España

3) Geography Spain is located at the southeast of Europe Spain together with Portugal forms the

Iberian Peninsula Neighbors? Portugal at the edge of the peninsula Spain France

Temperature/climate of the different regionsNortheast lots of rain, the south very dry

Spanish mountains

Excluding Switzerland, Spain is the most mountainous country in Europe

Snow covers the mountains of the Sierras

The Pyrenees mountains separates Spain from the rest of Europe

The Pyrenees separates Spain from France

Pyrenees Mountains

Las Sierras

Spanish Cities and Regions North (Galicia, Asturias, Euskadi (el País Vasco), Navarro

East (Cataluña, Aragon, Valencia)

West (Extremadura, Valencia)

Center of Spain (Castilla -Leon and Castilla – La Mancha)

South - Andalucía

Mediterranean Sea (Las Islas Baleares, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera)

Languages of Spain

Barcelona and Catulaña – Catalan and Castellano

Euskadi – Euskera and Castellano Galicia – Gallego, Gallego-Portugues,

Castellano

(Prehistoric) History of Spain

The Iberians First recorded to be in Spain around 6th

century BC They were warrior like and an individualistic

society People were short and brown Also occupied England, Ireland, France, and

other places in Europe They were believed to be the precursors to

the Basque people because of the names of the rivers, cities, and mountains

The Iberians

The Celtics

They arrived at the Iberian Peninsula around 6th century

They were fair skinned and came from the Northern and central parts of Europe

They were a conglomerate of disorganized warrior like tribes. They were brave and usually fought unto their deaths

The Celtics

The PhoeniciansThey were the first to organized

trading on the peninsulaThey originated from the

Mediterranean islandsPhoenicians were traders, sailors

and SemitesThey were the founders of the

oldest City in Spain, CadizPhoenicians were generally

peaceful and calmThey taught the residents of the

peninsula how to use money, alphabet, metalwork and cloth/fabric

The Greeks

Toward the 7th century, the Greeks began to move to the Iberian peninsula and were the first to begin to plant grapes and olives, in what is Spain today

They founded schools and Academies

The Carthaginians

Cartago was a colony of Phoenicia situated in northern Africa

Population was more than a million inhabitants

Their army conquered Spain in the 3rd century under the leadership of Anibal

Cartago was destroyed and burned down by the Romans in 146 AD

The Carthaginians

The Romans It took 12 years to finally get rid of the

Carthaginians from Spain In the city of Numancia Spain, all the

soldiers committed suicide instead of being taken alive by the Roman soldiers

With the Roman culture mixed in with all the other races and languages, this was how the Spanish language was born

The Romans

The Vice Goths/ Visigoths After 6 centuries of roman rule, Spain was

invaded by barbarians from the north The barbarians took particular advantage of

the lands of the south of Spain These ‘barbarians’ were also known as

Goths/vice-Goths and were made up of various German tribes

In the 6th Century, the Goths converted to Christianity

The Visigoths

The Arabs In the 7th Century, the prophet Mohammed

founded the Islamic religion. This religion unified the different Arabic tribes

At that point in time, the Arabic tribes became the most powerful civilization in the world

The Islamic religion feuded with Christianity to become the dominant religion in the world

The Islamic tribes controlled many parts of Europe to the Middle East

The Arabs cont’d In 711, the Arabs finally entered into Spain

and remained there for 8 centuries Although during those 8 centuries they

fought many times with the Spanish, they also spent many years living together peacefully

After many years of infighting, the Arabes finally were left with one main stronghold in Granada

The name of the main palace was la Alhambra. La Alhambra finally fell to the Christian forces in 1492

5) Historic Spanish Architecture/Art

Prehistoric Art Roman architecture in SpainColiseums, bridges, theaters, temples

among othersRoman aqueduct of Segovia

Arabic architecture in SpainDue to their belief in not reproducing the

human from, no Arabic art contain humans can be found

Arabic art is dominant in the south of Spain. Their art consisted of vibrant colors, intricate designs, and rich ornamentation.

The Mosque of Cordoba, converted into a Christian Church contains almost 1000 columns

The Alhambra or Red Palace of Granada was constructed in the 8th and 9th Century as a residence of the Moorish kings

Spanish art in the middle ages

The bridge of ToledoThe cathedral of Santiago de

CompostelaThe cathedral de SevillaMurallas de AvilaCathedral of Jaen en Andalucia

7) Spanish Literature What are Las ‘jarchas’Jarchas are the oldest form of Spanish literature that is

known. They are short poems written in Arabic and Spanish dialect. The main themes of these poems are frequently of love and the pain or ectasy it may bring

Pedro Calderon de la Barca Francisco de Quevedo Maria de Zayas

Miguel Cervantes (1547 – 1616)

Cervantes was self-taught but also received formal education

He was also a soldier, and lost the use of his left hand in battle “for the greater good of the right” (according to Cervantes)

Most famous for his work – Don Quijote de la Mancha in 1605

Lope de Vega (1562 – 1635) Born and died in Madrid Spain He attended a university operated by

Jesuit priests, but was largely self-taught He was part to the 1588 Invincible

Army Although he was married twice and had

many illegitimate children, he became a priest at age 52

He was a playwright, poet, and a priest Famous works: Fuenteovejuna

Garcilaso de la Vega (1501 – 1536)

Was from a noble family, was a military man, diplomat, musician, and poet

He played the harp and the violinHe wrote in Spanish, Latin, and italianHe died in Battle at the age of 34

8) Spanish Artists/Musicians Diego Velasquez Francisco de Goya Salvador Dali Antoni Gaudi Pablo Picasso

Federico García Lorca (1898 – 1936)

Was born in Andalucía Spain Lorca was a poet, playwright, composer,

pianist, guitarist, director, and illustrator He was considered the poet of the gitanos

(gypsies), Blacks of New York, homosexuals, and oppressed women

He visited New York in 1929 – a visit that both impressed and depressed him

He was assassinated by a Franco loyalist

Domenico Theotocopuli - El Greco (1542 – 1614) The name El Greco came about because

this painter was born in Crete, Greece Born in Greece, studied painting in Italy,

and one of the most famous Spanish painters

El Greco painted mainly religious themes -using somber colors, and people in reverential positions

Famous works: La crucifixion, El entierro del conde de Orgaz,

1) Present day Spanish culture Bullfighting in Spain Spanish Music/Arts Food Sports