# data[].attributes.body
The geography of the lands in which they reside is crucial to comprehending Spain, its people, and its history. ​

Spain is a country in the extreme southwest of Europe. It shares around 85 percent of the Iberian Peninsula with its smaller neighbor Portugal. It also includes the Balearic and Canary islands (Britannica, 2022).

Spain is bordered on the west by Portugal, and on the east by France, from which it is separated by the tiny principality of Andorra and the Pyrenees Mountains' vast wall. Spain's sole other land border is with Gibraltar, an enclave that was part of Spain until 1713, when it was given to Great Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht, which ended the War of the Spanish Succession (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Sights, sounds, tastes, and movement enhance our understanding of different cultures.

Click on the white triangle play button below to listen to Spanish guitar music as you explore the food, dance, music, sports, art, architecture, and literature of Spain:

Imagine that you've just hopped off the plane in Spain's capital city of Madrid, a cosmopolitan city with a population of 3.3 million.

What's the first thing you notice?

Your ears perk up as you hear the Spanish language. But did you know in addition to the official language of Spanish (or Castilian), at least 16 co-official languages are spoken throughout the regions of Spain?

The most commonly spoken are:

Catalan (19% of the population)

Galacian (5%)

Basque (2%)

Click through the slides below to hear each of these languages spoken by people who live in Spain. (If the subtitles do not automatically turn on, click on the CC inside the white box.)

While in Madrid, you hit up the Museo Nacional del Prado to learn about Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828), one of Spain's numerous important artists.

Goya is recognized as one of the last Old Masters and as a forefather of Modern Art. Goya came from the region of Zaragoza but studied in Rome and Italy, and later he lived in Madrid where he worked as a painter for the royal court.

Use the slider beneath the images to look at four of his paintings:

Time to get out of the city and head south to the region of Castilla-La Mancha. Grab your map and go!

If you like literature, perhaps you've heard of Don Quixote (Don Quijote de la Mancha) by Miguel de Cervantes.

Do you have any idea how old this book is?

Considered to be the first modern novel, the first part was written in 1605 and the second part in 1615. The main character, Alonso Quijano, rides around the countryside of central and northern Spain with his squire, Sancho Panza. They have many adventures including charging at windmills which he believes are giants.

Still not inspired to read the book?

Watch Why should you read "Don Quixote"? - Ilan Stavans, from TED-Ed:

From Castilla-La Mancha, we'll head to the Mediterranean coast to the port city of Valencia to taste paella, a delicious dish made of rice, meats, seafood, and saffron.

Paella originated in Valencia in the mid-19th century. Today, it is eaten throughout Spain and has become popular around the world.

Next up, you'll head to Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million and the capital of the region of Catalonia. Here, you'll practice your Catalan and see the famous works of architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926).

Without a doubt, Gaudi's most famous architectural feat is the cathedral La Sagrada Familia. Construction on the cathedral began in 1882 and, believe it or not, is still going on with the estimated completion date being 2026!

When completed, this masterpiece will have 18 towers representing the apostles, evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ.

To learn even more, visit La Sagrada Familia: 15 Amazing Facts You Need to Know from Culture Trip.

Next, it is time for an adrenaline rush! Heading northwest, we'll pass through the foothills of the Pyrenees before arriving at our next destination: Pamplona.

Pamplona is the capital of the region of Navarre and is famous for the annual Festival of San Fermín. This festival dates back to the 12th century as a celebration of Saint Fermín. Of the 400 different events and festivities you can participate in today, the most famous is the running of the bulls:

For a musical interlude, head back south to the region of Andalucia. It's a long ride so feel free to listen to some of Paco de Lucía's flamenco music along the way.

Seville, the capital of Andalucia, is famous for its churches, palaces, Moorish buildings, and flamenco.

The word flamenco applies to the song, dance, and guitar as well as the relationship between these elements. Flamenco can be traced back to the 9th to 14th centuries when Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and gypsy musical elements were combined thanks to the presence of these cultural and religious groups in southern Spain.

The TEDx Talks video below will stop at its 3:50 mark. If you are interested, you may watch the full video.

Flamanco is a language | Alice Blumenfeld | TEDxFulbrightSantaMonica:

Back to the capital for one last cultural event: fútbol!

Also known as soccer in the USA, fútbol is the most popular sport in Spain. In addition to the Spanish national team, Spain's fútbol league consists of several divisions or leagues. The top two divisions are national and include teams from the different regions, while the lower divisions are regional.

The most popular teams are Real Madrid C.F. and F.C. Barcelona, shown here in a match:

Image by Alejandro Ramos, via Wikimedia Commons, is licensed under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license.

Game over! Time to head home. But before hopping back on the plane, head over to the Got It? section to review what you've learned.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From the running of the bulls in Pamplona to flamenco dancing in Andalucia to the architectural feats of Gaudi in Barcelona, Spain is packed full of fascinating culture, arts, and traditions.

# data[].attributes.body
The Mediterranean Sea to the east and southeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest and southwest, and the Bay of Biscay (an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean) to the north all border the country (Britannica, 2022).

The Canary (Canarias) Islands, which are located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of northwest Africa, and the Balearic (Baleares) Islands, which are located in the Mediterranean, are also part of Spain, as are Ceuta and Melilla, two small enclaves in northern Morocco that Spain has ruled for centuries (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.body
Many diverse peoples have invaded and settled in Spain. The Iberians, Celts, and Basques were among the first peoples to settle on the peninsula, which came from North Africa and Western Europe. It was a continual centre of attraction for the civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean throughout antiquity (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.body
Spain has been conquered by many different cultures and people over the years. Many various cultures controlled over the years, and it was subjected to a lot of cultural changes. Typically, one culture dominates, with the other cultures devolving into subcultures. These cultures would eventually blend into mainstream culture, and the cycle would continue as more powerful people took control.

Spain has seen cultural diffusion over the years, which has and continues to influence and shape all parts of their unique society and history.

# data[].attributes.body
People, politics, and cultures dominated and shaped Spain up until the late twentieth century. People and cultures are now accepted and welcomed more readily. They do, however, encounter some power relations challenges in politics, governance, and finance.

There are many examples and evident instances of power relations throughout my "padlet," where a group or particular people have a significant effect over the less dominant people or group. When it comes to Spain's government and society, languages, and religion, this is especially true.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The deputy of Coalició Compromís, MP Joan Baldoví, posed a series of questions to the government relating to the Spanish government's view and intention regarding the Government of Bahrain's record of human rights violations, requesting a written response. His questions queried the Spanish Government's actions in relation to the plight of political prisoners, the precise diplomatic measures that have been undertaken and explicit condemnations of grave human rights violations.

The full statement of MP Baldoví can be read here (Spanish).

The Spanish government replied to Baldoví's questions in a written statement. Its response was generalized, as it did not mention specific answers in relation to the questions MP Joan Baldoví raised. Instead, the government reply was a broad response to the Bahraini government's human rights record, and referred to the Spanish Government's involvement in the EU spearheaded the human rights dialogue with Bahrain and its participation in the last Bahraini Universal Periodic Review.

The full Spanish Government response can be read here (Spanish).

In his questions, MP Baldoví spoke thoroughly about the background context of the deteriorating human rights situation in the country:

"This situation has worsened since 2017, year in which the king reinstated the power of military courts to try civilians. Moreover, since 2017, five individuals have been executed in the firing squad and eight individuals remain at imminent risk of execution. On 14 June 2018, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the respect for human rights in Bahrain, calling on the Bahraini Government to stop executions, release all political activists and end the military courts imposed on citizens. Nevertheless, the Al-Khalifa regime continues with its brutal and inhumane practices. Many Bahraini citizens are being punished because they dared to break the silence against the growing human rights violations taking place in Bahrain. These violations are taking place without impartial investigations and without any criminal responsibility being held against the perpetrators by the human rights monitoring bodies."

In addition, MP Baldoví clearly identified the names of female political activists that had endured grave political persecution as a result of their, or their relatives, involvement in reporting human rights violations by the Bahraini regime.

"Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain draws attention to the situation of former and current political prisoners in Bahrain, in particular Ms. Najah Yusuf, Ms. Ebtisam Alsaegh, Mrs. Madina Ali and Mrs. Hajer Mansoor. These four women, who are activists and human rights defenders, have been subjected to abuse and ill-treatment at all stages of the criminal process, including unlawful arrest, enforced disappearance, physical, sexual and psychological torture to obtain confessions, denial of access to legal representation, unfair trials and inhumane prison conditions. This includes threats of rape, death or imprisonment both against the women themselves and their relatives."

His precise questions pertaining to the treatment of political prisoners consist of:

"What is the government's view on the current situation in Bahrain, where there are thousands of political prisoners who are subjected to the continuous violation of their human and civil rights?"

"What political and diplomatic measures is this government willing to adopt in order to change the situation in Bahrain in order to ensure that the physical integrity and human and civil rights of detained activists are not jeopardized?"

"Will this government demand that the Bahraini regime release all female political Prisoners?"

"Has our Ambassador engaged with the Bahraini government based on EU guidelines on human rights defenders?"

In its reply, the Spanish Government did not mention any specific actions it has undertaken in relation to the release and treatment of political prisoners in Bahrain. Only that it made recommendations in Bahrain's last third cycle universal periodic review to:

"lift the restrictions imposed and allow the free exercise of the rights of expression, association and assembly."

MP Baldoví's second focus was to highlight the real risk of torture being utilised by the Bharaini security forces:

"Experts at the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) confirmed that Ms. Yusuf was tortured and sexually assaulted by agents of Bahrain's National Security Agency (NSA) in 2017. The UN working group also determined that her arrest was arbitrary. Ms. Alsaegh was also brutally tortured and sexually assaulted by NSA agents in 2017, because of her participation in the UN Human Rights Council. Ms. Ali was severely ill-treated and tortured during the interrogation and is still in prison. Finally, Ms. Mansoor, the mother-in-law of the human rights activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, is still being arbitrarily detained in retaliation for his stepson's activities in London, as confirmed by the UN WGAD in January 2019.

Since the 2011 protests and intensified crackdown on civil society, Bahraini authorities continue to use elements of torture, abuse, threats and unjust treatment against political prisioners."

His specific questions relating to reports of torture covers:

"What initiatives does this government intend to take, alone or within international and European bodies, so that there is an explicit condemnation of these grave human rights violations?"

"Will this government open an investigation into Bahraini officials implicated in torture under universal jurisdiction? Especially the Naser bin Hamad against whom serious credible torture allegations were made."

MP Baldoví's inclusion of Naser bin Hamad is an expressly pertinent one; as the son of the King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa enjoys a senior post in the Bahrain's Supreme Defense Council (SDC) in spite of credible allegations that he directly tortured detainees in 2011. A brigadier-general receiving officer training at the United Kingdom (UK)'s Sandhurst military academy, Sheikh Nasser personally headed a detachment of Bahraini Royal Guard's Special Forces as part of Saudi Arabia's coalition in Yemen. The war in Yemen has since spiraled into the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) recording a death toll at approximately 100,000. Combatants to this conflict have been repeatedly accused of committing war crimes.

Evidence emerged that Sheikh Nasser directed the arbitrary detention and torture of protesters, opposition activists, and athletes, after the Bahraini government's violent suppression of the 2011 pro-democracy movement. Due to his role as the head of the Olympic Committee, Sheikh Nasser created a special commission to target and persecute more than 150 members of the sporting community who had participated in the peaceful protests. Sheik Nasser maintained that the commission was specifically tailored to carry out government reprisals, publicly calling for in a chilling statement "a wall to fall on [protesters'] heads ... even if they are an athlete...Bahrain is an island and there is nowhere to escape,". Two government opposition leaders and members of the Bahrain 13 - a set of prominent prisoners of conscience initially imprisoned by military courts in 2011 - have also reported that Sheikh Nasser personally tortured them at the Ministry of Interior's facilities in Manama (such as Al-Qala'a). Mohammed Habib al-Miqdad, an opposition figure and prominent regime critic, accused the prince of flogging and beating him and other contemporaries all over their bodies for nearly 12 hours, among other abuses. The evidence against Sheikh Nasser was so strong that in 2014, the High Court of London ruled to suspend Nasser's royal immunity after a Bahraini refugee under the name "FF" brought a case against him accusing him of torture.The Government of Bahrain continues to dispute the allegations.

Again, the Spanish Government's reply to MP Baldoví's questions concerning accounts of torture was broad, only reccomending that the regime criminalise torture and create mechanisms to prevent it. No such direct action had been taken on behalf of the Spanish government to intervene:

"Another mechanism used for monitoring the human rights situation in Bahrain is the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR enables the authorities to dialogue with the rest of the international community on these issues. Spain participates actively in this dialogue with Bahrain, as well as with other countries. On the occasion of Bahrain's last UPR, in May 2017, Spain made the following recommendations: ratify the main human rights instruments to which Bahrain is not yet a party; adapt its national legislation to them and withdraw the reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; re-establish the moratorium on executions with a view to definitively abolishing the death penalty; criminalize torture in legislation and create a national mechanism for the prevention of torture; improve human rights training and education of security forces;"

Lastly, MP Baldoví pressed the issue of the denial and maltreatment of medical concerns pertaining to incarcerated political prisoners:

"Bahraini prisoners have difficulty maintaining and addressing their health because guards often behave negligently to their needs, medical clinics are severely understaffed, routine medications are not administered properly, access to outside medical facilities are difficult to sheudle, and drinkable water is scarce.

ADHRB reports that Ms. Mansoor, Ms. Yusuf and Ms. Ali have suffered restrictions to access medical treatment. The denial of medical treatment is a form of ill treatment that could constitute torture. It is wilful and designed to cause pain and suffering and hence why it can qualify as torture. The denial of medical assistance to an inmate who is suffering from illness is a constant death sentence hanging over them.

Several NGOs express deep concern about the serious medical neglect of the leader of the political opposition in Bahrain Mr. Hasan Mushaima, who suffers from several medical conditions. It is nothing but an alarming and systematic campaign of slow death. The same medical neglect is taking place against human rights defender and blogger professor Dr. Abduljalil Alsingace, who suffers from post-polio syndrome, resulting in paralysis and confining him to a wheelchair. Dr. Alsingace, sentenced to life imprisonment for taking part in peaceful political protests in 2011, has been deprived of medical treatment and visits to purchase hygiene supplies since February 2017."

His questions concerning the abuse of medical care pertain to:

"Does Spain have knowledge of prisoners not having access to medical attention? If yes, has Spain condemned this preclusion of prisoner's rights in its bilateral relations with the Kingdom of Bahrain?"

In the Spanish government's response, only a passing comment was addressed in respect of lack of medical treatment, and again the Spanish Government failed to cite any direct action it had taken to advocate for the rights of the detainees:

"Since 2016, the EU has been conducting an informal human rights dialogue with Bahrain, without prejudice to the daily monitoring by the EU and its Member States that leads to resolutions. The last dialogue was held on 7 November 2019. As in all such meetings, the general situation of human rights in the country was addressed, emphasising on specific issues such as: access to fair trial; prison conditions (including access to medical treatment) or arbitrary detention."

All in all, it is clear that the Spanish government has yet to take direct specific action to intervene to prevent or pressure the Bahraini government from committing grave human rights violations against political prisoners. The government can only point to its participation in international coalition efforts, such as the Third Cycle Universal Periodic Review and the EU dialogue, to address these violations. These attempts cac at best be described as the bare minimum, and have been led by the UN or the EU. The Spanish government's position on the lack of direct intervention can be summed up by the introduction of their response to MP Baldoví, indicating the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs other states:

"Spain follows the situation and evolution of Human Rights (HR) in Bahrain very closely in line with our values, principles and international commitments. Whilst fully respecting the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of third States, Spain makes use of the tools at its disposal to carry out this monitoring, both through our bilateral relations and through multilateral mechanisms for the protection of human rights, specially through the United Nations, as well as within the European Union (EU)."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Spanish Government Responds to MP Joan Baldoví's Questions Referring to the Status of Political Prisoners in Bahrain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The deputy of Coalició Compromís, MP Joan Baldoví, posed a series of questions to the government relating to the Spanish government's view and intention regarding the Government of Bahrain's record of human rights violations, requesting a written response. His questions queried the Spanish Government's actions in relation to the plight of political prisoners, the precise...

# data[].attributes.body
Since the dawn of time, people have come to Spain from Europe, Africa, and the Mediterranean. The peninsula was given the name "Span" by the Phoenicians, who arrived in the 8th century B.C. The Romans had conquered Spain by the first century B.C. (NationalGeographicKids, n.d).

The Romans, who were followed by the Vandals and Visigoths, Germanic peoples from Europe, converted most of Spain to Christianity. The Visigoth kings fought amongst themselves, and Muslims from Africa entered Spain in 711 A.D. (NationalGeographicKids, n.d).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Colonial Spain and the Horrors of the Encomienda System

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the colonial era, Spain initiated the Encomienda System, under which thousands of people and families were entrusted to colonial officials.

# data[].attributes.body
Muslim monarchs introduced new crops and irrigation methods, and trade grew, spreading Islamic culture throughout Spain. Mathematics, medicine, and philosophy advanced to their pinnacle in the tenth century, Spain's golden age of Islamic dominion (NationalGeographicKids, n.d).

Northern Spanish Christian kingdoms vanquished Muslims in 1492 and spread the Catholic faith. Spain became more powerful as a result of the silver it received from the Americas. During the Napoleonic Wars, which ended in 1815, it lost land and authority (NationalGeographicKids, n.d).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Golden Age of Spanish Painting (1492-1659). In seventeenth century, Spanish painters produced outstanding artworks in Mannerist and Baroque style. The Burial of Count Orgaz, Las Meninas, Surrender of Breda, St. Luke the Painter before Christ on the Cross, Dead Christ Supported by an Angel, and Beggar Boys Eating Melon are some of this great masterpieces. Spanish art contained a strong mark of mysticism and religion that was encouraged by the counter-reformation and the patronage of Spain's strongly Catholic monarchs and aristocracy. [1] It was, in fact, the great Spanish masters who guided European painting along the paths of naturalistic realism. [2]

The culmination of Spanish seventeenth-century painting, and one of the climaxes of world art in general, is reached in the work of Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660), an artist whose mastery of space and light was admirably served by an impeccable technique. [3]

Masterpieces

By El Greco

By José de Ribera

By Francisco de Zurbarán

By Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

Landscape painting is rare in Spanish art, and appeared mainly as background in this era.

