in geography, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround the country, and reflects the country's deep Mediterranean roots. Spain's extensive history with many cultural influences has led to a unique cuisine. In particular, three main divisions are easily identified:. Food is traditionally conserved by salting, like Spanish ham , or immersed in olive oil , like Manchego cheese.
Atlantic Spain — the whole Northern coast, including Asturian , Basque , Cantabrian and Galician cuisine — vegetable and fish-based stews like caldo gallego and marmitako. While varieties of football had been played in Spain as far back as Roman times, sport in Spain has been dominated by football since the early 20th century.
Basketball , tennis , cycling, handball , futsal , motorcycling and, lately, Formula One are also important due to the presence of Spanish champions in all these disciplines. Today, Spain is a major world sports powerhouse, especially since the Summer Olympics that were hosted in Barcelona , which stimulated a great deal of interest in sports in the country. The tourism industry has led to an improvement in sports infrastructure, especially for water sports , golf and skiing. The most outstanding athletes figure: Rafael Nadal is the leading Spanish tennis player and has won seventeen Grand Slam titles second in most [] and hold the record with the most number of ATP World Tour Masters singles titles.
In their respective regions, the games of Basque pelota and Valencian pilota are populars. Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious Roman Catholic , national and regional observances. Each municipality is allowed to declare a maximum of 14 public holidays per year; up to nine of these are chosen by the national government and at least two are chosen locally.
There are many festivals and festivities in Spain.
Some of them are known worldwide, and every year millions of people from all over the world go to Spain to experience one of these festivals. While its most famous event is the encierro , or the running of the bulls , which happens at 8: Its events were central to the plot of The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway , which brought it to the general attention of English-speaking people. As a result, it has become one of the most internationally renowned fiestas in Spain, with over 1,, people attending every year.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the country. For other uses, see Spain disambiguation. Country in Southwest Europe. Show map of Europe. Hispania and Visigothic Kingdom. Spanish transition to democracy and Spanish society after the democratic transition. List of islands of Spain. Spanish Constitution of List of Spanish monarchs and Monarchs of Spain family tree. Human rights in Spain.
LGBT rights in Spain. Political divisions of Spain. Autonomous communities of Spain. Nationalities and regions of Spain. Provinces of Spain and Municipalities of Spain. Foreign relations of Spain. Renewable energy in Spain. Science and technology in Spain. List of Spanish autonomous communities by population. List of metropolitan areas in Spain. Spanish people and National and regional identity in Spain. Health care in Spain and Abortion in Spain. Religions in Spain Roman Catholicism. World Heritage Sites in Spain. Castles in Spain and Cathedrals in Spain. Basque literature , Catalan literature , Galician literature , and Latin American literature.
Mediterranean portal Spain portal. The latter term is widely used by the government in national and international affairs of all kinds, including foreign treaties as well as national official documents, and is therefore recognised as the official name by many international organisations.
In each of these, Spain's official name Spanish: Regne d'Espanya , IPA: Espainiako Erresuma , IPA: Reiaume d'Espanha , IPA: Aragonese , Asturian , and Occitan locally known as Aranese have some degree of official recognition. In the same month the number of citizens with Spanish citizenship reached 41,, The number of foreigners i.
The temperature of the water in the deepest part of the Mediterranean Sea is Several other territories also border the Mediterranean Sea from west to east: Major cities municipalities with populations larger than , people bordering the Mediterranean Sea are:. The International Hydrographic Organization IHO divides the Mediterranean into a number of smaller waterbodies, each with their own designation from west to east: Many of these smaller seas feature in local myth and folklore and derive their names from these associations.
In addition to the seas, a number of gulfs and straits are recognised:. The geologic history of the Mediterranean Sea is complex. Underlain by oceanic crust , the sea basin was once thought to be a tectonic remnant of the ancient Tethys Ocean ; it is now known to be a structurally younger basin, called the Neotethys , which was first formed by the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. Because it is a near-landlocked body of water in a normally dry climate, the Mediterranean is subject to intensive evaporation and the precipitation of evaporites.
The Messinian salinity crisis started about six million years ago mya when the Mediterranean became landlocked, and then essentially dried up. There are salt deposits accumulated on the bottom of the basin of more than a million cubic kilometres—in some places more than three kilometres thick. Scientists estimate that the sea was last filled about 5.
Water poured in from the Atlantic Ocean through a newly breached gateway now called the Strait of Gibraltar at an estimated rate of about three orders of magnitude one thousand times larger than the current flow of the Amazon River. A shallow submarine ridge the Strait of Sicily between the island of Sicily and the coast of Tunisia divides the sea in two main subregions: A characteristic of the coastal Mediterranean are submarine karst springs or vrulja s, which discharge pressurised groundwater into the coastal seawater from below the surface; the discharge water is usually fresh, and sometimes may be thermal.
The Mediterranean basin and sea system was established by the ancient African-Arabian continent colliding with the Eurasian continent. As Africa-Arabia drifted northward, it closed over the ancient Tethys Ocean which had earlier separated the two supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana. At about that time in the middle Jurassic period roughly million years ago [ dubious — discuss ] a much smaller sea basin, dubbed the Neotethys , was formed shortly before the Tethys Ocean closed at its western Arabian end.
