史上最全 Spain西班牙 中英双语介绍

史上最全 Spain西班牙 中英双语介绍

History

By 1512, most of the kingdoms of present-day Spain were politically unified.

("Spain" was a geographic term meaning Iberian Peninsula, not the present-day state

called Spain). Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor but called in Spain Carlos I, extended

his crown to other places in Europe and the rest of the world. The unification of Iberia

was complete when Charles V"s son, Philip II, became King of Portugal in 1580, and

the other Iberian Kingdoms (collectively known as "Spain" at that time). During the

16th century, under the reigns of Charles V and Philip II, Spain became the most

powerful nation in Europe. The Spanish Empire covered most territories of South and

Central America, Mexico, some of Eastern Asia (including The Philippines), the

Iberian peninsula (including Portugal and its empire from 1580), southern Italy,

Germany, and the Netherlands. It was the wealthiest nation in Europe, but the

uncontrolled influx of goods and minerals from Spain’s colonies in the Americas

resulted in rampant inflation and economic depression. Religious wars supported by

the Spanish crown further burdened the empire’s economy.

In 1640, under Philip IV, the centralist policy of the Count-Duke of Olivares

provoked wars in Portugal and Catalonia. A series of long wars and revolts followed

in the 17th century began a steady decline of Spanish power in Europe. Controversy

over succession to the throne occupied the country and much of Europe during the

first years of the 18th century. A centralized Spanish state was established and the first

Bourbon king Philip V of Spain in 1707 dissolved the Aragon court and unified the

kingdoms of Castile and Aragon into a single kingdom of Spain.

Spain was occupied by Napoleon in the early 1800s. After the War of

Independence (1808-1814), a series of revolts and armed conflicts between Liberals

and supporters of the ancient régime lasted throughout much of the 19th century,

complicated by a dispute over dynastic succession which led to three civil wars. Spain

was briefly a Republic, from 1871 to 1873, a year in which a series of coups

reinstalled the monarchy. In the meantime, Spain lost all of its colonies in the

Caribbean region and Asia-Pacific region during the 19th century, a trend which

ended with the loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines and Guam to the United States

after the Spanish-American War of 1898.

Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating

civil war (1936-39). Spain joined the EU in 1986.

历史

如今的西班牙大部分领土在1512年是政治上的统一体。（“西班牙”是个地理术语，指的是伊比利亚半岛，不是今天的西班牙国家）。神圣罗马教皇查里斯五世（Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor）--在西班牙被称为卡洛斯一世（Carlos

I），将他的王权扩展到欧洲的其它地区和世界的其它角落。 伊比利亚半岛的统一在查里斯五世（Charles V）的儿子菲利普二世（Philip II）时完成，菲利普二世（Philip II）在1580年成为葡萄牙的国王和其他伊比利亚王国的国王。 16世纪，查里斯五世和菲利普二世的统治时期，西班牙成为欧洲最富强的国家。 其领土包括南和中美洲的大部分领土，墨西哥，一部分东亚地区（包括菲律宾），伊比利亚半岛（包括从1580开始成立的葡萄牙和它的帝国），意大利南部，德国和荷兰。西班牙是欧洲的最富有的国家，但从其殖民地美洲源源不断流入西班牙的货物和资源导致了剧烈的通货膨胀和经济倒退。西班牙王室支持的宗教战争加重了经济负担。

1640年，在菲利普四世（Philip IV）的统治下，奥里维瑞斯伯爵（Count-Duke of Olivares）的集中政策引发了葡萄牙和加泰罗尼亚的战争。17世纪后一系列长期战争和起义大大减弱了西班牙在欧洲的力量。 18世纪早期，这个国家和欧洲其他的很多地区都发生了一连串关于王位的争夺。 1707年第一个中央集权的西班牙国家建立，它的第一位波旁王朝国王是菲利普五世（Count-Duke of Olivares），在1707年他解散了亚拉冈（Aragon）法院，统一了卡斯提尔（Castile）和亚拉冈（Aragon），使之成为西班牙一个独立的领域。

19世纪早期，西班牙被拿破仑占领。 独立战争(1808-1814)后，也就是19世纪 大部分时间，发生了一系列自由者和保守派封建制度支持者间的起义和武装斗争。 君主王位继承战导致了三次内战。 西班牙在1871-1873年期间成立了一个短暂的共和国，但一系列的恢复其君主政权。 同时，西班牙失去了在加勒比海地区和亚太平洋地区的大部分殖民地， 这趋势在1898年的西班牙-美国战争后， 西班牙将古巴、波多黎各、菲律宾和关岛划分给美国而告终。

西班牙在一战和二站中都保持了中立，但是在内战中(1936-39)遭受了破坏性的打击。西班牙于1986年加入欧洲共同体。

Geography

Spain is a country located in the southwest of Europe. It shares the Iberian

Peninsula with Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. To the northeast, along the Pyrenees

mountain range, it borders France and the principality of Andorra. It includes the

Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean,

the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in north Africa, and a number of uninhabited islands on

the Mediterranean side of the strait of Gibraltar, known as Plazas de soberanía.

