Spain LEVELED BOOK • Y
A Reading A–Z Level Y Leveled Book
Word Count: 1,420
Connections
Spain
Writing
Research to learn more about the evolution
of the Spanish government. Write an essay
detailing the changes in Spain’s government
systems from the 1300s until today.
Social Studies
Make a timeline of at least five significant
events in Spain’s history. Then write a
paragraph analyzing how each event helped
shape modern Spain.
Written by Martina Deignan
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Spain
Glossary
aqueducts (n.) artificial channels that carry water
from one place to another (p . 10)
archipelago (n.) a cluster or chain of islands (p . 4)
artisans (n.) people who are skilled at a craft or
trade and who create items by hand
(p . 10)
currency (n.) money, in any acceptable form,
used to represent the value of
goods and resources (p . 7)
democracy (n.) a form of government that is run
by the people through free and
frequent elections (p . 11)
economy (n.) the circulation of money in
industry, trade, and finance
in a country or area (p . 6)
heritage (n.) a way of life, tradition, or
characteristic that is passed down
from generation to generation (p . 14)
parliament (n.) a group of government officials
who can make and change a
nation’s laws (p . 5)
plateau (n.) a large raised area of flat land (p . 5)
prime minister (n.) the leader of the government
in most countries that have a
parliament (p . 5) Written by Martina Deignan
strait (n.) a narrow passage of water www.readinga-z.com
connecting two large areas
of water (p . 4)
Focus Question
urban (adj.) of or relating to cities or towns and
the people living in them (p . 6) What is unique about Spain’s culture?
16
Spain
Words to Know
aqueducts heritage
archipelago parliament
artisans plateau
currency prime minister
democracy strait
economy urban
Front cover: Built in the early 1900s, Park Güell in Barcelona, Spain, includes
structures designed by famous architect Antoni Gaudi. Population: 46,785,909
Title page: Bolivian people living in Spain participate in a festival celebrating
traditions practiced by South American Indigenous peoples prior to Spain’s Land: 498,980 sq km (310,052 sq. mi.)
colonization.
Page 3: Citizens enjoy a theatrical event at a festival in Berga, Spain. Capital City: Madrid
Photo Credits:
Front cover, back cover: © Luciano Mortula/iStock/Thinkstock; title page: © Lito Primary Language: Castilian Spanish
Lizana/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images; page 3: © Gonzalo Azumendi/
Photolibrary/Getty Images; page 5: © JackF/iStock/Thinkstock; page 6 (left): (74% of population)
© Schon & Probst/Picture Press/Getty Images; page 6 (right): © apolloicdag/
iStock/Thinkstock; page 7 (top): © Xurxo Lobato/Cover/Getty Images; page 7
(bottom): © Konrad Wothe/LOOK-foto/Getty Images; page 9: © DavidLeshem/
Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
iStock/Thinkstock; page 10: © Zheka-Boss/iStock/Thinkstock; page 12: © Paul
Kingsley/Alamy Stock Photo; page 13: © KateSmirnova/iStock/Thinkstock; page 14:
© marina99/123RF; page 15 (top): © daboost/iStock/Thinkstock; page 15 (bottom
Name of Currency: euro
left): © asafta/iStock/Thinkstock; page 15 (bottom center): © Boarding1Now/
iStock/Thinkstock; page 15 (bottom right): © TKphotography64/iStock/Thinkstock
Spain
Countries Around the World
Level Y Leveled Book Correlation
© Learning A–Z LEVEL Y
Written by Martina Deignan
Fountas & Pinnell T
All rights reserved. Reading Recovery 40
www.readinga-z.com
DRA 40
Source: World O Meter Spain Statistics (2022)
Spain • Level Y 15
Antoni Gaudí
designed this
remarkable church,
which stands in
Barcelona, Spain.
Construction began
in 1882 and it still
continues.
Conclusion
Many Spanish people are proud of their culture .
Although many identify with the town or region
they’re from, their celebrations and festivals bring
them together as a nation . Some regions still try
Table of Contents
to preserve their own traditions, but the country
has been unified for many years . Where Is It? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Spain is one of the most lively cultural centers People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
in the European Union . It boasts an amazing Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
heritage due in part to the arrival of people
from many different parts of the world who History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
have brought celebrations, food, and architecture Celebrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
to Spanish culture . Spain’s history is long and
complex, and its culture and past actions have Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
impacted many parts of the world . Spain’s beauty Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
and the warmth of its people help make our world
a more interesting place to live in . Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
14 Spain • Level Y 3
Map of Spain Tapas
BAY OF BISCAY
FRANCE Tapas are finger foods that
Pamplona
P y rene can be eaten cold or hot and are
es usually served on small plates.
