Expo Zaragoza 2008 is an International Exposition regulated by the B.I.E., the French abbreviation for the International Expositions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions).

The first international exposition took place in London in 1851. Since its success, numerous expositions have been held all over the world, including the Paris Exposition of 1889, which gave birth to the Eiffel Tower. As these events increased in number, a clear need arose to control their frequency. Thus, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) was created in 1928.

n total, the Exposition has 140 pavilions, of which 125 are for the participants, made up of countries, autonomous regions, companies and organisations. Around 80% of these have already presented their projects. 60% of these have already been approved and work on them is either under way or about to begin. The pending projects are only for smaller pavilions or those with shorter construction periods and will be submitted this month.

The Expo Zaragoza 2008 site will host 4,529 different shows in 13 different venues during the 93 days of the event. Added to this figure are the more than 1,000 performances that comprise the participating countries’ cultural programme.

The Exposition also has very important human resources: more than 36,000 people have shown their support by signing up for the Volunteer Programme. Of these, 66% are European, 26% are from the Americas, 3% are Asian, 3% are from Oceania and 2% are from Africa.