The broad line of collisions pushed up a very long system of mountains from the Pyrenees in Spain to the Zagros Mountains in Iran in an episode of mountain-building tectonics known as the Alpine orogeny. The Neotethys grew larger during the episodes of collisions and associated foldings and subductions that occurred during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs 34 to 5. Africa-Arabia colliding with Eurasia. Accordingly, the Mediterranean basin consists of several stretched tectonic plates in subduction which are the foundation of the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.
Various zones of subduction harbour and form the deepest and most majestic oceanic ridges, east of the Ionian Sea and south of the Aegean. During Mesozoic and Cenozoic times, as the northwest corner of Africa converged on Iberia, it lifted the Betic-Rif mountain belts across southern Iberia and northwest Africa. There the development of the intramontane Betic and Rif basins led to creating two roughly-parallel marine gateways between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Dubbed the Betic and Rifian corridors , they progressively closed during middle and late Miocene times; perhaps several times. The time of beginning of the MSC was recently estimated astronomically at 5. Messinian salinity crisis, at right. After the initial drawdown and re-flooding there followed more episodes—the total number is debated—of sea drawdowns and re-floodings for the duration of the MSC. It ended when the Atlantic Ocean last re-flooded the basin—creating the Strait of Gibraltar and causing the Zanclean flood —at the end of the Miocene 5. Some research has suggested that a desiccation-flooding-desiccation cycle may have repeated several times, which could explain several events of large amounts of salt deposition.
The present-day Atlantic gateway, i. As mentioned, two other gateways preceded Gibraltar: The former gateway closed about six 6 mya, causing the Messinian salinity crisis MSC ; the latter or possibly both gateways closed during the earlier Tortonian times, causing a " Tortonian salinity crisis " from Both "crises" resulted in broad connections of the mainlands of Africa and Europe, which thereby normalised migrations of flora and fauna—especially large mammals including primates—between the two continents.
The Vallesian crisis indicates a typical extinction and replacement of mammal species in Europe during Tortonian times following climatic upheaval and overland migrations of new species; [63] see Animation: Messinian salinity crisis and mammal migrations , at right. The near-completely enclosed configuration of the Mediterranean basin has enabled the oceanic gateways to dominate seawater circulation and the environmental evolution of the sea and basin.
Circulation patterns are also affected by several other factors—including climate, bathymetry, and water chemistry and temperature—which are interactive and can induce precipitation of evaporites. Deposits of evaporites accumulated earlier in the nearby Carpathian foredeep during the Middle Miocene , and the adjacent Red Sea Basin during the Late Miocene , and in the whole Mediterranean basin during the MSC and the Messinian age.
Diatomites are regularly found underneath the evaporite deposits, suggesting a connection between their geneses. Today, evaporation of surface seawater output is more than the supply input of fresh water by precipitation and coastal drainage systems, causing the salinity of the Mediterranean to be much higher than that of the Atlantic—so much so that the saltier Mediterranean waters sink below the waters incoming from the Atlantic, causing a two-layer flow across the Gibraltar strait: The underlying energy grid was as well intended to support a political union between Europe and, at least, the Marghreb part of Africa compare Eurafrika for the later impact and Desertec for a later project with some parallels in the planned grid.
The end of the Miocene also marked a change in the climate of the Mediterranean basin. Fossil evidence from that period reveals that the larger basin had a humid subtropical climate with rainfall in the summer supporting laurel forests. The shift to a "Mediterranean climate" occurred largely within the last three million years the late Pliocene epoch as summer rainfall decreased. The subtropical laurel forests retreated; and even as they persisted on the islands of Macaronesia off the Atlantic coast of Iberia and North Africa, the present Mediterranean vegetation evolved, dominated by coniferous trees and sclerophyllous trees and shrubs with small, hard, waxy leaves that prevent moisture loss in the dry summers.
Much of these forests and shrublands have been altered beyond recognition by thousands of years of human habitation. There are now very few relatively intact natural areas in what was once a heavily wooded region. Because of its latitudinal position and its land-locked configuration, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. Since the Mediterranean is involved in the deposition of eolian dust from the Sahara during dry periods, whereas riverine detrital input prevails during wet ones, the Mediterranean marine sapropel -bearing sequences provide high-resolution climatic information.
These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last 9 Ma of the Earth's history, helping to constrain the time of past geomagnetic reversals. As a result of the drying of the sea during the Messinian salinity crisis , [66] the marine biota of the Mediterranean are derived primarily from the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic is considerably colder and more nutrient-rich than the Mediterranean, and the marine life of the Mediterranean has had to adapt to its differing conditions in the five million years since the basin was reflooded.
The Alboran Sea is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species. The Alboran Sea has the largest population of bottlenose dolphins in the Western Mediterranean, is home to the last population of harbour porpoises in the Mediterranean, and is the most important feeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles in Europe. The Alboran sea also hosts important commercial fisheries, including sardines and swordfish. The Mediterranean monk seals live in the Aegean Sea in Greece. In , the World Wildlife Fund raised concerns about the widespread drift net fishing endangering populations of dolphins, turtles, and other marine animals such as the Galathea strigosa.