Some Spanish Still life painters in the Golden Age were: Juan Sánchez Cotán (1560-1627), Christóbal Ramírez de Arellano, Juan van der Hamen y León (1596-1631), Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1664) and Antonio de Pereda (1611 - 1678). Sánchez Cotán, stylistically, falls within the school of El Escorial, with Venetian influence. For approximately twenty years he pursued a successful career in Toledo as a painter. [4]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Golden Age of Spanish Painting (1492-1659). In seventeenth century, Spanish painters produced outstanding artworks in Mannerist and Baroque style. The Burial of Count Orgaz, Las Meninas, Surrender of Breda, St. Luke the Painter before Christ on the Cross, Dead Christ Supported by an Angel, and Beggar Boys Eating Melon are some of this great masterpieces.

# data[].attributes.body
The Spanish Civil War of the 1930s claimed the lives of almost 500,000 people. Gen. Francisco Franco, the winning general, ruled as a cruel tyrant until his death in 1975. Spain began its transformation into a modern, industrial, and democratic European nation soon after (NationalGeographicKids, n.d).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Spanish Civil War, (1936-39), military revolt against the Republican government of Spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides. The Nationalists, as the rebels were called, received aid from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union as well as from the International Brigades, composed of volunteers from Europe and the United States.

The war was an outcome of a polarization of Spanish life and politics that had developed over previous decades. On one side, the Nationalist, were most Roman Catholics, important elements of the military, most landowners, and many businessmen. On the other side, the Republican, were urban workers, most agricultural labourers, and many of the educated middle class. Politically, their differences often found extreme and vehement expression in parties such as the Fascist-oriented Falange and the militant anarchists. Between these extremes were other groups covering the political spectrum from monarchism and conservatism through liberalism to socialism, including a small communist movement divided among followers of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and his archrival, Leon Trotsky. In 1934 there was widespread labour conflict and a bloody uprising by miners in Asturias that was suppressed by troops led by General Francisco Franco. A succession of governmental crises culminated in the elections of February 16, 1936, which brought to power a Popular Front government supported by most of the parties of the left and opposed by the parties of the right and what remained of the centre.

A well-planned military uprising began on July 17, 1936, in garrison towns throughout Spain. By July 21 the rebels had achieved control in Spanish Morocco, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands (except Minorca) and in the part of Spain north of the Guadarrama mountains and the Ebro River, except for Asturias, Santander, and the Basque provinces along the north coast and the region of Catalonia in the northeast. The Republican forces had put down the uprising in other areas, except for some of the larger Andalusian cities, including Sevilla (Seville), Granada, and Córdoba. The Nationalists and Republicans proceeded to organize their respective territories and to repress opposition or suspected opposition. Republican violence occurred primarily during the early stages of the war before the rule of law was restored, but the Nationalist violence was part of a conscious policy of terror. The matter of how many were killed remains highly contentious; however, it is generally believed that the toll of Nationalist violence was higher. In any event, the proliferation of executions, murders, and assassinations on both sides reflects the great passions that the Civil War unleashed.

The captaincy of the Nationalists was gradually assumed by General Franco, leading forces he had brought from Morocco. On October 1, 1936, he was named head of state and set up a government in Burgos. The Republican government, beginning in September 1936, was headed by the socialist leader Francisco Largo Caballero. He was followed in May 1937 by Juan Negrín, also a socialist, who remained premier throughout the remainder of the war and served as premier in exile until 1945. The president of the Spanish Republic until nearly the end of the war was Manuel Azaña, an anticlerical liberal. Internecine conflict compromised the Republican effort from the outset. On one side were the anarchists and militant socialists, who viewed the war as a revolutionary struggle and spearheaded widespread collectivization of agriculture, industry, and services; on the other were the more moderate socialists and republicans, whose objective was the preservation of the Republic. Seeking allies against the threat of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union had embraced a Popular Front strategy, and, as a result, the Comintern directed Spanish communists to support the Republicans.

Both the Nationalist and Republican sides, seeing themselves as too weak to win a quick victory, turned abroad for help. Germany and Italy sent troops, tanks, and planes to aid the Nationalists. The Soviet Union contributed equipment and supplies to the Republicans, who also received help from the Mexican government. During the first weeks of the war, the Popular Front government of France also supported the Republicans, but internal opposition forced a change of policy. In August 1936, France joined Britain, the Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy in signing a nonintervention agreement that would be ignored by the Germans, Italians, and Soviets. About 40,000 foreigners fought on the Republican side in the International Brigades largely under the command of the Comintern, and 20,000 others served in medical or auxiliary units.

By November 1936 the Nationalists had advanced to the outskirts of Madrid. They laid siege to it but were unable to get beyond the University City area. They captured the Basque northern provinces in the summer of 1937 and then Asturias, so that by October they held the whole northern coast. A war of attrition began. The Nationalists drove a salient eastward through Teruel, reaching the Mediterranean and splitting the republic in two in April 1938. In December 1938 they moved upon Catalonia in the northeast, forcing the Republican armies there northward toward France. By February 1939, 250,000 Republican soldiers, together with an equal number of civilians, had fled across the border into France. On March 5 the Republican government flew to exile in France. On March 7 a civil war broke out in Madrid between communist and anticommunist factions. By March 28 all of the Republican armies had begun to disband and surrender, and Nationalist forces entered Madrid on that day.

The number of persons killed in the Spanish Civil War can be only roughly estimated. Nationalist forces put the figure at 1,000,000, including not only those killed in battle but also the victims of bombardment, execution, and assassination. More recent estimates have been closer to 500,000 or less. This does not include all those who died from malnutrition, starvation, and war-engendered disease.

The political and emotional reverberations of the war far transcended those of a national conflict, for many in other countries saw the Spanish Civil War as part of an international conflict between-depending on their point of view-tyranny and democracy, or fascism and freedom, or communism and civilization. For Germany and Italy, Spain was a testing ground for new methods of tank and air warfare. For Britain and France, the conflict represented a new threat to the international equilibrium that they were struggling to preserve, which in 1939 collapsed into World War II. The war also had mobilized many artists and intellectuals to take up arms. Among the most notable artistic responses to the war were the novels Man's Hope (1938) by André Malraux, Adventures of a Young Man (1939) by John Dos Passos, and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) by Ernest Hemingway; George Orwell's memoir Homage to Catalonia (1938); Pablo Picasso's painting Guernica (1937); and Robert Capa's photograph Death of a Loyalist Soldier, Spain (1936).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Spanish Civil War | Definition, Causes, Summary, & Facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Spanish Civil War, (1936-39), military revolt against the Republican government of Spain, supported by conservative elements within the country. When an initial military coup failed to win control of the entire country, a bloody civil war ensued, fought with great ferocity on both sides.

# data[].attributes.body
Castilian is Spain's official language. It is the most widely spoken language in the country, and it is usually referred to as Spanish outside of Spain (Britannica, 2022).

Along with Castilian, Spain's constitution permits autonomous communities to declare their main regional languages and dialects as having official status. The following "co-official" languages are specified in the statutes of six of the seventeen autonomous communities: Catalan in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Valencian in Valencia, Galician (Gallego) in Galicia, and Euskera (Basque) in the Basque Country and some Euskera-speaking territories of Navarra (Britannica, 2022).

In addition, Aranese, which is spoken in the Aran Valley, is protected by a provision in the region's government, Catalonia's autonomy. Except for Euskera, all of these languages are Romance languages (i.e., they evolved from Latin) (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.body
Spanish is an Indo-European language that borrows many of its grammar and syntactic principles from Latin; around 75% of Spanish vocabulary have Latin roots (Gonzalez, 2020).

Other influences on Spanish include Celtiberian, Basque, Gothic, Arabic, and several aboriginal languages from the Americas (Gonzalez, 2020).

Years of conquest and colonisation of different cultures in the Iberian Peninsula resulted in the emergence of Spanish and its distinct dialects: the Moors from Northern Africa, the Visigoths from Central Europe, and the Christians from the Roman Empire (Gonzalez, 2020).

In the northern and central parts of Spain, Castillan Spanish developed as a continuation of spoken Latin (Vulgar Latin). The northern dialect then migrated south, absorbing local Romance dialects like Judaeo-Spanish or Ladino, as well as borrowing many words from Andalusian Arabic (Gonzalez, 2020).

# data[].attributes.body
In today's world, Spanish is the official language of 20 countries (Gonzalez, 2020).

It is spoken by around 500 million people worldwide, making it the most widely spoken Romance language in terms of both speakers and countries (Gonzalez, 2020).

Today, you can hear changes in vocabulary, dialects, and even grammar depending on where you travel (Gonzalez, 2020).

# data[].attributes.body
Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Spain are the countries having the most native Spanish speakers worldwide (Gonzalez, 2020).

On the Internet, Spanish is the third most popular language, and it ranks second on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook (Gonzalez, 2020).

It also plays a vital part in the current cultural and artistic business, with a plethora of Spanish-language films, series, books, songs, and conferences. By 2060, it is estimated that 754 million people will speak the language worldwide (Gonzalez, 2020).

# data[].attributes.body
Since 589, when Roman Catholicism became the official religion of Spain, it has been strongly associated with the country. The rise of political liberalism at the turn of the nineteenth century sparked a series of disputes between church and state, particularly over property ownership and educational governance (Britannica, 2022).

Despite this, Catholicism remained the state's official religion until the Second Republic (1931–36). General Francisco Franco reestablished it as the state religion after the Spanish Civil War, and it remained so until the constitution was promulgated in 1978. Spain has had no official religion since then, but the Roman Catholic Church continues to receive public funding (Britannica, 2022).

In the 1980s, the legalization of divorce and abortion, as well as educational reforms, brought the church and the government back into confrontation, albeit with less ferocity than before (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Stuffed with religious icons, it's easy to think Spain is a very Catholic country. But in a country where gay marriage and abortion are legal, the reality of religion in Spain is not so straightforward.

As the famous catchphrase from Monty Python goes, "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" But even fewer foreigners seem to expect a lack of religion in Spain.

When my Spanish wife and I lived in the United States, it was annoying - even kind of painful - the number of times people would ask her if she was Catholic. They are not. Perhaps one of the biggest (or false) cultural stereotypes about Spain is that people are deeply religious and very Catholic. The real story is a bit more complicated.

Facts about religion in Spain

First some facts and figures. Following the Pope's visit to Madrid for the Catholic World Youth Day, statistics about Spain's declining Catholicism were readily at hand. Only 10% of Spain's youth - between the ages of 15 and 29 - consider themselves practicing Catholics.

About 50% were non-practicing Catholics, which from my personal experience means they rarely - if ever - go to church; maybe for Christmas or Easter mass, every now and then. I know many whose Catholicism is only baby baptisms and church weddings, a more social faith than religious one.

That leaves three out of 10 young Spaniards, or almost a third, who considered themselves non-believers or atheists. So among the young, the Catholic religion is a pretty marginal experience in Spain.

This is not to say that Spain is not a Catholic country. For starters, there are cathedrals and basilicas everywhere. They form a central part of the iconic imagery of Spanish tourism. Much of the cultural heritage of the country is religious in nature, from famous paintings by El Greco or Velázquez to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral by one very religious Gaudí. When Hemingway visited Spain in the 1920s and 1930s, perhaps he had cause for believing it to be quite Catholic. Having recently seen photos of early 20th-century Spain, in all the photos of different Spanish towns and cities, the only ancient buildings that were well-maintained were cathedrals. So I can see why Hemingway would characterize the country as devoutly Catholic at the time.

This is not true today. Local governments have taken to restoring historic castles, bridges, and other heritage sites. Today historic centers don't emit a particular religious feel. Cathedrals in town centers are as likely to have tourists in them as practitioners.

Religion in contemporary Spain

Today, culturally and politically, contemporary Spain is not particularly Catholic. Constitutionally, the government is committed to a separation of church and state. In practice, Catholicism has had a favored status in history. Catholic politics seep to the surface regularly here. For example, there are arguments about abortion (which is legal here) or gay marriage (which is also legal here).

In this respect, asking if Spain is Catholic is like asking if the US is Christian. Saying yes doesn't do justice to the very significant non-Christian part of its society, but saying no ignores the clearly Christian component to its history and politics. Much of what to outsiders would seem like deeply rooted Catholic tendencies, is probably better understood as unconscious vestiges or lingering habits of an earlier Catholic culture: like the widespread (almost ubiquitous) use of biblical names like 'María' and 'José', or unconscious routine vocabulary such as adiós (meaning 'goodbye', but literally translates as 'to God) and saying Jesús when someone sneezes (the way we say 'bless you'), although salud (health) is also common.

The bottom line is that you should not assume the next Spaniard you meet is Catholic. Chances are, especially if they're young, that they are not.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Religion in Spain: a primarily Catholic nation | Expatica

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Stuffed with religious icons, it's easy to think Spain is a very Catholic country. But in a country where gay marriage and abortion are legal, the reality of religion in Spain is not so straightforward. As the famous catchphrase from Monty Python goes, "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

# data[].attributes.body
In Spain, there are hundreds of thousands of non-Catholic Christians. Since the 1970s, American-based denominations such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have had a presence in the country (Britannica, 2022).

There are also hundreds of thousands of Muslims, whose numbers have risen significantly as a result of immigration. During the Spanish Inquisition in the late 15th century, when inquisitor general Tomás de Torquemada urged the country's authorities to exile every Jew who refused to be baptised, around 100,000 Jews fled Spain (Britannica, 2022).

Many Jews converted to Christianity (becoming known as conversos) in order to stay in the nation; those known as Marranos converted to Christianity but continued to practise Judaism secretly (Britannica, 2022).

Only in the twentieth century were restrictions on Judaism loosened, and by the early twenty-first century, there were about 15,000 Jews in Spain (Vigeura, 2022).​

# data[].attributes.body
Spain had a parliamentary system with a written constitution virtually continuously from 1833 until 1939. Spain has always been a monarchy, with the exception of the First Republic (1873–74), the Second Republic (1931–36), and the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) (Britannica, 2022).

Gen. Francisco Franco controlled Spain from the end of the Spanish Civil War in April 1939 to November 1975. His regime's ideas were enshrined in a series of Fundamental Laws (issued between 1942 and 1967) that declared Spain a monarchy and formed the Cortes, a legislative body. Franco's regime, however, was very different from Spain's contemporary constitutional traditions (Britannica, 2022).

Members of the Cortes, known as procuradores, were elected under Franco using a system known as "organic democracy," which did not follow the democratic premise of one person, one vote. Rather than representing ordinary residents, the procuradores represented what were seen as the foundational institutions of Spanish society: families, communities, colleges, and professional associations. Furthermore, the government was not accountable to the Cortes, which lacked power over government spending and was selected and dismissed by the head of state alone (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The first government of Francisco Franco was formed on 31 January 1938 during the Spanish Civil War, shortly after having been proclaimed as Head of State of Spain. It succeeded the Technical State Junta in the Nationalist zone-eventually, it would also take over from the Republican National Defence Council at the end of the war-and was the Government of Spain from 31 January 1938 to 9 August 1939, a total of 555 days, or 1 year, 6 months and 9 days.

A war cabinet, it was made up of members from various factions that would go on to form the National Movement: the FET y de las JONS party-the only legal political party in the Nationalist zone after the approval of the Unification Decree in April 1937-and the military, as well as a number of aligned- nonpartisan figures.

The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and 11 ministries.

Francisco Franco's first government was organised into several superior and governing units, whose number, powers and hierarchical structure varied depending on the ministerial department.

Office
(Original name)

Portrait

Name

Took office

Left office

Alliance/faction

Ref.

31 January 1938 - 9 August 1939

(■) National Service for General Policy and Coordination

See Ministry of Foreign Affairs

See Ministry of the Interior (2 February 1938 - 1 January 1939)
See Ministry of Governance (1 January - 9 August 1939)

16 February 1938 - 9 August 1939

(■) Undersecretariat of Foreign Affairs

(■) National Service for Policy and Treaties

(■) National Service for Administrative Affairs

31 January 1938 - 9 August 1939

Ministry of Public Order
(Ministerio de Orden Público)
(until 1 January 1939)

Severiano Martínez Anido

31 January 1938

24 December 1938†

23 December 1938

1 January 1939

Ministry of the Interior
(Ministerio del Interior)
(until 1 January 1939)

Ministry of Governance
(Ministerio de la Gobernación)
(from 1 January 1939)

Ramón Serrano Suñer

31 January 1938

18 October 1940

31 January 1938 - 1 January 1939

(■) Undersecretariat of the Interior

(■) National Service for Internal Policy

(■) National Service for Local Administration

(■) National Service for Press

(■) National Service for Propaganda

(■) National Service for Tourism

(■) National Service for Devastated Regions and Repairs

(■) National Service for Charity

(■) National Service for Health

1 January - 9 August 1939

(■) Undersecretariat of the Interior

(■) National Service for Internal Policy

(■) National Service for Local Administration

(■) National Service for Devastated Regions and Repairs

(■) National Service for Charity and Social Works

(■) National Service for Health

(■) Undersecretariat of Public Order

(■) National Service for Security

(■) National Service for Frontiers

(■) National Service for Post and Telecommunication

(■) National Service for Traffic Police

(■) Undersecretariat for Press and Propaganda

(■) National Service for Press

(■) National Service for Propaganda

(■) National Service for Tourism

31 January 1938 - 9 August 1939

(■) Undersecretariat of Finance

(■) National Service for the Comptroller's Office

(■) National Service for the Treasury

(■) National Service for Budgets

(■) National Service for Property and Territorial Contribution

(■) National Service for Public Debt and Passive Classes

(■) National Service for Public Income

(■) National Service for Customs

(■) National Service for Stamp and Monopolies

(■) National Service for State Litigation

(■) National Service for Banking, Currency and Exchange

(■) National Service for Insurance

(■) National Service for the Legal Regime of Public Limited Companies

31 January 1938 - 9 August 1939

(■) Undersecretariat of Industry and Trade

(■) National Service for Industry

(■) National Service for Trade and Tariff Policy

(■) National Service for Mines and Fuels

(■) National Service for Transport Tariffs

(■) National Service for Maritime Communications

(■) National Service for Maritime Fisheries

28 April 1939

9 August 1939

(Ministerio de Organización y Acción Ministry of Trade Union Organization
and Action

Sindical)

Pedro González Bueno

31 January 1938

9 August 1939

31 January 1938 - 9 August 1939

(■) Undersecretariat of Trade Union Organization and Action

(■) National Service for Trade Unions

(■) National Service for Labour Jurisdiction and Harmony

(■) National Service for Emigration

(■) National Service for Statistics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
First government of Francisco Franco - Wikipedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The first government of Francisco Franco was formed on 31 January 1938 during the Spanish Civil War, shortly after having been proclaimed as Head of State of Spain.

