皮皮-
Spain
A country of southwest Europe comprising most of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic and Canary Islands. Inhabited since the Stone Age, the region was colonized by Phoenicians and Greeks and later ruled by Carthage and Rome (after 201b.c.). Barbarians first invaded Spain in a.d. 409 but were supplanted by Moors from North Africa (711-719), who organized a kingdom known for its learning and splendor. The Moors were gradually displaced by small Christian states and were ousted from their last stronghold, Granada, in 1492. Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile then became rulers of a united Spain, which became a world power through exploration and conquest. After the empire was lost in the 18th and 19th centuries, Spain experienced social and economic unrest that culminated in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the rise of Francisco Franco. Madrid is the capital and the largest city. Population, 38,872,389.
西班牙：欧洲西南部一国家，由伊比利亚半岛大部分、巴里阿里群岛和加纳利群岛组成。从石器时代开始这里就有人居住，该地区先是成为腓尼基人和希腊人的殖民地，后被迦太基人和罗马人统治（公元前201年以后）。野蛮人于 公元409首次入侵西班牙，但后来被来自北非的摩尔人取代(711-719年），摩尔人建立了一个博学和辉煌的王国。后来摩尔人逐渐被基督教小?/FONT>妫⒆钪沼?492年被逐出他们的堡垒-格拉纳达，而后阿拉贡的斐迪南和卡斯提里亚的伊莎贝拉成为西班牙的统治者，他们通过扩张和征服成为世界强国。该帝国在18世纪和19世纪没落以后，西班牙国内社会、经济上的动荡最终导致了西班牙内战(1936-1939年）和弗朗西斯科·佛朗哥的崛起。马德里是其首都和最大城市。人口38,872,389
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Spain
officially Kingdom of Spain
Country, southwestern Europe.
One of Europe"s largest countries, it is located on the Iberian Peninsula and also includes the Balearic and Canary islands. Area: 195,364 sq mi (505,990 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 40,998,000. Capital: Madrid. The people are predominantly Spanish, though there are populations of Basques, Catalans, and Roma (Gypsies). Languages: Castilian Spanish (official), Catalan, Galician, and Basque. Religion: Roman Catholicism. Currency: euro. Spain"s large central plateau is surrounded by the Ebro River valley, the mountainous Catalonia region, the Mediterranean coastal region of Valencia, the Guadalquivir River valley, and the mountainous region extending from the Pyrenees to the Atlantic coast. Spain has a developed market economy based on services, light and heavy industries, and agriculture. Mineral resources include iron ore, mercury, and coal. Agricultural products include grains and livestock. Spain is one of the world"s major producers of wine and olive oil. Tourism is also a major industry, especially along the southern Costa del Sol. Remains of Stone Age populations dating back some 35,000 years have been found throughout Spain. Celtic peoples arrived in the 9th century BC, followed by the Romans, who dominated Spain from с 200 BC until the Visigoth invasion in the early 5th century AD. In the early 8th century most of the peninsula fell to Muslims (Moors) from North Africa, and it remained under their control until it was gradually reconquered by the Christian kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal. Spain was reunited in 1479 following the marriage of Ferdinand II (of Aragon) and Isabella I (of Castile). The last Muslim kingdom, Granada, was reconquered in 1492, and about this time Spain established a colonial empire in the Americas. In 1516 the throne passed to the Habsburgs, whose rule ended in 1700 when Philip V became the first Bourbon king of Spain. His ascendancy caused the War of the Spanish Succession, which resulted in the loss of numerous European possessions and sparked revolution within most of Spain"s American colonies. Spain lost its remaining overseas possessions to the U.S. in the Spanish-American War (1898). (See Cuba; Guam; Philippines; Puerto Rico.) Spain became a republic in 1931. The Spanish Civil War (1936–39) ended in victory for the Nationalists under Gen. Francisco Franco, who ruled as a dictator until his death in 1975. His successor as head of state, Juan Carlos I, restored the monarchy with his accession to the throne; a new constitution in 1978 established a constitutional monarchy. Spain has two legislative houses; the chief of state is the king, and the head of government is the prime minister. Spain joined NATO in 1982 and the European Community in 1986. The 1992 quincentennial of Christopher Columbus"s first voyage from Spain to the Americas was marked by a fair in Sevilla and the staging of the Olympic Games in Barcelona. In the 1990s Spain developed closer ties to other European countries but continued to suffer internally, as Basque separatists pressed their claims for independence and some continued a campaign of violence.
