Geography of Spain questions

In 1778, the territory of present-day Equatorial Guinea became a Spanish colony called Spanish Guinea. It became an independent nation in 1968.

San Sebastian lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Ocean. In 1863 the city was chosen by the Spanish monarchy to spend the summer following the French example of the near Biarritz. As the "wave baths" at La Concha conflicted with shipbuilding activity, shipyards relocated to Pasaia, a near bay formerly part of San Sebastian.

Andorra is the only part of the world where Catalan is the only official language. It is used by Andorran television and radio stations.

The bear is the symbol of Madrid, just as in the case of Berlin. According to the popular story, the original name of the city was "Ursaria" ("land of bears" in Latin).

Spain borders France, Portugal, Andorra, Morocco (Ceuta) and UK (Giblartar)

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory since 1704, when Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Castile during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg pretender to the Spanish throne.

Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. From 1565 to 1821, the Philippines were governed as a territory of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Roman Catholic missionaries converted most of the lowland inhabitants to Christianity. Even though Spanish is not an official language today (Filipino and English are), Spanish names are preserved among the population.

Due to its altitude of 667 m (2,188 ft) above sea level, The Madrid region features a Mediterranean climate with cool winters, including sporadic snowfalls and minimum temperatures often below freezing.

The name Islas Canarias is likely derived from the Latin name Insula Canaria, meaning "Island of the Dogs", a name applied originally only to Gran Canaria. The connection with the dogs is ancient and was already described by Pliny the Elder.

The name comes from the Latin root canaria. According to the historian Pliny the Elder, the island was named so, because it contained "vast multitudes of dogs of very large size".