Key Historical Facts and Figures from Spain and Beyond

Year of Discovery of America: 1492
Century in which Velazquez lived: 16th-17th century
Years of World War I: 1914-1918
Years of the Civil War: 1936-1939
What is the largest continent? Asia
What is the least densely populated continent? Antarctica
What is the most densely populated continent? Asia
What is the extent of Spain? 504,782 km²
Years of World War II: 1939-1945
Names of the planets in the solar system: Mars, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune
What is the largest planet? Jupiter
What is the smallest planet? Mercury
Provinces of Andalusia: Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Jaen, Granada, Huelva, Malaga, and Seville
What are the imaginary lines of the Earth? Equator, parallels, meridians
Who was the first to circumnavigate the globe? In what century? Magellan. In the 16th century
What is the highest mountain in the world? What is its height? Which countries does it border? Everest, 8,848.43 m, borders Nepal and Tibet
What is the most spoken language in the world? And the second? And the third? Chinese, English, Spanish
What province is the Monastery of Poblet in? Catalonia
What province is the Church of Santa Maria de Ripoll in? Catalonia
What province is Sant Pere de Rodes in? Girona
What province is the Monastery of Vallbona de les Monges in? Urgell
What province is the Monastery of Santes Creus in? Tarragona
Who studies archaeology? Archaeologists
Who studies anthropology? Anthropologists
Autonomous Communities of Spain: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castile and León, Catalonia, Extremadura, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, La Rioja, Valencia, Ceuta, and Melilla.
Autonomous Communities of Spain in March: Catalonia, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon, Valencia, Extremadura, Castile and León, Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, Murcia, and the Balearic Islands.
List of Austria’s largest rulers: Charles and Philip
List of Austria’s minor rulers: Philip II and Philip III
In which century was Goya born? In the 18th century
Bourbon Spain: Philip V of Spain, Louis I of Spain, Ferdinand VI of Spain, Charles III of Spain, Charles IV of Spain
In what ocean are the Falkland Islands? South Atlantic Ocean
Who discovered penicillin? In what year? Alexander Fleming, in 1928
Who will be the next king of the Spanish monarchy? Felipe de Borbón
What was created in Europe in 2008? Kosovo
What year marks the beginning of contemporary history? 1789
What year marks the beginning of the modern age? 1453
What year did the old age begin? 476
What country is Hugo Chávez the head of state of? Venezuela
Who is the current vice president of Spain? José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Who is the current Minister of Economy of Spain? Pedro Solbes
Who is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain? Miguel Ángel Moratinos
Who is the current Interior Minister of Spain? Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba
Who is the current Defense Minister of Spain? Carme Chacón Piqueras
Who is the current President of the Generalitat de Catalunya? José Montilla
Who is the current Vice President of the Generalitat de Catalunya? Josep Lluís Rovira Carot
Who is the current Minister of Interior of the Generalitat de Catalunya? Joan Saura i Laporta
Who is the current Minister of Health of the Generalitat de Catalunya? Marina Geli Fabregat
Who is the current Minister of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya? Ernest Maragall Mira
Who was president of Spain between 1996 and 2004? What party was he from? José María Aznar López, People’s Party
Who was president of the Government of Catalonia between 1980 and 2003? Jordi Pujol
Who was President of Catalonia between 2003 and 2006? Pasqual Maragall
Who is the current Minister of Justice of the Generalitat de Catalunya? Montserrat Tura
Who is the current Minister of Economy and Finance of the Generalitat de Catalunya? Antoni Castells i Olives
What Picasso work is globally identified with the Spanish Civil War? Guernica
Where is the Sea of Tranquility? On the Tranquillitatis basin of the Moon
What is the Spanish site of Atapuerca? In Burgos
What country is Mecca in? Saudi Arabia
Which year saw the expulsion of the Moors from Spain? Between 1609 and 1610
Who painted the picture known as “The Mona Lisa?” Leonardo da Vinci
Who were the four gospels? Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Who invented the printing press? What year? Johannes Gutenberg
Which city is currently known as Constantinople? Istanbul
Who started the construction of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona? Antoni Gaudí
Which Italian musician composed “The Four Seasons?” Antonio Vivaldi
What was the first artificial satellite? Who was it launched by? Sputnik, launched by the Soviet Union
Who was the first living being in space? Laika, a dog
In which city is the headquarters of the UN? New York City
Who invented the telephone? What year? Alexander Graham Bell
What does USSR stand for? The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
What day did Franco die? June 20
What day did the Tejero coup occur? February 23, 1981
In what century was Beethoven born? In the 18th century
Who is the richest businessman in Spain? What is his primary business? Amancio Ortega, Zara
What country is Las Vegas in? The United States
What country is the origin of sushi? Japan
What country was the exterior of the movie “Lord of the Rings” filmed in? New Zealand
What happened in Chernobyl in 1986? A nuclear accident
What exhibitions were held in Barcelona? When? In 1888 and 1929
What is the highest mountain in Catalonia? Puigmal
What is the largest lake in Catalonia? Banyoles
Who is the current president of France? Emmanuel Macron
Who is the current prime minister of Italy? Giorgia Meloni
What is the largest river in the world? The Amazon
Who invented the submarine? What year? William Bourne
Where was Picasso born? In Málaga, Spain
What day was the Second Spanish Republic proclaimed? April 14, 1931
Who was Roald Amundsen? A Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the Antarctic expedition that first reached the South Pole. He was also the first to sail the Northwest Passage, linking the Atlantic with the Pacific, and was part of the first aerial expedition that flew over the North Pole.
What is “WHO?” It is a town in Roussillon.
In what century was the Quran written? The 7th century
Who was Gandhi? An Indian philosopher and politician, known by the nickname Gandhi or Mahatma Gandhi.
What is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula? The Tagus
What sport was world champion Angel Nieto in? Spanish motorcycling
What year did the Euro come into force in Spain? 2002
How much is one Euro equivalent to in pesetas? €1 – 200 pts
Who was the first astronaut to set foot on the moon? Neil Armstrong
What year did man reach the moon? In 1969
What year did Spain enter the EU? In 1986
What is Fado? It is the most popular expression of Portuguese music, expressing the bad moments of life through song.
Who painted “The Garden of Earthly Delights”? In what century was it painted? Hieronymus Bosch, in the 15th century.