Map of Spratly Islands | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Rich fishing grounds and the potential for gas and oil deposits have caused this archipelago to be claimed in its entirety by China Taiwan and Vietnam while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. All five parties have occupied certain islands or reefs and occasional clashes have occurred between Chinese and Vietnamese naval forces


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Location: in the South China Sea, between Vietnam and the Philippines

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Asia, Southeast Asia

Area
Total: NA km² but less than 5 km²
Land: less than 5 km²

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 926 km
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: tropical

Terrain: flat

Elevation

Natural resources: fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential

Land use
Arable land: 0%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 0%
Other: 100%
Forest and woodland: 0%

Irrigated land: 0 km²

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are scattered garrisons
Growth rate: 0.24% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Spaniard(s)
Adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Languages: Castilian Spanish, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.24% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 10.88 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 8.76 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.24 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
Current issues note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.51 years
Male: 74.22 years
Female: 81.04 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.38 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
Total population: 95%
Male: 97%
Female: 93%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Local short form: Espana
Conventional long form: none

Government type: parliamentary monarchy

Capital: Madrid

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

National holiday
National Day 12 October principal national parties from right to left:
Party PCE Julio ANGUITA; United Left IU a coalition of parties including the PCE a branch of the PSOE and other small parties leader NA chief regional parties:

Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: monarch, president of the government (prime minister), deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet), Council of State

Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Jaime De OJEDA y Eiseley
In the us chancery: 2,700 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: (202) 265-0190 or 0191
In the us consulates general:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard G. CAPEN, Jr.
From the us embassy: Serrano 75, 28,006 Madrid
From the us mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 9,642
From the us telephone: 34 (1) 577-4,000
From the us fax: 34 (1) 577-5,735
From the us consulate general: Barcelona
From the us consulate: Bilbao with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar

Flag description

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing; proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (1992)

Real gdp per capita: $13,200 (1992)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for about 5% of GDP and 14% of labor force; major products - grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus fruit, beef, pork, poultry, dairy; largely self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons is among top 20 nations

Industries: none

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 0.6% (1992 est.)

Labor force: 14.621 million
By occupation services: 53%
By occupation industry: 24%
By occupation agriculture: 14%
By occupation construction: 9% (1988)

Unemployment rate: 19% (yearend 1992)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $122.9 billion; expenditures $140.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $62 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: cars and trucks, semifinished manufactured goods, foodstuffs, machinery
Partners: EC 71.0%, US 4.9%, other developed countries 7.9% (1991)

Imports: $100 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals
Partners: EC 60.0%, US 8.0%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 2.6% (1991)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 114.59 (January 1993), 102.38 (1992), 103.91 (1991), 101.93 (1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988)


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Electricity
Production: 46,600,000 kW capacity; 157,000 million kWh produced, 4,000 kWh per capita (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $9.6 billion, 1.6% of GDP (1992) Match 223 DB Rec# - 55,971
Percent of gdp ID number:

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 with permanent-surfaced runways: 1
Usable: 99
With permanentsurface runways: 60
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 1220-2439 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 0

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 265 km, petroleum products 1,794 km, natural gas 1,666 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market