Spain is dominated by high plateaus and mountain ranges such as the Pyrenees or

the Sierra Nevada. Running from these heights are several major rivers such as the

Tajo, the Ebro, the Duero, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir. Alluvial plains are

found along the coast, the largest of which is that of the Guadalquivir in Andalusia, in

the east there are alluvial plains with medium rivers like Segura, Júcar and Turia.

Spain is bound to the east by Mediterranean Sea (containing the Balearic Islands), to

the north by the Bay of Biscay and to its west by the Atlantic Ocean.

地理

西班牙处于欧洲的西南部，它和葡萄牙、直布罗陀和安道尔共同拥有伊比利亚半岛，在北部，沿着比利牛斯山脉它邻近法国和安道尔公国。西班牙的领土包括在地中海的巴利亚利岛（Balearic）、在太平洋上的加那利岛（Canary

Islands），休达的城市和在地中海直布罗陀海峡的的一些无人居住的岛屿，这些岛屿被称为Plazas de soberanía。

西班牙主要地形是高原和山脉，比如比里牛斯山（Pyrenees）和塞拉内华达（Sierra Nevada）。有很多大河流过这些山脉，比如塔霍河（Tajo）、埃多罗河（Ebro）、Duero河、瓜地亚纳河（Guadiana）和瓜达尔基维尔河（Guadalquivir）。在海岸边有冲击平原，其中最大的一个是安大路西亚

（Andalusia）的瓜达尔基维尔（Guadalquivir）。在东部有中等河流中的冲击平原，这些河有Segura, Júcar 和 Turia。西班牙在地中海的的东部（包括巴利亚利岛），北部是比斯凯湾，西部是大西洋。

Political System

Spain is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch and a bicameral

parliament, the Cortes Generales or National Assembly. The executive branch consists

of a Council of Ministers presided over by the President of Government (comparable

to a prime minister), proposed by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly

following legislative elections.

The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Deputies with 350 members,

elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms, and a Senate with 259 seats of which 208 are directly elected by popular

vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to also serve four-year

terms.

政治体系

西班牙是君主立宪制国家，君主的继承权是世袭的，实行西班牙国会或众议院的两院制议会。 执行机构是由政府首脑（类似于总理）主持的大臣会议，政府的首脑由君主提名，并根据立法选举由众议院选出。立法机构是由350名代

表组成的议会。这些代表由block lists的大众选举按一定比例的代表选出，任期4年。参议院有259个席位，其中208个席位由大众选举选出，另外59个席位由地方地方机关任命，任期同样为4年。

Education System

Compulsory education begins with primary school or general basic education for ages

6-14. It is free in public schools and in many private schools, most of which receive

government subsidies. Following graduation, students attend either a secondary

school offering a general high school diploma or a school of professional education

offering a vocational training program. The Spanish university system offers degree

and post-graduate programs in all fields - law, sciences, humanities, and medicine -

and the superior technical schools offer programs in engineering and architecture.

About 70% of Spain’s student population attends public schools or universities. The

remainder attends private schools or universities, the great majority of which are

operated by the Catholic Church.

教育体系

强制性教育开始于初等学校和一般的基础教育，年龄是6-14岁。在公共学校和一些从政府那里得到补贴的私人的学校义务教育是免费的。毕业后，学生进入普通高中或职校继续学习。西班牙大学提供各个专业的学士学位和研究生课程，这些专业领域包括法律、科学、人文、机械。更好的技术学校提供工程学

和建筑学方面的课程。大约70%的西班牙学生将进入公立学院或大学，其余进入私立学院或大学，大部分私立学校由天主教堂建立。

Population

Spain has an estimated population of 40.3 million. The main ethnic groups are

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types. The largest foreign minorities are

Romanian(500,000 - 1,000,000 unofficially) Ecuadorians (375 000), Moroccans (365

846), Argentines (300,000) Colombians (244,000) and British (121 107), followed by

other nationalities, as Chinese, Filipinos, Dominicans, Peruvians, Guineans, etc. A

sizeable number of Spanish citizens also descend from these communities.

