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

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Background: A powerful world empire in the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain ultimately yielded command of the seas to England, beginning with the defeat of the Armada in 1588. Spain subsequently failed to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions and fell behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II. In the second half of the 20th century Spain played a catch-up role in the western international community. Continuing problems are large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement.


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Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 504,750 km²
Land: 499,400 km²
Water: 5,350 km²
Note: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco_Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
Comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries
Total: 1,919.1 km
Border countries: (5) Andorra 65 km; , France 623 km; , Gibraltar 1.2 km; , Portugal 1,214 km; , Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km; , Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline: 4,964 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Pico de Teide on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 30%
Permanent crops: 9%
Permanent pastures: 21%
Forests and woodland: 32%
Other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 34,530 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Geography
Note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar


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Population: 39,133,996 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.08% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Spaniard(s)
Adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Languages: Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15% (male 3,057,919; female 2,879,109)
15-64 years: 69% (male 13,407,270; female 13,408,685)
65 years and over: 16% (male 2,651,149; female 3,729,864) (July 1998 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.08% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 9.73 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 9.62 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 6.51 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.56 years
Male: 73.78 years
Female: 81.59 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.21 children born/woman (1998 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
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 96%
Male: 98%
Female: 94% (1986 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
Conventional short form: Spain
Local short form: Espana

Government type: parliamentary monarchy

Capital: Madrid

Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular_comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencian, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country)
Note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco (Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown

Dependent areas

Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

National holiday: National Day, 12 October

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
Chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the king: ead of
Government: President of the Government Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (since 5 May 1996); First Vice President Francisco ALVAREZ CASCOS Fernandez (since 5 May 1996) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Rodrigo RATO Figaredo (since 5 May 1996)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
Note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government
Elections: the king is a hereditary monarch; president proposed by the king and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections; election last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by NA March 2000)
Election results: Jose Maria AZNAR elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA

Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (256 seats; 208 members are directly elected by popular vote and the other 48 were appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
Elections: Senate_last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by March 2000); Congress of Deputies_last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by March 2000)
Election results: Senate_percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_PP 132, PSOE 96, CiU 11, PNV 6, IU 2, others 9; Congress of Deputies_percent of vote by party_PP 38.9%, PSOE 37.5%, IU 10.7%, CiU 4.6%; seats by party_PP 156, PSOE 141, IU 21, CiU 16, other 16

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 8, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINUGUA, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio OYARZABAL MARCHESI
In the us chancery: 2,375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,037
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2,340
In the us fax: [1] (202) 833-5,670
In the us consulates general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lawrence G. ROSSIN
From the us embassy: Serrano 75, 28,006 Madrid
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,642
From the us telephone: [34] (1) 587-2,200
From the us fax: [34] (1) 587-2,303
From the us consulates general: Barcelona

Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is three-fourths that of the four leading West European economies. Its center-right government has staked much on gaining admission to the first group of countries to implement the European single currency and, based on economic indicators, Madrid appears poised to be in EMU from the outset. The deficit-to-GDP ratio is 2.3%, the debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to be around 68%, and inflation is approximately 2%. Moreover, the AZNAR administration has continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy, and has introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment, nonetheless, remains the highest in the EU at 21%. The government, for political reasons, has made only limited progress in changing labor laws or reforming pension schemes, which are key to the sustainability of both Spain's internal economic advances and its competitiveness in a single currency area.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.3% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $16,400 (1997 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.6%
Industry: 33.6%
Services: 62.8% (1995 est.)

Agriculture products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish catch of 867,000 metric tons in 1993

Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: -0.8% (1996)

Labor force
Total: 16.2 million
By occupation services: 64%
By occupation and construction: 28%
By occupation agriculture: 8% (1997est.)

Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $113 billion
Expenditures: $139 billion, including capital expenditures of $15 billion (1995)

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: total value:$94.5 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
Commodoties: cars and trucks, semifinished manufactured goods, foodstuffs, machinery (1994)
Partners: EU 72.1%, US 4.2%, other developed countries 7.9% (1996)

Imports: total value:$118.3 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
Commodoties: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals (1994)
Partners: EU 65.6%, US 6.6%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 6.2% (1996)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $90 billion (1993 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1_153.94 (January 1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96 (1994), 127.26 (1993)


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Electricity
Capacity: 39.583 million kW (1995)
Production: 154.144 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 4,026 kWh (1995)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones: 12.6 million (1990 est.)

Telephone system: generally adequate, modern facilities
Domestic: NA
International: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations_2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat, NA Inmarsat, and NA Marecs; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $6.3 billion (1995)
Percent of gdp: 1.4% (1995)

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: 98 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 64
With paved runways over 3047 m: 15
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 11
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 16
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 34
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 12
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 21 (1997 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1997 est.)

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

Railways
Total: 15,172 km
Broad gauge: 12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,355 km electrified; 2,295 km double track)
Standard gauge: 664 km 1.435-m gauge (480 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 1,727 km (privately owned:1,708 km 1.000-m gauge, 517 km electrified; government owned:19 km 1.000-m gauge, all electrified) (1996)

Roadways

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

Merchant marine
Total: 135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,043,747 GRT/1,651,634 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 30, chemical tanker 7, combination ore/oil 1, container 8, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 29, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 8, roll-on/roll-off cargo 30, short-sea passenger 6, specialized tanker 1 (1997 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco_the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin