Spain, with a Spanish-speaking population of almost 47 million, is located in Europe’s southwest, with France to its northeast, Portugal to the west, and Morocco across the Mediterranean to the south. Spain’s varied landscapes, vibrant cities, and diverse cultural offerings attract 84 million people each year, making Spain the second-most visited country in the world. At its geographic center is its capital city, Madrid. Featuring elegant boulevards and parks, chic stores, trendy and traditional restaurants, and significant historic buildings, Madrid is a city for walkers. It is also a city for museum-goers, with the Prada Museum the beating heart of its cultural capital, with works by Goya, Velasquez, and El Greco among its collection. On the eastern coast of Spain sits Valencia, a port city with beaches, a planetarium, and an oceanarium. Southern Spain features the cities of Seville, famous for its orange trees, and Granada’s Alhambra, a palace-fortress with gardens of spectacular beauty. Architecture devotees flock to Bilbao to see Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum and to Barcelona for its collection of whimsical buildings designed by Gaudi, dancers find ballrooms and clubs featuring flamenco, and food lovers delight in Spain’s meat and seafood, particularly its famous dish of paella. Hiking the mountains of Catalonia, diving near the Straits of Gibraltar, and swimming and sunbathing in Ibiza are among the outdoor pursuits popular for locals and tourists alike in Spain. Spain signed the Schengen agreement in 1991, becoming part of the  Schengen area in 1995.

Spain