El País is a Spanish-language daily newspaper founded on May 4, 1976, during the country’s transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco Franco, whose authoritarian regime had controlled Spain’s press for nearly four decades. Based in Madrid and owned by the Prisa media conglomerate, it was the first major Spanish newspaper to operate independently of Franco’s political influence. The paper covers national and international news, politics, economics, science, culture, and sustainable development across editions in Spain, the Americas, and in English. Prisa Group describes it as “the top-ranking Spanish-language media outlet,” with more than 451,000 subscribers and more than 400 journalists working from newsrooms in Madrid, Barcelona, Mexico, and Washington.