Spain is different!!! Compared to what: to the rest of Europe, to the rest of the world, or even to itself?
Generally known for Flamenco dancing and bullfights, beaches, rural people and loads of sunshine, Spain has much more than that and not just this.
Don´t get bored however a fair and brief overview is worth. Spain has an extraordinary artistic heritage. The art is influenced by a remarkable group of artists: El Greco and Francisco Goya and more recently Pablo Picasso, Eduardo Chillida, Juan Gris, Joan Miró, Modest Urgell, Gaudi and Salvador Dalí. Otherwise some numbers and facts can be easily found on internet; With a population of 44,3 milion people the most outstanding economics are: GDP(Nom) over the European average at the moment, very wavering power purchasing parity and currently the state of the house property market in the most important cities as in many other cities worldwide.
In Spain we are known for our diversity, it is not so well-known that we like to enjoy life in many different ways. This is reflected in many customs, traditions and lifestyles and this also has a lot to do with the way we express ourselves using different languages: Spanish (Castilian) :74%, Catalan: 18% Galician: 7%, Basque: 2%. All of them official and being most of the pople bilingual.
Spanish speak Castilian with a sort of accents that can be recognised with some litle previous grounding as we detect the people from Liverpool speaking “Scouse” or people from Newcastle talking in “Geordie”. The more or less approaching to the "Receive Standard" is unsystematic and hard to find.
Subsequently speakers from Madrid like to change the “d” by the “z” being at that time Madriz, additionally some of them, the real "Castizo” ones use the “j” instead of the “s” in some words, be careful with them :p The accent from Barcelona is soundly notorious nationwide. Catalans are everywhere, they like to travel and live abroad. Also they have a peculiar use of something similar to the “zs” instead the “s”. On the other hand the use of "s" becomes stronger in the south of Spain, finding the massive use of the “z” in all the cases.
This is just a brief approach to the different flavours in Spain. There is much more, come and see.
