Spain can send a trivia round from Roman aqueducts to tomato fights in a heartbeat. I pulled together geography, history, food, languages, art, and sports, with a few details that surprised me too.
Geography, Regions, Cities & Landmarks
Q: What is the capital of Spain?
A: Madrid, which lies near the geographic center of the country.
Q: On which European peninsula is most of Spain located?
A: The Iberian Peninsula, which Spain shares mainly with Portugal.
Q: Which country borders Spain to the west?
A: Portugal.
Q: Which mountain range forms much of Spain’s border with France?
A: The Pyrenees.
Q: Which tiny principality lies in the Pyrenees between Spain and France?
A: Andorra.
Q: Which sea borders eastern Spain?
A: The Mediterranean Sea.
Q: Which ocean borders northwestern and southwestern Spain?
A: The Atlantic Ocean.
Q: What is the highest point in Spain?
A: Mount Teide on Tenerife, rising about 12,188 feet above sea level.
Q: What is the highest mountain on mainland Spain?
A: Mulhacén in the Sierra Nevada, at about 11,414 feet.
Q: Which river is the longest entirely within Spain?
A: The Ebro River.
Q: Which river flows through Madrid?
A: The Manzanares River.
Q: Which river reaches the Atlantic at Lisbon after crossing Spain and Portugal?
A: The Tagus, called the Tajo in Spanish and Tejo in Portuguese.
Q: How many autonomous communities does Spain have?
A: Seventeen autonomous communities.
Q: What two autonomous cities does Spain have on the North African coast?
A: Ceuta and Melilla.
Q: Which island group includes Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera?
A: The Balearic Islands.
Q: Which Spanish island group lies in the Atlantic off northwestern Africa?
A: The Canary Islands.
Q: Which city is the capital of Catalonia?
A: Barcelona.
Q: Which city is the capital of Andalusia?
A: Seville.
Q: Which city is the capital of the Basque Country?
A: Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Q: Which northern city is famous for the Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry?
A: Bilbao.
Q: Which city contains the Alhambra palace complex?
A: Granada.
Q: Which city is home to the unfinished Sagrada Família basilica?
A: Barcelona.
Q: Which city is known for a Roman aqueduct built from unmortared granite blocks?
A: Segovia.
Q: Which city has a historic mosque-cathedral called the Mezquita?
A: Córdoba.
Q: Which pilgrimage route traditionally ends at Santiago de Compostela?
A: The Camino de Santiago, or Way of Saint James.
Q: What coastal region of northwestern Spain is known for green landscapes and rías?
A: Galicia.
Q: What broad central plateau covers much of inland Spain?
A: The Meseta Central.
Q: Which desertlike area in Navarre is famous for eroded clay formations?
A: The Bardenas Reales.
Q: Which national park protects wetlands near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River?
A: Doñana National Park.
Q: Which Spanish city is often called the City of Arts and Sciences because of its futuristic complex?
A: Valencia.
Romans, Kingdoms, Empire & Modern History
Q: Which ancient people founded the trading city of Gadir, now Cádiz?
A: The Phoenicians.
Q: What did the Romans call most of the Iberian Peninsula?
A: Hispania.
Q: Which Roman emperor was born in the city now called Seville’s nearby Italica?
A: Trajan, one of several Roman emperors associated with Hispania.
Q: Which Germanic kingdom ruled much of Iberia after Roman authority faded?
A: The Visigothic Kingdom.
Q: In what year did Muslim-led forces begin their conquest of most of Iberia?
A: 711.
Q: What name is commonly given to Muslim-ruled territories in medieval Iberia?
A: Al-Andalus.
Q: Which city became the capital of a powerful caliphate in the tenth century?
A: Córdoba.
Q: Who was the last Muslim ruler of Granada?
A: Muhammad XII, also known as Boabdil.
Q: Which monarchs completed the conquest of Granada in 1492?
A: Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.
Q: What collective title is commonly used for Isabella and Ferdinand?
A: The Catholic Monarchs.
Q: Which explorer sailed west in 1492 under Spanish royal sponsorship?
A: Christopher Columbus.
Q: Which treaty divided newly claimed overseas lands between Spain and Portugal?
