10 Fun and interesting facts about Spain
Spain is a country in southwestern Europe, home to around 48 million people. It鈥檚 famous for its dramatic landscapes, luxurious beaches, fantastic food, and diverse history. We all know that Spain is an amazing country to visit, but did you know鈥?
1. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the world
Second only to Mandarin, Spanish is number two when it comes to the highest number of native speakers, with some 485 million people speaking the language. With countries such as Mexico, Columbia, Argentina and Peru primarily speaking Spanish, it's no wonder so many people speak it.
In case you were wondering, English is the third most spoken language in the world in terms of native speakers with 373 million people, and Arabic is fourth with 362 million native speakers. Would you like to join the 485 million people speaking Spanish? Why not check out these learning resources.
2. Spain is home to the world's largest tomato fight
Every year, on the last Wednesday in August, the quiet Spanish town of Bu帽ol hosts La Tomatina - the world's largest tomato fight. Over 150,000 kilos of over-ripe tomatoes are used in the food fight and thousands of locals and tourists take part in the chaos.
The origins of La Tomatina are unclear. The most popular theory is that the festival started as a religious procession that went awry way back in 1945. According to the legend, a young person started causing trouble during the procession and made an important participant fall to the ground.
A fight subsequently broke out, and there just so happened to be a vegetable stand nearby with lots of tomatoes. People grabbed the tomatoes and started throwing them at each other in the madness of the fight.
Whatever the truth is, La Tomatina sounds like a lot of fun!
3. The Spanish tooth fairy is a mouse
The name鈥檚 P茅rez, El Ratoncito P茅rez. He鈥檚 not an undercover agent, but he does often work under covers.
Ratoncito P茅rez is the Spanish version of the tooth fairy. When a child loses one of their milk teeth, they place it under their pillow and Ratoncito replaces it with a small gift or some money.
It isn鈥檛 just Spain where Ratoncito operates - Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and Chile all have their versions of this tooth-loving rodent.
4. Every year hundreds of people run with bulls in Pamplona
Running through the streets of Pamplona sounds like quite a nice time, but imagine also being chased down by angry bulls!
That鈥檚 what happens every year as the highlight of the San Ferm铆n festival in Pamplona. From the 7th to 14th July, some 2,000 people take the cobbled streets with the bulls to quite literally run for their lives!
According to event officials, hundreds of runners are injured annually during the event. Deaths at the event are rare, but since 1910 when record-keeping began, 16 people have died.
5. Spain was one half of the world's first Earth sandwich
The world's first 'Earth sandwich' is credited to the American artist Ze Frank. In 2006 he organised two slices of baguette to be placed in Spain and New Zealand, at exact opposite points of the globe.
As there is a 12-hour time difference between Spain and New Zealand, organising this event wasn鈥檛 easy - they had to use the exact same type of bread, at the same time, in precise locations.
In case you are wondering, forming an Earth sandwich in the UK would be a bit trickier: the opposite piece of bread would need to be floating somewhere in the Indian Ocean!
6. Spain has a monarchy
Just like the UK, Spain has a royal family too! Their current king is called Felipe VI and has reigned since 2014.
Again, much like the UK, the role of 厂辫补颈苍鈥檚 royal family is apolitical and neutral, with limited power. Despite this, the king still carries out some important ceremonial duties.
7. Madrid is home to the oldest restaurant in the world
Sobrino de Bot铆n is a Spanish restaurant in Madrid, and the oldest restaurant in the world in continuous operation.
The restaurant was originally founded in 1725 by Frenchman Jean Botin and his wife, it was originally called Casa Bot铆n until one of his nephews took over the restaurant and renamed it Sobrino de Bot铆n, a name that survives to this day.
The restaurant has kept the flame burning in its oven continuously, never to be extinguished. One of their famous original recipes is roast suckling pig and their signature dish is sopa de ajo: an egg poached in chicken broth, laced with sherry and garlic. Yum!
8. The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is still not finished
The Sagrada Familia is a Catholic cathedral in Barcelona that has been in construction since 1882! Designed by famous architect Antoni Gaud铆, the site has UNESCO World Heritage status despite still not being finished.
Multiple historic events have slowed the construction of the cathedral, including the Spanish Civil War, World War One and World War Two, arson attacks from anarchists, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently the cathedral is predicted to be completed in 2026, which would be the centenary of Gaud铆鈥檚 death. Whether it will actually be completed by then is anyone's guess, but currently it is the most visited building site in the world.
9. Spanish isn鈥檛 the only official language of Spain
Although the vast majority of 厂辫补颈苍鈥檚 population primarily speaks Spanish, some areas speak a different language altogether.
For example, in Catalonia, the easternmost area of Spain, the people speak Catalan alongside Spanish. The community of Galicia in the north-west speaks the Galician language.
Perhaps most interesting is the language spoken in the Basque Country, an area in the north-east of Spain in the Pyrenees mountains that borders France. The people there speak Basque, which is a language isolate 鈥 meaning it is unrelated to any other existing languages!
10. The Spanish national anthem has no words
厂辫补颈苍鈥檚 Marcha Real is one of the few national anthems with no words! This means it is part of a very exclusive club with just three other countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and San Marino.
That means at large sporting events, the normal practice is for the audience to hum along to the tune while the players stand in silence.
There has been a number of attempts to write accompanying words to Marcha Real but none of them have been officially approved by the Spanish government. In many ways, this must be a relief for the people of Spain - you can鈥檛 forget the words to your national anthem if it doesn't have any!
Have these ten facts got you keen to learn more?
Why not check out these learning resources from 成人快手 Bitesize.
GCSE Spanish revision - Spanish life
KS2 Spanish - Culture: exploring Barcelona
Being Spanish - join Spanish children go-karting, at home, at school, at the beach, picking fruit and baking.