50 Interesting Fun Facts About Spain - Discover Spain Before Your Travel
How many facts do you know about Spain? Do you know about La Sagrada Familia?. When talking about Spain, we may commonly associate it with Mediterranean beaches, their Paella, bullfights, maybe soccer? These may be things that automatically click “Spain” in our heads. Hmm. What I have to say is there is more to Spain than all these. Spain is a vast country with rich culture, history, and beliefs. If you think that Spain is just all about siestas, sand, and sun, that’s where you’re wrong. With this said, there may still be a lot that we don’t know about this beautiful place.
We can’t travel to Spain just to know all about it, but we can still learn about it through facts. Facts can introduce us to this beautiful place just as if we are touring around. This article is fun, fresh, even crazy fun facts that we have got to know about Spain. So are you ready to learn 50 interesting fun facts about Spain?
Most Interesting Facts About Spain:
1. Once, Spain was just a collection of Kingdoms
Spain is similar to many other European Countries that we know. The modern-day Spain that we know was once a location known for its different kingdoms. In the 15th Century, however, the kingdoms unite because of the marriage between Isabel of Castile and Fernando of Aragon. Another fun fact about the Spanish language is that Spain had no official language at that time. Each kingdom had its language, and the Spanish language was not the official language yet.
Additionally, You may know that it is just Spain, but it’s not just that. The official name of Spain is “Kingdom of Spain,” signifying that it is now only one country.
2. Spanish people aren’t as religious as most of us think.
Religion is important in Spanish culture, but statistics show that not even half, only 13.6% of Spain’s total population, go to Sunday services. With this being said, statistics show that still, 70% of Spain’s total population considers themselves Roman Catholics.
3. Spanish are said to live longer, which means they have an Aging Population.
According to a conducted study, Spain holds the second-highest life expectancy rate with other European Countries. Statistics show that Spain’s life expectancy can live up to 83 years. Moreover, Spanish women are said to outlive male counterparts with 85 years of life expectancy compared to only 79 years for Spanish men.
By the year 2050, Spain is expected to have the oldest population in the world, making it the “oldest” country in the world, according to the United Nations. UN’s estimates show that within 30 years, at most 30% of Spain’s total population will be recorded at age 60 and above.
4. Ranking as 5th with the largest population in all of Europe.
To many, this population sounds too crowded, but in Spain, almost three-quarters of their people live in urban areas. Elaborating this, 6.5 million of Spain’s total population lives in Greater Madrid. The other 5.5 million of the population resides and is living in the greater area of Barcelona. Both city populations combined, these populations are larger even compared to New Zealand’s. For more about Europe check our European capitals trivia quiz or the Europe Quiz.
5. Childcare Limitations are evident in Spain
Working moms and parents will find it hard to find out-of-school-hour childcare services in Spain. Childcare, babysitting services are very much limited in this country. An estimate shows that about a quarter of the total grandparent population of Spain takes care of their grandchildren daily, once school hours are done for the day.
6. Spanish paved the way for the invention of the humble stapler.
Inventing it may be something you can’t picture Spain doing, but this is true. The stapler is certified as a Spanish invention.
In the 18th Century, this was created in the Basque Country for a French king named Louis XV. Spain is also responsible for introducing the bucket and mop, snd spacesuits to the world. If you like science, check our Science trivia quizzes or Science questions and answers.
7. European Union claims Spain as their 2nd Largest Country.
After France, the EU says that Spain follows as the 2nd largest country. Spain would cover a large landmass if Spanish territories along the North African Coastline and the Canary Islands were included. Spain measures up to a total of 56,000 square meters if so formed in both locations mentioned.
8. Paella is the National Dish
Paella is sure popular to foreigners and tourists, and it is embedded to many that this is Spain’s national dish. If you search on it, Paella will pop up as Spain’s National Dish. Locals, however, think otherwise. What Spanish locals see fit as their national dish is the Valencian rice dish. With that given, it is still fun to learn these dishes, and both belong to the Top 5 Iconic Spanish foods known by many.
