SPAIN

Spain has a very ancient and complex history: under the Roman empire it flourished and became one of the empire''s most important regions; during the Middle Ages it came under Muslim rule. 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, and Spain became the first global empire, the strongest kingdom in Europe 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. Because of this history it has more World Heritage sites than almost anywhere else in the world.