About Spain

     Spain (Spanish: España (help·info), IPA: [es'paɲa]), is a Western European country. The country consists of Peninsular Spain which is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, two archipelagos, one in each sea, and two autonomous cities in North Africa.

     The Spanish mainland is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east, by the Cantabric Sea that includes the Bay of Biscay to the north, and by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal to the west. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands off the African coast. It shares land borders with Portugal, France, Andorra, the British colony of Gibraltar, and Morocco. It is the largest of the three sovereign states that make up the Iberian Peninsula — the others being Portugal and Andorra. With an area of 504,030 km², Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe (behind France).

     Spain is a constitutional monarchy organised as a parliamentary democracy, and has been a member of the European Union since 1986. It is a developed country with the ninth largest economy in the world and fifth largest in the EU.

     Spain has a very ancient and complex prehistory. Under the Roman empire Hispania flourished and became one of the empire's most important regions. During the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic rule. Later, nearly the entire peninsula came under Muslim rulers. Through a long process Christian kingdoms in the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule, which was finally extinguished in 1492. That year Columbus reached the Americas, the beginnings of the first global empire. Spain became the strongest kingdom in Europe in the sixteenth and first half of the seventeenth centuries but continued wars and other problems eventually led to a diminished status. In the middle decades of the twentieth century it came under a dictatorship, under which it went through many years of stagnation and then a spectacular economic revival. In 1986 it joined the European Union and has experienced an economic and cultural renaissance.

About Puerto de la Cruz

     Puerto de la Cruz is located on the north coast of Tenerife, in the Orotava Valley. It is located 4 km West of La Orotava , and is about 37 km NE of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and about 25 km to Tenerife North Airport both on the TF5 Motorway. The inhabitants are known as portuense The municipality is the smallest in Tenerife.

     The population is 31,830 (ISTAC, 2003), its density is 3,646.05/km² and the area is 8.73 km². The elevation is 9 meters. The lowest point is the coastal Atlantic zone, the highest is Las Arenas, a volcanic cone with an elevation of 249 meters. Farmland is in tucked into the valley areas and within the Atlantic coastal zone; urbanisation covers much of the area and the terrain rises rapidly to the south.

     Prior to the development of hotels and buildings, much of the area consisted of agricultural land. Considerable fiscal pressure led to the land being developed and the population shifted from rural to urban and tourism. The population is mainly urban today.

     Tourism is an important industry in Puerto de la Cruz, as evidenced by the number of large hotels on the skyline.

     Puerto is frequented by the Northern European during the winter months, due to its mild climate, and is particularly popular over Christmas and the new year periods.

     The Western European tourist contingent to Puerto tends towards more mature couples, in comparison to resorts such as Playa de las Americas Puerto also has a modest gay scene centred around La Avenida del Generalisimo.

     The summer months sees more Spanish tourists, particularly during the very hot month of august in the mainland.