A: The Treaty of Tordesillas of 1494.
Q: Which Habsburg ruler was both King Charles I of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V?
A: Charles of Habsburg.
Q: Which Spanish king sent the Armada against England in 1588?
A: Philip II.
Q: What was the main aim of the Spanish Armada campaign of 1588?
A: To escort an invasion force across the English Channel and overthrow Elizabeth I.
Q: Which war began after Charles II died without an heir in 1700?
A: The War of the Spanish Succession.
Q: Which royal dynasty came to Spain after the War of the Spanish Succession?
A: The Bourbon dynasty.
Q: What name is given to the Spanish uprising and war against Napoleonic occupation from 1808?
A: The Peninsular War, called the Spanish War of Independence in Spain.
Q: Which artist portrayed the violence of that conflict in The Third of May 1808?
A: Francisco Goya.
Q: Which constitution was proclaimed at Cádiz in 1812?
A: The Constitution of 1812, popularly nicknamed La Pepa.
Q: In what year did Spain lose Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines after war with the United States?
A: 1898.
Q: Who was the last king of Spain before the Second Republic?
A: Alfonso XIII.
Q: In what year was the Second Spanish Republic proclaimed?
A: 1931.
Q: When did the Spanish Civil War take place?
A: From 1936 to 1939.
Q: Who led the Nationalist side and later ruled Spain as a dictator?
A: Francisco Franco.
Q: In what year did Franco die?
A: 1975.
Q: Which king became head of state when the monarchy was restored in 1975?
A: Juan Carlos I.
Q: What 1978 document established Spain’s present democratic constitutional framework?
A: The Spanish Constitution of 1978.
Q: What failed event in 1981 is often called 23-F?
A: An attempted military coup on February 23, 1981.
Q: In what year did Spain join the European Economic Community, now part of the European Union?
A: 1986.
Food, Festivals, Languages & Daily Traditions
Q: What is the official nationwide language of Spain?
A: Spanish, also widely called Castilian.
Q: Which language is co-official with Spanish in Catalonia?
A: Catalan.
Q: Which language spoken in the Basque Country is unrelated to other known living language families?
A: Basque, known to its speakers as Euskara.
Q: Which Romance language is co-official in Galicia?
A: Galician.
Q: What small savory dishes are commonly served with drinks in Spain?
A: Tapas.
Q: What rice dish from Valencia is traditionally cooked in a wide, shallow pan?
A: Paella.
Q: Which meat is traditionally used with rabbit in paella valenciana?
A: Chicken.
Q: What chilled Andalusian soup is made mainly from tomatoes and other raw vegetables?
A: Gazpacho.
Q: What thicker Córdoba-style cold tomato soup is often topped with egg and ham?
A: Salmorejo.
Q: What potato and egg dish is called tortilla española?
A: A thick Spanish omelet, often made with onion as well.
Q: What cured ham comes from Iberian pigs?
A: Jamón ibérico.
Q: What fried dough is commonly served with thick hot chocolate?
A: Churros.
Q: What Basque snack is usually served on bread and held together with a skewer?
A: A pintxo.
Q: What Galician dish features octopus seasoned with paprika and olive oil?
A: Pulpo a la gallega, also called polbo á feira.
Q: What bean stew from Asturias often includes sausage and pork?
A: Fabada asturiana.
Q: Which almond-based Christmas sweet is called turrón?
A: A nougat traditionally made with honey, sugar, egg white, and almonds.
Q: Which sparkling wine is especially associated with Catalonia?
A: Cava.
Q: Which fortified wine takes its English name from Jerez?
A: Sherry.
Q: What custom involves eating twelve grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve?
A: Eating one grape with each clock chime for luck in the coming year.
Q: What January 6 holiday is traditionally associated with gifts from the Three Kings?
A: Epiphany, commonly celebrated as Día de los Reyes Magos.
Q: What sweet ring-shaped bread is eaten for Three Kings Day?
A: Roscón de Reyes.
Q: Which Valencian festival features enormous satirical figures that are burned?
A: Las Fallas.
Q: Which Seville celebration fills the fairgrounds with decorated casetas after Easter?
