The Romans took control of the Iberian Peninsula after a long and hard struggle. The Romans called the region Hispania. It was during at the start of the Middle Ages that Spain came under Germanic rule but then later it was invaded and conquered by Muslims.
After very long drawn out process, the Christians from the north gradually pushed back Muslim rulers, finally removing its last remnant in Granada in 1492, this was the same year Christopher Columbus reached the Americas. A Spanish global empire began which saw Spain become the strongest nation in Europe and it was the top world power in the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century.
Over many years there were lots of wars and this had a profound effect on the status that Spain had enjoyed. The French took advantage and invaded Spain in the early 19th century, this led to a chaotic situation with independence movements starting up that tore apart most of what was left of the Spanish empire. In the 20th century Spain went through a devastating civil war and came under the rule of an authoritarian government, leading to years of problems of unrest, but Spain finished this period with impressive economic stability. Democracy was restored to the country in 1978 in the form of a parliamentary monarchy. In 1986, Spain then joined the European Union; experiencing a cultural renaissance and continued economic success.
Officially the country of Spain, also known as the Kingdom of Spain is a member of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its borders are with the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east, to the north it borders France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the north and west by the Atlantic Sea and Portugal.
Spain also has some island groups in its territory including the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands which are in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that also border Morocco. With an area of 504,030 km after France, Spain is the second largest country in the whole of Western Europe and the European Union.
Spain was influenced by many cultures and peoples due mainly to its location, since stone age times and through the dawn of Spain as a country. Conversely, the country has been an important source of influence over other countries, chiefly during the modern era when it established itself as a global empire that has now left the world with a legacy of over 390 million Spanish speakers. This makes Spanish the world's second most spoken language by native speakers.
At 504,782 km2 Spain is listed as the world's 51st country by size. It is smaller than France by some 47,000km2 and is 81,000 km2 larger than the state of California in the USA.