Map of Spain | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain France and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has focused on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe. Spain assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2015-16 term.


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

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N 4 00 W

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 505,370 km²
Land: 498,980 km²
Water: 6,390 km²
Note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas Penon de Alhucemas and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
Rank: 52
Comparative: almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries
Total: 1952.7 km
Border countries: (5) Andorra 63 km; France 646 km; Gibraltar 1.2 km; Portugal 1224 km; Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km; Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km
Note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Coastline: 4,964 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 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 Mountains in north

Elevation
Mean elevation: 660 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m: highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Natural resources: coal lignite iron ore copper lead zinc uranium tungsten mercury pyrites magnesite fluorspar gypsum sepiolite kaolin potash hydropower arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 54.1%
Forest: 36.8%
Other: 9.1%

Irrigated land: 38,000 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts occasional flooding
Volcanism: volcanic activity in the Canary Islands located off Africa's northwest coast; Teide has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; La Palma (elev. 2,426 m) which last erupted in 1971 is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes; Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano

Geography
Note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas


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Population
Distribution: with the notable exception of Madrid Sevilla and Zaragoza the largest urban agglomerations are found along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; numerous smaller cities are spread throughout the interior reflecting Spain's agrarian heritage; dense settlement is found around the capital of Madrid as well as the port city of Barcelona: 48,563,476 (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 29
Growth rate: 0.84% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 130
Below poverty line: 21.1% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Spaniard
Adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Languages: Castilian Spanish (official nationwide) 74% Catalan (official in Catalonia the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian)) 17% Galician (official in Galicia) 7% Basque (official in the Basque Country and in the Basque-speaking area of Navarre) 2% Aranese (official in the northwest corner of Catalonia (Vall d'Aran) along with Catalan; 5,000 speakers)
Note: Aragonese Aranese Asturian Basque Calo Catalan Galician and Valencian are recognized as regional languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Religions: Roman Catholic 94% other 6%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.43%
15-24 years: 9.56%
25-54 years: 45.24%
55-64 years: 11.91%
65 years and over: 17.85% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.8%
Youth dependency ratio: 22.4%
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.3%
Potential support ratio: 3.5%

Median age
Total: 42.3 years
Male: 41.2 years
Female: 43.6 years
Rank: 27

Population growth rate: 0.84% (2016 est.)
Rank: 130

Birth rate: 9.4 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 205

Death rate: 9.1 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 65

Net migration rate: 8 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 13

Population distribution: with the notable exception of Madrid Sevilla and Zaragoza the largest urban agglomerations are found along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; numerous smaller cities are spread throughout the interior reflecting Spain's agrarian heritage; dense settlement is found around the capital of Madrid as well as the port city of Barcelona

Urbanization
Urban population: 79.6% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.52% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: MADRID (capital) 6.199 million; Barcelona 5.258 million; Valencia 810,000 (2015)

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-Sulfur 94 Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Antarctic-Marine Living Resources Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Marine Life Conservation Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.07 male/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male/female
15-24 years: 1.07 male/female
25-54 years: 1.04 male/female
55-64 years: 0.95 male/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 29.8 (2010 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.3 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 2.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 213

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 81.7 years
Male: 78.7 years
Female: 84.9 years
Rank: 22

Total fertility rate: 1.49 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 199

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 65.7% (2006)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 4.95 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 3.1 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.39% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 73
People living with hivaids: 148,900 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 32
Deaths: 1200 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 70

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 26.5% (2014)
Rank: 45

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.3% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 80

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.1%
Male: 98.7%
Female: 97.5%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 18 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 18 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
Conventional short form: Spain
Local long form: Reino de Espana
Local short form: Espana
Etymology: derivation of the name 'Espana' is uncertain but may come from the Phoenician term 'span' related to the word 'spy' meaning 'to forge metals' so 'i-spn-ya' would mean 'place where metals are forged'; the ancient Phoenicians long exploited the Iberian Peninsula for its mineral wealth

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Madrid
Geographic coordinates: 40 24 N 3 41 W
Time difference: UTC+1
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Note: Spain has two time zones including the Canary Islands

Administrative divisions: 17 semi-autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas singular - comunidad autonoma) and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia; Aragon; Asturias; Canarias (Canary Islands); Cantabria; Castilla-La Mancha; Castilla-Leon; Cataluna (Castilian) Catalunya (Catalan) Catalonha (Aranese) [Catalonia]; Ceuta*; Comunidad Valenciana (Castilian) Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian) [Valencian Community]; Extremadura; Galicia; Illes Baleares (Balearic Islands); La Rioja; Madrid; Melilla*; Murcia; Navarra (Castilian) Nafarroa (Basque) [Navarre]; Pais Vasco (Castilian) Euskadi (Basque) [Basque Country]
Note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small islands of Islas Chafarinas Penon de Alhucemas and Penon de Velez de la Gomera administered directly by the Spanish central government are all along the coast of Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty

Dependent areas

Independence: 1492; the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain

National holiday: National Day 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set foot in the Americas

Constitution: previous 1812; latest approved by the General Courts 31 October 1978 passed by referendum 6 December 1978 signed by the king 27 December 1978 effective 29 December 1978; amended 1992 2007 2011 (2016)

Legal system: civil law system with regional variations

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Spain
Dual citizenship recognized: only with select Latin American countries
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years for persons with no ties to Spain

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King FELIPE VI ; Heir Apparent Princess LEONOR Princess of Asturias daughter of the monarch born 31 October 2005
Head of government: President of the Government or Acting Prime Minister Mariano RAJOY ; Vice President (and Minister of the President's Office) Soraya SAENZ DE SANTAMARIA (since 22 December 2011)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections the monarch usually proposes the leader of the party or coalition with the largest majority of seats as president who is then indirectly elected by the Congress of Deputies; election last held on 20 December 2015; vice president and Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - because no party received a majority of the votes in both houses and because the leaders of the parties with the most votes were unable to form a coalition to form a majority new elections were held on 26 June 2016
Election results: percent of National Assembly vote - NA
Note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government but its recommendations are non-binding

