Cirnate and Sol:I.—The climate of Spain, owing to the extent and configuration of the country, is exceedingly various. In the n.w. (maritime) provinces, it is damp and rainy during the greater cart of the year; at Madrid, which is situated about 11° s. of London, and only 5° n. of the shores of Africa, winters have occurred of such severity, that senti nels, while on duty, have been frozen to death; while the s. and e. provinces are warm in winter, and are exposed to burning winds from the s., and to an almost tropical heat in summer. Both ancient and modern geographers have adopted difference of climate as the rule for the peninsula into tracts distinct as well in soil and vegetation as in temperature. Of these tracts or zones the first and most northern may be considered as embracing Galicia, Asturias, the Basque provinces, Navarre, Catalonia, and the northern districts of Old Castile and ragou. In this tract the winters are long, and the springs and autumns rainy, while e. and u.e. winds blow cold from the snow-covered Pyi•enees. The country, which alternates with hill and dale, is plentifully watered by streams rich in fish, and meadows yielding rich pasturage abound. Corn scarcely ripens in the more exposed districts, but grain crops of all kinds are produced in others, as well as cider, wine, and valuable timber. The middle zone is formed mainly by the great central plateau, and embraces northern Valencia. New Castile, Leon, and Estre madura, with the s. parts of Old Castile and Aragon. The climate of the great part of this region is pleasant only in spring and autumn. Throughout the chilly winter, the treeless tattle-lands are over-swept by violent tempests, and in summer are burned up by the sun. The soil is generally fertile, and corn and wine are most abundantly produced. The southern or BfOtieftll zone, comprising the rich country that extends between the southern wall of the central plateau and the Mediterranean shores, includes Andalusia, Murcia, and southern Valencia. The stony rampart on the n. protects it from the chilly winds of the central zone; but it is unprotected against the hot winds (the Solana. see Satoox) which in summer blow n. from Africa, and render this :,eason intolerable to northern Europeans. Here the winter is temperate, and the spring and autumn delight ful beyond description. The descent from the cold and mountainous central regions to this tract of tropical heat and ferWity affords a most striking contrast. The soil, which is artificially irrigated, is well adapted to agriculture and the cultivation of beat-loving fruits. The products comprise sugar, cotton, and rice, and the orange, lemon, and date.
ffaterial Revival of Spain; Population; and Distri&ution of Land.—Owing to a num ber of causes, Spain, at one time the most opulent kingdom in Europe, had in the 18ea c. lapsed into a state of complete stagnation; the spirit of enterprise seemed extinct, and ease and squalor to be preferred to labor and affluence. Before the commencement of the present century, however, the country began to throw off its lethargy, and since that time the rate at which it has been advancing toward a healthy condition of active life has become gradually accelerated. Since 1851 the onward movement of the nation ha' been as rapid as that of any of the great European powers. The population has greatly increased, and is increasing; agriculture, previously stagnant, is now carried on with activity and success; manufactures are multiplying rapidly; and railways, of which in the of 1848, not a mile had.been constructed, are now in process of being laid out between all the great centers of population-3,810 m. having been completed in 1875. A view of the increase of the population, the first basis of power, will afford an index of the growing prosperity of the country. The estimates of the population of
Spain for various periods between the beginning of the 16th c. and the middle of the 18th c. vary considerably; but it is certain that there was a gradual decrease of from 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 of inhabitants between the years 1500 and 1700. With regard to later times, we have the following authentic statement: Year. Population.
1768 9,159,999 1797 10,541,221 1857 15,464,340 1860 . .15,673,536 1870 16,635,506 It thus appears that in about a century the population of Spain has increased over 7,000,000. Comparing the census of May, 1857, with that of Dee., 1870, we find that the provinces in which the population has most largely increased are Madrid, Barcelona, Pontevedra, Seville, Cadiz, Valencia, Alicante. Oviedo, Zaragoza, Jaen, and Guadalajara. These are for the most part maritime provinces, or such as, from their vicinity to the coast, have facilities for communication with the sea; and, this being the case, it may be fairly argued that the rapid extension of the railway system now going on, will—besides act ing favorably on the whole kingdom—have a specially beneficial effect upon the interior provinces. In agriculture as well as in population, the onward movement has been remarkable. The vast mountains of the country affording for the most part only scanty crops of herbage, are utilized as pasture-grounds, and are into large farms. But in the warns and fertile plains, especially in localities where water is abundant, the farms are small. In 1860 there were 3,426,063 farms of all sizes, of which 750.000 were occupied by tenants, and the others by proprietors. Over 40 her cent of the WLU:e sur face of the kingdom is still uncultivated.
Origin of the People.—The Spaniards are a mixed race, and have sprung from a greater variety of stocks than any other European nation. The bulk of the people is doubtless descended in the main from the ancient Celtiberian occupants of the peninsula. At an early time, however, there were extensive Pheniciiin and Carthaginian settlements in Spain, especially on the eastern sea board. Later, the country was penetrated with Roman elements. and was Romanized throughout, save in the Basque (q.v.) country, where Pse ancient speech still lives on intact, Gothic invasions left a large Germanic strain in the blood of Spain, which may yet be plainly traced in the hill country of the n.e. The Arab conquerors of Spain planted themselves too firmly on Spanish soil to be utterly expelled; and the Mo•iscoes (see Moons) are still, to the number of 60,000. easily distinguishable by their tongue and other peculiarities. In the s. and center Gypsies (Gitanos) are numerous, and there are some Jews. One result of this commingling of races may be seen in the strongly marked provincial peculiarities of Spain, extending not merely to dialectal differences, but to physique, character, and amusements. The Castilian is the literary language of Spain; the Andalusian diverges somewhat broadly from it; in Catalonia, Valencia, and on the Balearic isles, the prevailing dialect is closely allied to Provencal; while in the Basque provinces the old tongue is still in universal use among the people. Until lately (see FuEnos), the Basques enjoyed quote peculiar privileges as to local government and administration. In spite of great local differences of character, the Spaniard is generally temperate, and his few wants are easily satisfied. He requires a daily siesta, is not very energetic by nature, loves music, dancing. and the bull-fight, and is not averse to intrigue and the use of weapons. Even amid poverty and squalor, native dignity never forsakes him. The houses are generally poorly furnished and uncomfortable, and often far from cleanly.