人口

西班牙大约有4千30 万人口。主要的民族有地中海人和北日耳曼（Nordic）人组成。最大的外国少数民族有罗马尼亚人（500,000 - 1,000,000非官方数据）、厄瓜多尔人 (375 000)、摩洛哥人(365 846)、阿根廷人(300,000)、哥伦比亚人(244,000)和英国人 (121 107)，还有一些其它国家的人，比如华人、菲律宾人、多明尼加共和国人、秘鲁人、几内亚人等。 相当多的西班牙国民也是来自这些国家的后裔。

Capital Madrid

首都 马德里

Languages

The Castilian-derived Spanish (called both español and castellano in the language

itself) is the official language throughout Spain, but other regional languages are also

spoken. The Spanish Constitution recognizes the possibility of regional languages

being co-official in their respective autonomous communities.

语言

卡斯蒂利亚语（Castilian-derived Spanish）（在自身的语言中叫做español和castellano）是整个西班牙通用的官方语言。 但其它一些地方性语言也被使用。

西班牙政府认可在个别自治区域内，使用地方性的语言为官方语言的可能性。

Religions

Spain has no official religion. The constitution of 1978 abolished the Roman Catholic

Church as the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish

society. Roman Catholicism is, by far, the most popular religion in the country. It is

estimated that 94.0% of its population self-identify as Catholics, whereas 6% identify

with either other religions or none at all.

Economy

Spain’s mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is 80%

that of the four leading West European economies. The center-right government of

former President Aznar successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of

countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The

Aznar administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and

deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to that end.

Unemployment fell steadily under the Aznar administration but remains high at

10.4%. Growth of 2.5% in 2003 and 2.6% in 2004 was satisfactory given the

background of a faltering European economy. Adjusting to the monetary and other

economic policies of an integrated Europe, reducing unemployment, and absorbing

widespread social changes will pose challenges to Spain over the next few years.

Religions

Spain has no official religion. The constitution of 1978 abolished the Roman Catholic

Church as the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish

society. Roman Catholicism is, by far, the most popular religion in the country. It is

estimated that 94.0% of its population self-identify as Catholics, whereas 6% identify

with either other religions or none at all.

Currency C euro

Spain uses euro. The euro (€; currency code EUR) is the currency of twelve

European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,

Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, collectively known

as the Eurozone.

Main Sporting Events and Achievement in Olympics

Bullfighting is the most popular traditional sports in Spain. Besides the traditional

bullfighting, the popular sports include football, tennis, golf, basketball and possibly

cycling.

The 1982 FIFA Football World Cup was held in Spain. The Spanish football league

(known as La Liga) is regarded as one top four football leagues in Europe in terms of

its ability to attract top foreign players and the competitiveness of the league itself.

Real Madrid Football Club, arguably is the most successful team in La Liga and

Europe as it has won the Spanish Leagues more than any other Spanish team and it

has also won UEFA European Cups for a record of ninth times. Owing to its

success, Real Madrid FC has been able to attract top players likes Ronaldo, Zidane,

and rising star Robinho to play for the club.

Every year, Spain hosted a number of professional golf tours (tournaments), such as

the Mallorca Classic, Volvo Master, Open de Espana, on the European Tour. One of

the famous Spanish golfers is none other than Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros (born on

9 April 1957 in Pedreña, Spain). He was one of the golf’s leading figures in the

1980s and 1990s and he had won many titles in his professional golf tours, notably

The Open Championship” three times and “The Masters” twice.

A renowned international cycling competition held in Spain is the The Clasica San

Sebastian. This bicycle race is held every summer since 1981 in the Basque region

of Spain. It is traditionally a climber race, with several famous Grand Tour stars

claiming the race over its 25 year history. Spain also hosts the Vuelta a España

bicycle race which is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and, after the Tour de

France and the Giro d"Italia, the third most important road cycling stage race in the

world.

The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens was the nineteenth time that Spain had

competed. Spain won three gold, eleven silver and five bronze medals in Sydney.

The gold medals came from canoeing, sailing and gymnastics (men’s vault).

Gervasio Deferr won the gold medals in gymnatics (men’s vault) consecutively in

both 2004 Athens and 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Barcelona hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics.

Culture

Bullfighting or tauromachy is a sport that involves, most of the time, professional

performers (called toreros or matadores in Spain) who execute various formal moves

with the goal of appearing graceful and confident, while masterful over the bull itself,

these maneuvers are performed at close range, concluding with the death of the bull

by a well-placed sword thrust as the finale. It is a ritual spectacle that is usually

designated in Spain as an art and a culture of the country.