Basic Spanish Geography Trivia Quiz

Answer: Madrid

Having had a long history before, Madrid has been the capital of Spain since 1562. Madrid is the place to see the famous Prado Museum, the restaurant El Botin which Ernest Hemingway (and others) made famous, and the Royal Palace, among many other places. It has been said that Madrid is the most Spanish of Spanish cities. It offers something for people of all backgrounds to enjoy.

Andorra's capital city of Andorra la Vella is the only European city higher than Madrid. It sits at 1,023 metres (3,356 ft) above sea level. Madrid is 667m (2,188 ft) above sea level.

Answer: Zaragoza

The capital in English is often written Saragossa. A novel by Jean Rhys dealing with the origins of Bertha Rochester (of 'Jane Eyre' fame) is called "Wide Sargasso Sea".

Zaragoza was famous as one of the Taifas, or independent Muslim states, following the breakup of the Cordoban Califate. It was also the site of several famous martyrdoms associated with the Spanish Inquisition. Zaragoza was one of the most heavily bombed places in Spain during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).

Answer: Vitoria

Vitoria-Gasteiz is the name of the capital in Basque. Three provinces make up this autonomous community: Álava, capital Vitoria-Gasteiz; Biscay, capital Bilbao; and Guipúzcoa, capital Donostia-San Sebastián.

Vitoria is the second largest city in the Spanish part of the larger Basque country. Its inhabitants are called 'bean eaters' in Basque. There are many manufacturers located here. It has sometimes been ranked second of all Spanish cities in its standard of living.

The origins of the Basque language are a much debated mystery. Most agree it's not Indo-European. In the modern day, many linguists have argued that it autonomously developed on site. The language was not written until the 16th century.

Basque is a challenging language. To say "I do not understand," one says in Basque, "Ez dut ulertzen."

Answer: Sevilla

Seville is the financial, cultural and artistic capital of Andalusia (or Andalucia). Seville is at least 2000 years old. The following groups have occupied or influenced Seville: Romans, Berbers, Vandals, Visigoths, and Moors. The population of Seville was decimated in the 1649 plague.

The famous University of Seville is situated on what was the first tobacco factory in Europe. Seville has an official motto--NO8DO--which is a rebus meaning "It [Seville] has not abandoned me." City of light and an unusually benign climate year around, Seville is a highly popular site of fiestas, processions, dance, tapas and copitas (drinks).

Answer: Granada

Granada is the city with the Alhambra and the Generalife, monuments built in the 14th Century during the eight hundred year period when Granada was part of the Muslim world in Spain (Al-Andalus).

Granada, called Ilbyr, was first settled in the prehistoric period. It has had an Ibero-Celtic settlement, active contacts with Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks who, in the fifth century BC, were settled there, and then the Romans lived there in what they called Illiberis. In the eighth century, the Moors conquered Granada which remained Muslim until 1492 with the surrender of Boabdil in what is called the Fall of Granada and the "Last Sigh of the Moor" during the Catholic Reconquest.

Incidentally, Christopher Columbus said that the fall of Granada gave impetus to his voyages since it demonstrated that Spain was destined to bring others under their influence.

Answer: Jerez de la Frontera

In the Muslim times, the phrase "de la frontera" was added to signify towns on the border between Muslim and Christian areas. Jerez has taken claim for developing the fortified wine which we call sherry. There are others who say it developed in Shiraz.

Overall, Jerez is famous for sherry, flamenco and the horse. The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art is said to be a rival to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

To give a sense of time, Jerez has been inhabited by many cultures, including
the Tartessic, the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Muslims, the Jewish, and the Christians.

Answer: Merida

Extremadura is the autonomous community adjacent to Portugal in Western Spain.
Be careful not to spell it Estremadura because that is in Portugal, near Lisbon.
To the east is Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real). This is Don Quixote country.

Merida was founded in 25 B.C. by order of Emperor Augustus. Merida became one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire. The excellently maintained ruins in Merida have given the city international fame. There is a Roman bridge,
an impressive Roman theater, a Roman circus, and a forum with an arch of Trajan.

