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The main objective of this guide is to assist foreign researchers who wish to come to Spain for work or research purposes, fellowships, exchange programmes, doctoral programmes, etc... in their search for information. This guide has been designed to answer the many questions researchers are faced with when they arrive in our country, be it alone or accompanied by their family. We have tried to present a comprehensive picture of the working conditions, everyday life and singularities of our country, as well as the different procedures required to settle in Spain.
Geography, Autonomous Regions and Population.
Spain, with a total surface area of 504,782 km, is one of the largest countries
in Europe. Bordered on the North by France (the Pyrenees) and Andorra, and on
the West by Portugal, Spain is almost completely surrounded by the waters of
the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean Sea. The Strait
of Gibraltar, 26 km wide, separates Spain from Morocco. In addition to the Iberian
Peninsula (except for Portugal and Gibraltar), Spanish territory includes the
Balearic Islands (Mediterranean Sea), the Canary Islands (Atlantic Ocean) and
the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, in the North of Africa. Spain is
divided into 50 provinces, grouped into 17 Autonomous Regions, which have competences
in the areas of taxes, education, transport, housing, health, etc… Spain
has more than 44 million inhabitants. On 31st December 2005, the number of foreigners
with valid residence permits in Spain amounted to 2,738,932: 1,958,091 in the
General Regime and 780,841 in the EU Regime.
Languages
The official language in Spain is Spanish or Castilian. Certain Autonomous Regions
also have a second official language, as is the case in Catalonia, Galicia,
the Basque Country, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. Although Castilian is
sufficient for everyday conversation, it is recommended that you speak, or at
least understand, the local official language if you are interested in working
in one of the aforementioned Autonomous Regions.
Political system
Spain is a Parliamentary Monarchy, with King Juan Carlos I as its Chief of State.
The Spanish Constitution dates from 1978. The main political parties are: PSOE
(united with the Group of European Socialist Party), PP (united with the Group
of the European People's Party), and Izquierda Unida (United Left, united with
the European Communist Party). There are also several nationalist parties with
varying levels of importance in the Spanish political scene. (CiU and ERC in
Catalonia, PNV in the Basque Country, BNG in Galicia, CC in the Canary Islands,
etc...).
Climate
Spain has a mild Mediterranean climate. In general, winters are moderately cold
and summers are warm, though with considerable variations between the different
geographical areas. The Mediterranean coast enjoys mild winters, with little
rain and plenty of sun, and hot summers. The North is humid and rainy, with
cool summers. Winters in the South are mild and summers are extremely hot (temperatures
can reach well over 40º). The heavily mountainous regions in the interior
of the country, with an average height of 600 meters above sea level, have a
rather dry climate with extreme temperatures that range from 5º in winter
to 40º in summer.
Time zone
The Peninsula and the Balearic Islands are situated in the Central European
Time Zone. The Canary Islands are located in the GMT Time Zone, which is 1 hour
behind the rest of Spain.
Religion
Spain is a non-denominational country, although the vast majority of its population
is Roman Catholic. Most holidays have religious backgrounds. Nevertheless, any
other form of religion is respected and protected under the Constitution. Most
big cities have places of worship for the major world religions.
Currency
The currency in Spain is the Euro, which replaced the former national currency,
the Peseta, on January 1st, 2002.
The history of scientific practice is Spain has always been marked by the lack of continuity, which is one of the main aspects that differentiate it from other countries.
Despite this, the history of Spanish science has witnessed several important events that are certainly worth mentioning, such as the big scientific leap in Spain at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, largely due to the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology to Santiago Ramon y Cajal in 1906. After that, already in the 1930s, scientific progress in Spain slightly slowed down, though shortly afterwards some of the most important scientific institutions of the country would be established, such as the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA).
Towards the end of the 20th century, during the 1980s, the Spanish Government passed the Law for the Promotion and General Coordination of Scientific and Technical Research (the so-called Science Law). During that same period, Spain became a member of the European Union, coinciding with the approval of the Single European Act, which laid the basis for the European Framework Programme for Research and Development.
Since then and until the present day, the growth of scientific activity in
Spain and of financial investment in scientific research has been considerable,
which is clearly evidenced by the increase in investment in scientific activities,
which has grown from 0.37% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1978 to 1.07%
in 2004.
