Spanish authorities declared a state of alarm from 8 am on Monday 17 March 2020 – to last for 15 days – as a start. The measure, which among other things introduced restrictions on unnecessary travel, excluding travel to and from work, grocery stores or doctors / hospitals etc., isContinue Reading
In Spain, people think quite differently than in many other countries when it comes to municipalities and local government. For instance, the municipal reform in Norway, which began in 2014 merged 119 municipalities into 47 new and larger units. The total number of municipalities in Norway, a country about 75%Continue Reading
Spain can be explored for a lifetime, and you will still only see part of it. The Iberian Peninsula has been an attractive land for thousands of years – and you won’t have to travel far to understand why. Castles and fortifications tower over the landscape and are reminiscent ofContinue Reading
Spain is widely known for its citrus fruits, and those who live here are spoiled with sun-ripened citrus straight from the tree most of the year. Of course, you know the names of most of them, from orange and mandarin to lemon, grapefruit and lime. But do you know Buddha’sContinue Reading
As of 1 January 2020, Spain has about 47.3 million inhabitants. As is the case in many Western countries, the average age of the population is rising. However, age groups and populations are unevenly distributed across Spain. Nearly 81 percent of Spaniards now live in urban areas, a figure thatContinue Reading
Valencia is located on the east coast of the country, facing the Mediterranean. To the south, the region borders Murcia, to the west, Castile La Mancha, and to the north, Aragón and Catalonia. Valencia basic information and regional flag – – Size: 23.255 km2 Population: ca. 4.974.500 Rank GDP totalContinue Reading
Many Norwegians like to emphasize the cheese grater and the paper clip as well-known Norwegian inventions. But are there similar everyday products we all know that were invented in Spain? Of course! Among Spanish inventions we find, for example, the stapler. The very first stapler was made in the BasqueContinue Reading
During these times of pandemic, not much is happening with regards to traditions, festivals and the many processions we are so used to see around Spain. Most of them are cancelled or severely limited both for those who participate and for those who want to experience these celebrations. However, weContinue Reading
An overview from the Spanish language and cultural organization Instituto Cervantes shows that more and more people have Spanish as their mother tongue: 480 million to be exact. At the same time, the number of people who speak Spanish as a second language is increasing sharply. If you are strugglingContinue Reading
Most of us remember that the pesetas was replaced by the euro on January 1, 1999, but further back in history, Spanish currencies have played an important and exciting role in world history. Spanish currency once played a role comparable to that of the US dollar and the euro inContinue Reading
