The geographical location of the Iberian peninsula has made it a natural bridge between the cultures of the north and the south of Europe, and also between Africa and the Mediterranean. Over its history, the peninsula has been a meeting point between the most diverse cultures.

This means that Spain has a rich historical and cultural heritage. The presence of diverse cultures since the Late Stone Age, the Celts and Iberians (the natives of the Iberian peninsula) the Greek, Phoenician and Carthaginian colonies, Romans, Visigoths, Muslims and the peoples of the Mediaeval kingdoms, have left a fascinating archaeological record ranging from unique cave paintings to castles, cathedrals and mediaeval cities: all in all, a remarkable cultural heritage that has survived to this day.

With the recovery of freedom that accompanied the democratic transition, the country has undergone a process of modernization in all areas. Culture is no exception; in the last three decades the range of cultural events and facilities has expanded beyond all recognition. It is also fair to say that culture has become much more democratic, because it is now accessible to the whole of the population.

Government authorities at all levels – central, regional and municipal – have played a key part in this process, restoring hundreds of monuments, opening theatres and museums, organizing music festivals and providing strong support for film production.

In the past thirty or forty years Spain has established itself as a major publishing centre, to some extent thanks to the importance of the Spanish language, which, with over 400 million speakers, is the fourth most used in the world. The growing interest in Spanish all over the world is also due in part to the emergence of a series of young writers whose works have sold millions of copies.

Spanish cinema has also met with notable success. Spain has an ever-increasing number of actors and directors of prestige whose work is internationally recognized, in spite of the fact that Spanish films have had to compete with the products of the great multinational firms with far higher budgets. Spain, in fact, has produced a series of feature films that have earned the very highest accolades at international film festivals and award ceremonies. The Spanish film industry is the third largest in Europe after France and Germany in terms of production volume (173 feature fi lms and 210 shorts in 2008) and of other factors that defi ne the cinematographic panorama (with a market share of 13.3% last year)and boosted by the international prestige bequeathed by directors such as Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Amenábar, Carlos Saura, Álex de la Iglesia or Bigas Luna, and renowned and popular actors and actresses like Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura or Victoria Abril.

Much the same can be said of the scenic arts. Spain has produced opera-singers who are internationally acclaimed and its theatre companies are in demand all over the world.

As far as painting is concerned, Spain has been able to combine the protection of the record of its rich and varied history with the construction of new museums of modern art, support for new creators and the design of new museum facilities, some of which – for example, the Prado Museum – have become international reference points.

The large-scale development of public theatres has generated performances that define Spanish theatre production in Europe. An important element in this process is the recovery of two great Spanish playwrights of the twentieth century, Valle-Inclan and Garcia Lorca, whose works have now been restored to their rightful place in the history of theatre. Similarly, the classical works of the Siglo de Oro (the Spanish Golden Age) have also made a welcome return to the Spanish stages.

In the last thirty years a new group of choreographers have raised Spanish contemporary dance to new levels. The talent of our classical dancers has left its mark in theatres all over the world. At the same time, a powerful new generation of artists has firmly established Spanish dance and the flamenco heritage on the world stage.