TERRITORY: Spain is situated on the south-eastern part of Europe it occupies the major part of the Iberic peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas and the Gulf of Vizcaya. Part of it's territory is also the Balearic archipelago situated on the Mediterranean sea and the Canary islands on the Atlantic Ocean next to Ceuta and Melilla. The total surface including the islands expands to 504.788 km2.

THE LANGUAGES: Castillian (spanish) is spoken through the territory. Valencian, Basque, Catalonian, and Galician is spoken on its own Independent Communities.

RELIGION: Cultural liberty is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution.

ELECTRIC CURRENT: 220 Volts CA

PASSPORTS AND VISAS: On your arrival in spanish territory you must show your passport or some piece of official identifcation document agreed on by international conventions. For the Principat of Andorre, the Principat of Monaco and Switzerland showing your national identifjcation document is enough for the members of the European Community. A Visa is necessary for the members of some countries, they must inform themselves in the Spanish Consulate of their country prior to their arrival.

DRIVING: To drive it is necessary to have a driver's license. If you are travelling in a rented a car you must carry written authorization from the owner. Among other papers it is very important that the car has an insured, because it is ilegal to drive without insurance.

HEALTH INSURANCE: To be able to benefit from Health Insurance it is necessary to complete a formm the E III. At your arrival in Spain you must present this form in the " Dirección Provincial del Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social" and a membership card will be given to you.

DOMESTIC ANIMALS: For cats and dogs a certifjcate of the anti-raby vaccination less than a year old and a certifjcate of good health will be needed.

MONEY: The unit of currency in Spain is the Euro. Coins come in the following denominations: 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50, 1 y 2 Euros, with notes in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 values.

CHANGING MONEY AN CREDIT CARDS: Every Bank as well and most hotels, airports, some train stations and travel agencies exchange foreign currency for pesetas. Travelers cheks and international credit cards are accepted in most shops. hotels, and restaurants. Cash stations will work with your International Visa card.

BANKS: Banks are open from 9:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m. every day of the week. They are closed on weekends.

POST OFFICES: Post offices are open weekdays from 1 0:00 a.m. to 14:00 p.m.. The main post offices in large towns and those in international airports have a 24 hour service. Stamps are sold in post offices and tobacco shops.

TELEPHONE: Public telephone booths are widespread through Spain. Instructions are printed in the interior in a variety of languages. Telephones public booths in the street are quite common and take Euro Cent coins. For international calls, dial 00, wait for the dialing tone and then dial the country code, the area code and the number. Telephone cards can be purchased from the tobacconist and the post office in units of 6 Euro, 10 Euro and 20 Euro and are particulary recommended for international calls.

VISITS TO MONUMENTS, CHURCHES AND MUSEUMS: Monuments and Museums are generally open from 10h to 13.30h and from 16h to 19h. Holidays: January I, 2, 6 March 19 Easter Thursday and Friday May l Corpus Christi July 25 August 15 October 12 November I December 6, 8, 25 As well as the Patron Day in each city.

WATER: The tap water, in general, is save to drink. Of course you can get mineral water, recommended specially in Barcelona and all along the Mediterranean Coast. In some regions of Spain water is preciuos thing so please do not waste it. It is for this reason that in some places it is rationed.

TRADITIONS AND SCHEDULES: The good clima and the long days explain why the spaniards go to sleep and wake up the latest compared to the rest of Europe. The schedule for most shops is from 9.30h to 13.30h and from 16.30h,17.00h to 20.30h, but lately most shops stay open through lunch time and open Saturday afternoons as well as Sundays. During the summer in touristic areas shops stay open from IOh to 23h. The restaurants usually stay open from 13.30h to 16h and from 20.30h to 23.30h. Bars stay open through the day and close very late at night. It is important to know that spaniards love the night life, specially in the summer when bars and clubs stay open untill 3h or 4h in the morning.

TIPS: Tipping is a tradition in Spain. Allthough the service is usually included in the prices it is usual to leave a tip in bars, restaurants, hotels and to taxi drivers. But this is only a tradition it is not an obligation.

TRADITIONAL HOLIDAYS: The historical tradition of these holidays , the diversity of heritages on which these traditions are based. as well the distinctive personality of each of the Spanish regions make spanish holi- days the most original and beautiful. The more than 200 diffe- rent festivities are of historical interest and some are worldly known. February is the time for Carnavals. The most interes- ting ones are those in Cadiz and Tenerife. These two cities celebrate this event with a musical torrent and a wide variety of colors. March is the month of Fallas in Valencia, the city is inva- ded with big sculptures made out of carton-rock. that resemble events and characters that are on the public eye at the time. The big final is on St. Joseph Day (19th march) when they are all burned down. Easter Week is a week of great beautiful traditional religious parades. The most significant ones are in Valladolid, Cuenca, Zamora, Sevilla and Malaga. April is asociated to the Spring Fair and May to the Rocío in Sevilla. It is a typical andalucían procession, strongly stablished as a tradition in Sevilla. Carriages and horses ride up through the mountains to the place of worship for the Virgin of Rocío which is situated in Almonte. Huelva. We will now introduce the San Fermines in Pamplona. The event takes place from the 6th to the 14th of July and during this week bulls run wild through the city streets.