Spain, located at the crossroads between Europe and Africa, has always been a target for invading races and civilisations. The Romans were one of the first to invade in the 3rd century BC and gradually Roman language and laws were adopted. In 409AD Germanic tribes invaded Romanic Hispania and 10 years later a Visigothic kingdom had been created. The Visigoths ruled until 711, when the Muslims crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and defeated Roderick, the last Goth king.

The Muslim armies occupied the entire peninsula, apart from the mountainous regions of northern Spain. The occupation of southern Spain was to last almost 800 years. During this period arts and sciences prospered, places, mosques, schools, gardens and public baths were built.

By the end of the 13th century, Castilla and Aragón had emerged as Christian Spain's two main powers. In 1469 the two powers were united when Isabel, princess of Castilla, married Fernando, heir to the throne of Aragón. The Catholic Monarchs, as they became known, were to unite all of Spain and bring about the golden age. In 1478 the established the infamous Spanish Inquisition, expelling and executing thousands of Jews and other non-Christians. By 1482 after they besieged Granada, the last Muslim king surrendered to them.

Spain went on to develop an enormous empire in the New World, gold and silver came flooding in from Mexico and Peru after Columbus discovered the Americas. Spain monopolised trade with these countries and soon became one of the most powerful nations in the world. This monopoly, however, would eventually led them to expensive wars with England, France and the Netherlands.

After the guillotining of Louis XVI in 1793 Spain went to war with the new French Republic, but was defeated. Spain was then invaded by Napoleon's troops in 1808 and the Spanish crown began to lose grip on it's colonies. After a five year war the French forces were finally expelled in 1813 and the following year Fernando VII was restored to the throne. His reinstatement, however, was disastrous for the monarchy. He re-established the Inquisition, liberals and constitutionals were persecuted and free speech was repressed. Spain entered an economic recession and the American colonies won their independence.

The mark of the end of the Spanish empire came about with the Spanish=American War in 1898. After losing a series of one-sided navel battles to the USA Spain lost Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines - the last of Spain's overseas possessions. On the brink of civil war in 1923, Miguel Primo de Rivera declared himself a military dictator and ruled until 1930. A Second Republic was declared after Alfonso XIII fled the country in 1931, but it wasn't to last. The elections of 1936 saw the country split in two with the Republican government and it's supporters (an alliance of communists, socialists and anarchists who favoured a more equitable civil society and a diminished role for the Church) on one side and the opposition Nationalists (a right-wing alliance of the Church, the military and the fascist style Falange Party) on the other.

The assassination of opposition leader José Calvo Sotelo by Republican police officers in July 1936 gave the military an excuse to overthrow the government. During the subsequent Civil War (1936-39) the Nationalists received extensive military support from Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, while the elected Republican government received support from only Russia. Despite the threat of fascism, England and France refused to support the Republicans.

By 1939 the Nationalists, led by Franco, had won the war. Over 350,000 spaniards had been killed in the fighting and it is estimated another 100,000 Republicans were executed or died in prison after the war had finished. Franco's 35 year dictatorship saw Spain isolated by economic blockades, excluded from NATO and the UN and crippled by economic recession. It wasn't until the 1950s when the rise in tourism and a treaty with the USA combined to provide much needed funds and the country began to recover. By the 70s Spain had the fasted growing economy in Europe.

Juan Carlos took over from Franco when he died in 1975, and Spain made the transition from dictatorship to democracy and the first elections were held in 1977. In 1986 Spain joined the EC (now the EU) and in 1992 Spain returned to the world stage with Barcelona hosting the Summer Olympic Games, Seville hosting Expo '92 and Madrid being declared the European Cultural Capital. In 1996 Spaniards voted in a conservative party under the leadership of the charismatic José María Aznar.

Following the Madrid train bombings in March 2004 in which 192 people were killed and his unpopular decision to send troops to Iraq to overthrow the Hussein regime, Anzar was defeated in the polls in 2004, bringing the socialists back to power.