# data[].attributes.body
Spain is a country located in southwestern Europe. It is the largest country in southern Europe and spans nearly 200,000 square miles. It is to the east of Portugal and to the south of France. Spain borders both the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It typically has hot and dry summers and cold and dry winters and its rainy season is from November to February.

The language spoken in Spain is Spanish, but it is not the kind you would hear in Mexico. The two versions of Spanish may sound similar but they are not completely the same. Many words are different between the two languages and the dialects vary. The Spanish flag consists of 2 red borders on the top and the bottom. and a yellow middle. The red and yellow are theorized to represent the blood of a king on his gold shield. The symbol in the center represents many kingdoms united into one and the crown symbolizes the Kingdom of Spain.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Storm "Gloria" floods east cost of Spain

# data[].attributes.body
Recently, Spain has been hit by drastic weather causing flooding and evacuation. Several flights have been cancelled as well. Heavy storms have hit Spain and several countries surrounding it. Unfortunately, many deaths and injuries have bee reported. The violent storms have partially damaged Spain's infrastructure. EMS believe that most of the storm has passed already.

In other current events, thousands of child immigrants have arrived on the shores of the canary islands. The origin of these migrants are African nations ravaged by poverty or conflict. While the capacity of the Spanish government's guardianship is 2,000 people, they are now swamped with over 5,500 minors. The Spanish government is finding it difficult to find workers that are trained to help the immigrants, leaving the situation looking even more hopeless. The flow of migrants from Africa to the coast of Europe and the Canary Islands is not expected to stop anytime soon as boats continue to set sail bound from Africa.

# data[].attributes.body
Spain may share some well-known traditions with the United States but exploration can lead to some intriguing discoveries about Spain's more obscure traditions. One example of Spain's more obscure conventions is the El Colacho festival. The event is supposed to symbolize good overcoming evil and can be traced back to the 17th century. The practice involves men dressed in colorful outfits representing evil and more men dressed in black, representing good, driving away the evil. In their escape, the colorfully dressed men leap over mattresses while babies lie on them. This custom is meant to portray the protection of the babies from evil and misfortune.

Another Spanish tradition is the Running of the Bulls from Pamplona, Spain. This event is not very obscure and is more well-known internationally than the El Colacho festival. The Running of the Bulls event is held in the city of Pamplona, Spain and spans from July 7th to July 14th. During the tour, 6 fighting bulls and 6 steer (ox) stampede to Pamplona's bull fighting arena from Corrales de Santo Domingo. Over the course of the week that the event takes place, over a million people are in attendance.

# data[].attributes.body
Spain is full of many exciting and interesting sites and attractions. Many attractions are historical, giving Spain's visitors a chance to delve into the country's rich background. One bustling tourist attraction is the Basílica de la Sagrada Família. Once just an idea in the mind of famous architect, Antoni Gaudi's mind, the basilica is now an ever-growing place of commune and religion for the people of Barcelona. It is one of Spain's most visited landmarks by tourists and is still under construction to this day.

Personally, If I were to visit Spain, I would visit the coasts of Majorca. They are known for their vast beauty and bright colors. They are also distinguished by their fascinating coves and caves. I would also like to try their foods like Sobrasada. I would also like visit the Basílica de la Sagrada Família myself.

# data[].attributes.body
The country of Spain offers a wide variety of flavors in their foods ranging form sweet, sour, savory and much more. Personally, I enjoy salty dishes more often; luckily, one of Spain's most popular dishes, paella, can be enjoyed by both salty and sweet lovers. It is a colorful dish typically comprising of rice, tomato, beans, saffron, and chicken and rabbit or a mix of seafood. Paella is traditionally cooked in a pan with some sort of stock to simmer in. I would try this dish because it seems like a very balanced meal and looks very tasty.

Spain is also big on desserts and one of its more popular treats is Spanish flan. Flan is not unique to Spain and is known throughout the world. Normally, it is made with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and eggs, giving it a more gelatinous texture. What makes Spanish flan different is its more soft and custard like texture. Making flan takes patience and practice because you must wait for the mixture to set before it is ready. I have tried flan before and it was delicious. Some people dislike it because they feel like the eggs make it taste unpleasant. I have not yet tried Spanish flan, but I would like to because I am fond of the idea of a more custard-like taste and texture to flan.

# data[].attributes.body
Like any other nation, Spain is home to its own kind of music, some of which have reached global popularity. Currently, the most common genre of music is pop. Well known musicians from Spain include: Rosalia, Alejandro Sans, and Enrique Iglesias. Personally, I have probably heard music from Spain before, but I have not heard of any musicians from Spain before. Now that I have listened to Spain's trendy music, I sort of enjoy it but I would mostly only listen to it if it was on the radio at the moment or being played at a party.

Spain not only has good music, but it also has pretty dances. Flamenco is a traditional Spanish music and dance routine that appeared some time between the 1000s and the 1500s in Spain. Migrants from another land brought new instruments and dances to be learned. A singer and a dancer and instrumentals are all part of the Flamenco. Typically, the singer tells sings about old legends of daily life of an outcast in Spain. Usually, the dancers wear long, red, flowing dresses that make a lovely spectacle when the routine is performed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Salma Paralluelo, Spanish football player, FIFA Women's World Cup

# data[].attributes.body
Similar to many other Hispanic countries, the most popular sport in Spain is football. Many football teams within Spain like, Real Madrid and Barcelona, compete in La Liga, the country's professional national football league. Currently, the three teams with the best win records for this season are Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Athletic Club. Spain, as a country, competes in the FIFA World Cup. FIFA World Cup is an international football competition where a group of countries and their selected best players represent their nation in a tournament. Each team must have 23 players including at least three goalkeepers. Spain has previously won 1 World Cup and the most recent winner of the contest was Argentina.

Spain also competes as a whole in the Olympics. 16 teams compete in men's Olympic football while women's Olympic football features 12 teams. So far, Spain has won 2 gold medals in Olympic football and it is one of only 5 countries that have brought home 2 gold medals in Olympic football. Spain is also the most recent nation to win a gold medal in football doing so in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Spain's Olympic football team can be seen wearing red and yellow jerseys with blue shorts, matching its own flag. Luckily, Spain's Olympic football coach, Luis De La Fuente was able to lead the country to its triumphant victory against France this year.

# data[].attributes.body
Spain is home to many wonderful foods, traditions, landscapes, and histories. My favorite tradition is the El Colacho festival because it looks so absurd and is also symbolic of strong Spanish beliefs. Even if I have never been to Spain, I still enjoy looking at pictures of its beautiful coastlines and monuments and imagining how it would look in person. The cuisine is very appealing appealing visually and the variety of flavors in each dish is fascinating. Spain's abundant history is a treat for me to learn about because many regions around the world were influenced by the Spanish Empire when they were conquered by them.

Compared to the United States, Spain is a much smaller country in size and is even smaller than the state of Texas. Lots of food eaten in the U.S. comes from Mexico and Many foods from Mexico were derived from Spanish dishes. The traditions in the United States are much less intense than in Spain. For example, while events like rodeos still exist here in America, We do not have bulls running through corwded and narrow streets. Our terrain varies throughout our nation, but it only looks similar to Spain when you go to the Southeast coast. Overall, life in Spain would be very different from life in the U.S.