IEEE/ACM DS-RT 2018

Country and Visa

Spain

Spain is a country mostly located on the Iberian Peninsula in Europe, with there also being two large archipelagoes, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands off the African Atlantic coast, two cities, Ceuta and Melilla, on the African mainland. With an area of 505,990 km2 (195,360 sq mi), Spain is the largest country in Southern Europe, the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the fourth largest country in the European continent. By population, Spain is the sixth largest in Europe and the fifth in the European Union. Spain's capital and largest city is Madrid; other major urban areas include Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao and Málaga [Wikipedia Spain ].

Madrid

Madrid is the capital of Spain and the largest municipality in both the Community of Madrid and Spain as a whole. The city has almost 3.166 million inhabitants with a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.5 million. It is the third-largest city in the European Union (EU) after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the third-largest in the EU after those of London and Paris.

Madrid lies on the River Manzanares in the centre of the country. As the capital city of Spain, seat of government, and residence of the Spanish monarch, Madrid is also the political, economic and cultural centre of the country.

Madrid is home to two world-famous football clubs, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid. While Madrid possesses modern infrastructure, it has preserved the look and feel of many of its historic neighbourhoods and streets. Its landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid; the Royal Theatre with its restored 1850 Opera House; the Buen Retiro Park, founded in 1631; the 19th-century National Library building (founded in 1712) containing some of Spain's historical archives; a large number of national museums, and the Golden Triangle of Art, located along the Paseo del Prado and comprising three art museums: Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum, a museum of modern art, and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, which completes the shortcomings of the other two museums. Cibeles Palace and Fountain have become one of the monument symbols of the city. [Madrid Wikipedia].

Passports and Visas

Please follow this link to check whether you need a visa to visit Spain. For information on how to apply please visit the this link. If you require an invitation letter for your visa application please contact the Local Arrangement Chair.

Currency and Banking

Spain is one of the 12 EU countries that joined the EMU – the Economic and Monetary Union – which introduced the single currency, the Euro. Banks in Spain are open Monday to Friday from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm. Banks are closed on Saturdays and Sundays and national holidays. Spain accepts all major credit cards.

Time Zone

In the time of the conference, Spain will be in the Daylight Saving Time, which is two hour ahead of the Greenwich Mean Time (UTC/GMT+02:00).

Electricity

In Spain the power sockets are of type F. The standard voltage is 230V and the standard frequency is 50Hz.