Spain (sp n) A country of southwest Europe comprising most of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic and Canary Islands. Inhabited since the Stone Age, the region was colonized by Phoenicians and Greeks and later ruled by Carthage and Rome (after 201 b.c.). Barbarians first invaded Spain in a.d. 409 but were supplanted by Moors from North Africa (711-719), who organized a kingdom known for its learning and splendor. The Moors were gradually displaced by small Christian states and were ousted from their last stronghold, Granada, in 1492. Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile then became rulers of a united Spain, which became a world power through exploration and conquest. After the empire was lost in the 18th and 19th centuries, Spain experienced social and economic unrest that culminated in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the rise of Francisco Franco. After Franco's death in 1975 the monarchy was restored under King Juan Carlos, who oversaw the creation of a parliamentary democracy. Madrid is the capital and the largest city. Population: 40,400,000. |   |
Spain [speɪn]
n
(Placename) a kingdom of SW Europe, occupying the Iberian peninsula between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic: a leading European power in the 16th century, with many overseas possessions, esp in the New World; became a republic in 1931; under the fascist dictatorship of Franco following the Civil War (1936-39) until his death in 1975; a member of the European Union. It consists chiefly of a central plateau (the Meseta), with the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains in the north and the Sierra Nevada in the south. Official language: Castilian Spanish, with Catalan, Galician, and Basque official regional languages. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: euro. Capital: Madrid. Pop.: 40 144 000 (2001). Area: 504 748 sq. km (194 883 sq. miles) Spanish name España
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| Noun | 1. |  Spain - a parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula; a former colonial powerauto-da-fe - the burning to death of heretics (as during the Spanish Inquisition) Spanish Civil War - civil war in Spain in which Franco succeeded in overthrowing the republican government; during the war Spain became a battleground for fascists and socialists from all countries; 1936-1939 Galician - a language spoken in Galicia in northwestern Spain; it is between Portuguese and Spanish but closer to Portuguese; sometimes considered a Portuguese or Spanish dialect Spanish - the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain Catalan - the Romance language spoken in Catalonia in eastern Spain (related to Spanish and Occitan) paella - saffron-flavored dish made of rice with shellfish and chicken Basque Fatherland and Liberty, Basque Homeland and Freedom, ETA, Euskadi ta Askatasuna - a terrorist organization organized in 1959 by student activists who were dissatisfied with the moderate nationalism of the traditional Basque party; want to create an independent homeland in Spain's western Pyrenees; "in 1968 ETA launched a campaign of political assassinations of government officials" First of October Antifascist Resistance Group, GRAPO - an armed wing of the (illegal) Communist Party of Spain; seeks to overthrow the Spanish government and replace it with a Marxist-Leninist regime; "GRAPO is vehemently opposed to the United States" Common Market, EC, EEC, European Community, European Economic Community, European Union, EU, Europe - an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members; "he tried to take Britain into the Europen Union" NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization - an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security Andalucia, Andalusia - a region in southern Spain on the Atlantic and the Mediterranean; formerly a center of Moorish civilization Iberian Peninsula, Iberia - a peninsula in southwestern Europe capital of Spain, Madrid, Spanish capital - the capital and largest city situated centrally in Spain; home of an outstanding art museum Balearic Islands - an archipelago in the western Mediterranean off the eastern coast of Spain Majorca - the largest of the Balearic Islands Canaries, Canary Islands - a group of mountainous islands in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa forming Spanish provinces Barcelona - a city in northeastern Spain on the Mediterranean; 2nd largest Spanish city and the largest port and commercial center; has been a center for radical political beliefs Cadiz - an ancient port city in southwestern Spain Cartagena - a port in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera - a city in southwestern Spain that is famous for making sherry Leon - a city in northwestern Spain at the foot of the Cantabrian Mountains Logrono - a city in northern Spain on the Ebro River Malaga - a port city and resort in Andalusia in southern Spain on the Mediterranean Oviedo - a city in northwestern Spain near the Cantabrian Mountains San Sebastian - a city in northern Spain on the Bay of Biscay near the French border; a fashionable seaside resort Sevilla, Seville - a city in southwestern Spain; a major port and cultural center; the capital of bullfighting in Spain Toledo - a city in central Spain on the Tagus river; famous for steel and swords since the first century Aragon - a region of northeastern Spain; a former kingdom that united with Castile in 1479 to form Spain (after the marriage of Ferdinand V and Isabella I) Saragossa, Zaragoza - an ancient city on the Ebro River in northeastern Spain; formerly the capital of Aragon Castile, Castilla - a region of central Spain; a former kingdom that comprised most of modern Spain and united with Aragon to form Spain in 1479 Catalonia - a region of northeastern Spain Galicia - a region (and former kingdom) in northwestern Spain on the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay Valencia - a city in eastern Spain on the Mediterranean; "Valencia is the third largest city in Spain" |
Spain noun
Related words
adjective Spanish
see administrative regionsadjective Spanish
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