Form of Government: Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy
Area: 504,782 sq km Population: 44 million Religion: Catholic 80%
Political Institutions: Provinces and autonomous regions. King: Juan Carlos I President: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
Languages: Spanish is the official language. Other languages are officially recognized in their areas, Catalan (Catalonia, Spain, Valencia - here it is called Valencian). Aranese in the Val d'Aran (Lleida province), Basque in the Basque Country and areas in Navarra, and Galician in Galicia.
Cost of Living
Cheap meal: 10 € Dining in restaurants: 30 € Accommodation: between 22 and 36 € Middle-range hotel: 60 €
Currency
There is no limit to the amount of money you can transfer from foreign bank accounts into Spain. You can enter the country or take up to a limit of around 6000 euros without declaring them.
Credit cards and travelers checks are recommended to pay your expenses. They can be used to pay for different items or to get cash at many banks.
Tipping
Law requires restaurants include tip in the total price. However tipping is common in bars, hotels, restaurants and taxis, depending on the customers satisfaction, usually between 10% - 15%.
Cuisine
The food in Spain is one of its strengths. Wherever you go you will find a great variety of dishes from the area. Dishes are made from meat or fish, soups or even the most varied sweets. There's so much to choose from that you will never finish tasting them all.
Among the dishes you'll find the famous Valencian paella, andalusian gazpacho, asturian beans, or bread with tomato.
Drinking wine is very common. In all regions, you will find a wine that is perfect to accompany your meals. Among them we highlight: Rioja, the Ribera del Duero, Penedes ... among others. Other drinks are champagne, and beer, but by far the best known is the sangria.
