A Long and Fruitful Relationship
We enjoy a multifaceted relationship encompassing strong ties in defense, culture, history, education, and trade.
HISTORY
LANGUAGE
EDUCATION
BUSINESS
DEFENSE
SCIENCE
TRAVEL
CULTURE
HISTORY
We go way back...
The official relationship between Spain and the U.S. stretches back nearly to the very beginning of the United States as a country.
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1783
Spanish Recognition of U.S. Independence and Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
Spain recognizes the United States of America when Madrid officially receives William Carmichael as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim on Feb. 20, 1783. That date also marks the establishment of diplomatic relations.
1785
First Spanish Envoy in the United States
The U.S. receives Spanish Chargé d’Affaires Don Diego Gardoqui in June 1785.
1797
Consular Presence
A U.S. consulate opens in Barcelona on Dec. 29, 1797.
HISTORY
We go way back...
We Map Our Shared History
We Celebrate
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American Independence
Spain played an important role in the U.S. Revolutionary War.
Spanish historical figure Bernardo de Gálvez was declared an honorary citizen of the U.S. in December 2014 in recognition of his contribution to the independence of the US.
Read the full text of the law passed by Congress
Florida
Texas
Louisiana
Colorado
Montana
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico
California
St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement within the borders of the contiguous United States.
The name Montana comes from the Spanish word "Montaña" meaning "mountain", or more broadly, "mountainous country". Montaña del Norte was the name given by early Spanish explorers to the entire mountainous region of the west.
Colorado is a Spanish adjective that means “red.” The early Spanish explorers in the Rocky Mountain region named a river they found the Rio Colorado for the reddish silt that the water carried down from the mountains.
The state of Nevada gets its name from the Spanish word meaning "snow covered". Francisco Hermenegildo Tomás Garcés was the first European to explore the area.
The Isleños of Louisiana are descendants of settlers from the Canary Islands who settled in Spanish Louisiana during the 18th century, between 1778 and 1783. Many of them still speak Spanish.
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The 21 missions that comprise California's Historic Mission Trail are all located on or near Highway 101, which roughly traces El Camino Real (The Royal Road) named in honor of the Spanish monarchy.
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Spanish Missions in San Antonio were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015.
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The colors of the New Mexico state flag evoke the flags of Habsburg Spain and the Crown of Aragon
The Grand Canyon was discovered by Captain García López de Cárdenas in 1540.
LANGUAGE
We Speak the Same Language
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There are more than
58 MILLION
Spanish Speakers in the U.S.
That's
18%
of the population!
the U.S. has the
SECOND HIGHEST
number of Spanish speakers in the world.
Nearly
8 MILLION
Students study the Spanish language in the U.S. annually, making it the most studied foreign language in the country.
EDUCATION
We Learn Together
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Study Abroad
Spain is the
THIRD
most popular study-abroad destination for U.S. students worldwide.
Last year
30,000
students from the United States studied abroad in Spain.
Last year more than
7,000
Spaniards studied in the U.S.
2,000
teachers from Spain teach the Spanish language and culture in schools all across the U.S.
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Nearly
3,000
U.S. Language and Culture Assistants teach English in schools all across Spain.
Read one participant's experience
Apply to teach English in Spain!
Almost
10,000
Spanish and U.S. students and scholars have benefitted from the U.S.-Spain Fulbright Program since its inception nearly 60 years ago.
= 100 students
Fulbright Grants for Spanish Citizens
Fulbright Grants for U.S. Citizens
BUSINESS
We Do Business Together
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INVEST IN SPAIN
DEFENSE
We're Defense Partners
The 1988 Bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement and its successive Amendment Protocols allow for the use of Spanish military bases in Rota and Morón by the U.S. Armed Forces.
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In Rota there is a permanent ship berthing of four USN AEGIS destroyers and “operational and support installations”
The Rota Naval Base currently hosts about 3,000 US military, 500 U.S. civilian employees and 50 U.S. contractors.
The 3rd Amendment Protocol, signed in 2015, allows for the permanent deployment at Morón Base (Seville) of the Special Purpose Marines Air-Ground Task Force.
Spain and the U.S. are NATO partners in missions such as Active Endeavour (Mediterranean), Resolute Support (Afghanistan), and Active Fence (Turkish border with Syria).
Spain fights Daesh by deploying more than 480 troops in Iraq and training Army brigades and special operations units. LEARN MORE
SCIENCE
We Research Together
Spain is heralded across the U.S. as a benchmark in sectors such as medical research, clean energy, intelligent infrastructure, bio and health technologies, molecular biology, biochemistry, industrial technologies, information and Communications Technologies, aeronautics and space research and naval technology.
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Community of Spanish Scientists
More than
1,000
Spanish scientists have joined together to form ECUSA (Association of Spanish Scientists in the U.S.)
Chapters in California, New York, Washington, Boston, Midwest
Regularly organize education and mentorship programs, events, exhibitions, seminars, talks, conferences, and science workshops in Spanish
First meeting of Spanish scientists in the U.S.
Presented by King Felipe VI in September 2015 at Georgetown University
More than
150
Spanish scientists, entrepreneurs, science writers and academics in attendance
NASA’s Madrid Deep Space Communications Complex
Spanish scientists regularly collaborate with:
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, NASA etc
TRAVEL
Hitting the Road Together
Official Visits
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Heads of State & Government
Foreign Affairs
Defense
Civil Society
September 2017
Prime Minister Rajoy visits the U.S.
July 2016
President Obama visits Madrid and Rota, Spain
September 2015
Their Majesties King Felipe VI & Queen Letizia visit the U.S.
October 2015
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visits Spain.
September 2017
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain Alfonso Dastis Quecedo visits the U.S.
September 2017
Minister of Defense Maria Dolores de Cospedal Visits the U.S.
September 2015
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter visits Spain.
Every year a group of Hispanic Leaders participates in a visitor program funded by the Fundación Carolina aimed at increasing knowledge of Spain's political, economic, and cultural aspects among the Hispanic community in the United States.
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In 2017, 81.8 million tourists visited Spain, a 10.3% increase compared to the previous year.
Of those, more than 2.65 million were U.S. tourists.
2017
2.65 million
81.8 million
More than 800,000 Spaniards visited the United States in 2016.
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO SPAIN!
CULTURE
Jamming Out Together
Our official cultural program in the U.S. features the most cutting-edge works of internationally renowned Spanish artists, performers, and authors.
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ARCHITECTURE DESIGN HERITAGE LITERATURE PERFORMING ARTS URBAN CULTURE
CULINARY ARTS FILM KIDS MUSIC SKETCHING THE FUTURE VISUAL ARTS
Embassy of Spain in the United States