A: The Feria de Abril, or April Fair.
Q: What famous Pamplona festival includes the running of the bulls?
A: San Fermín.
Q: In which town does La Tomatina tomato-throwing festival take place?
A: Buñol, near Valencia.
Q: What solemn Holy Week processions are called in Spanish?
A: Procesiones de Semana Santa.
Q: Which dance and musical tradition is especially associated with Andalusia?
A: Flamenco.
Q: What hand percussion instrument is often used in Spanish dance?
A: Castanets, although they are not essential to every flamenco style.
Q: What late-evening small meal can follow an afternoon snack in Spain?
A: Dinner, or la cena, which is often eaten later than in the United States.
Q: What is the purpose of a sobremesa after a meal?
A: It is relaxed conversation at the table after the food is finished.
Art, Literature, Music, Film & Sports
Q: Which painter created Las Meninas?
A: Diego Velázquez.
Q: Which painter created the antiwar mural Guernica?
A: Pablo Picasso.
Q: Which Catalan artist painted The Persistence of Memory?
A: Salvador Dalí.
Q: Which Spanish artist is known for the Black Paintings?
A: Francisco Goya.
Q: Which architect designed Park Güell and Casa Batlló?
A: Antoni Gaudí.
Q: Which museum in Madrid houses works including Velázquez’s Las Meninas?
A: The Prado Museum.
Q: Which Madrid museum displays Picasso’s Guernica?
A: The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
Q: Which author wrote Don Quixote?
A: Miguel de Cervantes.
Q: What is the name of Don Quixote’s practical companion?
A: Sancho Panza.
Q: Which medieval epic follows a Castilian warrior called El Cid?
A: The Poem of the Cid, or Cantar de mio Cid.
Q: Which poet and playwright wrote Blood Wedding and The House of Bernarda Alba?
A: Federico García Lorca.
Q: Which Spanish novelist wrote The Shadow of the Wind?
A: Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Q: Which philosopher and essayist wrote The Revolt of the Masses?
A: José Ortega y Gasset.
Q: Which cellist born in Catalonia became internationally famous and promoted peace?
A: Pablo Casals.
Q: Which tenor from Madrid formed part of the Three Tenors?
A: Plácido Domingo.
Q: Which soprano from Barcelona was celebrated for her bel canto singing?
A: Montserrat Caballé.
Q: Which Spanish director made Talk to Her and All About My Mother?
A: Pedro Almodóvar.
Q: Which filmmaker directed Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water but was born in Mexico?
A: Guillermo del Toro, a useful reminder that Spanish-language cinema is not all from Spain.
Q: Which Spanish actor won an Academy Award for No Country for Old Men?
A: Javier Bardem.
Q: Which Spanish actress won an Academy Award for Vicky Cristina Barcelona?
A: Penélope Cruz.
Q: What is Spain’s top men’s professional soccer league called?
A: La Liga, officially branded as LALIGA.
Q: Which club plays home matches at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium?
A: Real Madrid.
Q: Which club is commonly nicknamed Barça?
A: FC Barcelona.
Q: What name is given to matches between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona?
A: El Clásico.
Q: In which year did Spain win its first men’s FIFA World Cup?
A: 2010.
Q: Who scored Spain’s winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final?
A: Andrés Iniesta.
Q: Which goalkeeper captained Spain to the 2010 World Cup title?
A: Iker Casillas.
Q: Which Spanish tennis player won a record fourteen French Open men’s singles titles?
A: Rafael Nadal.
Q: Which Spanish golfer won the Masters Tournament in 1980 and 1983?
A: Seve Ballesteros.
Q: Which Spanish Formula One driver won world championships in 2005 and 2006?
A: Fernando Alonso.
How Did You Score?
If you knew the Meseta Central, La Pepa, sobremesa, and Seve Ballesteros, your Spain trivia has serious range. I am awarding bonus bragging rights to anyone who also remembered Vitoria-Gasteiz without peeking.
Ellie Simons creates and edits Random Trivia. She researches trivia using primary and authoritative sources whenever possible and is currently reviewing the site's older trivia library for accuracy, clarity, and playability. Read more on the About page.
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