西班牙 [Spain]
正式名称西班牙王国。
欧洲西南部国家。欧洲最大的国家之一，位于伊比利亚半岛。也包括巴利阿里群岛和加那利群岛。面积：505,990平方千米。人口：40,144,000(2001)。首都：马德里。西班牙人占人口的大多数，其他还有巴斯克人、加泰罗尼亚人和吉普赛人(罗姆人)。语言：卡斯蒂利亚西班牙语(官方语)、加泰罗尼亚语、加利西亚语和巴斯克语。宗教：天主教(2/3)和伊斯兰教。货币：欧元。西班牙的大片中央高地可分为5个自然区：埃布罗河流域，加泰罗尼亚山区，巴伦西亚地中海沿岸地区，瓜达尔基维尔河流域和从比利牛斯山脉伸至大西洋沿岸的山区。西班牙发达的市场经济主要以服务业、轻工业、重工业和农业为基础。矿产资源包括铁矿石、汞和煤。农产品有谷物和牲畜。西班牙也是世界主要的葡萄酒生产国之一。旅游业也是西班牙的一个主要行业，尤其是在沿太阳海岸南部。西班牙为君主立宪政体，两院制。国家元首是国王，政府首脑为总理。在西班牙境内各地曾发现约3.5万年前石器时代的人类遗迹。公元前9世纪，凯尔特人来到这里，接着是罗马人。自公元前200年，罗马人统治了西班牙，直到5世纪初西哥特人入侵。8世纪初，半岛大部分地区落入来自北非的穆斯林(摩尔人)手中，此后该地区一直由穆斯林控制，直到逐渐被卡斯蒂利亚和阿拉贡地区的基督教王国及葡萄牙重新占领。随着阿拉贡的费迪南德二世和卡斯蒂利亚的伊莎贝拉一世的成婚，西班牙于1479年统一。1492年，征服了最后穆斯林王国格拉纳达。大约此时，西班牙也在美洲建立了殖民帝国。1516年将王位传给哈布斯堡王朝。1700年，腓力五世成为西班牙第一个波旁国王，结束哈布斯堡王朝统治。腓力登基引发了西班牙王位继承战争，结果丧失了许多欧洲属地。战争的胜利使多数西班牙美洲殖民地的人民受到鼓舞，纷纷起来革命。在1898年的美西战争中，西班牙在海外所剩的属地(参阅古巴[Cuba]、关岛[Guam]、菲律宾[Philippines]和波多黎各[Puerto Rico])丧失给美国。1931年西班牙成为一个共和国。西班牙内战(1936～1939)以由佛朗哥将军领导下的国家主义者取得胜利而告终。佛朗哥独裁统治至1975年去世。国家元首的继承人――胡安u30fb卡洛斯一世就任王位，恢复君主体制。1978年新宪法实行君主议会制。1982年加入北约。1986年加入欧洲共同体。1992年为纪念C.哥伦布从西班牙首航美洲500周年，西班牙在塞维利亚举办博览会并在巴塞罗那举办奥林匹克运动会以示庆祝。20世纪90年代西班牙同其他欧洲国家发展了较密切的关系，不过，国内仍受到巴斯克分离主义者要求独立的威胁。
ardim-
An ancient British introduction of Spain:
Spain is an indepent country occupying most of the Iberian Peninsula in southwest Europe, on the other side of the strait. Their people speak a language called Spanish, which we don"t speak.The Great Britain has no colony there, where we British cannot rule their people and make our British fortune.
关于西班牙，一份古老的英国式的简介：
西班牙是一个占据伊比利亚半岛大部的欧洲西南部国家，就在咱家的海峡对面。那里的人说一种我们所不说的，叫西班牙语的语言。大不列颠在那里没有殖民地，我们不列颠人不能在那奴役那些人并获得我们不列颠的财富。
呵呵。希望你满意。
贝贝-
Spain occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula in southwest Europe, and its territory includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic. Much of the mainland is high plateau, with mountain ranges, including the Pyrenees, in the north. The plateau experiences hot summers and cold winters—it is cooler and wetter to the north.
About 200 B.C. the Romans occupied this crossroads between Europe and Africa. Moors invaded in A.D. 711, ruling for almost 800 years before Christian armies routed them. Enriched by its New World empire, Spain dominated Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries; today it rules only the North African territories of Ceuta and Melilla.
Gen. Francisco Franco wielded power from 1936 until his death in 1975, when Juan Carlos became king. Three years later a new constitution confirmed Spain as a parliamentary monarchy. After 1986, when the Socialist Party under Felipe González Márquez led Spain into the European Union, the economy grew faster than any other member nation"s. Yet the government"s pro-business policies in the 1990s were blamed for widening the gap between rich and poor and for the bankruptcy of noncompetitive industries—all contributing to high unemployment. Separatist agitation born of historical regional differences, most pronounced in the Basque country and in Catalonia, still challenges national unity, but a strong national peace movement has developed to counteract terrorist activities.
Unemployment continues to be a problem, but recent economic growth makes the country"s future outlook more positive. Spain is one of the European Union nations participating in the euro currency.
Industry: textiles and apparel, food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals.
Agriculture: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes; beef; fish.
Exports: machinery, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, other consumer goods