Brown Book Loft Blog

People who live and work on Formentera know that is political landscape is shaped by Catalonia, and that the Catalan market is shaped by Spain. So this , then you will notice that it is a country that is undergoing significant changes. This is illustrated in the political system in the way that the centralist state has been replaced with a series of autonomous communities that have a significant role in major decisions. Spain’s membership of the European Union has led to changes too, with an influx of immigrants from various ethnicities.

Spain has a two chamber parliamentary system with the Congreso de los Diputados (lower house) and Senado (senate) with elections on a four year cycle. The constitution which set up the system is pretty recent and was actually formed in 1978. Politics starts at the local level with the ayuntamientos (municipalities) as these have their own mayors and town councils.

Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol has been one of Spain’s most significant parties since the constitution was formed in 1978. They have overseen the introduction of gay marriage, Spain’s entry into the European Union, withdrawal from the Iraq war, and entry into NATO. Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol succeeded Adolfo Suarez’s UCD as the second post-constitution party, and ruled for 14 years during its first term with four successive election victories.

In 1989 it was the Partido Popular that broke Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol’s stranglehold on Spanish politics. With new leader Jose Maria Aznar in place the party captured the public’s imagination.

The other main political party that you will come across if you are living and working in Spain is the Communist party known as Izquierda Unida, which literally means United Left. It uses the word united as it is made up of a host of smaller groups such as the Comunista de Espana.

An unfortunate fact of Spanish politics is terrorism. The Basque regions wields a large amount of power on the national stage through its Basque Nationalist Party (BNV), but it is the Basque Homeland and Freedom Party (ETA) that tends to be in the headlines as a result of their terrorist activities. When you are on the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera and their beaches such as Cala Saona you are still technically in Basque country so you should be careful, but terrorism is not widespread here. In 2003 new anti-terror laws were introduced to suppress ETA, but it still has a significant role on the stage of Spanish politics.

If you are visiting Spain then Formentera’s Cala Saona is a stunning place to visit. You can read more about it by clicking: http://www.formenteraguide.com/cala-saona/

Central Spain, Mediterranean Spain, Atlantic Spain, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands of Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, Menorca, these are all quite distinct parts of this European nation. It is really quite hard to sit down and describe the characteristics of Spain when it is made up of so many parts.

Attracted by the sun, sea and and sand, not to mention the Euros that are generated by tourism, most of the population lives in the many towns that run along the coast. The Cantabrian mountains are just one of the many mountain ranges that some people live in. The Picos de Europa mountains that have some of the highest rainfall in Spain, and this helps keep the area a lush green. Atlantic Spain is made up of the regions of Galicia, Asturias and the Basque Country.

The rich wine regions of roja and Ribera del Duero, the fantastic skiing of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the home to one of the world’s greatest football teams; we are talking, of course, about Central Spain which has Madrid, Toledo and Avila as some of its most significant cities. With most of the region perched significantly above sea level this is one of the driest parts of Spain.

The area known as Mediterranean Spain is geographically blessed. It sits between France and Portugal, and can thus draw on their culture and food to create some unique Spanish experiences and dishes. Furthermore, it has a stunning coastline, that whilst windy at time, is for the most part an area that is ideal for sun worshippers. The Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca are two areas favored by British tourists, and there is also Barcelona.

Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca and Menorca, the Balearic Islands, have some amazing weather, that is to say that it is even better than the rest of Mediterranean Spain. However, the area that is known as the Canary Islands enjoys even better weather, which is not such a surprise given its proximity to Africa.

So then, it is clear that Spain is a diverse country with different experiences to be had in its different regions. The traveler should explore all of them to get a true sense of this great nation.

If you are looking for a decent Formentera guide book, then look at http://www.formenteraguide.com/formentera-guide-book/ It has information on Formentera, its activities, and the like.

If you are planning on working in Spain then you should pretty quickly embark on studying the language of the nation. There are more than 400 million people all over the world speaking Spanish, and in Spain they call their language Castellano rather than Spanish. The reason for that is that Spanish started in Castile, with the earliest writings found dating back to the 970s. This Castellano was based on the Arabic of the Muslim territories below it even though it was a Christian language. The reason that so many Spanish words start with ‘al’ is because of this Arabic influence. The Castellano of Valladolid is said to be the most pure form of the language, but that is just one of the many dialects across Spain.

If you don’t study the language then you are still going to be able to get around in Spain, but you certainly won’t get as much out of your stay, or be able to access the country’s rich culture. Spanish is not that complicated and the grammar is easy. Intonation is used to change meaning, rather than complex sentence structures, and the spelling is not too hard.

Six million people in Spain don’t speak Spanish – they speak Catalan. So if you are going to Formentera, or another Catalan area such as Ibiza, Mallorca or Menorca, then you should study Catalan. However, the locals in those areas do also speak Spanish. Other languages spoken in Spain are Galician and Basque, and the Basque region in particular is very proud of its language and cultural heritage. Galego, Catala and Euskera (Galician, Basque and Catalan) and official languages of Spain so if you are going to one of those areas, tailor your studies accordingly.

Where Catalan is similar to French, Galician sits somewhere in the middle of the languages of Castellano and Portuguese. For survival in the rural areas of Galicia, then you need to put the effort in to to learn the language, but if that is not the case then there is no need to bother with Galician. Across Alava, Guipuzoca and Vizcaya there are about one million speaks of Basque. The Basque language has no clear link to any other existing languages and is a real puzzle to lingusits. If you decide to tackle Basque then you certainly need patience, and be willing to put in the hard work.

Certainly then it is well worth studying a bit of Spanish if you are heading over to that part of the world. And if you are in one of the regions that has its own languages then you should make the effort to learn at least a few words.

If you are searching for a Formentera Guide then a reasonable option to check is the following site: http://www.formenteraguide.com/formentera-guide-book/