LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Spain: Basque Country
built 614 days ago
In economic terms Spain was a late developer. Until the 1960s nearly all of the country’s industry was confined to the northern regions of Catalonia and the Basque Country. Since then Spain’s economy has grown rapidly. The major contributions to this economic turnaround came from light manufacturing industry—such as food products—and from service industries, especially tourism. Millions of tourists visit Spain each year, attracted by its sunny climate, beaches, and historic cities.
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Every country has its unique gastronomy and Spain is no exception. Spanish cooking uses traditional Mediterranean ingredients such as garlic, tomatoes, olives, olive oil, wine, and bread, but often combines them with traditionally Moorish flavours, such as nuts (most notably almonds), saffron, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Furthermore, peppers, ham, pork sausages, and seafood are often used in traditional Spanish dishes.
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Spain has only minor energy reserves. There are small fields of petroleum and natural gas off the Biscay coast, with additional offshore deposits of gas in the Cádiz area and of oil in Catalonia. Coal mining takes place in the northwestern regions of Asturias and León, in the Basque Country and around Teruel in Aragón. However, the poor quality of the coal makes it economically worthless, and the industry is being shut down. Much more important are the water resources of the Pyrenees, where a number of rivers have been harnessed to provide hydroelectric power.
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Spain has been successful in managing its relations with its two European neighbors, France and Portugal. The accession of Spain and Portugal to the EU has helped ease some of their periodic trade frictions by putting these into an EU context. Franco-Spanish bilateral cooperation is enhanced by joint action against Basque ETA terrorism. Ties with the United Kingdom are generally good, although the question of Gibraltar remains a sensitive issue.
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With great beaches, fun nightlife, many cultural regions and historic cities, Spain makes a great destination for any kind of trip. A country of large geographical and cultural diversity, Spain is sometimes a surprise to people who know its reputation for great beach holidays. There is everything from lush meadows, snowy mountains, huge marsh and salines and deserts in the south east.
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Over the next decade positive governmental changes in Spain included a new constitution and free elections. And through it all it found the strength to survive a persistent terrorist campaign waged by the ETA, a militant group seeking an independent Basque homeland.
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Basque Country