San Sebastin San Sebastan founded in 1524 is

San Sebastián San Sebastían, founded in 1524, is a resort city on the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain. A major fishing port, the city is also known for its scenic beach, La Concha (“The Seashell”).

Madrid, the largest city in Spain, is the country’s capital as well as a financial center and a growing metropolis. The incorporation of industrial suburbs into the city’s limits has increased Madrid’s manufacturing base; it now competes with Barcelona for the status of Spain’s main

La Mancha Windmills dot the landscape in the region of La Mancha, Spain. The area is known as the land of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, characters in a novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Considered the first modern novel, it was published in the early 17 th century and was set in La Mancha.

Arc del Triomf , Barcelona The capital of Spain’s Catalonia region, Barcelona serves as the country’s leading commercial and industrial city. Barcelona grew from a central area, once surrounded by walls, called the Barri Gòtic. Designed by Josép Vilaseca, the red brick Arc del Triomf lies to the east of the Barri Gòtic.

Barcelona Harbor Barcelona is the industrial center of Spain. Its shipyards have played an important role in the city’s economy throughout its history.

Córdoba The Moorish influence in Córdoba, Spain, dates from the 8 th century, when it became a Muslim caliphate. The city’s Moorish architecture includes the cathedral, originally an impressive mosque

Cadaqués, Spain Situated on the Costa Brava, in the Spanish region of Catalonia, the ancient fishing port of Cadaqués is today a popular Mediterranean tourist destination.

Biblioteca Nacional, Spain’s Biblioteca Nacional (National Library), founded in 1712, is located in the city of Madrid. The library contains almost every book ever published in Spain along with an art collection and archives.

Toledo, Spain The medieval city of Toledo is situated on a high hill above the Tajo River in central Spain. Toledo was the capital of the Visigothic kingdom in Spain. The city has narrow winding streets and contains many historic sites.

Alhambra in Granada The Alhambra complex sits on a hill at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Granada, Spain. The Alhambra is made up of three distinct areas: a fortress known as the Alcazaba, extensive gardens called the Generalife, and the royal palace.

Gran Via , Madrid The Gran Via is a major thoroughfare in Madrid, Spain. Cinemas, tourist shops, and fast-food restaurants line the street, which passes through Madrid’s show business area.

Zaragoza The 17 th-century El Pilar Cathedral looms over a bridge spanning the Ebro River in the Spanish city of Zaragoza. The city’s name is a corruption of Caesaraugusta, the Roman name for the settlement.

Castle of Simancas, Spain The castle of Simancas is located near the city of Valladolid, Spain. It was built as a defensive fortress and was later converted into a prison. At the end of the 15 th century, Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand V bought the castle, and their grandson, Charles, later converted it into the royal archive. It contains more than 30 million documents dating from the 15 th to the 19 th centuries.

The Alcázar, Seville Traces of the centuries of Moorish rule in Spain remain throughout Seville. The Alcázar, shown here, is a royal palace built by the Moors in 1181. A Christian king financed the project, importing the raw materials for construction from territories his armies had pillaged. Today the Alcázar serves as the Spanish monarchs’ official residence in Seville.

Ebro River Delta The Ebro River of northeastern Spain empties into the Mediterranean Sea, forming a large delta area. The delta has fertile soil for cultivation and also features many wetlands that support migratory birds and other species of wildlife.

Madrid’s Plaza Mayor Built during the reign of Philip III in the early 17 th century, the Plaza Mayor was used for a variety of activities, including bullfights, executions during the Inquisition, and festivals. Today it is one of Madrid’s main tourist attractions.

Bullfight in Jerez The modern bullfight is much the same as it was in the early 1700 s, when the sword and the cape were introduced to this ancient practice. The spectacle is part of the Spanish festival tradition, and thus is elevated above the status of spectator sport. This matador taunts a bull before an audience at a bullring in Jerez, a city in southern Spain. The intensity of the crowd’s response depends on the fluidity and dexterity of the matador’s movements and on how closely the matador approaches the bull.

Seville, Spain The city of Seville in Spain is situated on the Guadalquivir River. It is known for its architecture such as this tower, dating from the Middle Ages. Seville’s most famous landmark is the 15 th-century Gothic cathedral, the tower of which can be seen rising in the distance.

Spanish Empire By colonizing the Americas, Spain became one of the richest and most powerful countries of the 16 th century. At the height of its power in 1588, the Spanish Empire included the West Indies, Cuba, Florida, Mexico, Central America, much of South America, and the Philippines.

Spread of Islam In the 7 th and 8 th centuries the religion of Islam spread through conversion and military conquest throughout the Middle East and North Africa. By 733, just 100 years after the death of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, an ordered Islamic state stretched from India in the east to Spain in the west.

Ruins of Numantia, Spain This photograph shows the ruins of the Celtiberian city of Numantia, near the modern city of Soria, Spain. In one of the most famous episodes in the ancient history of the Iberian peninsula, the city fell to the Romans in 133 BC, after almost two decades of resisting capture.

Nationalist Troops in Spain In 1936 a group of military leaders tried to overthrow Spain’s elected government, beginning the Spanish Civil War. Together with their supporters, such as the troops shown here, they became known as the Nationalists.

Spanish Civil War Poster Colorful and dramatic posters were a trademark of propaganda during the Spanish Civil War. Anarcho-syndicalist groups used this one to build morale among the Spanish working class in their fight against what they called “the military bully. ”

Francisco Franco Salutes a Crowd During the Spanish Civil War, General Francisco Franco was the leader of the Nationalist forces that fought to overthrow Spain’s elected government. As a result of the Nationalist victory in 1939, Franco became el Caudillo (the leader) of Spain and ruled the country until his death in 1975.

Juan Carlos I Dictator Francisco Franco groomed Juan Carlos to succeed him as leader of Spain, designating him heir to the throne in 1969. Juan Carlos became king of Spain in 1975 after Franco’s death, and he began instituting gradual democratic reforms, including a popularly approved constitution. The 1978 constitution empowers the monarch to command the armed forces, select the prime minister, convene and dissolve parliament, and approve laws.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, leader of the Socialist Workers’ Party, was elected prime minister of Spain in March 2004. One of his first decisions as prime minister was to withdraw Spanish soldiers from Iraq, where they had been supporting the USled occupation.