Ultramar is a place that is on the other side of the sea, taking into account the point in which it is spoken. This means that there is no country or island that can always be classified as overseas, but rather this name develops according to the location of the person who pronounces the expression.
For Spain, for example, abroad are the American or Asian regions. The concept acquired a political nuance, since, at the time of the Spanish Empire, the term allowed to designate the Spanish colonies in America, in the Philippines and in the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The administration and government of these territories was in charge of the Ministry of Overseas.
The creation of the Overseas Ministry took place only in 1863, and until then the overseas territories were subject to various forms of administration. In 1836, a reform led to the creation of ministries and the name “overseas” was adopted by the Secretary of State and the Cabinet of the Navy. A decade later, a General Directorate of the same name was created, which was part of several ministries until it became one. The Ministry of Overseas ceased to exist by Royal Decree of April 20, 1899, partly as a consequence of the Cuban War of Independence of the previous year. Another Spanish institution linked to this notion was the Royal Council of Spain and Overseas, which for a time replaced the Council of State. The businesses that were dedicated to the sale of food products obtained in American lands were known as supermarkets. Currently, food stores continue to exist in Spain, although they no longer distribute products obtained in America. In general, they are small and simple places, with a very characteristic counter and a series of essential instruments for their operation, such as a scale and a guillotine. Soup, legumes, milk and fish are some of the foods that can be found in a grocery store, known in some regions of America as a “store” or “grocery store”. Mercadona is the name of a supermarket chain of great importance in the Spanish territory; but few know that in its not so distant origins it was nothing more than a simple store with eight branches. Since its founder sold it to his son, Juan Roig, in 1891, the growth of the current colossus has been exponential: in just three decades it has become number one in the country, with multimillion-dollar sales and more than 1,350 establishments. .
Specifically between 1998 and 2003, the volume of its sales began to grow at an average of 25% per year, almost triple the rate considered normal in its field. These numbers become even more shocking when you consider that they could only be compared to those of Wal-Mart, in the United States and known throughout the world. Other uses Although the term overseas is not very frequent in the current vocabulary of the Spanish language, its equivalent in English (overseas) is commonly used in that language. American athletes who play abroad play “abroad.” Finally, ultramarine blue is powdered lapis lazuli (a jewelry gem) used as a color in paint. It is also the indigo paste and coloring material that is made from a mixture of iron sulfate, clay, and sodium bisulfide. It is common for this mixture to be used as a substitute for powdered lapis lazuli.
