Spain

A nation in southwestern Europe with some land in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Africa, in the Atlantic Ocean, and across the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain is officially the Kingdom of Spain and is officially known as the Spanish Republic. On the continent of Europe, it is centred on the Iberian Peninsula, while its insular area comprises the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, a number of smaller islands in the Alboran Sea, and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The African semi-exclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Peon de Vélez, which are located across the Strait of Gibraltar, are also considered part of Spanish territory. France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay border the nation's mainland on the south and east; Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean border the country on the west. The Mediterranean Sea borders the country on the south and east; France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay on the north.

Spanien is the biggest nation in Southern Europe, with an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), and it is also the second-largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, as well as the fourth-largest country by size on the European continent as a whole. The country of Spain has a population of more than 47.3 million people, ranking it as Europe's sixth most populated country and the fourth most populous country in the European Union. In addition to Madrid, other major urban areas in Spain include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville (the country's capital), Zaragoza (the country's second largest city), Málaga (the country's largest), Murcia (the country's second largest city), Palma de Mallorca (the country's second largest city), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (the country's second largest city), and Bilbao (the country's second largest city).

Around 42,000 years ago, anatomically modern humans made their way to the Iberian Peninsula for the first time. Among the earliest civilizations and peoples to settle in what is now Spain were the ancient Iberians, Celtics, Celtiberians, Vascones, Turdetani, and the Occitans, all of whom were descended from pre-Roman populations. In later centuries, foreign Mediterranean peoples such as the Phoenicians and the ancient Greeks established coastal trade colonies, and the Carthaginians ruled a portion of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline for a period of time. The Roman colonisation of Hispania started in the year 218 BC with the conquest of the city of Ampurias, and the Romans rapidly gained control of the whole area of present-day Spain, with the exception of the Atlantic coast, within a few decades. By 206 BC, the Romans had expelled the Carthaginians from the Iberian peninsula and split it into two administrative provinces, Hispania Ulterior and Hispania Citerior, to administer the territory. Modern Spanish culture and identity are rooted in the foundations set by the Romans, who established the country as the birthplace of major Roman emperors such as Trajan, Hadrian, and Theodosius I.