Abstract
The initial hypothesis of this book (Sect. 2.1) was that Spain presents an unusual combination of natural and anthropic elements. Several climates suitable for human activities in a relatively small space, a long coastline, a shared culture of more than 2000 years, and a wide diversity in various fields (environmental, cultural, economic) have achieved a particular mix which, working together as an unit, can optimally exploit the initial and boundary conditions of the country to maximize the well-being of its inhabitants. Naturally, any country looked at in sufficient detail is almost by definition unique, but only a few are able to satisfy human needs as fully as Spain does. It is not just about singularity, it is about variety. Countries such as Portugal or Ireland are also spaces that allow people to achieve happiness, but their more monolithic character offers fewer options for different types of people. On the contrary, the flexibility and variety of lifestyles in Spain are so broad that its capacity to accommodate human variety is enormous.
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Tapiador, F.J. (2020). Verifying the Hypothesis: The Uniqueness of Spain. In: The Geography of Spain. World Regional Geography Book Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18907-5_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18907-5_30
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