Spain is the second largest country in Europe, with more than 500,000 square kilometres in size. It is also amongst the largest countries by population, with over 47 million people (in 2012.) While the country is recognised as a democracy, it is also under constitutional monarchy and therefore has a king – Juan Carlos I - as well as a prime minister – Mariano Rajoy.
While the official Spanish language is Castilian (the language I am learning at university), there are also regions where languages such as Galician, Basque and Catalan are considered to be the main language.
The city I’m going to is Alicante, which is the second-largest Valencian city with around 334,000 inhabitants. It is also estimated that about 15% of the population is foreign.
Unlike in Edinburgh, or the rest of Scotland, the climate in Alicante is quite warm and dry, which is something I am really excited about. During the time that I will be there (September-June), the temperatures should vary from around 8 degrees Celsius in the winter, to mid-twenties in spring/summer.
Another great thing about Spain is that all of the major cities have great links of transport, making travelling extremely easy. Not only that, but the prices for public transport are also much lower than those in Britain. In fact, the general cost of living in Spain is a lot lower than in the UK.
- The groceries are generally cheaper by around 30 to 50%.
- Public transport costs vary, but a bus ticket can cost as little as 65 euro cents.
- Rent can also be about 30 to 50% cheaper, but obviously varies depending on the type/location of the flat.
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