# data[].attributes.body
Franco chose Juan Carlos de Borbón, King Alfonso XIII's grandson, to succeed him as head of state in 1969. Juan Carlos ascended to the throne as King Juan Carlos I after Franco's death in 1975. The king began a democratic transition process almost immediately, and within three years, the Francoist government had been replaced by a democratic constitution (Britannica, 2022).

The Spanish constitution was nearly unanimously accepted by both chambers of the legislature (it passed 551–11 with 22 abstentions) in October 1978, the result of protracted and heated talks among the major political parties. The draught constitution was then approved by nearly 90% of voters in a referendum in December. Spain is a constitutional monarchy, according to the constitution, and it upholds the fundamental ideals of liberty, justice, equality, and political pluralism (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.body
The Franco government attempted to uphold what it saw as Spain's long-standing traditions while also imposing a stringent Roman Catholic morality on the country. However, the 1960s economic policies that opened Spain up to foreign investment and tourists, as well as encouraging Spaniards to work in other European countries, also opened the door to other influences, undermining the government's goal to safeguard or isolate Spanish culture (Britannica, 2022).

Since the 1960s, Spanish culture, particularly youth culture, has become progressively integrated into a globalised, mainly American-influenced culture (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Globalization, or globalisation ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term globalization first appeared in the early 20th century (supplanting an earlier French term mondialisation), developed its current meaning sometime in the second half of the 20th century, and came into popular use in the 1990s to describe the unprecedented international connectivity of the post-Cold War world. Its origins can be traced back to 18th and 19th centuries due to advances in transportation and communications technology. This increase in global interactions has caused a growth in international trade and the exchange of ideas, beliefs, and culture. Globalization is primarily an economic process of interaction and integration that is associated with social and cultural aspects. However, disputes and international diplomacy are also large parts of the history of globalization, and of modern globalization.

Economically, globalization involves goods, services, data, technology, and the economic resources of capital. The expansion of global markets liberalizes the economic activities of the exchange of goods and funds. Removal of cross-border trade barriers has made the formation of global markets more feasible. Advances in transportation, like the steam locomotive, steamship, jet engine, and container ships, and developments in telecommunication infrastructure such as the telegraph, the Internet, mobile phones, and smartphones, have been major factors in globalization and have generated further interdependence of economic and cultural activities around the globe.

Though many scholars place the origins of globalization in modern times, others trace its history to long before the European Age of Discovery and voyages to the New World, and some even to the third millennium BCE. Large-scale globalization began in the 1820s, and in the late 19th century and early 20th century drove a rapid expansion in the connectivity of the world's economies and cultures. The term global city was subsequently popularized by sociologist Saskia Sassen in her work The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo (1991).

In 2000, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) identified four basic aspects of globalization: trade and transactions, capital and investment movements, migration and movement of people, and the dissemination of knowledge. Globalizing processes affect and are affected by business and work organization, economics, sociocultural resources, and the natural environment. Academic literature commonly divides globalization into three major areas: economic globalization, cultural globalization, and political globalization.

Etymology and usage

The word globalization was used in the English language as early as the 1930s, but only in the context of education, and the term failed to gain traction. Over the next few decades, the term was occasionally used by other scholars and media, but it was not clearly defined. One of the first usages of the term in the meaning resembling the later, common usage was by French economist François Perroux in his essays from the early 1960s (in his French works he used the term " mondialisation" (literarly worldization in French), also translated as mundialization). Theodore Levitt is often credited with popularizing the term and bringing it into the mainstream business audience in the later in the middle of 1980s.

Though often treated as synonyms, in French, globalization is seen as a stage following mondialisation, a stage that implies the dissolution of national identities and the abolishment of borders inside the world network of economic exchanges.

Since its inception, the concept of globalization has inspired competing definitions and interpretations. Its antecedents date back to the great movements of trade and empire across Asia and the Indian Ocean from the 15th century onward.

In 1848, Karl Marx noticed the increasing level of national inter-dependence brought on by capitalism, and predicted the universal character of the modern world society. He states:

The bourgeoisie has through its exploitation of the world market given a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country. To the great chagrin of Reactionists, it has drawn from under the feet of industry the national ground on which it stood. All old-established national industries have been destroyed or are daily being destroyed. . . . In place of the old local and national seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have intercourse in every direction, universal inter-dependence of nations.

Sociologists Martin Albrow and Elizabeth King define globalization as "all those processes by which the people of the world are incorporated into a single world society." In The Consequences of Modernity, Anthony Giddens writes: "Globalization can thus be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa." In 1992, Roland Robertson, professor of sociology at the University of Aberdeen and an early writer in the field, described globalization as "the compression of the world and the intensification of the consciousness of the world as a whole."

In Global Transformations, David Held and his co-writers state:

Although in its simplistic sense globalization refers to the widening, deepening and speeding up of global interconnection, such a definition begs further elaboration. ... Globalization can be on a continuum with the local, national and regional. At one end of the continuum lie social and economic relations and networks which are organized on a local and/or national basis; at the other end lie social and economic relations and networks which crystallize on the wider scale of regional and global interactions. Globalization can refer to those spatial-temporal processes of change which underpin a transformation in the organization of human affairs by linking together and expanding human activity across regions and continents. Without reference to such expansive spatial connections, there can be no clear or coherent formulation of this term. ... A satisfactory definition of globalization must capture each of these elements: extensity (stretching), intensity, velocity and impact.

Swedish journalist Thomas Larsson, in his book The Race to the Top: The Real Story of Globalization, states that globalization:

...is the process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things moving closer. It pertains to the increasing ease with which somebody on one side of the world can interact, to mutual benefit, with somebody on the other side of the world.

Paul James defines globalization with a more direct and historically contextualized emphasis:

Globalization is the extension of social relations across world-space, defining that world-space in terms of the historically variable ways that it has been practiced and socially understood through changing world-time.

Manfred Steger, professor of global studies and research leader in the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University, identifies four main empirical dimensions of globalization: economic, political, cultural, and ecological. A fifth dimension-the ideological-cutting across the other four. The ideological dimension, according to Steger, is filled with a range of norms, claims, beliefs, and narratives about the phenomenon itself.

James and Steger stated that the concept of globalization "emerged from the intersection of four interrelated sets of ' communities of practice' ( Wenger, 1998): academics, journalists, publishers/editors, and librarians." They note the term was used "in education to describe the global life of the mind"; in international relations to describe the extension of the European Common Market, and in journalism to describe how the "American Negro and his problem are taking on a global significance". They have also argued that four forms of globalization can be distinguished that complement and cut across the solely empirical dimensions. According to James, the oldest dominant form of globalization is embodied globalization, the movement of people. A second form is agency-extended globalization, the circulation of agents of different institutions, organizations, and polities, including imperial agents. Object-extended globalization, a third form, is the movement of commodities and other objects of exchange. He calls the transmission of ideas, images, knowledge, and information across world-space disembodied globalization, maintaining that it is currently the dominant form of globalization. James holds that this series of distinctions allows for an understanding of how, today, the most embodied forms of globalization such as the movement of refugees and migrants are increasingly restricted, while the most disembodied forms such as the circulation of financial instruments and codes are the most deregulated.

The journalist Thomas L. Friedman popularized the term "flat world", arguing that globalized trade, outsourcing, supply-chaining, and political forces had permanently changed the world, for better and worse. He asserted that the pace of globalization was quickening and that its impact on business organization and practice would continue to grow.

Lechner and Boli (2012) define globalization as more people across large distances becoming connected in more and different ways.

"Globophobia" is used to refer to the fear of globalization, though it can also mean the fear of balloons.

Archaic globalization conventionally refers to a phase in the history of globalization including globalizing events and developments from the time of the earliest civilizations until roughly the 1600s. This term is used to describe the relationships between communities and states and how they were created by the geographical spread of ideas and social norms at both local and regional levels.

In this schema, three main prerequisites are posited for globalization to occur. The first is the idea of Eastern Origins, which shows how Western states have adapted and implemented learned principles from the East. Without the spread of traditional ideas from the East, Western globalization would not have emerged the way it did. The interactions of states were not on a global scale and most often were confined to Asia, North Africa, the Middle East, and certain parts of Europe. With early globalization, it was difficult for states to interact with others that were not close. Eventually, technological advances allowed states to learn of others' existence and thus another phase of globalization can occur. The third has to do with inter-dependency, stability, and regularity. If a state is not dependent on another, then there is no way for either state to be mutually affected by the other. This is one of the driving forces behind global connections and trade; without either, globalization would not have emerged the way it did and states would still be dependent on their own production and resources to work. This is one of the arguments surrounding the idea of early globalization. It is argued that archaic globalization did not function in a similar manner to modern globalization because states were not as interdependent on others as they are today.

Portuguese carrack in Nagasaki, 17th-century Japanese Nanban art

Native New World crops exchanged globally (clockwise): Maize, tomato, potato, vanilla, rubber, cacao, tobacco

Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of civilizations from China, the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Europe, and Arabia, opening long-distance political and economic interactions between them. Though silk was certainly the major trade item from China, common goods such as salt and sugar were traded as well; and religions, syncretic philosophies, and various technologies, as well as diseases, also traveled along the Silk Routes. In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road served as a means of carrying out cultural trade among the civilizations along its network. The movement of people, such as refugees, artists, craftsmen, missionaries, robbers, and envoys, resulted in the exchange of religions, art, languages, and new technologies.

Early modern

" Early modern" or "proto-globalization" covers a period of the history of globalization roughly spanning the years between 1600 and 1800. The concept of "proto-globalization" was first introduced by historians A. G. Hopkins and Christopher Bayly. The term describes the phase of increasing trade links and cultural exchange that characterized the period immediately preceding the advent of high "modern globalization" in the late 19th century. This phase of globalization was characterized by the rise of maritime European empires, in the 15th and 17th centuries, first the Portuguese Empire (1415) followed by the Spanish Empire (1492), and later the Dutch and British Empires. In the 17th century, world trade developed further when chartered companies like the British East India Company (founded in 1600) and the Dutch East India Company (founded in 1602, often described as the first multinational corporation in which stock was offered) were established.

Lisbon in the 1570s had many Africans.

An alternative view from historians Dennis Flynn and Arturo Giraldez, postulated that: globalization began with the first circumnavigation of the globe under the Magellan-Elcano expedition which preluded the rise of global silver trade.

Early modern globalization is distinguished from modern globalization on the basis of expansionism, the method of managing global trade, and the level of information exchange. The period is marked by the shift of hegemony to Western Europe, the rise of larger-scale conflicts between powerful nations such as the Thirty Years' War, and demand for commodities, most particularly slaves. The triangular trade made it possible for Europe to take advantage of resources within the Western Hemisphere. The transfer of animal stocks, plant crops, and epidemic diseases associated with Alfred W. Crosby's concept of the Columbian exchange also played a central role in this process. European, Middle Eastern, Indian, Southeast Asian, and Chinese merchants were all involved in early modern trade and communications, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.

The 1843 launch of the Great Britain, the revolutionary ship of Isambard Kingdom Brunel

The conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars brought in an era of relative peace in Europe.

Innovations in transportation technology reduced trade costs substantially.

New industrial military technologies increased the power of European states and the United States, and allowed these powers to forcibly open up markets across the world and extend their empires.

A gradual move towards greater liberalization in European countries.

During the 19th century, globalization approached its form as a direct result of the Industrial Revolution. Industrialization allowed standardized production of household items using economies of scale while rapid population growth created sustained demand for commodities. In the 19th century, steamships reduced the cost of international transportation significantly and railroads made inland transportation cheaper. The transportation revolution occurred some time between 1820 and 1850. More nations embraced international trade. Globalization in this period was decisively shaped by nineteenth-century imperialism such as in Africa and Asia. The invention of shipping containers in 1956 helped advance the globalization of commerce.

After World War II, work by politicians led to the agreements of the Bretton Woods Conference, in which major governments laid down the framework for international monetary policy, commerce, and finance, and the founding of several international institutions intended to facilitate economic growth by lowering trade barriers. Initially, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) led to a series of agreements to remove trade restrictions. GATT's successor was the World Trade Organization (WTO), which provided a framework for negotiating and formalizing trade agreements and a dispute resolution process. Exports nearly doubled from 8.5% of total gross world product in 1970 to 16.2% in 2001. The approach of using global agreements to advance trade stumbled with the failure of the Doha Development Round of trade negotiation. Many countries then shifted to bilateral or smaller multilateral agreements, such as the 2011 United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement.

Since the 1970s, aviation has become increasingly affordable to middle classes in developed countries. Open skies policies and low-cost carriers have helped to bring competition to the market. In the 1990s, the growth of low-cost communication networks cut the cost of communicating between countries. More work can be performed using a computer without regard to location. This included accounting, software development, and engineering design.

Student exchange programs became popular after World War II, and are intended to increase the participants' understanding and tolerance of other cultures, as well as improving their language skills and broadening their social horizons. Between 1963 and 2006 the number of students studying in a foreign country increased 9 times.

Since the 1980s, modern globalization has spread rapidly through the expansion of capitalism and neoliberal ideologies. The implementation of neoliberal policies has allowed for the privatization of public industry, deregulation of laws or policies that interfered with the free flow of the market, as well as cut-backs to governmental social services. These neoliberal policies were introduced to many developing countries in the form of structural adjustment programs (SAPs) that were implemented by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). These programs required that the country receiving monetary aid would open its markets to capitalism, privatize public industry, allow free trade, cut social services like healthcare and education and allow the free movement of giant multinational corporations. These programs allowed the World Bank and the IMF to become global financial market regulators that would promote neoliberalism and the creation of free markets for multinational corporations on a global scale.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, the connectedness of the world's economies and cultures grew very quickly. This slowed down from the 1910s onward due to the World Wars and the Cold War, but picked up again in the 1980s and 1990s. The revolutions of 1989 and subsequent liberalization in many parts of the world resulted in a significant expansion of global interconnectedness. The migration and movement of people can also be highlighted as a prominent feature of the globalization process. In the period between 1965 and 1990, the proportion of the labor force migrating approximately doubled. Most migration occurred between the developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs). As economic integration intensified workers moved to areas with higher wages and most of the developing world oriented toward the international market economy. The collapse of the Soviet Union not only ended the Cold War's division of the world - it also left the United States its sole policeman and an unfettered advocate of free market.[according to whom? ] It also resulted in the growing prominence of attention focused on the movement of diseases, the proliferation of popular culture and consumer values, the growing prominence of international institutions like the UN, and concerted international action on such issues as the environment and human rights. Other developments as dramatic were the Internet's becoming influential in connecting people across the world; As of June 2012, more than 2.4 billion people-over a third of the world's human population-have used the services of the Internet. Growth of globalization has never been smooth. One influential event was the late 2000s recession, which was associated with lower growth (in areas such as cross-border phone calls and Skype usage) or even temporarily negative growth (in areas such as trade) of global interconnectedness.

The China-United States trade war, starting in 2018, negatively affected trade between the two largest national economies. The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic included a massive decline in tourism and international business travel as many countries temporarily closed borders. The 2021-2022 global supply chain crisis resulted from temporary shutdowns of manufacturing and transportation facilities, and labor shortages. Supply problems incentivized some switches to domestic production. The economic impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine included a blockade of Ukrainian ports and international sanctions on Russia, resulting in some de-coupling of the Russian economy with global trade, especially with the European Union and other Western countries.

Modern consensus for the last 15 years regards globalization as having run its course and gone into decline. A common argument for this is that trade has dropped since its peak in 2008, and never recovered since the global financial crisis. New opposing views from some economists have argued such trends are a result of price drops and in actuality, trade volume is increasing, especially with agricultural products, natural resources and refined petroleum.

Economic globalization

U.S. Trade Balance and Trade Policy (1895-2015)

Dividends worth CZK 289 billion were paid to the foreign owners of Czech companies in 2016.[62]

Economic globalization is the increasing economic interdependence of national economies across the world through a rapid increase in cross- border movement of goods, services, technology, and capital. Whereas the globalization of business is centered around the diminution of international trade regulations as well as tariffs, taxes, and other impediments that suppresses global trade, economic globalization is the process of increasing economic integration between countries, leading to the emergence of a global marketplace or a single world market. Depending on the paradigm, economic globalization can be viewed as either a positive or a negative phenomenon. Economic globalization comprises: globalization of production; which refers to the obtainment of goods and services from a particular source from locations around the globe to benefit from difference in cost and quality. Likewise, it also comprises globalization of markets; which is defined as the union of different and separate markets into a massive global marketplace. Economic globalization also includes competition, technology, and corporations and industries.

International standards have made trade in goods and services more efficient. An example of such standard is the intermodal container. Containerization dramatically reduced the costs of transportation, supported the post-war boom in international trade, and was a major element in globalization. International standards are set by the International Organization for Standardization, which is composed of representatives from various national standards organizations.

A multinational corporation, or worldwide enterprise, is an organization that owns or controls the production of goods or services in one or more countries other than their home country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation, a transnational corporation, or a stateless corporation.

A free-trade area is the region encompassing a trade bloc whose member countries have signed a free-trade agreement (FTA). Such agreements involve cooperation between at least two countries to reduce trade barriers - import quotas and tariffs - and to increase trade of goods and services with each other.

Trade facilitation looks at how procedures and controls governing the movement of goods across national borders can be improved to reduce associated cost burdens and maximize efficiency while safeguarding legitimate regulatory objectives.

Global trade in services is also significant. For example, in India, business process outsourcing has been described as the "primary engine of the country's development over the next few decades, contributing broadly to GDP growth, employment growth, and poverty alleviation".

Cultural globalization

Cross-cultural communication is a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavor to communicate across cultures. Intercultural communication is a related field of study.

Cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural items-such as ideas, styles, religions, technologies, languages etc. Cultural globalization has increased cross-cultural contacts, but may be accompanied by a decrease in the uniqueness of once-isolated communities. For example, sushi is available in Germany as well as Japan, but Euro-Disney outdraws the city of Paris, potentially reducing demand for "authentic" French pastry. Globalization's contribution to the alienation of individuals from their traditions may be modest compared to the impact of modernity itself, as alleged by existentialists such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Globalization has expanded recreational opportunities by spreading pop culture, particularly via the Internet and satellite television. The cultural diffusion can create a homogenizing force, where globalization is seen as synonymous with homogenizing force via connectedness of markets, cultures, politics and the desire for modernizations through imperial countries sphere of influence.

Religions were among the earliest cultural elements to globalize, being spread by force, migration, evangelists, imperialists, and traders. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and more recently sects such as Mormonism are among those religions which have taken root and influenced endemic cultures in places far from their origins.

Globalization has strongly influenced sports. For example, the modern Olympic Games has athletes from more than 200 nations participating in a variety of competitions. The FIFA World Cup is the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games; a ninth of the entire population of the planet watched the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final.