ATLANTIC Barcelona People serve shrimp and squid
OCEAN Madrid
ds along the Spanish coasts, while
H I slan
ic people serve sausages inland.
SPAIN ear in)
PORTUGAL Valencia Bal (Spa
Córdoba
A N E A N SE A Food
TE R R
Granada
Strait of Gibraltar
M EDI
Canary Islands EUROPE
Spanish people usually eat three meals a day .
ASIA
(Spain) Cueta (Spain)
A Spanish breakfast might be coffee, milk, or hot
Melilla (Spain) AFRICA
MOROCCO chocolate, a sweet roll, and sometimes cereal . They
eat lunch—the biggest meal of the day—around
Where Is It? two in the afternoon . Lunch may include soup,
Spain is a country located in southwestern salad, a main course, and dessert . Dinner is a
Europe on the Iberian Peninsula . It lies south lighter meal . It is served late, anywhere from
of the Pyrenees (PEER-uh-neez) mountains and nine to eleven in the evening .
stretches all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar—
Each region in Spain enjoys its own style
a body of water that separates Spain from the
of food . Regions near the ocean typically serve
continent of Africa . France borders Spain to the
seafood . People in central Spain often eat beans,
northeast, and Portugal borders it to the west .
lentils, lamb, and pork . Valencia, known for its rice
The Balearic Islands off Spain’s eastern coast dishes, is famous for paella—a rice dish that can be
form an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea . It is made with fish, meat, and vegetables . A delicious
a Spanish province known for its beautiful beaches and popular soup called gazpacho comes from the
and rich holiday traditions . The Canary Islands off Andalusian region of Spain . Made with tomatoes
the western coast of Morocco are a Spanish region and other vegetables, the soup is often served cold
and also a popular beach destination . in the summer as a refreshing meal .
4 Spain • Level Y 13
Celebrations The capital and largest city in Spain is Madrid .
Spanish people look forward to local holidays Its population is roughly 3 .3 million, with about
called fiestas, or festivals . These holidays often 6 .5 million people living in its surrounding area .
celebrate local harvests, historical events, or saints . Madrid sits on a raised plateau about 640 meters
Lively and fun, they include dancing, singing, (2,100 ft .) above sea level .
parades, and fireworks . The Royal Palace in Madrid is one of the
St . George’s Day, on April 23, is a time for grandest buildings in all of Europe . King Alfonso
people to give loved ones books and red roses . XIII—the last monarch to live in the palace—fled
In July, Pamplona hosts the Festival of San Fermín . the country in 1931 . After the king left, the state
During this festival, people try to dodge bulls as took control of the Royal Palace, and no member
they run through the streets of Pamplona . of the monarchy has lived there since . The
Spanish royal family now lives in a much smaller
National Day takes place on October 12 . This palace outside Madrid .
is the date that Spain first arrived in the Americas .
For Spanish people, it is also the date that honors Spain’s government—known as a constitutional
Spain as an important country in the world . monarchy—has a prime minister . It also has a
lawmaking group called parliament, whose
La Tomatina members are elected by the people . Their king,
La Tomatina is a Felipe VI, is the head of the government . However,
yearly festival held in only the elected officials can make and pass laws .
honor of a patron saint.
It is likely the world’s
The Royal Palace was built in the 1700s and boasts 2,800 rooms.
biggest tomato fight. Today it is used for state ceremonies and public tours.
At this festival, ripened
tomatoes are brought
in by the truckload, and
people throw tomatoes
at one another—just
for fun.
12 Spain • Level Y 5
Farmers grow more than two hundred For many centuries, Spain had been divided
types of olives in Spain. Spain overtook
Italy in 2014 as the world’s largest into kingdoms . The main ones were Aragon,
producer of olive oil. Castile, and Granada . Two of these kingdoms
became one when King Ferdinand II of Aragon
and Queen Isabella I of Castile married . They were
Catholic monarchs who won a war against the
Moors for control of Granada . The king and queen
set up the Spanish Inquisition, a group that killed
people who were not Catholic . The Inquisition also
pushed Jewish and Muslim people out of Spain .
