Spain
Spain, 1978 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Spain is a secular parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with King Felipe VI as head of state. A 1977 general election, the first free election in Spain since 1936, was followed by the approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum which re-established a constitutional monarchy.
Seat of power: Madrid
Rulers
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Monarch of Spain, 1975–2014
Although chosen by Francisco Franco as his successor, Juan Carlos helped dismantle the Francoist system and oversee the Spanish transition to democracy. In 1981, Juan Carlos played a major role in preventing a coup that attempted to revert to Francoist government in the King's name.
Felipe VI of Spain
Monarch of Spain, 2014 to today
Felipe ascended the throne on 19 June 2014 following the abdication of his father. His reign has been marked by the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and related 2017-2018 Spanish constitutional crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and initiatives promoting greater transparency and modernization within the Spanish monarchy.
Portrait of Felipe VI of Spain: Saeima, CC BY-SA 2.0, file
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Culture
- The official language at the national level is Spanish, the world's second-most spoken native language, although other regional languages also have official status in their respective autonomous communities.
- On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a basilica.
Picture
The Sagrada Família is a church in Barcelona designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, and it is the tallest church in the world.
Image: Canaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.