Music has an important role in economic and cultural development during globalization. Music genres such as jazz and reggae began locally and later became international phenomena. Globalization gave support to the world music phenomenon by allowing music from developing countries to reach broader audiences. Though the term "World Music" was originally intended for ethnic-specific music, globalization is now expanding its scope such that the term often includes hybrid subgenres such as "world fusion", "global fusion", "ethnic fusion", and worldbeat.

Use of chili pepper has spread from the Americas to cuisines around the world, including Thailand, Korea, China, and Italy.[92]

A 2005 UNESCO report showed that cultural exchange is becoming more frequent from Eastern Asia, but that Western countries are still the main exporters of cultural goods. In 2002, China was the third largest exporter of cultural goods, after the UK and US. Between 1994 and 2002, both North America's and the European Union's shares of cultural exports declined while Asia's cultural exports grew to surpass North America. Related factors are the fact that Asia's population and area are several times that of North America. Americanization is related to a period of high political American clout and of significant growth of America's shops, markets and objects being brought into other countries.

Transculturalism is defined as "seeing oneself in the other". Transcultural is in turn described as "extending through all human cultures" or "involving, encompassing, or combining elements of more than one culture". Children brought up in transcultural backgrounds are sometimes called third-culture kids.

Political globalization

Political globalization refers to the growth of the worldwide political system, both in size and complexity. That system includes national governments, their governmental and intergovernmental organizations as well as government-independent elements of global civil society such as international non-governmental organizations and social movement organizations. One of the key aspects of the political globalization is the declining importance of the nation-state and the rise of other actors on the political scene. William R. Thompson has defined it as "the expansion of a global political system, and its institutions, in which inter-regional transactions (including, but certainly not limited to trade) are managed". Political globalization is one of the three main dimensions of globalization commonly found in academic literature, with the two other being economic globalization and cultural globalization.

Intergovernmentalism is a term in political science with two meanings. The first refers to a theory of regional integration originally proposed by Stanley Hoffmann; the second treats states and the national government as the primary factors for integration. Multi-level governance is an approach in political science and public administration theory that originated from studies on European integration. Multi-level governance gives expression to the idea that there are many interacting authority structures at work in the emergent global political economy. It illuminates the intimate entanglement between the domestic and international levels of authority.

Some people are citizens of multiple nation-states. Multiple citizenship, also called dual citizenship or multiple nationality or dual nationality, is a person's citizenship status, in which a person is concurrently regarded as a citizen of more than one state under the laws of those states.

U.S. military presence around the world in 2007. As of 2015, the U.S. still had many bases and troops stationed globally.[101]

Increasingly, non-governmental organizations influence public policy across national boundaries, including humanitarian aid and developmental efforts. Philanthropic organizations with global missions are also coming to the forefront of humanitarian efforts; charities such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Accion International, the Acumen Fund (now Acumen) and the Echoing Green have combined the business model with philanthropy, giving rise to business organizations such as the Global Philanthropy Group and new associations of philanthropists such as the Global Philanthropy Forum. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation projects include a current multibillion-dollar commitment to funding immunizations in some of the world's more impoverished but rapidly growing countries. The Hudson Institute estimates total private philanthropic flows to developing countries at US$ 59 billion in 2010.

As a response to globalization, some countries have embraced isolationist policies. For example, the North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do. Aid workers are subject to considerable scrutiny and excluded from places and regions the government does not wish them to enter. Citizens cannot freely leave the country.

Globalization and gender

From the documentary Ukraine Is Not a Brothel. Radical group Femen protest against the increase in sex tourism into Ukraine.

Other dimensions

Scholars also occasionally discuss other, less common dimensions of globalization, such as environmental globalization (the internationally coordinated practices and regulations, often in the form of international treaties, regarding environmental protection) or military globalization (growth in global extent and scope of security relationships). Those dimensions, however, receive much less attention the three described above, as academic literature commonly subdivides globalization into three major areas: economic globalization, cultural globalization and political globalization.

Movement of people

Tourism is travel for pleasure. The developments in technology and transportation infrastructure, such as jumbo jets, low-cost airlines, and more accessible airports have made many types of tourism more affordable. At any given moment half a million people are in the air. International tourist arrivals surpassed the milestone of 1 billion tourists globally for the first time in 2012. A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a country to a foreigner, allowing them to enter and temporarily remain within, or to leave that country. Some countries - such as those in the Schengen Area - have agreements with other countries allowing each other's citizens to travel between them without visas (for example, Switzerland is part of a Schengen Agreement allowing easy travel for people from countries within the European Union). The World Tourism Organization announced that the number of tourists who require a visa before traveling was at its lowest level ever in 2015.

Immigration is the international movement of people into a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle or reside there, especially as permanent residents or naturalized citizens, or to take-up employment as a migrant worker or temporarily as a foreign worker. According to the International Labour Organization, as of 2014 there were an estimated 232 million international migrants in the world (defined as persons outside their country of origin for 12 months or more) and approximately half of them were estimated to be economically active (i.e. being employed or seeking employment). International movement of labor is often seen as important to economic development. For example, freedom of movement for workers in the European Union means that people can move freely between member states to live, work, study or retire in another country.

2010 London Youth Games opening ceremony. About 69% of children born in London in 2015 had at least one parent who was born abroad.[120]

Globalization is associated with a dramatic rise in international education. The development of global cross-cultural competence in the workforce through ad-hoc training has deserved increasing attention in recent times. More and more students are seeking higher education in foreign countries and many international students now consider overseas study a stepping-stone to permanent residency within a country. The contributions that foreign students make to host nation economies, both culturally and financially has encouraged major players to implement further initiatives to facilitate the arrival and integration of overseas students, including substantial amendments to immigration and visa policies and procedures.

A transnational marriage is a marriage between two people from different countries. A variety of special issues arise in marriages between people from different countries, including those related to citizenship and culture, which add complexity and challenges to these kinds of relationships. In an age of increasing globalization, where a growing number of people have ties to networks of people and places across the globe, rather than to a current geographic location, people are increasingly marrying across national boundaries. Transnational marriage is a by-product of the movement and migration of people.

Movement of information

Before electronic communications, long-distance communications relied on mail. Speed of global communications was limited by the maximum speed of courier services (especially horses and ships) until the mid-19th century. The electric telegraph was the first method of instant long-distance communication. For example, before the first transatlantic cable, communications between Europe and the Americas took weeks because ships had to carry mail across the ocean. The first transatlantic cable reduced communication time considerably, allowing a message and a response in the same day. Lasting transatlantic telegraph connections were achieved in the 1865-1866. The first wireless telegraphy transmitters were developed in 1895.

The Internet has been instrumental in connecting people across geographical boundaries. For example, Facebook is a social networking service which has more than 1.65 billion monthly active users as of 31 March 2016.

Globalization and disease

Coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated COVID-19, first appeared in Wuhan, China in November 2019. More than 180 countries have reported cases since then. As of April 6, 2020, the U.S. has the most confirmed active cases in the world. More than 3.4 million people from the worst-affected countries entered the U.S. in the first three months since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has caused a detrimental impact on the global economy, particularly for SME's and Microbusinesses with unlimited liability/self-employed, leaving them vulnerable to financial difficulties, increasing the market share for oligopolistic markets as well as increasing the barriers of entry.

Measurement

One index of globalization is the KOF Index of Globalization, which measures three important dimensions of globalization: economic, social, and political. Another is the A.T. Kearney / Foreign Policy Magazine Globalization Index.

Measurements of economic globalization typically focus on variables such as trade, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), portfolio investment, and income. However, newer indices attempt to measure globalization in more general terms, including variables related to political, social, cultural, and even environmental aspects of globalization.

The DHL Global Connectedness Index studies four main types of cross-border flow: trade (in both goods and services), information, people (including tourists, students, and migrants), and capital. It shows that the depth of global integration fell by about one-tenth after 2008, but by 2013 had recovered well above its pre-crash peak. The report also found a shift of economic activity to emerging economies.

Support and criticism

Reactions to processes contributing to globalization have varied widely with a history as long as extraterritorial contact and trade. Philosophical differences regarding the costs and benefits of such processes give rise to a broad-range of ideologies and social movements. Proponents of economic growth, expansion, and development, in general, view globalizing processes as desirable or necessary to the well-being of human society.

Antagonists view one or more globalizing processes as detrimental to social well-being on a global or local scale; this includes those who focus on social or natural sustainability of long-term and continuous economic expansion, the social structural inequality caused by these processes, and the colonial, imperialistic, or hegemonic ethnocentrism, cultural assimilation and cultural appropriation that underlie such processes.

Globalization tends to bring people into contact with foreign people and cultures. Xenophobia is the fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. Xenophobia can manifest itself in many ways involving the relations and perceptions of an ingroup towards an outgroup, including a fear of losing identity, suspicion of its activities, aggression, and desire to eliminate its presence to secure a presumed purity.

Critiques of globalization generally stem from discussions surrounding the impact of such processes on the planet as well as the human costs. They challenge directly traditional metrics, such as GDP, and look to other measures, such as the Gini coefficient or the Happy Planet Index, and point to a "multitude of interconnected fatal consequences-social disintegration, a breakdown of democracy, more rapid and extensive deterioration of the environment, the spread of new diseases, increasing poverty and alienation" which they claim are the unintended consequences of globalization. Others point out that, while the forces of globalization have led to the spread of western-style democracy, this has been accompanied by an increase in inter-ethnic tension and violence as free market economic policies combine with democratic processes of universal suffrage as well as an escalation in militarization to impose democratic principles and as a means to conflict resolution.

On 9 August 2019, Pope Francis denounced isolationism and hinted that the Catholic Church will embrace globalization at the October 2019 Amazonia Synod, stating "the whole is greater than the parts. Globalization and unity should not be conceived as a sphere, but as a polyhedron: each people retains its identity in unity with others"

Public opinion

As a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, globalization is considered by some as a form of capitalist expansion which entails the integration of local and national economies into a global, unregulated market economy. A 2005 study by Peer Fis and Paul Hirsch found a large increase in articles negative towards globalization in the years prior. In 1998, negative articles outpaced positive articles by two to one. The number of newspaper articles showing negative framing rose from about 10% of the total in 1991 to 55% of the total in 1999. This increase occurred during a period when the total number of articles concerning globalization nearly doubled.

A number of international polls have shown that residents of Africa and Asia tend to view globalization more favorably than residents of Europe or North America. In Africa, a Gallup poll found that 70% of the population views globalization favorably. The BBC found that 50% of people believed that economic globalization was proceeding too rapidly, while 35% believed it was proceeding too slowly.

In 2004, Philip Gordon stated that "a clear majority of Europeans believe that globalization can enrich their lives, while believing the European Union can help them take advantage of globalization's benefits while shielding them from its negative effects." The main opposition consisted of socialists, environmental groups, and nationalists. Residents of the EU did not appear to feel threatened by globalization in 2004. The EU job market was more stable and workers were less likely to accept wage/benefit cuts. Social spending was much higher than in the US. In a Danish poll in 2007, 76% responded that globalization is a good thing.

Fiss, et al., surveyed US opinion in 1993. Their survey showed that, in 1993, more than 40% of respondents were unfamiliar with the concept of globalization. When the survey was repeated in 1998, 89% of the respondents had a polarized view of globalization as being either good or bad. At the same time, discourse on globalization, which began in the financial community before shifting to a heated debate between proponents and disenchanted students and workers. Polarization increased dramatically after the establishment of the WTO in 1995; this event and subsequent protests led to a large-scale anti-globalization movement. Initially, college educated workers were likely to support globalization. Less educated workers, who were more likely to compete with immigrants and workers in developing countries, tended to be opponents. The situation changed after the financial crisis of 2007. According to a 1997 poll 58% of college graduates said globalization had been good for the US. By 2008 only 33% thought it was good. Respondents with high school education also became more opposed.

According to Takenaka Heizo and Chida Ryokichi, as of 1998 there was a perception in Japan that the economy was "Small and Frail". However, Japan was resource-poor and used exports to pay for its raw materials. Anxiety over their position caused terms such as internationalization and globalization to enter everyday language. However, Japanese tradition was to be as self-sufficient as possible, particularly in agriculture.

Many in developing countries see globalization as a positive force that lifts them out of poverty. Those opposing globalization typically combine environmental concerns with nationalism. Opponents consider governments as agents of neo-colonialism that are subservient to multinational corporations. Much of this criticism comes from the middle class; the Brookings Institution suggested this was because the middle class perceived upwardly mobile low-income groups as threatening to their economic security.

Hu Jintao of China and George W. Bush meet while attending an APEC summit in Santiago de Chile, 2004.

The literature analyzing the economics of free trade is extremely rich with extensive work having been done on the theoretical and empirical effects. Though it creates winners and losers, the broad consensus among economists is that free trade is a large and unambiguous net gain for society. In a 2006 survey of 83 American economists, "87.5% agree that the U.S. should eliminate remaining tariffs and other barriers to trade" and "90.1% disagree with the suggestion that the U.S. should restrict employers from outsourcing work to foreign countries."

Quoting Harvard economics professor N. Gregory Mankiw, "Few propositions command as much consensus among professional economists as that open world trade increases economic growth and raises living standards." In a survey of leading economists, none disagreed with the notion that "freer trade improves productive efficiency and offers consumers better choices, and in the long run these gains are much larger than any effects on employment." Most economists would agree that although increasing returns to scale might mean that certain industry could settle in a geographical area without any strong economic reason derived from comparative advantage, this is not a reason to argue against free trade because the absolute level of output enjoyed by both "winner" and "loser" will increase with the "winner" gaining more than the "loser" but both gaining more than before in an absolute level.

In the book The End of Poverty, Jeffrey Sachs discusses how many factors can affect a country's ability to enter the world market, including government corruption; legal and social disparities based on gender, ethnicity, or caste; diseases such as AIDS and malaria; lack of infrastructure (including transportation, communications, health, and trade); unstable political landscapes; protectionism; and geographic barriers. Jagdish Bhagwati, a former adviser to the U.N. on globalization, holds that, although there are obvious problems with overly rapid development, globalization is a very positive force that lifts countries out of poverty by causing a virtuous economic cycle associated with faster economic growth. However, economic growth does not necessarily mean a reduction in poverty; in fact, the two can coexist. Economic growth is conventionally measured using indicators such as GDP and GNI that do not accurately reflect the growing disparities in wealth. Additionally, Oxfam International argues that poor people are often excluded from globalization-induced opportunities "by a lack of productive assets, weak infrastructure, poor education and ill-health;" effectively leaving these marginalized groups in a poverty trap. Economist Paul Krugman is another staunch supporter of globalization and free trade with a record of disagreeing with many critics of globalization. He argues that many of them lack a basic understanding of comparative advantage and its importance in today's world.

There has been a rapid economic growth in Asia after embracing market orientation-based economic policies that encourage private property rights, free enterprise and competition. In particular, in East Asian developing countries, GDP per head rose at 5.9% a year from 1975 to 2001 (according to 2003 Human Development Report of UNDP). Like this, the British economic journalist Martin Wolf says that incomes of poor developing countries, with more than half the world's population, grew substantially faster than those of the world's richest countries that remained relatively stable in its growth, leading to reduced international inequality and the incidence of poverty.

Of the factors influencing the duration of economic growth in both developed and developing countries, income equality has a more beneficial impact than trade openness, sound political institutions, and foreign investment.[165]

Certain demographic changes in the developing world after active economic liberalization and international integration resulted in rising general welfare and, hence, reduced inequality. According to Wolf, in the developing world as a whole, life expectancy rose by four months each year after 1970 and infant mortality rate declined from 107 per thousand in 1970 to 58 in 2000 due to improvements in standards of living and health conditions. Also, adult literacy in developing countries rose from 53% in 1970 to 74% in 1998 and much lower illiteracy rate among the young guarantees that rates will continue to fall as time passes. Furthermore, the reduction in fertility rate in the developing world as a whole from 4.1 births per woman in 1980 to 2.8 in 2000 indicates improved education level of women on fertility, and control of fewer children with more parental attention and investment. Consequently, more prosperous and educated parents with fewer children have chosen to withdraw their children from the labor force to give them opportunities to be educated at school improving the issue of child labor. Thus, despite seemingly unequal distribution of income within these developing countries, their economic growth and development have brought about improved standards of living and welfare for the population as a whole.

The globalization of the late 20th and early 21st centuries has led to the resurfacing of the idea that the growth of economic interdependence promotes peace. This idea had been very powerful during the globalization of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was a central doctrine of classical liberals of that era, such as the young John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946).

Some opponents of globalization see the phenomenon as a promotion of corporate interests. They also claim that the increasing autonomy and strength of corporate entities shapes the political policy of countries. They advocate global institutions and policies that they believe better address the moral claims of poor and working classes as well as environmental concerns. Economic arguments by fair trade theorists claim that unrestricted free trade benefits those with more financial leverage (i.e. the rich) at the expense of the poor.

Globalization allows corporations to outsource manufacturing and service jobs from high-cost locations, creating economic opportunities with the most competitive wages and worker benefits. Critics of globalization say that it disadvantages poorer countries. While it is true that free trade encourages globalization among countries, some countries try to protect their domestic suppliers. The main export of poorer countries is usually agricultural productions. Larger countries often subsidize their farmers (e.g., the EU's Common Agricultural Policy), which lowers the market price for foreign crops.

Global democracy

Democratic globalization is a movement towards an institutional system of global democracy that would give world citizens a say in political organizations. This would, in their view, bypass nation-states, corporate oligopolies, ideological non-governmental organizations (NGO), political cults and mafias. One of its most prolific proponents is the British political thinker David Held. Advocates of democratic globalization argue that economic expansion and development should be the first phase of democratic globalization, which is to be followed by a phase of building global political institutions. Francesco Stipo, Director of the United States Association of the Club of Rome, advocates unifying nations under a world government, suggesting that it "should reflect the political and economic balances of world nations. A world confederation would not supersede the authority of the State governments but rather complement it, as both the States and the world authority would have power within their sphere of competence". Former Canadian Senator Douglas Roche, O.C., viewed globalization as inevitable and advocated creating institutions such as a directly elected United Nations Parliamentary Assembly to exercise oversight over unelected international bodies.

Global civics

Global civics suggests that civics can be understood, in a global sense, as a social contract between global citizens in the age of interdependence and interaction. The disseminators of the concept define it as the notion that we have certain rights and responsibilities towards each other by the mere fact of being human on Earth. World citizen has a variety of similar meanings, often referring to a person who disapproves of traditional geopolitical divisions derived from national citizenship. An early incarnation of this sentiment can be found in Socrates, whom Plutarch quoted as saying: "I am not an Athenian, or a Greek, but a citizen of the world." In an increasingly interdependent world, world citizens need a compass to frame their mindsets and create a shared consciousness and sense of global responsibility in world issues such as environmental problems and nuclear proliferation.

