Business Opportunities in Spain - Essay Example

The most interesting thing I learned about Spain is the increased immigration rate. The government did nothing to restrict immigration. But after 9/11 Spanish government is thinking in terms of restricting immigration.

“Up to the 1960s, Spain had a highly traditional class structure that was dominated by agricultural workers: generally peasant farmers in the north and landless farm laborers in the south” (MSN Encarta) but, since the 1960s agriculture has exhausted and the industrial development has started. The upper-middle class has grown considerably during this period.

Most of the women in the family remain as housewives till 1970. But the industrial revolution has affected their life also. Most of the educated women started to work and the family life concepts were changed since then. Spanish families have much more contact with their neighbors compared to other western countries.

Spanish people normally eat lots of fish and meat. They usually take food 5 times a day. The country has a very long border with lots of fishing harbors where you can buy fresh fish (Eating habits in Spain).

“The Spanish are formal by culture and the handshake is still the customary form of greeting but a kiss on both cheeks is normally reserved to those known well. When invited into a private home a small gift (but not flowers), is always appreciated. Flowers are reserved for very special occasions” (Spain-Barcelona-Entertainment).

“In 2007, Spain imported goods valued at $370.1 billion and exported goods valued at $239.4 billion (MSN Encarta). The increased rate of import compared to export resulted in a significant trade deficit. Motor vehicles, basic metals, fruits, and vegetables are the major exported items. Agriculture is one of the significant contributors to the Spanish economy.

In the 17th century, Spain’s painters and image-makers would bring forth a golden age of art. Religious imagery was a uniquely Spanish folk art form. Spain has contributed the first and most important isms in art. The most decisive “-isms” that would shape art in the 20th century was Cubism. A Spaniard, Pablo Picasso was its principal exponent (THE ART OF SPAIN).

Agriculture is still one of the prominent contributors to the Spanish economy. “Spain’s leading crops are cereal grains, such as barley and wheat; alfalfa; corn; sugar beets; olives; grapes; and tomatoes. In addition, a range of other fruits and vegetables are grown in large quantities, including potatoes, oranges, peaches, melons, apples, peppers, and onions. Approximately one-fifth of agricultural production, by value, is exported” (MSN Encarta).

“Between 2003 and 2007, Thomson Reuters indexed 141,118 papers that listed at least one author address in Spain. Of those papers, the highest percentage appeared in journals classified under the heading of space science, followed by agricultural sciences and mathematics. Spain's relative impact in space science, as the right-hand column indicates, was 7% above the world average for the five years (8.32 citations per paper for Spain versus the world mark of 7.80 cites)” (Science in: Spain, 2003-07).

“Although more than 90 percent of the population identifies itself as Roman Catholic, only about 35 percent of Spaniards attend church regularly” (MSN Encarta). The unrestricted immigration policies have resulted in many other people from different religions immigrating to Spain.