Student Articles

Spanish banking systems are considered among some of the best in Europe due to their profitability and higher than average operating income. Spain’s national bank is called the Banco de España or Bank of Spain. It is the centre of Spanish banking and was established in Madrid in 1782 by King Charles III, who then named it the Banco Nacional de San Carlos.

Did you know that there are over 1,800 rivers in Spain? This seems like a lot, but actually, many of them are quite short and only carry water during some parts of the year. It the hotter, dryer seasons, they have dry river beds, although when they do have water running through them, it can be with a swift current, which can be used to create hydroelectricity. As well as generating power, rivers in Spain are also important for feeding fertile land and transportation through the country.

The University of Salamanca was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX, making it the oldest university in Spain and one of the oldest in the world. To this day it has maintained its excellent reputation as an academic institution and throughout the years some great Spanish minds have studied and taught there, such as Miguel de Cervantes, Christopher Columbus and Miguel de Unamuno.

Las Ramblas is Barcelona´s most important street and without doubt one of its most famous tourist attractions. It is made up of a series of boulevards leading from Plaça Catalunya, which is in the centre of Barcelona, down to the coast, running a total of approximately 1.2 km. Traffic is only allowed to flow at each side of the wide street, leaving the central area as a pedestrian only zone. Las Ramblas is always full of people, attracted by its great market stalls, street artists and famous ´living statues´. Tourists should be careful, however, as the area is also known to be popular among thieves and pickpockets.

The history of the university in Spain began hundreds of years ago, when educational institutions were closely linked to the Catholic Church. The 16^th and 17^th centuries were known as the ‘golden age’ of Spanish Universities as a lot of academic progress was made, encouraging students from all over the world to come and study in some of Spain’s highly regarded institutions. After this period, the quality of the universities began to decline, although some still stand out as being among the most famous universities in Europe and in the world. There are currently over 1.5 million students in Spain, proving that higher education is a popular choice.

PREHISTORIC SPAIN

Spain has many prehistoric sites, the most famous of these is found in Atapuerca in the North of Spain near Burgos. The prehistoric park in Atapuerca contains both human bones and fossil remains. Archaeologists through their examinations of this material have been able to shed light on prehistoric Spain.

Francisco Goya (1746 - 1828) is one of Spain´s most famous artists, painting for the Spanish royal family for many years. The themes of his work are wide ranging, although towards the end of his life he notably began painting darker and more disturbing scenes, known as Goya´s black period.

Spanish ham, known as jamón, is an extremely important part of the Spanish diet and dining culture. Spain is the biggest producer of air-dried cured ham and its inhabitants are by far the biggest consumers, so make sure you give it a try next time you´re in Spain!

Federico Garcia Lorca is one of the most famous Spanish poets and playwrights. Although his life was short, 1898 – 1936, he produced some excellent works that are still famous today. He was born in a small town near Granada in 1898 and despite moving away from here in later life he always felt a strong affiliation with the countryside.

A glass of wine is the perfect accompaniment to Spanish tapas and therefore is an important part of Spanish gastronomic culture. Spain is actually the country with the largest expansion of wine producing areas, viñedos (vineyards) in the world, although excessively dry climates and infertile soils in some parts of the country mean that production is not quite as high, making it the 3^rd biggest wine producer in the world. However, for the most part, Spain offers favourable conditions for wine production: it is dry, receives a lot of sunlight, has long summers and not too cold winters. The diverse landscapes and climates of Spain mean that the different regions offer many different types of grapes used to make the wines, some of which are famous throughout the world.