Ferdinand and Isabella paid explorers such
as Christopher Columbus to find new trade routes
for Spain to Asia . When Columbus arrived in the
People New World (islands in the Caribbean Sea), Spain
The population of Spain is estimated to set up colonies there . They brought gold, silver,
be fewer than forty-eight million people . The spices, and enslaved people back to Europe .
urban population far exceeds that of the rural At the time, much of Spain’s wealth was built
areas . About three-quarters of the population on the slave trade with Africa and the Americas .
lives in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and other During the 1800s and early 1900s, inequality
smaller cities . between the rich and the poor led people to try
Tourism employs about two million people overthrowing the elected government . When that
and is very important to Spain’s economy . The failed, the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936 and
auto industry remains one of Spain’s largest lasted until 1939 . When the war ended, General
employers . Other industries include textiles, Francisco Franco took control of the country and
ruled as a dictator until his death in 1975 . After
food, clothing, shipbuilding, and the making of
Franco’s death, King Juan Carlos I became the next
medical equipment . On top of that, Spain proudly
king . He then made Adolfo Suárez—who brought
produces and exports more olive oil than any
democracy to Spain—prime minister .
other country in the world .
6 Spain • Level Y 11
Spain is a member of the European Union
(EU) . The EU began in 1951 with the countries
of Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg,
and Italy as members . Its purpose was to have
countries work together to solve common issues
Moors built the Alhambra, a palace and fortress, in Granada, Spain, such as trade, security, and the rights of citizens .
on a high point overlooking the entire valley. Most EU members share a currency called the
History euro . As of 2022, the EU had twenty-seven
member nations .
People from Phoenicia (fi-NEE-shuh) settled
southern Spain around 800 bce . Phoenicia is Spain’s official language is Spanish, or Castilian,
Lebanon, Syria, and Israel today . Phoenicians and most people speak it . Depending on the region,
were skilled artisans and sailors who traded people also speak Basque, Galician, and Catalan
ivory and perfumes for bronze and silver goods . languages .
Greek traders from Carthage (now Tunisia) Textile workers prepare
followed around 500 bce and brought with them clothing to be sold in
stores (right). People
olive trees and grapes . Then, around 200 bce, enjoy a sidewalk cafe in
the Romans arrived and ruled Spain for about six Palma, Spain (below).
hundred years . They made roads and bridges that
connected towns . They also built aqueducts that
carried water from rivers to cities .
Germanic people came from the north after the
Romans . Then, Muslim settlers known as Moors
arrived in 711 ce and ruled until the Catholic era .
Moorish buildings can still be seen in Spain today,
including monuments such as the Alhambra,
a palace in Granada built in the 1300s, and the
Great Mosque of Córdoba .
10 Spain • Level Y 7
Spain’s Landforms
The Pyrenees mountain chain stretches from
the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea to
P y re
ne e s
the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean in the west .
Me
The chain extends for 434 kilometers (270 mi .) .
se
ATLANTIC
ta
OCEAN
The western part of the mountain range is a
Ce
nt
l
ra
lush, rolling, heavily wooded countryside . In the
a M o r e na A
Si e r r EA N SE east, vineyards and orchards are plentiful . The
a l u si
an Sierra Nevada
R AN
A n d P la i n IT ER central region includes a rich display of granite
ED
M peaks, deep canyons, waterfalls, and hundreds
of mountain lakes .
Land
Several groups of people—the Andorran,
Spain’s varied landscape ranges from high Catalan, Béarnese (bair-NEEZ), and Basque—call
plateaus in its interior to dry, desert-like regions in the Pyrenees mountains their home . Traditionally,
the south . Beautiful beaches and mountain ranges they make a living through agriculture and
around the country create distinct environments . raising livestock .
The Meseta Central, a plateau in central Spain,
A wide variety of animals also live in these
covers about half the country . People mine silver,
mountains . The brown bear, a species of goat-
lead, and copper and raise livestock in the
antelope called the chamois (sham-WAH), and
mountains that border the Meseta .
the rare bearded vulture all live in the Pyrenees .
The dramatic and rocky Sierra Nevada
mountain chain rises over southern Spain, with
Mount Mulhacén (moo-lah-THEN) towering
over the entire range . The Sierra Nevada is part
of the Andalusian (an-duh-LOO-zhuhn) region
in the southeast . The Pyrenees mountains lie to
the north and form a solid natural border between
Spain and France . Forests of fir, pine, and oak cover the slopes of the Pyrenees mountains.
8 Spain • Level Y 9