Baha'i-inspired author Meyjes, while favoring the single world community and emergent global consciousness, warns of globalization as a cloak for an expeditious economic, social, and cultural Anglo-dominance that is insufficiently inclusive to inform the emergence of an optimal world civilization. He proposes a process of " universalization" as an alternative.

Cosmopolitanism is the proposal that all human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality. A person who adheres to the idea of cosmopolitanism in any of its forms is called a cosmopolitan or cosmopolite. A cosmopolitan community might be based on an inclusive morality, a shared economic relationship, or a political structure that encompasses different nations. The cosmopolitan community is one in which individuals from different places (e.g. nation-states) form relationships based on mutual respect. For instance, Kwame Anthony Appiah suggests the possibility of a cosmopolitan community in which individuals from varying locations (physical, economic, etc.) enter relationships of mutual respect despite their differing beliefs (religious, political, etc.).

Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan popularized the term Global Village beginning in 1962. His view suggested that globalization would lead to a world where people from all countries will become more integrated and aware of common interests and shared humanity.

International cooperation

Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev after signing the New START treaty in Prague, 2010

Military cooperation - Past examples of international cooperation exist. One example is the security cooperation between the United States and the former Soviet Union after the end of the Cold War, which astonished international society. Arms control and disarmament agreements, including the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (see START I, START II, START III, and New START) and the establishment of NATO's Partnership for Peace, the Russia NATO Council, and the G8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, constitute concrete initiatives of arms control and de-nuclearization. The US-Russian cooperation was further strengthened by anti-terrorism agreements enacted in the wake of 9/11.

Environmental cooperation - One of the biggest successes of environmental cooperation has been the agreement to reduce chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions, as specified in the Montreal Protocol, in order to stop ozone depletion. The most recent debate around nuclear energy and the non-alternative coal-burning power plants constitutes one more consensus on what not to do. Thirdly, significant achievements in IC can be observed through development studies.

Economic cooperation - One of the biggest challenges in 2019 with globalization is that many believe the progress made in the past decades are now back tracking. The back tracking of globalization has coined the term "Slobalization." Slobalization is a new, slower pattern of globalization.

Anti-globalization movement

Anti-globalization, or counter-globalization, consists of a number of criticisms of globalization but, in general, is critical of the globalization of corporate capitalism. The movement is also commonly referred to as the alter-globalization movement, anti-globalist movement, anti-corporate globalization movement, or movement against neoliberal globalization. Opponents of globalization argue that power and respect in terms of international trade between the developed and underdeveloped countries of the world are unequally distributed. The diverse subgroups that make up this movement include some of the following: trade unionists, environmentalists, anarchists, land rights and indigenous rights activists, organizations promoting human rights and sustainable development, opponents of privatization, and anti-sweatshop campaigners.

In The Revolt of the Elites and the Betrayal of Democracy, Christopher Lasch analyzes the widening gap between the top and bottom of the social composition in the United States. For him, our epoch is determined by a social phenomenon: the revolt of the elites, in reference to The Revolt of the Masses (1929) by the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset. According to Lasch, the new elites, i.e. those who are in the top 20% in terms of income, through globalization which allows total mobility of capital, no longer live in the same world as their fellow-citizens. In this, they oppose the old bourgeoisie of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which was constrained by its spatial stability to a minimum of rooting and civic obligations. Globalization, according to the sociologist, has turned elites into tourists in their own countries. The denationalization of business enterprise tends to produce a class who see themselves as "world citizens, but without accepting ... any of the obligations that citizenship in a polity normally implies". Their ties to an international culture of work, leisure, information - make many of them deeply indifferent to the prospect of national decline. Instead of financing public services and the public treasury, new elites are investing their money in improving their voluntary ghettos: private schools in their residential neighborhoods, private police, garbage collection systems. They have "withdrawn from common life". Composed of those who control the international flows of capital and information, who preside over philanthropic foundations and institutions of higher education, manage the instruments of cultural production and thus fix the terms of public debate. So, the political debate is limited mainly to the dominant classes and political ideologies lose all contact with the concerns of the ordinary citizen. The result of this is that no one has a likely solution to these problems and that there are furious ideological battles on related issues. However, they remain protected from the problems affecting the working classes: the decline of industrial activity, the resulting loss of employment, the decline of the middle class, increasing the number of the poor, the rising crime rate, growing drug trafficking, the urban crisis.

D.A. Snow et al. contend that the anti-globalization movement is an example of a new social movement, which uses tactics that are unique and use different resources than previously used before in other social movements.

Opposition to capital market integration

Those opposed to capital market integration on the basis of human rights issues are especially disturbed[according to whom? ] by the various abuses which they think are perpetuated by global and international institutions that, they say, promote neoliberalism without regard to ethical standards. Common targets include the World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and free trade treaties like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). In light of the economic gap between rich and poor countries, movement adherents claim free trade without measures in place to protect the under-capitalized will contribute only to the strengthening the power of industrialized nations (often termed the "North" in opposition to the developing world's "South").[better source needed ]

Anti-corporatism and anti-consumerism

Corporatist ideology, which privileges the rights of corporations ( artificial or juridical persons) over those of natural persons, is an underlying factor in the recent rapid expansion of global commerce. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of books ( Naomi Klein's 2000 , for example) and films ( e.g. The Corporation & ) popularizing an anti-corporate ideology to the public.

A related contemporary ideology, consumerism, which encourages the personal acquisition of goods and services, also drives globalization. Anti-consumerism is a social movement against equating personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions. Concern over the treatment of consumers by large corporations has spawned substantial activism, and the incorporation of consumer education into school curricula. Social activists hold materialism is connected to global retail merchandizing and supplier convergence, war, greed, anomie, crime, environmental degradation, and general social malaise and discontent. One variation on this topic is activism by postconsumers, with the strategic emphasis on moving beyond addictive consumerism.

Global justice and inequality

Global justice

Differences in national income equality around the world as measured by the national Gini coefficient, as of 2018[200]

The global justice movement is the loose collection of individuals and groups-often referred to as a " movement of movements"-who advocate fair trade rules and perceive current institutions of global economic integration as problems. The movement is often labeled an anti-globalization movement by the mainstream media. Those involved, however, frequently deny that they are anti-globalization, insisting that they support the globalization of communication and people and oppose only the global expansion of corporate power. The movement is based in the idea of social justice, desiring the creation of a society or institution based on the principles of equality and solidarity, the values of human rights, and the dignity of every human being. Social inequality within and between nations, including a growing global digital divide, is a focal point of the movement. Many nongovernmental organizations have now arisen to fight these inequalities that many in Latin America, Africa and Asia face. A few very popular and well known non-governmental organizations (NGOs) include: War Child, Red Cross, Free The Children and CARE International. They often create partnerships where they work towards improving the lives of those who live in developing countries by building schools, fixing infrastructure, cleaning water supplies, purchasing equipment and supplies for hospitals, and other aid efforts.

Social inequality

Global share of wealth by wealth group, Credit Suisse, 2017

The economies of the world have developed unevenly, historically, such that entire geographical regions were left mired in poverty and disease while others began to reduce poverty and disease on a wholesale basis. From around 1980 through at least 2011, the GDP gap, while still wide, appeared to be closing and, in some more rapidly developing countries, life expectancies began to rise. If we look at the Gini coefficient for world income, since the late 1980s, the gap between some regions has markedly narrowed-between Asia and the advanced economies of the West, for example-but huge gaps remain globally. Overall equality across humanity, considered as individuals, has improved very little. Within the decade between 2003 and 2013, income inequality grew even in traditionally egalitarian countries like Germany, Sweden and Denmark. With a few exceptions-France, Japan, Spain-the top 10 percent of earners in most advanced economies raced ahead, while the bottom 10 percent fell further behind. By 2013, 85 multibillionaires had amassed wealth equivalent to all the wealth owned by the poorest half (3.5 billion) of the world's total population of 7 billion.

Critics of globalization argue that globalization results in weak labor unions: the surplus in cheap labor coupled with an ever-growing number of companies in transition weakened labor unions in high-cost areas. Unions become less effective and workers their enthusiasm for unions when membership begins to decline. They also cite an increase in the exploitation of child labor: countries with weak protections for children are vulnerable to infestation by rogue companies and criminal gangs who exploit them. Examples include quarrying, salvage, and farm work as well as trafficking, bondage, forced labor, prostitution and pornography.

Women often participate in the workforce in precarious work, including export-oriented employment. Evidence suggests that while globalization has expanded women's access to employment, the long-term goal[whose? ] of transforming gender inequalities remains unmet and appears unattainable without regulation of capital and a reorientation and expansion of the state's role in funding public goods and providing a social safety net. Furthermore, the intersectionality of gender, race, class, can be overlooked by scholars and commentators when assessing the impact of globalization.

Anti-global governance

Beginning in the 1930s, opposition arose to the idea of a world government, as advocated by organizations such as the World Federalist Movement (WFM). Those who oppose global governance typically do so on objections that the idea is unfeasible, inevitably oppressive, or simply unnecessary. In general, these opponents are wary of the concentration of power or wealth that such governance might represent. Such reasoning dates back to the founding of the League of Nations and, later, the United Nations.

Environmentalist opposition

Deforestation of the Madagascar Highland Plateau has led to extensive siltation and unstable flows of western rivers.

a shows carbon footprint (CF) hotspots of foreign final consumption in China. b-d show carbon footprint hotspots of the consumption of the United States, Hong Kong, and Japan, respectively. Among all foreign regions, the United States, Hong Kong, and Japan have the largest CFs in China, contributing ~23.0%, 10.8%, and 9.0%, respectively, to the total foreign CF in China in 2012.

Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment. Environmentalist concerns with globalization include issues such as global warming, global water supply and water crises, inequity in energy consumption and energy conservation, transnational air pollution and pollution of the world ocean, overpopulation, world habitat sustainability, deforestation, biodiversity loss and species extinction.

Helena Norberg-Hodge, the director and founder of Local Futures/ International Society for Ecology and Culture, criticizes globalization in many ways. In her book Ancient Futures, Norberg-Hodge claims that "centuries of ecological balance and social harmony are under threat from the pressures of development and globalization." She also criticizes the standardization and rationalization of globalization, as it does not always yield the expected growth outcomes. Although globalization takes similar steps in most countries, scholars such as Hodge claim that it might not be effective to certain countries and that globalization has actually moved some countries backward instead of developing them.

A related area of concern is the pollution haven hypothesis, which posits that, when large industrialized nations seek to set up factories or offices abroad, they will often look for the cheapest option in terms of resources and labor that offers the land and material access they require (see Race to the bottom). This often comes at the cost of environmentally sound practices. Developing countries with cheap resources and labor tend to have less stringent environmental regulations, and conversely, nations with stricter environmental regulations become more expensive for companies as a result of the costs associated with meeting these standards. Thus, companies that choose to physically invest in foreign countries tend to (re)locate to the countries with the lowest environmental standards or weakest enforcement.

The European Union-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement, which would form one of the world's largest free trade areas, has been denounced by environmental activists and indigenous rights campaigners. The fear is that the deal could lead to more deforestation of the Amazon rainforest as it expands market access to Brazilian beef.

Food security

Globalization is associated with a more efficient system of food production. This is because crops are grown in countries with optimum growing conditions. This improvement causes an increase in the world's food supply which encourages improved food security. The political movement 'BREXIT' was considered a step back in globalization; it has greatly disrupted food chains within the UK, as they import 26% of food produce from the EU.

Norway's limited crop range advocates globalization of food production and availability. The northernmost country in Europe requires trade with other countries to ensure population food demands are met. The degree of self-sufficiency in food production was around 50% in Norway in 2007.

References

Further reading

Ampuja, Marko. Theorizing Globalization: A Critique of the Mediatization of Social Theory (Brill, 2012)

Conner, Tom, and Ikuko Torimoto, eds. Globalization Redux: New Name, Same Game (University Press of America, 2004).

Eriksen, Thomas Hylland. "Globalization." in Handbook of Political Anthropology (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018).

Frey, James W. "The Global Moment: The Emergence of Globality, 1866-1867, and the Origins of Nineteenth-Century Globalization." The Historian 81.1 (2019): 9. online Archived 3 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine, focus on trade and Suez Canal

Gunder Frank, Andre, and Robert A. Denemark. ReOrienting the 19th Century: Global Economy in the Continuing Asian Age (Paradigm Publishers, 2013);

Hopkins, A.G., ed. Globalization in World History (Norton, 2003).

Lechner, Frank J., and John Boli, eds. The Globalization Reader (4th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012).

Leibler, Anat. "The Emergence of a Global Economic Order: From Scientific Internationalism to Infrastructural Globalism." in Science, Numbers and Politics (Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019) pp. 121-145 online.

Mir, Salam. "Colonialism, Postcolonialism, Globalization, and Arab Culture." Arab Studies Quarterly 41.1 (2019): 33-58. online

Olstein, Diego (2015) "Proto-globalization and Proto-glocalizations in the Middle Millennium." In Kedar, Benjamin and Wiesner-Hanks, Merry (Eds.), Cambridge World History. Volume 5: Expanding Webs of Exchange and Conquest, 500-1500 CE. Cambridge University Press, pp. 665-684

Pfister, Ulrich (2012), Globalization, EGO - European History Online, Mainz: Institute of European History, retrieved: 25 March 2021 (pdf).

Pieterse, Jan Nederveen. Globalization and culture: Global mélange (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).

Rosenberg, Justin. "Globalization Theory: A Post Mortem," International Politics 42:1 (2005), 2-74.

Steger, Manfred B. Globalization: A Very Short Introduction (4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2017)

Van Der Bly, Martha C.E. "Globalization: A Triumph of Ambiguity," Current Sociology 53:6 (November 2005), 875-893

Wallerstein, Immanuel. "Globalization or the Age of Transition? A Long-Term View of the Trajectory of the World System," International Sociology 15:2 (June 2000), 251-267.

External links

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Globalization, or globalisation ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term globalization first appeared in the early 20th century (supplanting an earlier French term mondialisation), developed its current meaning sometime in the second half of the 20th century, and came into popular use in the 1990s to describe the unprecedented international connectivity of the post-Cold War world.

# data[].attributes.body
Rock and modern dance music, which make up a substantial amount of the music aired on Spain's radio stations, are the most important aspects of worldwide culture for young people. Many notable foreign rock groups have performed in Spain's major cities, beginning with the Beatles in the 1960s (Britannica, 2022).

Dance clubs frequented by young British holidaymakers on the island of Ibiza were a hub for techno music in the 1990s, which was first dubbed Balearic Beat by some. There are also a lot of rock musicians in Spain, but only a handful of them are well-known outside of the nation. Julio Iglesias, whose music appealed to an older audience, is without a doubt the most successful of Spain's popular artists (Britannica, 2022).
Culture's globalisation manifests itself in a multitude of ways. All of the larger cities have franchises of American fast-food chains, and much of the television programming and many of the popular films are foreign, with the majority of the programmes and films coming from the United States (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to Ibiza's premier nightlife guide.

On this page, you'll discover the vibrant and varied nightlife scene in Ibiza. You'll find the perfect venue for you and your preferred night out. Whether you want to go all-out clubbing or if you'd like a more laid back dinner and drinks with a view, we've got your covered.

Enjoy!

A little introduction to Ibiza, Spain

Whenever you hear the nightlife, entertainment surely comes into your mind. Nightlife is all about entertainment at late nights since early morning hours. Nightlife has major components which are the refreshers of your mind and entertainer for everybody. These components are nightclubs, bars, pubs, musical concerts, dancing events, and late-night parties. All night owls are there in the bars, pubs, and party places for enjoying their nights with their friends. These parties and outings attract adults more commonly but people of middle ages can also get charms here.

Nightlife in Ibiza

Ibiza, a Spanish Island, is located in the Mediterranean Sea at the eastern coast of Spain. It is just 150 km away from Valencia. An Island, which means there is an abundance of beaches and abundance of beaches leads us towards more parties and entertainment. Ibiza is famous for the nightlife as it offers huge entertainment in this regard. The most famous electronic dance is the reason behind the popularity of this amazing island. It is an attractive place for the tourists due to the dancing and musical traits of the citizens of this island. Due to the huge fame of nightlife, the government paused the nightlife activities in the past by closing down some of the nightclubs. In 2015, the nightclubs resumed their actions with more enthusiasm as the government reversed its policy in terms of nightlife in the region. The historical traits of the island make it more charming and attractive place for the visitors. The nightlife has more charm if it is collaborated with the historical and natural friendly grounds. The weather of Ibiza makes it more appropriate for nigh parties and night outings. It is a heaven for the adults who love to stay out at night in the bars, pubs, and nightclubs. Ball Pages is the cultural and folkloric dance of the Ibiza Island.

What does Ibiza offer for Nightlife?

Ibiza has huge offerings for the adults to enjoy the charms of nightlife. There is not any deficiency of daily events and parties in this region. Music flows in the veins of the people living in this region and dancing is the first thing that they learn. That is why, a huge number of tourists visit this small island in every part of the year. I would not be wrong if I consider Ibiza island as a queen of nightlife. So, if you are planning a trip in your holidays then Ibiza must be your first priority. I would share all the necessary elements which would surely help you during your visit to this lively place. Ibiza offers a huge number of nightclubs, boat parties, and musical bars to the visitors.

Clubbing Resorts in Ibiza

Nightlife in Ibiza is a memorable experience for the youngsters who have a virgin visit to this island. If you have visited it once then you will come again to this DJ and musical place for sure. Here are the major clubbing resorts on Ibiza Island:

Playa d'en Bossa

Playa d'en Bossa is located on the eastern coast of the island and it is the longest beach line of the island as well. This clubbing resort offers huge opportunities for the nightlife and it is, actually, full of the nightlife charms. You will find all sorts of larger and smaller clubs on this beach of the island. No matter what your budget is, you will surely find a place to spend your time in a charming way in this clubbing resort of the island. You will find quality hotels and restaurants as well where you can stay and eat according to your taste and budget. Ushuaia and Hi Ibiza are the most famous night clubs located here in Playa d'en Bossa.

San Antonio

San Antonio is on the left bank of the island and it is famous for the sunset strips. It is the first choice of the visitors who plan to enjoy the nightlife and holidays on Ibiza Island. The hotel has no lack of restaurants and night clubs. It has the beaches which offers the best summer vacations for the visitors. The parties at the larger and famous nightclubs, including Es Paradis and Eden, stay on for the whole night until dawn. You can also find a lot of bars and smaller clubs in the San Antonio Town area. O Beach Ibiza and Ibiza Rocks are the famous beach clubs of this clubbing resort.

