ABSTRACT
Geographically Spain is at the crossroads. It is between Europe and Africa. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. From the year 200 BC to AD 19 the Romans conquered the peninsula, which had previously been conquered by the Phoenicians and Cartha ginians, among others. It was a few centuries after the Roman settlement, in AD 711, that the Moors invaded and settled. They ruled for almost 800 years. It was after the Christian armies ended the reconquering of the territories, in 1492, that the recently reunified Spain, composed of several kingdoms, became a world power. From then on Spain dominated Europe and maintained a vast overseas empire until it lost most of its territories during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The last territories over which Spain ruled were Cuba and the Philippines, which got their independence in 1898. The beginning of the twentieth century was very turbulent in Spanish politics, and culminated in the Civil War (1936-1939), which deterred it from being involved in either the First or the Second World Wars. The country was then ruled by General Franco for almost four decades, between 1939 and 1975. In 1975, after Franco’s death, it peacefully transitioned to a monarchic democracy, in which Juan Carlos I became the first king. Since then, left-and right-wing parties have alternated in ruling the country, following peaceful elections. In June 2014, Felipe VI, Juan Carlos’ and Sofia’s son, became the second king of the democracy after the dictatorship.
