Spain

Spain - Is officially known as the Kingdom of Spain. Spain is a European Country and shares borders with the Mediterranean Sea, except for a small land boundary with (Gibraltar which is part of the United Kingdom), France, Andorra, Portugal, the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the European Union in 1986) have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. As of 2007, Spain is eighth largest economy in the world based on nominal Gross Domestic Product. Despite the economy's relative solid footing significant downside risks remain including Spain's continued loss of competitiveness, the potential for a housing market collapse, the country's changing demographic profile, and a decline in European Union structural funds.
Archeological research at Atapuerca indicates the Iberian Peninsula was peopled 1.2 million years ago. Modern humans in the form of Cro-Magnons began arriving in the Iberian Peninsula through the Pyrenees some 35,000 years ago.