Ibiza Town

Ibiza Town is the capital of Ibiza and a high-class clubbing resort as well. It is a place which has international crowd, countless shops, quality restaurants, and super clubs. Pacha, Lio, and Heart are the famous night clubs of Ibiza Town. This part of Ibiza Island is famous for its historical and cultural norms and you would surely enjoy your holidays here.

You also have several other choices if you have a different taste and you want to stay at a quieter place. Santa Eulaila is a quiet place on this island where you will find a lot of restaurants, bars, and smaller clubs, but there is no larger club in this town. Las Dalias is also an option if you want to enjoy the village vibes during your holidays.

Nightclubs in Ibiza, The Shortlist:

Ibiza Island has a huge reputation in terms of having the night clubs. Here is the list of active nightclubs located in this region of the world. I will discuss each club in detail in the later half of this guide. The list includes (from Z to A): -

Ushuaia Club

Sankeys Club

Privilege Club

Pacha Club

Ocean Beach Club

Ibiza Rocks Hotel Club

Hi Ibiza Club

Heart Club

Eden Club

Es Paradis Club

Destino Club

DC - 10 Club

Benimussa Park Club

Amnesia Club

These are the larger and famous clubs located in different parts of Ibiza island. There are huge number of other smaller places which can serve you as a nightlife host with open arms. Some of these increasingly famous places are (Z to A): -

I would recommend you to visit these smaller venues as well during your stay in Ibiza. The promoters of these smaller and larger clubs include locals and foreigners. This diversity of promoters allows the visitors to enjoy newer themes of the parties and new music on daily basis. So, there is a huge diversity of music and dance in these clubs.

Buying Club Tickets

I would like to give you some advices in terms of buying the tickets for entering a nightclub during your stay in Ibiza. The summer party season opens in the opening week of May and closes in the first week of October. You can buy tickets online by checking the dates of the parties which you want to attend. You can also buy tickets from the clubs which are offering the parties and you want to be a part of them. I would recommend you to buy the tickets in advance as it will ensure your guarantee entry into the club. You can get the scheduling of the parties from the online resources.

Boat Parties

Nightlife is all about parties and Ibiza offers one of the most special forms of the parties known as "Boat Party". You will get a chance to visit a boat party on every holiday as there is no holiday without a boat party in the sea, in Ibiza. The fame and interest of people in boat parties moved the club promoters towards a trend of offering the special packages for the visitors. The special offer is to have a full day and night party which starts just before the sunset. The sunset at this island is a treat to watch specially if you are riding on a boat and there is a party scene. So, if you are going to visit this island then do not miss a boat party. I bet, you would love the day by saying "a day well spent in the sea". You need to book the advance tickets for boat parties as it will help you to stay away from any inconvenience. Some of the bookings get closed many days before the party. You must have to keep this factor in mind while planning your holidays in Ibiza Island.

Ibiza's Music bars, Sunset bars, and Bar-Lounges

Ibiza Island offers free-entry bars for the visitors with cheaper drinks. Drinking makes you feel relax and if there is music in the bar then you would love to spend some time there. I would recommend you to get some doses of drinks before entering into a nightclub as you would feel relaxed and enthusiastic. Dancing after getting drunk is one the most amazing feelings in the world. I would surely mention some of the most amazing music bars of Ibiza here: -

Rio Ibiza - Bar-Lounge

Kumharas - Sunset Bar

Number 5 - Bar-Lounge

Bambuddha - Bar-Lounge

Dunes - Bar-Lounge

Inhalar Ibiza - Bar-Lounge

Flaherty's Irish Pub Ibiza - Bar-Lounge

Linekers Ibiza - Bar-Lounge

Savannah - Sunset Bar

Café Mambo - Sunset Bar

Itaca - Bar-Lounge

Ibiza Rocks Diner - Bar-Lounge

Tantra - Bar-Lounge

Ibiza Rocks Bar - Bar-Lounge

Sunset café is one of the most popular bars in this region of the world. I would recommend you to visit it before going to a nightclub. Most of these bars stays open for late at night where you can enjoy drinks, sunset, music, and dance. Do not miss to learn some cultural dance steps while visiting this heavenly place on earth.

Beach Clubs in Ibiza

There is not any lack of beach clubs in Ibiza. Beach club parties are quite famous in Ibiza. I will share the list of beach clubs located in this region of the world. I would recommend you to attend, at least, one of the beach club party while your stay here in Ibiza. Here is the list: -

Nikki Beach Ibiza

Tropicana Ibiza Beach Club

Tanit Beach Ibiza

Amante Beach Club

Santos Ibiza Coast Club

Elements Ibiza

Beaconhouse Ibiza

Sa Trinxa

Sir Rocco

El Chiringuito Es Cavallet

Blue Marlin

Atzaro Beach

CBbC Ibiza

Cotton Beach Club

All of these clubs have their own attractive features which will surely make you feel relaxed and luxurious during your stay in Ibiza.

Tuesday Night at Amnesia and Thursday Night at Ushuaia

Ibiza knows what is best for your nightlife. Amnesia club has the arrangements for the Tuesday nights in which top-class music have been played and people anxiously wait for the Tuesday during 16 weeks. You must have to plan for attending one of these parties during your visit to this island. Missed Tuesday night party? No worries, the island have much better plan for you at Ushuaia as Ushuaia arranges parties for the visitors every Thursday night. Some of the famous DJs have performed in these parties last year and the expectations of high-class performances are present there this year. Dystopia, Kygo, and Guetta have performed their skills in dancing music during these parties. I would recommend you to attend Tuesday night party at Amnesia and Thursday night party at Ushuaia during your visit to Ibiza Island. So, you need to consult internet resources about the parties and performances prior to your visit to Ibiza Island. Moreover, book the tickets in advance as these nights are quite famous and the tickets are sold in a flash. I hope you will enjoy a lot during your appearance in these musical shows.

Are you a Solo Visitor? Ibiza welcomes you!

Spanish people are one of the liveliest peoples in the world. If you do not have a group of friends but you still want to visit a place and enjoy then Ibiza Island is the perfect for you. Ibiza is famous for the parties and solo travelers have the opportunity to visit this place for enjoying with the international crowd. You will surely find friends there as the people of Ibiza welcome travelers. I would recommend you to visit during the months of May and September if you are alone. These months are the busiest months on this island as it has best weather conditions during these two months. The rain is also expected during these months and you know, rain on a beach makes you feel amazing and joyful. Moreover, night parties and sunset bars also waits for you on Ibiza Island. I would recommend you to visit the historical places in the Ibiza Town as well. It will be one of the best trips of your life, even, if you are traveling alone. Ibiza beaches are the best one for the solo visitors.

Sunset on Ibiza Island

People ask most often about what is the best thing on Ibiza Island? After getting enough knowledge and information about the island, I want to give a statement that the sunset at the west coast of the Ibiza Island is the reason why people visit this lively place. There are many other reasons including clubbing, beaching, drinking, dancing, and most importantly relaxing. So, if you are planning to visit this amazing island then you have to visit the west coast for watching the perfect scene of the sunset from the middle of the sea during a boat party. If you are planning to visit then make a plan which makes you feel super all the time. This island will not let you leave it quite easily and you will take a lot of memories from here which you gathered during the nights on this island.

Party Season on Ibiza Island

The parties on Ibiza island are some of the most famous parties in the world. The part season begins in the first month of May and ends in the last week of October. There are hundreds of parties between these days which are waiting for all of us. Ibiza offers boat parties, beach parties, dance parties, and many others to make people feel "above the horizon". The season opens in the first month of May and the opening parties are always most enthusiastic and enjoyable. O Beach Ibiza, a famous beach club of Ibiza, has an event of Poolside Sessions on the 3rd of May which you should have to attend. "House in Paradise" is another event which would be hosted by O Beach Ibiza on 5th of May, 2019. You must have to keep an eye on these events if you are looking to visit this island during the opening season. Here is the list of the opening parties of Ibiza nightclubs: -

Amnesia Ibiza will host the opening party on 11th of May, 2019.

Eden Ibiza has announced the date of its opening party which will be on 3rd of June, 2019.

Heart Ibiza has announced the date for its opening party which will be on 23rd of May, 2019.

Hi Ibiza will open the season on 18th of May, 2019.

Ibiza Rocks will open the season on 17th of May, 2019.

Ushuaia Beach Clubs announced the opening date as 18th of May, 2019.

The clubs start closing the season in the months of September-October. Some of the clubs have announced their closing party dates and the details of them are as below: -

Glitterbox Closing Party - 6 October, 2019

The Zoo Project Closing Party - 6 October, 2019

O Beach Ibiza Closing Party - 4 October, 2019

Music On Closing Party - 3 October, 2019

HotBed Closing Party - 2 October, 2019

Kisstory Closing Party - 1 October, 2019

Hed Kandi Closing Party - 30 September, 2019

Lost In Ibiza Boat Closing Party - 25 September, 2019

These are some of the main events in the opening and closing season of the Ibiza Island parties. You must have to keep these parties in mind as they are the most amazing parties in the world. I would recommend you to visit in the opening season as everyone refreshes during the opening days of the season and the hotness stays on peak during these days. Some people love to join the closing parties as well. So, you have both options in your mind now and you can decide which is more suitable for you.

Ibiza is famous for the nightlife amusement for the young generation of the current era. Ibiza has a lot of offering in this regard. The nightlife of Ibiza is famous all across the world which attracts the people from every part of the world. Nightclubs, beach clubs, boat parties, bars, and pubs are the main parts of the nightlife in Ibiza. Ibiza has some of the world-class nightclubs which have huge reputation all across the world. You will see international gathering in these clubs and the island hosts entertainment lovers from all across the world. The tourism is the main soul of the Ibiza Island. Ibiza will not let you feel down if you have a great gathering and even if you are alone visitor. There are the opportunities for the virgin visitors as well. The virgin visitors are the one which enjoy the most on this island. In this part of the guide, I will discuss the most amazing nightclubs of Ibiza in detail. Let us start with the world's best nightclub Amnesia Ibiza.

Amnesia Ibiza

Amnesia is the most famous and best club on this island. It is, even, the best nightclub in the world as well, as it has won the best nightclub award for three consecutive year 2007, 2008, and 2009. It has also won the award of best global club award in 2011. The address of the club is Ctra. Ibiza a San Antonio, Km 5, Ibiza, Spain. The owner of the club is Martin Ferrer and the club was established in 1976.

Amnesia Ibiza can hold a larger number of the visitors at a time. 5000 people can enjoy themselves in a perfect part environment in this club at a time. The club has a glass roof which emits the hundreds of different colors of light. The club has two big rooms and a terrace which is quite expensive as compared to the ground. The club is famous for hosting live shows as well. Music On and Elrow are the famous parties which Amnesia hosts every year. People from all around the world join these parties. A party costs between 49 - 60 euros for buying tickets, 15 euros for spirit and mixer, and 13 euros for Beer. So, collectively you need to spend 90 - 100 euros on average for enjoying a night at Amnesia. One thing, I want to say here that be aware of thieves during your stay inside the club. The rush and drinking can cost you heavy price if you would not take care of yourself. The club is also famous for its opening and closing season parties.

Pacha Ibiza

Pacha is another one of the most famous night clubs on the Ibiza Island. Ricardo Urgell is the founder of this nightclub who founded it back in 1973. The address of this club is Av. 8 d'Agost, Ibiza, Spain. The club is a jewel in the crown of the clubbing throne. The club has an open floor plan for dancing and you will surely spend one of the best nights of your life in this club. This club is the main reason for why Ibiza is famous all across the world in terms of nightlife.

If you would ask a local about where to visit why staying in Ibiza, you will get only one reply from him as "Pacha". A party at Pacha costs almost 80 Euros for a person including tickets and drinks. So, it is not an out of budget deal for most of the visitors. The nightclub is located near to the Ibiza Town which is the main reason why it is too busy place. Moreover, you will find famous people there in this nightclub as it is a "hub of famous people". Solomun, F*** Me I'm Famous, and Flower Power are the famous parties which this club hosts every year. The opening and closing parties are also quite famous and in general Pacha is the king of Ibiza's Nightclubs.

Ushuaia Ibiza

Ushuaia Ibiza is most modern and well-furnished nightclub on the Ibiza Island. The club was built is 2011 and from the beginning, it got huge reputation in the region. The club is located in Playa d'en Bossa and it is famous for the high-class performance and high-class DJs. The VIP section and dancers at this club are unmatchable. It is a hub of the VIPs and the club closes at 11pm at night which is quite early closing.

There are several things which contribute in making it one of the best clubs of the Ibiza Island. Some of these things are: -

ANTS and Martin Garrix are the famous parties of Ushuaia which are attended by the international crowd. An average party costs 60 - 80 euros for one person including drinks and water. You must have to look upon the dates of opening and closing season parties of the club as they are the most amazing ones. Moreover, the poolside parties also have huge reputation in this region.

Hi Ibiza

Hi Ibiza is among the list of the famous nightclubs of Ibiza Island. The club is located in Playa d'en Bossa, Ibizam Spain. The club is launched by the Ushuaia Entertainment and it has a class in itself. The club is famous for the lightshows and it is divided into two big rooms. One room serves as a theatre while the other as a club. The club makes its visitors enjoyable by offering them music of every nature including techno, disco, trance and many more. The VIP amenities of this club are exceptional and you would love this place for sure.

It is a cost-effective place for enjoying the night as a party costs just 25 - 35 euros on average for a single person. The prices of the drinks are also reasonable. So, you can enjoy a party with drinks in about 50 euros. Not a big deal! Black Coffee and Glitter Box are the famous parties whicha re hosted by Hi Ibiza. If you want to attend the party at Hi Ibiza then you need to stay in Ibiza Town as it is closer to the nightclub. A taxi will cost you just 10 euros from Ibiza Town while it will cost 25 euros if you come from San Antonio. You can also use disco buses for travelling!

Privilege

There is no lack of world-class nightclubs in Ibiza and Privilege is a prime example in this regard. The choreography and architecture of the club make it more attractive thing on the Ibiza Island. It is the "biggest club of the whole world" and the main room is just like an aircraft's hanger. The club is located at an ideal location which is evenly close from San Antonio, Playa d'en Bossa, and Ibiza Town. You can stay anywhere in these three locations if you want to attend a party in privilege. The transport cost would be between 10 - 15 euros from these locations to the nightclub. The club is famous in the whole world for providing exceptional shows, outstanding parties, and more importantly, due to its vastness. Resistance, SuperMartXe, and Iamarichbitch are the most famous parties which Privilege hosts. An average person spends 60 - 70 euros including ticket, transport, and drinks for attending a party in privilege nightclub. So, it is quite payable deal for all of the entertainment lovers and night owls.

Sankeys

Sankeys is an international brand of clubs which has a huge reputation in UK. In 2011, they opened a branch on the Ibiza Island known as Sankeys Ibiza. It is famous for the underground dancing floor and music which made it a well reputed and distinguishing club of Ibiza. You would never control yourself if you are in there and music is running on. The underground music and dance field would make you fell "Jump in the Air". The club is located in Playa d'en Bossa and it has a good capacity of hosting 1500 people at a time in a party in there. The sound system and architecture of the Sankeys Ibiza are of high quality which makes it the first choice of underground music and dance lovers.

The club is famous for its underground (basement) music floor and the people (Warriors bandanas) working there are also a reason for its popularity. Never miss a chance of attending the Redlight and Unusual Suspect parties which are hosted by Sankeys every season. It has a low entrance price between 25 - 40 euros which is quite reasonable. If you have 50 euros then you can attend a party over there in the Sankeys with drinks. I would recommend you to book a restaurant in Playa d'en Bossa if you have a ticket for a party night but if you have other plans then you need to prefer Ibiza Town for your stay. A taxi will take you from Ibiza Town to the club in just 10 euros.

Es Paradis

Es Paradis is another famous and high-class nightclub located in San Antonio, Ibiza. The club is also known as the most beautiful club on earth. If you would visit the club then you would feel the same as you are present at a most attractive and enjoyable place on earth. It has a firm history and it is also one of the initiators of the Ibiza nightlife charms. The club is also famous for hosting a famous water party which is known as Fiesta Del Agua. The virgin visitors are more likely to visit this club as they want to see beauty all around. There are several reasons behind the popularity of this club including its historical traits, water parties, beautiful architecture, and pyramid roof.

If you have 60 euros then you can easily attend a party in there and enjoy beer as well. I would recommend you to book a hotel room near to the club but no worries if you are far. There is a great bus network in the area and you can reach the club from any part of the Ibiza Island to the club quite cheaply. Moreover, you can use the services of the taxis as well in just 10 - 20 euros.

Eden

Eden is another beautiful and old club located in San Antonio. It is one of the two super-clubs located in this part of the Ibiza island. The new owner of the club redesigned its architecture and made it splendid a few years ago. After that, the club has gained huge reputation in the region and its popularity reached up to new heights. Now, it is one of the greater options to enjoy the nightlife on the largest bay of the island, San Antonio.

The club is famous for its high-class sound system which makes you feel "vibrant" and you cannot stay away form dancing in that atmosphere. The most famous party which is hosted by this club is "Defected in The House". If you have 60 - 70 euros then you can easily attend a party at this venue and enjoy beer or vodka as well. So, it is a great opportunity for the virgin visitors to enjoy the nightlife of Ibiza in a reasonable price.

Apart from these clubs, there are several other smaller clubs which have huge reputation in the region and they are serving us by providing the charms of nightlife in Ibiza. The boat parties is another addition to the nightlife of Ibiza and there is no weekend without a couple of boat parties arranged by the clubs or locals. The people of Ibiza are amazing as they love music and dance. They also love the visitors and the place is full of love and charm. It would not be wrong to say that Ibiza has now become the synonym of nightlife. Ibiza knows what is required to fulfill the charms of the nightlife for its own people are for the foreigners as well. The virgin visitors are the one who enjoy the most on Ibiza Island but if someone comes here once then he surely comes again as well. A rise of international crowd starts with the opening of the party season in May and it ends with the closing of the season in September/October. I would recommend you to visit this place once in your life if you really want to see a dancing heaven on earth.

Conclusion

After discussing the nightlife on Ibiza Island deeply, I want to conclude here that Ibiza is the place which is full of entertainment. It is famous for the parties, music, and dances. It is an international hub of the clubbers. The party season starts in May and ends in the first weekend of October. You would surely watch your favorite DJs performing in the parties in the night clubs of Ibiza Island. So, you are advised to read the party calendar for knowing the exact dates of parties. You can also book the tickets for the parties online and always try to book the tickets in advance and as soon as possible. The Thursday night and Tuesday night parties in two of the largest clubs of Ibiza are the most important things to keep in mind while planning to visit this island. Night clubs, bars, restaurants, beaches, music, dance, and drinking are the key things related to this island. There is a huge diversity in terms of clubs, bars, and restaurants on Ibiza Island. This diversity allows you to enjoy without getting much worried about your taste and budget. You will get what you desire in the limited budget as well. The nightlife starts here just before the sunset and it keeps on until the dawn. Pre-bars, sunset bars, and nightclubs keep you relaxed during your stay here. So, if you are looking for spending some quality nights then Ibiza island is the perfect place for you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ibiza Nightlife * A Complete Guide [2022 May Update]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to Ibiza's premier nightlife guide. On this page, you'll discover the vibrant and varied nightlife scene in Ibiza. You'll find the perfect venue for you and your preferred night out. Whether you want to go all-out clubbing or if you'd like a more laid back dinner and drinks with a view, we've got your covered.

# data[].attributes.body
The majority of Spanish holidays have traditionally been religious in nature. Holy (or Maundy) Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Corpus Christi, the Feast of Saint James (July 25), and All Saints' Day are the most important at the national level (November 1). The Day of the Three Kings, or Epiphany, is the most important day of the Christmas season and the day on which children receive gifts (January 6) (Britannica, 2022).

Nonreligious civic holidays, on the other hand, have been rather unimportant. The Franco dictatorship named July 18, the start of the Spanish Civil War, a national holiday, although this was dropped once the regime fell apart. Constitution Day has been the official national holiday since 1978. (December 6). Catalonia and the Basque Country each have their own official "national" holidays, while each autonomous community has a regional holiday (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.body
Every hamlet and town has its own annual holiday fiesta, and they are the most important festivals in the life of Spaniards. Although these celebrations are religious in nature, honouring the local patron saint or the Virgin Mary, the religious aspect is sometimes overshadowed by the dancing and bullfighting that take place (Britannica, 2022).

Some of these festivals, such as Pamplona's Fiesta de San Fermn (renowned for its bull runs), Sevilla's fair, and Valencia's Fallas, have become worldwide famous and major tourist attractions (Britannica, 2022).

Every August, thousands of inhabitants and visitors assemble in the little town of Buol, near Valencia, for a completely secular, one-of-a-kind celebration where they throw tomatoes at each other. The festival, known as La Tomatina, began as a symbolic rejection of Franco's harsh reign. It currently commemorates the summer tomato crop, but it's also a great opportunity to drink red wine, eat paella, and socialise (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Bullfighting is deeply rooted within global historic traditions. But today, local public opinion leans against the tradition. Though the site includes information for tourists interested in attending the events, TripSavvy trusts its readers to make their own decisions on the ethics of bullfighting as an attraction.
One of the most iconic celebrations in Spain, the annual Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, is actually part of an annual festival known as Sanfermines in honor of Saint Fermin, which takes place each year from noon on July 6 to midnight on July 14.

The San Fermin Festival is split into the two parts: opening day and the other seven days. On opening day, the festival starts with the lighting of the chupinazo, a pyrotechnic rocket fired from a city hall balcony at noon, and revelers around the city participate in water, wine, and flour fights in the streets. The rest of the week, Pamplona settles into a pattern of 8 a.m. bull runs, 5 p.m. bullfights and nighttime parties.

The Pamplona Bull Run ( El Encierro in Spanish) and the San Fermín festival didn't really gain their current popularity until the early 1970s, but they've both been a part of Spanish culture for centuries. The bull run has origins dating back to the 14th century, when bullfighting became popular in Spanish cities and the cattle had to be transported through the streets, and the festival coinciding with these bull runs first started in the 16th century when the Catholic Church switched its holiday honoring Saint Fermin from October to July.

Now, the San Fermin festival and daily bull runs have become one of the most popular events for tourists visiting Spain in the summer. Each July, thousands of people from around the world make the journey to witness and take part in this unique cultural celebration. If you are visiting northern Spain this July, book your hotel tickets in advance so you don't miss out on the action of the annual festivities.

To save on accommodation costs, many people travel overnight from a city further away, or travel in the daytime the day before, party all night, watch the bull run and then travel back without stopping. However, this is ill-advised if you plan to run with the bulls as participants are expected to be sober and well-rested before joining the run.

It's relatively simple to get to Pamplona from a number of nearby cities as most have buses or trains with direct access to the city. You can take an overnight train or bus from Madrid, the capital of Spain, and the thriving metropolis of Barcelona is only a few hours further. Alternatively, you can also rent a car and drive from the nearby city of Vitoria, Bilbao (home to the Guggenheim Museum), or San Sebastian, which each offer cheaper accommodations away from the crowds of the San Fermin Festival.

Hotels in Pamplona during the festival are very expensive. A good alternative is to do a Pamplona guided tour, which can originate in either Barcelona, Pamplona, San Sebastian, or Bilbao and typically includes two days at the festival.

You can book a hotel (or campsite) in Pamplona, stay in a nearby city or stay further away and travel overnight, arriving just in time for the morning run.

There are many hotels in Pamplona, but a lot of these will be fully booked months before the festival begins. Also, as the whole of Pamplona turns into a party zone at night during the San Fermin Festival, getting a decent night's sleep might be difficult. However, if you stay up all night to enjoy the festivities, there's nothing better than being able to fall into bed after the running of the bulls in the morning. If you intend on sticking around for the bullfighting in the evening, you'll welcome somewhere to sleep in Pamplona itself.

To stay in private accommodation along the route, San Fermin Travel Central can help you book a place to stay during the festival. You can also book accommodations in and around Pamplona on your own by browsing websites like Tripadvisor.

The cheapest option, though, is camping, and the nearest campsite to Pamplona is Camping Ezcaba, which is about six kilometers outside the city. Other campsites are about 25 kilometers outside the city and include Camping Aritzaleku, Errota, Iturbero, Lizarra, and Camping Urrobi.

Since the days of the San Fermin Festival fall into a routine after the opening ceremony, you can rely on the Pamplona Bull Run schedule to stay consistent, so it's easy to plan your trip around the day's festivities. However, when the city's not out watching the bull run at 8 a.m. or catching the bullfights at 5 p.m., most residents and visitors to the city choose to sleep during the daytime so they can party all night.

As Pamplona isn't really geared up for tourism during the rest of the year, there isn't much of a tourist infrastructure to keep you occupied while others sleep away the day. The wineries of La Rioja aren't far away, but you'll need a designated driver for a guided tour.

Alternatively, you could explore part of the region around Pamplona-you might even find another bull run elsewhere in Spain. With plenty of great sights, outdoor adventures, and historic tours offered within a few kilometers of Pamplona, there's no reason you can't catch a bull run in the morning, head out to the countryside in the afternoon, and return for the bullfight in the evening.

The bull run is 2,750 feet (825 meters) long but the most action is at the Cuesta de Santa Domingo, which is where the run begins, and at the bullring (where everything finishes). Whether you hope to run in the encierro or you just want to watch from the sidelines, there are a few tried and true tips to help you have the best San Fermin Festival possible on your trip to Spain.

The difference between getting nearly the best vantage point at the Cuesta de Santa Domingo and the very best place to watch the action is about three-and-a-half hours-you'll need to arrive well before the bull run to get the best view. By 3 a.m., all the spots by the railings will already be filling up, but even as late as 6:30 a.m. (an hour and a half before the run), the crowd gathered is only one or two people deep.

While getting to the Cuesta de Santa or the bullring this early may seem like a tedious task, many revelers will be partying in the street while they wait for the run to start, so you won't likely get bored, even if you show up at 3 a.m. However, if you don't want to go through the hassle of securing a spot along the railings, you can also rent a balcony overlooking the daily bull run.

When it comes to getting the best and safest view of the bull run and opening ceremony of the San Fermin festival and Pamplona Bull Run, renting out a private balcony from one of the locals of the city is your best option.

Not only do you get to stay out of the way of all the mess in the streets, you don't need to stand in your spot for hours to guarantee a good view of the event. Additionally, balcony spots provide a few more creature comforts like blankets and heaters, televisions for viewing the broadcast of the event, and an unmatched view of everything from above.

However, the balconies can also be a little expensive to rent, especially since most of the action takes place in a brief flash as the runners and bulls continue down the route toward the bullring and out of view. You'll also miss out on a lot of the atmosphere and energy of the event by not immersing yourself in the crowd on the street level.

Since Pamplona's old town is like most older cities in Spain-with cramped buildings and haphazardly-arranged streets-each balcony will offer you a different view, and some will be better than others.

As a result, make sure the owner either shows you pictures or lets you see the balcony in person before you decide to rent. Choose a balcony on either the second, third, or fourth floors (known in Spain as first, second, and third floors), as views from further up will likely be difficult to see.

If you want to take pictures, make sure you know where the shadows will fall on the street below. The runs take place at the same location each year, at 8 a.m. each morning, which means the sunlight and shadow will remain consistent year to year.

There are a few essential items to bring in your backpack, each of which can help you experience the bull run, fights, and parties with relative ease and comfort.

Most people running in and watching the encierro each day wear white trousers, a white shirt, a red handkerchief tied around the neck, and a long, thin red scarf tied around the waist. Whether you're male or female, young or old, if you don't dress appropriately, you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Fortunately, although white pants are a little harder to come by in the city, you should be able to purchase a white shirt at one of the souvenir shops in town and a red handkerchief and scarf at the festival itself. Bring a blanket or sweater if you plan to stay out overnight though, as temperatures can get rather chilly in the early morning.

If you're into drinking, stock up on the preferred drink of choice for the San Fermin Festival: Calimocho (" Kalimotxo" in Basque). All you'll need to make Calimocho are two liters of red wine mixed with two liters of Coca-Cola topped with ice. Sharing your bottle of Calimocho is a great way to meet new friends.

Additionally, you should bring things to entertain yourself while you wait for the bull run to start or to kill time in the afternoon before the bullfights begin. A newspaper can help you find local events and attractions nearby while a deck of playing cards can help you meet new people and pass the time.

Finally, print the lyrics to the "Rezo de San Fermin," the chant that the bullfighters shout out three times shortly before the run takes place. Those who wish to participate in the run should learn it, and even if you don't, it's a great thing to know:

"A San Fermín pedimos, or ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro dándonos su bendición."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
See the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bullfighting is deeply rooted within global historic traditions. But today, local public opinion leans against the tradition. Though the site includes information for tourists interested in attending the events, TripSavvy trusts its readers to make their own decisions on the ethics of bullfighting as an attraction.

# data[].attributes.body
Spain has a rich, diverse, and illustrious artistic heritage that includes some of the most influential figures in Western culture (Britannica, 2022).

The Golden Age, which lasted roughly from 1500 to 1681, is regarded the most brilliant time in Spanish creative history, with lasting achievements in the disciplines of literature, theatre, architecture, and painting. Nonetheless, Spain has never ceased to be a culturally important country, with the twentieth century in particular proving to be a highly productive and creative period; fact, the first few decades of the century were dubbed the Silver Age (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It was the moment which set Spain on a course to become the greatest power in early modern Europe. On January 2, 1492 Abdallah Muhammad bin Ali, or Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil, the last Moorish sultan of Granada and head of the Nasrid dynasty, surrendered his city and handed over the keys of the Alhambra to the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. The Christian rulers had approached Granada accompanied by the cardinal of Spain, Francisco Cisneros, and a brilliant retinue of courtiers and noblemen, among whom was Christopher Colombus.

All the Christian royalty and knighthood wore Moorish dress, brocade and silk tunics and the waist sash or marlota, in a gesture of apparent respect, a visual statement to placate, reassure and suggest commonality. In reality, it was more an act of insolent appropriation and absorption of what was Moorish by the enemy. It was a gesture that epitomised the aggressively hostile ethos of the Reconquest, which manifested itself in a latent desire to usurp and eliminate that culture and religion. That desire finally became a reality in 1609, when all Moriscos or converted Muslims were expelled from Spain.

Boabdil rode out to meet them, departing from the Gate of Seven Floors at the Alhambra, down steep slopes offering magnificent views of the city he was about to leave forever. At this official, public surrender of Granada to the Christian enemy, Boabdil handed the keys of his city to Ferdinand, and was recorded as saying in Arabic: "God loves you greatly. Sir, these are the keys of this paradise. I and those inside it are yours."

Struggle and diplomacy

This moment of surrender has captured the imagination of writers and artists up to the present day - initially as one of supreme conquest and later because of the extreme poignancy of that ceremony of transition and loss. It marked a crucial encounter in a centuries-old clash between two great religions and cultures and symbolised the epoch-changing transition of the kingdom of Granada from Islamic state to Christian territory.

In the ten years before 1492, the kingdom of Granada was the theatre of one of the most significant wars in European history. The Nasrid sultan's territory was the last Spanish stronghold of a great Muslim empire which had originally stretched to the Pyrenees and beyond, and had included northern Spanish cities such as Barcelona and Pamplona. The fall of Granada was the culmination of that ancient battle between two major and opposing civilisations, which not only settled the cultural fate of a large part of Europe but also established the basis for the discovery of the Americas.

Manuel Gómez-Moreno (1880)

In that last decade of Muslim rule in Spain from 1482-92, sultan Boabdil - a raw youth of 20 who had barely left the confines of the Alhambra palace and had no experience of the world outside his dysfunctional family - rose to the throne as the 23rd of the Nasrid dynasty of Granada. In the ensuing ten years, he fended off the attacks of the indomitable Christian army with courage, bearing the inescapable loss of his Islamic kingdom and his consequent exile from Spain with dignity. Boabdil broke the mould of previous Muslim rulers in preferring negotiation over violence, peace with the Christians over war, and strove to find a way for the Muslims of his kingdom to maintain their religion and customs alongside their Christian counterparts.

As I have discussed in a recent book on the subject, the last Muslim sultan in Spain has become a potent symbol of resistance against repression, and of the forces of rebellion - a moral hero in his own right whose life matters today because he sought to save his kingdom and way of life through the path of negotiation and diplomacy.

End of days

The year 1492 is generally seen as a beginning, whether of modern Spain or the discovery of the New World. But what had ended was equally significant. For nearly 800 years, since 711, the Spanish peninsula had been home to a group of people who came as invaders and stayed to create a unique and sophisticated civilisation which bequeathed to Spain a lasting cultural heritage. One thing that was lost was the fertile cross-cultural creativity and renewal born out of the Muslim conquest.

Vincente Mostre (1613)

The sometimes uneasy coexistence of Christians, Muslims and Jews which had been such a significant part of medieval Spanish life was replaced by the serious confrontations and conflicts leading to the expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609. Instead of a society where members of three different religions lived together, Spain after 1492 became a society with a sole religion and language, a closed, suspicious place that repressed and eliminated difference.

The story of Boabdil and the fall of Granada represents a last stand against religious intolerance, fanatical power and cultural ignorance, in which issues of violence, tension and prejudice between Muslims and Christians were as pressing then as they are now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'These are the keys of this paradise': how 700 years of Muslim rule in Spain came to an end

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It was the moment which set Spain on a course to become the greatest power in early modern Europe. On January 2, 1492 Abdallah Muhammad bin Ali, or Muhammad XII, known as Boabdil, the last Moorish sultan of Granada and head of the Nasrid dynasty, surrendered his city and handed over the keys of the Alhambra to the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.

# data[].attributes.body
Antoni Gaud was the most recognised Spanish architect of the early twentieth century, as well as one of the most peculiar. He produced a distinctive style reminiscent of the Mudéjar, an architectural style that combines Muslim and Christian design, using an eclectic approach (Britannica, 2022).

Despite his posthumous fame, Gaud had no effect outside of Spain and less influence within it during his lifetime. The majority of Gaud's work was completed in Barcelona. The incomplete Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family is his most famous structure. Josep Llus Sert, Eduardo Torroja, Sanz de Oiza, Ricardo Bofill, José Rafael Moneo, and Santiago Calatrava were among Spain's outstanding architects of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, several of whom achieved international acclaim (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Antoni Gaudí’s Eccentric Style Changed the Face of Modernist Architecture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
His iconic Sagrada Família cathedral is still under construction.

# data[].attributes.body
Bars that are open all day usually serve food in addition to drinks, and it is common practise to have a snack before meals, particularly on non-working days.

Tapas, the most popular bar food, is made up of prepared dishes, many of which are fairly intricate and are frequently smaller versions of main-course entrees. There are hundreds of various tapas to choose from, but mushrooms in garlic sauce, marinated shellfish, Spanish omelette, lamb brochettes, and octopus in paprika sauce are some of the most popular (Britannica, 2022).

Spaniards enjoy wine and beer with their meals on a regular basis. They also drink bottled mineral water, despite the fact that tap water is completely safe in most regions of the country. Strong coffee is nearly universally consumed during breakfast and after meals. Although few people drink tea, herbal infusions like chamomile are very popular. Soft drinks are extensively available, both domestically and internationally (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Home Videos Entertainment & Pop Culture

Learn to prepare some varieties of Spanish tapas

Learn to prepare some varieties of Spanish tapas
Overview of tapas.
Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz

Transcript

Andalusia, Spain - Manolo Garcia strolls through the fields below his mountainside farm. He and his family have invited some friends over for an evening of wine tasting and he's looking for mushrooms to use in tonight's meal of assorted nibbles known as tapas. Manolo's wife, Rosa, will prepare her own finger food variation with almonds.

Using a trusty old nutcracker, Rosa removes the almonds from their hard shells. Then she pops each of the almonds into a dried fig and her cohetes are done. Spain is famous for its countless varieties of tapas in nearly every shape and size. With a bit of imagination and dexterity, you can turn practically anything into a tapa. Raw sardines are no strangers to the rainbow of possibilities. Rosa marinates them in sea salt and vinegar and lets them soak for three hours. In the meantime, she tends to the olives. Whether you opt for marinated olives, dried ones or both, no evening of tapas would be complete without them.

The same goes for almonds. Rosa toasts hers in a pan with olive oil and salt. Manolo's speciality is fried mushrooms. And his recipe is as simple as Rosa's. Simply sauté a bit of garlic in olive oil and add fresh mushrooms.

Meanwhile, Rosa's sardines are done marinating. She takes them out of the vinegar and lays them out on a platter with freshly chopped parsley and garlic. Finally, she drizzles olive oil over them to infuse the flavor of the sardines with the various seasonings. Now let's see how the mushrooms are doing. Manolo deglazes them with a bit of homemade white wine and lets them simmer in the fluid for a little while. And with that, his tapas are ready.

In the wine cellar, where Manolo's wine matures in oak casks, he, Rosa and their friends gather in a toast, and the evening of wine tasting commences. Tapas are an ideal food to enjoy at such an event, because they readily absorb the alcohol between sips. Originally, tapas were just a piece of white bread used to cover wine, beer and sherry glasses from insects. The word tapa roughly means lid and they were served free of charge with a drink. A tasty topping was often prepared by the bartender directly at the counter.

# data[].attributes.body
Cooking in Spain differs widely from place to region, and is influenced by local products and traditions. For example, Galicia is known for its seafood, including as baby eels and Vizcayan-style codfish; Catalonia is known for meat and vegetable casseroles; and Valencia is known for paella, a rice dish cooked with seafood, meats, and vegetables.

Gazpacho, a delightful cold soup made with tomatoes, garlic, and cucumber, is from Andalusia, while Castile's cattle-producing region produces sumptuous roasts and air-dried hams. Apart from a few dishes that contain small amounts of a mild chilli pepper, paprika is the most fiery ingredient in regular usage in Spanish cuisine. Otherwise, spices like tarragon and saffron are likely to be used to flavour foods (Britannica, 2022).

Pork, chicken, and beef are the most popular meats, while lamb is served on special occasions in many parts of the country. Spaniards are among the world's largest seafood consumers, enjoying both fish and shellfish. Legumes, particularly lentils and chickpeas, are also a staple in the Spanish diet (Britannica, 2022).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Need Help?

email customer support at marriott-activities@placepass.com or call us at 857-706-1976

Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities and the programs and products provided under the Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities brand are not owned, developed, or sold by Marriott International, Inc. Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities uses the Marriott marks under license from Marriott International, Inc. and its affiliates.

Tours & Activities

Favorites

Rental Cars

Member Exclusives

Help

© Copyright 2022, Marriott Bonvoy Tours & Activities. All rights reserved.

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Interactive Spanish Cooking Experience in Barcelona

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Enjoy a 2.5- to 3-hour interactive cooking experience with a local chef. Visit the La Boqueria market before preparing tapas, paella, and sangria. You will then be able to sit down and enjoy the freshly made meal.

# data[].attributes.body
The culture of Spain as a whole focuses on all aspects coming together to form one large group and community. Spain's culture adheres to a specific structure that is required for the country's overall success.

Holidays and fesitvals, food, languages, religions, governance, and history all come together in Spain to form standards and a functioning society.

All cultures are mixed or have been mixed in Spain, and each individual contributes to the society as a whole while maintaining part of their own values or beliefs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Emile Durkheim

"The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness." The Division of Labour (1893)

Theory Overview

Functionalism posits that society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each aspect of it works for the stability of the whole. Durkheim envisioned society as an organism since each component plays a necessary role but can't function alone. When one part experiences a crisis, others must adapt to fill the void in some way.

In functionalist theory, the different parts of society are primarily composed of social institutions, each designed to fill different needs. Family, government, economy, media, education, and religion are important to understanding this theory and the core institutions that define sociology. According to functionalism, an institution only exists because it serves a vital role in the functioning of society. If it no longer serves a role, an institution will die away. When new needs evolve or emerge, new institutions will be created to meet them.

In many societies, the government provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes the state depends on to keep running. The family relies on the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so they can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens who support the state. From the functionalist perspective, if all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. If all does not go well, the parts of society must adapt to produce new forms of order, stability, and productivity.

Functionalism emphasizes the consensus and order that exist in society, focusing on social stability and shared public values. From this perspective, disorganization in the system, such as deviant behavior, leads to change because societal components must adjust to achieve stability. When one part of the system is dysfunctional, it affects all other parts and creates social problems, prompting social change.

Functionalist Perspective in American Sociology

The functionalist perspective achieved its greatest popularity among American sociologists in the 1940s and 50s. While European functionalists originally focused on explaining the inner workings of social order, American functionalists focused on discovering the purpose of human behavior. Among these American functionalist sociologists was Robert K. Merton, who divided human functions into two types: manifest functions, which are intentional and obvious, and latent functions, which are unintentional and not obvious.

The manifest function of attending a place of worship, for instance, is to practice one's faith as part of a religious community. However, its latent function may be to help followers learn to discern personal values from institutional ones. With common sense, manifest functions become easily apparent. Yet this is not necessarily the case for latent functions, which often demand a sociological approach to be revealed.

Critiques of the Theory

Many sociologists have critiqued functionalism because of its neglect of the often negative implications of social order. Some critics, like Italian theorist Antonio Gramsci, claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and the process of cultural hegemony that maintains it.

Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when doing so may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees agitating for social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate in a seemingly organic way for any problems that may arise.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everything You Need to Know About Functionalist Theory

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness." The Division of Labour (1893) Functionalism posits that society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each aspect of it works for the stability of the whole.

# data[].attributes.body
The negative aspect of Spain's culture and history is that there are or have been too many powerful individuals who oppress the poor and less powerful.

People in government or with more resources tended to have more power and influence, causing the less powerful to adapt and pick up what they were doing. The less dominating people, on the other hand, have a tougher time contributing to society and succeeding since cultural change is more difficult for them to adjust to.

There are disputes and segregation between the mainstream culture and minorities in Spain since there are so many different languages, religions, and cultural distinctions.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Spain is a state split into autonomous communities, three of which-Catalonia, Galicia, and Basque Country-are denominated historic communities, having their own languages that coexist co-officially with Castilian, the official language of Spain. All the autonomous communities in Spain have their Statutes of Autonomy, the basic institutional legislation for an autonomous community, recognized by the Spanish Constitution of 1978. At the very least, this legislation encompasses the community's designation, its territorial boundaries, the organization and location of the seat of its autonomous institutions, its assumed powers, and, if applicable, the principles governing its language regime.

Catalonia is a pluralistic and multicultural society. Catalans, as a group, strive to achieve and to maintain an ethnolinguistic identity by preserving their economic, historic, cultural, and demolinguistic (speakers of Catalan) status, dimensions that allow them to compare favorably with the Spanish national group.
What is happening?
Today we are witnessing a very strong ethnopolitical polarization between Catalonia and Spain. In recent years, the strong anti-Catalan action of the Partido Popular Español (Spanish People's Party henceforth PP), an essentialist right-wing party in charge since 2011, ruling with an absolute majority from 2011 to 2015 and with a relative majority in the legislature initiated in 2016, has provoked a significant surge in Catalan national feeling. That is, the Spanish State do not accept the idea of a multinational and multicultural state. Spain from its stance as a unique and essentialist nation, is facing a Catalonia that claims recognition as a nation and a strong self-government. These demands have led to a strong polarization between the parties, to such an extent that the conflictive escalation has led Catalonia to consider secession.

Since the arrival of the Bourbons in the early eighteenth century, the Spanish elites have been building an organizational identity around a mystification based on "unity" and "common" language. This undertaking has had a powerful effect on the legitimation of Castilian Spanish's supremacy over other languages, and the representation of cultural and linguistic diversity as an issue.

One of the repressive strategies carried out by the current state government on Catalonia has consisted of putting legislative obstacles to the development of the Catalan language. We must bear in mind that the challenge for the Catalan society is to maintain its own language with a high ethnolinguistic vitality for community life and, therefore, as one of the basic identifying signs of its society. Those who speak Catalan as their first language also express themselves with an absolute fluency and without any difficulties in Spanish, according to the 2015 report on the Catalan language. Despite its resurgence, the Catalan language survives in a strongly adverse sociodemographic context, regarding its recognition and the right to its use, suffering continuous impositions of other languages and regulatory pressures from the Spanish government which strongly oppose to its use. The Spanish State refuses to fully recognize the Catalan language as an official language of the State and of the European Union. This situation is unique in the European Union and among developed countries with a democratic tradition.
Why is it happening?
Spanish nationalism is used by the PP to obtain anti-Catalan votes in the rest of the country, while keeping the main opposition party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español-PSOE) split into two groups that support, respectively, the plurinationality and the national unity of Spain. Thus, the PP, because of its conviction, convenience, or political profitability, keeps an immovable position, with a strict application of the law and a rigid interpretation of the Spanish Constitution.

The Spanish financial oligarchy operates in complete symbiosis with the State's political power. The degree of cronyism and corruption is very high (estimated at 80,000 million euros per year), and it serves their own interests and the irregular financing of the PP. For these and other reasons, the Spanish deficit has been growing unchecked in recent years and has a direct impact on the Autonomous Communities, which have had their incomes cut.

The territorial debate in Spain against the Catalan demands certainly is a very profitable asset for the Spanish government of the PP. Their policies aimed at confronting the Spaniards with the Catalans and arousing negative emotions against the Catalan people help the PP to remain in power.
At what moment does the polarization between Spain and Catalonia break out?
The current ethnopolitical conflict has a clear origin: the 2010 ruling against the statute of autonomy. The statute that the Catalans had accepted in a referendum was appealed by the PP who took it to the Spanish Constitutional Court-and this Court cut it mercilessly. This cut meant great frustration and humiliation for the Catalans and has had enormous consequences.

For seven consecutive years until today Catalonia has officially requested to hold a referendum on self-determination, to be carried out with the agreement and support of Spain, and has never obtained any answer other than "No." After many difficulties and obstacles, this consultative referendum was held in Catalonia without the agreement of the Spanish Government on 1 October 2017. The forceful actions taken by the Spanish government during the whole day was brutal: the state police that the Spanish government moved from Madrid and other points of Spain to Catalonia raided polling places and confronted crowds of voters. Despite the outrageous aggression on this day, the vote for independence won by a landslide.
How can the current conflict be moderated?
Intractable ethnopolitical conflicts such as the one can be moderated through communication between the parties, but this requires respect, recognition, and attention to the demands of the minority group. That is, it depends to a greater extent on the dominant group. And, due to the reasons explained, this attitude of dialogue is impossible with the current government who have pushed the minority group to extreme positions to defend their interests. Having pushed the political situation to extremes, the big economic powers realize that this situation can harm them (as the International Monetary Fund [IMF] has expressed itself in this regard) and have begun to step in.

Even so, at the moment, the Catalan people, after the overwhelming result of the referendum of 1 October, are still waiting for the Catalan government to carry out the secession and declare Catalonia independent from Spain, or to decide to delay its decision.

Let us hope in today's highly interconnected and globalized world Catalonia can only maintain greater sovereignty integrated in a Europe that shares and defends common values and diversity.
Featured image credit: 2012 Catalan independence protest on September 11th by Kippelboy. CC-BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The current conflict between Spain and Catalonia explained | OUPblog

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Spain is a state split into autonomous communities, three of which-Catalonia, Galicia, and Basque Country-are denominated historic communities, having their own languages that coexist co-officially with Castilian, the official language of Spain. All the autonomous communities in Spain have their Statutes of Autonomy, the basic institutional legislation for an autonomous community, recognized by the Spanish Constitution of 1978.

# data[].attributes.body
The materialism of Spanish culture pervades many facets of the country's culture. Their materialism culture has an impact on their non-materialistic culture, resulting in the formation of a true identity.

The main goal of Spain's concrete manifestations is to support and promote production and reproduction. Government, religion, law, and kinship are all essential and beneficial systems for generating material possessions.

Culture shifts are triggered by actual changes and adjustments. When new trends or better resources emerge, Spain adapts and builds culture around them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Travel Safe

Advice for travelling safely Latest news

A journey through the fiestas and traditions designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO

Human towers in Villafranca del Penedés, Barcelona, Catalonia.

none

A journey through the fiestas and traditions designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO

They are part of popular culture, traditions that persist and represent the identity of those celebrating them. UNESCO recognises them as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and you can enjoy many of them in Spain.

FLAMENCO

All year Part of traditional culture, mainly in Andalusia, but also in regions like Extremadura and the Region of Murcia. Flamenco can take the form of song, dance, and instrumental music, and we recommend enjoying it in a tablao, performance venues which are common in cities like Seville and Madrid; or in the cave dwellings of Granada. There are also two major festivals: Cante de las Minas (every summer in La Unión, in the Region of Murcia) and the Seville Bienal de Flamenco (held in even-numbered years, in September and October). More information

Flamenco show during the Noche Blanca del Flamenco (All-night Flamenco Festival) in Córdoba © Consorcio de Turismo de Córdoba

HUMAN TOWERS OR CASTELLS

In Catalonia, all year. Literally towers formed by people, which can reach as high as 10 tiers. The tradition of creating these towers or castells, as they are known in Catalan, is at least 200 years old, and they usually form part of village fiestas in the region. People of all ages take part. The base is usually the strongest men, with women and older boys forming the intermediate levels, and smaller boys and girls climbing to the top of these ephemeral structures. They are always created in crowded festivals, with the public lending support, and accompanied by traditional music. More information

Formation of the “castell” or human tower in Tarragona

LAS FALLAS, VALENCIA

In the city of Valencia, around 19 March. Humour, satire and fire form the core of this fiesta, with most of the Valencians taking part, filling the whole city with fun and excitement for several days. The largest squares and streets display large groups of satirical papier-mâché sculptures -the Fallas- as noisy parades and spectacular fireworks welcome the spring. Everything culminates on the night of 19 March, the cremá, when all the Fallas are burnt except for the ninot, the best sculpture of the year, which will take its place in the Museum of the Fallas in Valencia. More information

Bonfire in Las Fallas, Valencia

TAMBORADAS

In many traditional fiestas, especially at Easter. Thousands of drums beat in unison for hours and hours, day and night. At first deafening, the sound soon becomes fascinating and the trancelike state of the drummers seems to spread to those around. This tradition forms part of many popular fiestas, often relating to Easter and its rituals. This is the case for the tamboradas of Hellín (Albacete, Castile-La Mancha), Calanda (Teruel, Aragon) and Mula (Region of Murcia). The drum festival of Donostia-San Sebastián is also famous, held on the night of 20 January in honour of the city’s patron saint.

Details from the Tamborada in Calanda during its Easter Week (Teruel, Aragón) © Junta Coordinadora de la Semana Santa de Calanda

FESTIVAL OF THE COURTYARDS IN CORDOBA

In Cordoba (Andalusia) in May. Courtyards and squares are decorated with thousands of flowers, the scent of orange blossom and jasmine fills the air, and the streets echo to the sounds of flamenco. This is Cordoba’s Festival of the Courtyards, celebrating the traditional courtyard or patio, a space for family and social life. The residents decorate their courtyards with flowers and take part in a competition to find the prettiest one. Entertainment is held in the largest courtyards, mainly flamenco music and dance, filling the whole city with a festive air and welcoming the spring, at the start of a month of fiestas. More information

Patio in Córdoba during the celebrations for the Córdoba Patios Festival

LA PATUM FESTIVAL IN BERGA

In Berga (Barcelona), in May-June. Associated with the traditional feast day of Corpus Christi, this festival combines the sacred and profane in its origins, with parades and theatrical shows in the streets. The big event takes place in the main square, which is transformed into a fiery hell full of demons, angels, dragons, giants and dwarfs, dancing among the flames to the beat of the drums. The fiesta is especially lively after dark, and there is also a child-friendly version on one of the mornings. It has been held, almost continuously, since the 15th century. More information

Giants in the fiesta of La Patum in Berga © Agencia Catalana de Turisme - Oriol Llauradó

Summer solstice festivals in the Pyrenees. © R López Monne

SUMMER SOLSTICE FIRE FESTIVALS IN THE PYRENEES

In villages of Aragon and Catalonia on 23 June. Welcoming summer to the Pyrenees, this fiesta is celebrated in many villages in the Sobrarbe and Ribagorza areas of Huesca, Aragon, and the Alta Ribagorza, Berguedá, Pallars Jussà and Val d’Aran areas of Lleida, Catalonia. It is a cultural event which has survived over the years, typically involving a festive banquet and folk songs and dances, with practically all of the population joining in. Everything centres on fire, and the most common tradition is for the participants to descend from the highest point of the village with lit torches while they dance and make shapes with the fire. Finally, they light a large bonfire in the centre of the village to welcome the summer, and the merry-making continues. More information

FESTIVAL OF “LA MARE DE DÉU DE LA SALUT”

Algemesí (Valencia), 7 - 8 September. For the main fiesta of Algemesí, a small town in Valencia province, the streets are filled with theatre, dance and concerts. UNESCO’s recognition emphasises the high level of participation by the locals, who take part enthusiastically in the fiesta, which dates back to Medieval times. The parades attract thousands of people to the four historic districts of Algemesí: Valencia, La Muntanya, Santa Bárbara and La Capella. More information

Human towers in the fiestas of Algemesí, Valencia. © Rafa Esteve

ELCHE MYSTERY PLAY

In Elche (Alicante), every year from 11 to 15 August, plus on even-numbered years, from late October to 1 November. A unique opportunity to see one of the earliest forms of musical theatre, with a religious play depicting the death, assumption and coronation of the Virgin, which has been held continuously since the 15th century. It is staged in the Basilica of Santa María, with the performers singing the texts, in Valencian and Latin. The work is divided into two acts, each one representing a day. On the days leading up to the performance, there are rehearsals which are also open to the public. In all cases, you will have to buy tickets, and we recommend getting them well in advance. More information

CHANT OF THE SYBIL

All the churches in Mallorca celebrate this festival the night of 24 December. An example of medieval religious folklore which has come down to us practically unchanged, and takes place in almost every municipality on the island of Mallorca. The chant is sung by a boy or girl accompanied by the playing of an organ. At least two younger children take part in the ceremony, as well as people of different ages, ensuring the tradition is passed on through the generations. More information

OTHER POPULAR TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS WHICH ARE NOW INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

The most popular item in the category is probably the Mediterranean diet. This is a healthy diet based on olive oil, vegetables and fresh seasonal food, but just as importantly, meals in the Mediterranean culture are a time for family and friends to gather. Much less famous, but very peculiar, is silbo Gomero. This is a language in the form of whistling, used in La Gomera (one of the Canary Islands) to communicate over a distance, and currently used by over 20,000 people. The Falconry, in which birds of prey are tamed and trained for hunting; the art of dry stone walling (constructing walls without mortar), the irrigation tribunals of the Spanish Mediterranean (more specifically, the assemblies held in towns in Murcia and Valencia) and the artisan production of Talaverano-style ceramics in Talavera de la Reina and the Arzobispo Bridge complete the list of Spain’s UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

A falconry display. © Kamil Szumotalski

What to do

Travel plans for inspiring you

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Where and when to enjoy Spain's World Heritage fiestas | spain.info in english

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
FLAMENCO All year Part of traditional culture, mainly in Andalusia, but also in regions like Extremadura and the Region of Murcia. Flamenco can take the form of song, dance, and instrumental music, and we recommend enjoying it in a tablao, performance venues which are common in cities like Seville and Madrid; or in the cave dwellings of Granada.