Some facts about Spain
Area: 504,780 sq km
Population: 44,108,000 (on 1st January 2005) 21,780,000 men 22,327,661 women
Capital: Madrid. (population 3,155,000) Currency: The Euro
Type of government: parliamentary monarchy
Language: Castilian Spanish (Castellano) 74%, Catalan-Valenciana 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2% All people in Spain can understand and speak castilian Spanish.
Life expectancy: 76 years
Religion: Over 98% of people are Roman Catholic.
Time: Central European Time = GMT + 1 hour.
International Dialing code: Spain is +34 To phone Spain you would normally dial 0034 then the number.
Spanish fixed phones start with 9 For example Madrid is 91 Barcelona is 93 Sevilla 95 Mobile phone number start with 6
The principal mobile phone companies are: Movistar, Vodafone and Orange
Opening hours: The normal opening hours for shops are Monday to Saturday from around 9am or 10am until about 1.30pm or 2pm. In the evening they open from 4.30pm - 5.00 until 8pm or 9pm. Most places are closed on Sundays. Hours may vary in summer.
Banks generally open from 9am to 2pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9am to midday or 1pm on Saturday. Hours may vary in summer.
Taxis have a green light on the roof when they are available.
Tipping: People normally leave a few coins after a meal if the service was good.