9. Wind Technology is renewable energy in Spain
When it comes to renewable energy, Spain is leading the way. This country comes as the pioneer of having wind as its great and primary source of electricity. Tests back in 2013 show that wind turbines can generate electricity of up to 54,000 gigawatt-hours. Given this estimation, it equates to a fifth of Spain’s electricity consumption.
10. The oldest restaurant in the world is in Madrid, Spain.
Are you looking for classic fine dining? You can do this once you happen to visit Madrid and dine in the world’s oldest restaurant. Guinness World Records awards Restaurante Botin as so. This restaurant in Madrid, Spain, remains open since the year 1725. The signature dish that must be tried in this restaurant is their Cochinillos Asado, which is a roast suckling pig.
Cool Fun Facts about Spain:
11. Spanish people love chilling.
People in Spain believe that it is a must to appease themselves. Spanish spends at most 16 hours out of the 24 hours in a day to enjoy, indulging themselves through leisure, eating, drinking, and siestas.
12. The first modern-day novel is written in Spanish.
The writer, Miguel De Cervantes, wrote the novel Don Quixote in the year 1605. This novel was considered the first-ever modern novel. Don Quixote is hailed as the founding work of Western Literature.
13. Spain is the World’s Largest Olive Oil Producer.
Maybe when you hear Olive Oils, it will connect automatically to Italy, but this isn’t the fact. To clear this up, Spain is the prime producer of Olive Oil, with about 44% contribution to Olive Oil around the world.
Andalusia in Spain is the region that can produce the most olive oil anyone can imagine.
14. Tortillas in Spain are different than what most know.
The tortilla is different from the Spanish. Theirs is known as Tortilla España. This dish refers to a popular potato and egg dish in Spain. “Tortitas,” for the Spanish, refers to corn or flour tortillas.
15. Barcelona is the most visited in Spain.
Barcelona sees over 15 million tourists and visitors each year. This number is considered large given that Madrid only sees about 6 to 7. The Madrid-Barcelona flight route has the highest number of flights in the world each week.
16. Spanish artists have a great contribution to art.
Spain produced some of the most influential artists of all time. Little does everyone know Spain is home to famous artists, Gaudi, Picasso, Dali, and Goya. Additionally, Spain is home to one of the greatest museums in the world, the Prado.
17. Spain is considered the land of Bullfighting.
The bull is Spain’s national animal, which is no wonder why bullfights happen almost everywhere in Spain. Bullfighting is one of the most popular sports in this country. Spain is also known for its rich and unique culture.
18. In the 1980s, Spain was one with the highest population growth but had low birth rates in the year 2000s.
The rate came down to 1.19 children per Spanish woman. It is believed that Spain needed at most 300,000 immigrants to enter the country each year. The purpose of doing so was to balance the continuous decline of the younger population in Spain.
19. Running of the Bulls is one of the most popular things in Spain.
In the month of July, in a small town located in Pamplona, St. Fermin’s Day is being held. Running of bulls is a highlight of the celebration. On average, it is said that over a million attend this.
20. Most decentralized democracy in Europe.
Freedom is highly practiced in different places and cities in Spain. This would mean that each region can have its own of anything. Every 17 Regions of Spain manages their own hospitals, schools, and many other services.
Weird Facts About Spain
21. Eating 12 Grapes is a custom practiced during New Year’s Eve.
The aim of doing this is to eat one grape each time the clock hits a beat until it strikes 12. This is a custom done by most Spanish families. It is said that if each succeeds, he/she will have good luck throughout the rest of the year.
22. Spanish people have odd celebrations of their Fiestas
Spain is known for the great celebration of fiestas. They do crazy things during these said celebrations. They do things such as jumping over live babies, running with bulls, pelting tomatoes. Spanish people are known for holding the most fun and craziest festivals and fiestas in the world.