Answer: Santander

Cantabria is called the "green Spain" because of the influences of the winds of the Atlantic Ocean. Cantabria is one of the most significant areas in the world in its archeological ruins from Upper Paleolithic times. Its cave of Altamira dates from about 16,000 to 9000 BC. It is one of many Spanish places designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

Cantabrian people have been named people who "live in the rocks". This region has benefited from the Bay of Santander which became a major point of connection between Spain and the New World. In 1941, Santander suffered a huge fire which destroyed almost all of the historic part of the city.

Answer: Santiago de Compostela

The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela is the destination of the significant pilgrim's route--the Way of St. James. The Christian Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella, founded here in 1495 the Hostel of the Reyes Catolicos. The famous University of Santiago de Compostela was founded here at the beginning of the 16th century.

Galicia is at the most northwest point of Spain. Its population density is low. Galicia has numerous stunning inlets called 'rias," formations which abet Galicia's fishing. The coast has been called "the Seafood Coast."

During the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1936-1975), himself a Galician from Ferrol, the statute of autonomy for Galicia (and Catalonia and the Basque provinces) was annulled.

Answer: Pamplona

Well, just about everyone has heard of the running of the bulls in Spain. This happens yearly during the San Fermin Festival from July 7 - July 14. In 74-75 BC, the Roman general Pompey made what would become Pamplona the center of his struggle against Sertorius. By the time of the eighth century, the Moors and the Franks fought for control of Pamplona. Charlemagne destroyed the city walls after his defeat in Zaragoza. Pamplona has historically been a fortress city. It has been a fought-after city involved in the Carlist Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and others. In the modern day, it has become a city with a very high standard of living.

Navarre is forever famous for its role as part of the Spanish Reconquest, because of a battle, Las Naves de Tolosa, in 1212 which drove the Muslim power in Spain to the south. The climate of Navarre has both the effects of the Pyrenees as well as the drier Ebro River steppes.

Navarre is globally important in terms of wine production. La Rioja wines are a celebrated red wine. Finally, Navarre is one of the European leaders of renewable energy, wind power and other sources.

Answer: Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay lies along the western coast of France from Brest to the Spanish border, and from the northern coast of Spain west to Punta de Estaca de Bares. It is named for the Spanish province of Biscay.

The weather is notoriously gloomy and can be hazardous due to very bad storms.

Answer: Atlantic Ocean

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Europe (Spain) and Africa (Morocco specifically) are separated by 7.4 nautical miles. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south and east of mainland Spain. The Atlantic Ocean meets Spain in the provinces of Cadiz and Huelva.

Answer: 492,000 square kilometers

Here, your answer needs to reflect only the size of peninsular Spain. Spanish territories also include the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. This size also includes the cities (or enclaves as they are often called) of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa. Ceuta is about 23 square kilometers and is governed by the province of Cadiz. Melilla is about ten square kilometers and is governed by the administration of Malaga.

Answer: Palma de Mallorca

This sensational group of islands includes Mallorca, Menorca and Cabrera in the north, and Ibiza and Formentera in the southwest. The island was conquered by James I of Aragon; prior to that, it was under Moorish or Arab domination.

There are at least 300 glorious days of sun annually.

Palma de Mallorca, the capital, has been called "The Pearl of the Mediterranean". Much of its downtown was built over the sacked buildings of the Moorish Alcazar destroyed during the Spanish Reconquest. The local language is Catalan.

Canary Islands are an archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa. It has two capitals-- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Answer: Oviedo

Oviedo was founded by two monks in 761. It hosts annually the Prince of Asturias Awards. In 2007, Bob Dylan won it in the Arts and Al Gore in the area of International Cooperation. Oviedo was also a central city in Woody Allen's film "Vicky Christina Barcelona."

Given the mountainous features of Asturias, Asturias never was completely under Moorish control. This area in fact became the birthplace of the Reconquest. In the eighteenth century, Asturias was the center of the Spanish Enlightenment with scholars and writers like Benito de Feijoo and Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos. During the Spanish Civil War, there was briefly a socialist republic there which Franco's troops violently defeated. During Franco's life, Asturias was called "the Province of Oviedo."