For 4, years, human activity has transformed most parts of Mediterranean Europe, and the "humanisation of the landscape" overlapped with the appearance of the present Mediterranean climate. Based on a broad variety of methods, e. The historical evolution of climate, vegetation and landscape in southern Europe from prehistoric times to the present is much more complex and underwent various changes.
For example, some of the deforestation had already taken place before the Roman age. While in the Roman age large enterprises as the Latifundiums took effective care of forests and agriculture, the largest depopulation effects came with the end of the empire. Also, the climate has usually been unstable and showing various ancient and modern " Little Ice Ages ", [68] and plant cover accommodated to various extremes and became resilient with regard to various patterns of human activity.
Humanisation was therefore not the cause of climate change but followed it.
The greatest human-induced changes, however, came after World War II , respectively in line with the 's-syndrome' [69] as rural populations throughout the region abandoned traditional subsistence economies. Grove and Rackham suggest that the locals left the traditional agricultural patterns towards taking a role as scenery-setting agents for the then much more important tourism travellers. This resulted in more monotonous, large-scale formations. The region has a variety of geological hazards which have closely interacted with human activity and land use patterns. Among others, in the eastern Mediterranean, the Thera eruption , dated to the 17th or 16th century BC, caused a large tsunami that some experts hypothesise devastated the Minoan civilisation on the nearby island of Crete, further leading some to believe that this may have been the catastrophe that inspired the Atlantis legend.
The region around Vesuvius including the Phlegraean Fields Caldera west of Naples are quite active [71] and constitute the most densely populated volcanic region in the world where an eruptive event may occur within decades. Vesuvius itself is regarded as quite dangerous due to a tendency towards explosive Plinian eruptions. The large experience of member states and regional authorities has led to exchange on the international level with cooperation of NGOs, states, regional and municipality authorities and private persons. Forest fires are, whether man made or natural, an often recurring and dangerous hazard in the Mediterranean region.
For example, the Messina earthquake and tsunami took more than , lives in Sicily and Calabria and is among the most deadly natural disasters in modern Europe. Unlike the vast multidirectional Ocean currents in open Oceans within their respective Oceanic zones ; biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea is that of a stable one due to the subtle but strong locked nature of currents which affects favorably, even the smallest macroscopic type of Volcanic Life Form. The stable Marine ecosystem of the Mediterranean Sea and sea temperature provides a nourishing environment for life in the deep sea to flourish while assuring a balanced Aquatic ecosystem excluded from any external deep oceanic factors.
The opening of the Suez Canal in created the first salt-water passage between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The Red Sea is higher than the Eastern Mediterranean , so the canal serves as a tidal strait that pours Red Sea water into the Mediterranean. The Bitter Lakes , which are hyper-saline natural lakes that form part of the canal, blocked the migration of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean for many decades, but as the salinity of the lakes gradually equalised with that of the Red Sea, the barrier to migration was removed, and plants and animals from the Red Sea have begun to colonise the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Red Sea is generally saltier and more nutrient-poor than the Atlantic, so the Red Sea species have advantages over Atlantic species in the salty and nutrient-poor Eastern Mediterranean. Accordingly, Red Sea species invade the Mediterranean biota, and not vice versa; this phenomenon is known as the Lessepsian migration after Ferdinand de Lesseps , the French engineer or Erythrean invasion. The construction of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in the s reduced the inflow of freshwater and nutrient-rich silt from the Nile into the Eastern Mediterranean, making conditions there even more like the Red Sea and worsening the impact of the invasive species.
Invasive species have become a major component of the Mediterranean ecosystem and have serious impacts on the Mediterranean ecology, endangering many local and endemic Mediterranean species. This makes the Canal as the first pathway of arrival of " alien " species into the Mediterranean. The impacts of some lessepsian species have proven to be considerable mainly in the Levantine basin of the Mediterranean, where they are replacing native species and becoming a "familiar sight". According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature definition, as well as Convention on Biological Diversity CBD and Ramsar Convention terminologies, they are alien species, as they are non-native non-indigenous to the Mediterranean Sea, and they are outside their normal area of distribution which is the Indo-Pacific region.
When these species succeed in establishing populations in the Mediterranean Sea, compete with and begin to replace native species they are "Alien Invasive Species", as they are an agent of change and a threat to the native biodiversity. In the context of CBD, "introduction" refers to the movement by human agency, indirect or direct, of an alien species outside of its natural range past or present.
The Suez Canal, being an artificial man made canal, is a human agency. Lessepsian migrants are therefore "introduced" species indirect, and unintentional. Whatever wording is chosen, they represent a threat to the native Mediterranean biodiversity, because they are non-indigenous to this sea. In recent years, the Egyptian government's announcement of its intentions to deepen and widen the canal have raised concerns from marine biologists , fearing that such an act will only worsen the invasion of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean, facilitating the crossing of the canal for yet additional species.
In recent decades, the arrival of exotic species from the tropical Atlantic has become a noticeable feature.