23. Every May 15th, Single Women visit a chapel called Ermita de San Isidro.
What do they do here? It is a custom in Spain where women go to this chapel just to prick their fingers. Women prick their fingers and put in a vessel in order for them to find a husband.
24. Driving while wearing flip-flops is illegal in Spain.
This is not the only thing considered illegal in Spain. It was driving while wearing flip-flops and while barefoot, and driving without wearing a shirt will equate to a fine of €200. It is believed in Spain that doing those may diminish the driver’s ability to control a car or vehicle.
25. Christmas is unusual in Spain with the Caga Tío and Caganer Christmas Tradition
To those who read this for the first time, this may be the most absurd Christmas Tradition. Instead of Santa Claus, there’s Caga Tío, which is a log being fed by Spanish all December long. They expect that this poops out the presents by beating it with a stick. It is done while singing.
26. Spanish tend to change the names of musicians, TV and Movie characters, and even authors.
Most people know by now that Spanish is not really great with speaking more than just their native language. With this said, they tend to change the names of known people to their understanding. This happens like how Charles Dickens is originally Carlos Dickens, which can be seen on the cover of the book “Oliver Twist.”
27. Las Fallas, a Spanish Festival where they burn large figurines.
This is a 3-week long festival celebrated in Spain. One of the highlights of the festivity is burning figures called “Fallas.” These Fallas are detailed, beautiful, and large styrofoam figurines.
28. Lifestyle is pretty much lived differently in Spain.
Spain is known for having unusual day to day time schedules in Europe. Siestas are important and tend to be much longer than working hours. Spain is where sleep is at 7 pm, partying is 2 in the morning, and dinner is at 10 pm.
29. An unusual celebration called Castells is celebrated each year.
Spain is really home to many festivals and celebrations. In Tarragona, it is a tradition to celebrate Castells each year. This is a celebration wherein teams, or a group of people creates human towers.
30. There is an amusement park located on a mountain in Barcelona.
Tibidabo has been one of the most sought out locations to be in Barcelona. This amusement park stands tall at 500 meters tall. It stands at the highest peak in the mountain in Catalonia, Barcelona.
Crazy Fun Facts about Spain:
31. Running wild in Spain is possible because nudity is legal in this country.
Budding Naturists will be pleased to know that nudity is legal in Spain. This is so because of the naturally hot climate in this country. Its Mediterranean climate of wet, mild winters and dry, hot summers will surely leave anyone tempted to strip off.
32. Spain doesn’t have the beliefs in Tooth Fairies
When children lose a tooth in Spain, they don’t happen to believe that a tooth fairy will come and take it. Instead of tooth fairies, children tuck their teeth under their pillow for a magical mouse called Ratoncito Perez.
Same as what a tooth fairy does, the mouse takes the tooth and leaves small gifts or money in place of the tooth.
33. Spanish use sign gestures with or even as a substitute for words.
Wiggling fingers from the nose, grabbing the left arm with the right, flicking teeth with a thumbnail, and other gestures are common in Spain. Each gesture corresponds to a word or a way to express thoughts. It is a must to be cautious of making left-handed fists because of Spanish. It is offensive.
34. Spain can be considered as the epitome of nightlife.
Spain isn’t just about the fun festivities, but it sure knows how to put the fun in nightlife. This country in Europe has more restaurants and bars for each person compared to anywhere in the world. There can be one for every 175 people.
35. The first psychiatric hospital is found in Spain.
The first psychiatric hospital is Hospital de Los Inocentes. This was the first-ever in the world, and it was established in the year 1410 in Valencia. This, however, was already knocked down.
36. Spain’s National Anthem has no words.
Spain’s National Anthem, Marcha Real, has no lyrics to it. There are no words in this anthem, only sounds. This belongs to the only three existing national anthems with no lyrics to it.
37. Spain is the only European country with a Land Border in Africa.
Spain is divided into 17 autonomous regions, and 15 are part of continental Spain. The two left are the islands of Balearic and Canary. Spain has cities, Melilla and Ceuta, which are part of the Northern Africa Coast.
38. Persimmon exporting is the largest in Spain.
Spain is known as the largest country to ever expert Persimmon. The Persimmon variety here is commercialized and trademarked under the name of Persimmon. Some 50 years ago, this tree variety naturally developed in Ribera del Xeqùer, near Valencia.
39. Moors highly influence Spanish cooking.
Moors is responsible for introducing figs, orange, and almond trees to Spain. Additionally, Spain was introduced to Rice, Sugar Cane, saffron, and aubergine. Moors also contributed many farming innovations to Spain.
40. An 8-year-old girl paved the way to discovering the unexplored cave of Altamira.
In the year 1879, a little girl made a great discovery with her father. Unknowingly, little Maria led her father to the Cave of Altamira. The Cave of Altamira is one of the first-ever painted caves during the Paleolithic.
Funny Fun Facts about Spain:
41. La Tomatina is a festival in Spain where they throw tomatoes at each other.
Approximately about 50,000 or even more join this festivity. La Tomatina, as celebrated in Spain, is a food fight festival held every last Wednesday in the month of August. This festivity is held to celebrate their tomato harvest each year.
42. There is a street in Spain dedicated to Shopping.
A pedestrian shopping street in Spain called Portal Del Angel is the one-stop place for shopaholics. Porta De Anghel is estimated to see 3,000 shoppers, visitors, and tourists each day. This is also commonly referred to as the most expensive street in all of Spain.
43. You can get arrested or fined if you drive shirtless in Spain.
Driving shirtless, even driving while wearing flip flops, can get you in big trouble in Spain. There is a law in Spain stating that driving shirtless and while wearing flip-flops is illegal. Not following this will get you a fine or penalty.
44. The Eiffel Tower was almost got built in Barcelona.
Sure, Eiffel Tower will automatically remind you of France, but did you know that it almost wasn’t placed there? The plan was to originally build the Eiffel Tower in Barcelona. People didn’t like the idea, so it wasn’t pushed through. The tower was finished in France in 1889, and people there at that time didn’t like it as well.
45. La Sagrada Familia is still under construction.
This famous church, located in Barcelona, Spain, has faced never-ending construction since it began in 1882. With this said, La Sagrada Familia is presently under construction for over 130 years. The estimated time of completion is in the year 2026.
46. Spain isn’t really a country. It is a Kingdom.
The official name of Spain is the “Kingdom of Spain.” It is also the 2nd largest country in the European Union. Many are unaware of this fact, and only those who actually reside in the Kingdom of Spain are fully aware of this.
47. Spain has a log that poops chocolate on Christmas Day.
Tiò de Nadal translates to Christmas Log and is a tradition not to be missed in Spain. This is mostly practiced during the holiday seasons in many Catalan and Aragones households. What is done is that children will beat this hollow log with sticks until it pops out candies, chocolates, and other sweet treats.
48. Toast is eaten differently in Spain.
Spain doesn’t practice eating toast with eggs, butter, or jam. They have their own way and style of eating toasts. “Tostada de tomate,” toast with tomatoes, is the Spanish’s preferred way to go.
49. Valencia seems to be under attack every March.
In Valencia, Spain, they have festivals where they burned stuff. Crackers and fire may be seen shooting up in Valencia during March. There is no need to worry because these are just because of Fireworks.
50. For the best-ranked aquariums go to Spain.
A lot to know about Spain and its more than just sands and beaches: lifestyle and sites are great in Spain, so no wonder that Valencia has one of the best-ranked aquariums. The Valencian aquarium is known for its uniqueness and one of a kind integral design.
We hope you liked these 50 interesting fun facts about Spain. Next, we Recommend that you will read the 50 amazing geography fun facts, or just check the geography trivia quiz games.