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral General Courts or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; 348 members directly elected in 50 multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 2 directly elected from the North African Ceuta and Melilla enclaves by simple majority vote; members serve 4-year terms or until the government is dissolved)
Elections: Senate - last held on 26 June 2016 ; Congress of Deputies - last held on 20 December 2015 (next to be held no later than 26 June 2020); note - the four main parties were unable to form a government so a second election was held six months later
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PP 151 PSOE 63 Podemos 23 ERC 12 EAJ/PNV 6 CDC 4 other 7; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PP 33.0% PSOE 22.7% Podemos 21.1% C's 13.0% ERC-CatSi 2.6% CDC 2.0% EAJ/PNV 1.2% other 4.4%; seats by party - PP 137 PSOE 85 Podemos 71 C's 32 ERC-CatSi 9 CDC 8 EAJ/PNV 5 other 3

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo ; Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional de Espana (consists of 12 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary Power a 20-member governing board chaired by the monarch that includes presidential appointees and lawyers and jurists confirmed by the National Assembly; judges can serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Assembly executive branch and the General Council of the Judiciary and appointed by the monarch for 9-year terms
Subordinate courts: National High Court; High Courts of Justice ; provincial courts; courts of first instance

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Arctic Council (observer) Australia Group BCIE BIS CAN (observer) CBSS (observer) CD CE CERN EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EITI (implementing country) EMU ESA EU FAO FATF IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (national committees) ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) LAIA (observer) MIGA NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Pacific Alliance (observer) Paris Club PCA PIF (partner) Schengen Convention SELEC (observer) SICA (observer) UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNOCI UNRWA UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ramon GIL-CASARES Satrustegui
In the us chancery: 2,375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20,037
In the us telephone: [1] 452-0100 728-2,340
In the us FAX: [1] 833-5,670
In the us consulate general: Boston Chicago Houston Los Angeles Miami New York San Francisco San Juan
In the us consulate: Kansas City
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James COSTOS ; note - also accredited to Andorra
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] 587-2,200
From the us FAX: [34] 587-2,303
From the us consulate 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 is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left Castile Leon Navarre and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of 'Plus Ultra' (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe; the triband arrangement with the center stripe twice the width of the outer dates to the 18th century
Note: the red and yellow colors are related to those of the oldest Spanish kingdoms: Aragon Castile Leon and Navarre

National symbols: Pillars of Hercules; national colors: red yellow

National anthem
Name: 'Himno Nacional Espanol'
Lyrics and music: no lyrics/unknown
Note: officially in use between 1770 and 1931 restored in 1939; the Spanish anthem is the first anthem to be officially adopted but it has no lyrics; in the years prior to 1931 it became known as 'Marcha Real' ; it first appeared in a 1761 military bugle call book and was replaced by 'Himno de Riego' in the years between 1931 and 1939; the long version of the anthem is used for the king while the short version is used for the prince prime minister and occasions such as sporting events

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 17

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 95

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 54

Gross national saving:
Rank: 70

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 57.6%
Government consumption: 19.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 20.4%
Investment in inventories: 0.3%
Exports of goods and services: 33.1%
Imports of goods and services: -30.7%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.5%
Industry: 22.6%
Services: 74.9%

Agriculture products: grain vegetables olives wine grapes sugar beets citrus; beef pork poultry dairy products; fish

Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear) food and beverages metals and metal manufactures chemicals shipbuilding automobiles machine tools tourism clay and refractory products footwear pharmaceuticals medical equipment

Industrial production growth rate: 3.9% (2015 est.)
Rank: 59

Labor force: 22.92 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 29
By occupation agriculture: 4.2%
By occupation industry: 24%
By occupation services: 71.7%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 173

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 21.1% (2012 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.5%
Highest 10: 24%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 87

Budget
Revenues: $458.8 billion
Expenditures: $519.8 billion
Surplus or deficit: -5.1% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 164

Taxes and other revenues: 38.2% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 51

Public debt:
Rank: 15

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 31

Central bank discount rate:
Note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Rank: 153

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 172

Stock of narrow money:
Note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
Rank: 8

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 15

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 11

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 14

Current account balance:
Rank: 17

Exports:
Rank: 19
Commodities: machinery motor vehicles; foodstuffs pharmaceuticals medicines other consumer goods
Partners: France 15.7% Germany 11% Italy 7.4% UK 7.4% Portugal 7.1% US 4.5% (2015)

Imports:
Rank: 15
Commodities: machinery and equipment fuels chemicals semi-finished goods foodstuffs consumer goods measuring and medical control instruments
Partners: Germany 14.4% France 11.7% China 7.1% Italy 6.5% Netherlands 5% UK 4.9% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 37

Debt external:
Rank: 10

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 13

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 14

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100%
Production: 264 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 14
Consumption: 234 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 15
Exports: 16 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 12
Imports: 12 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 22
Installed generating capacity: 102.3 million kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 12
Generation sources fossil fuels: 43% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 161
Generation sources nuclear: 7.7% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 22
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 19.6% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 93
Generation sources other renewable sources: 30% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 5

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 4,652 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 82
Crude oil exports: 54,230 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 39
Crude oil imports: 1.349 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 9
Crude oil proven reserves: 150 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 65

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 1.352 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 19
Products consumption: 1.241 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products consumption rank: 19
Products exports: 416,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 20
Products imports: 302,900 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 26

Natural gas
Production: 24 million m³ (2014 est.)
Production rank: 86
Consumption: 27.23 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 31
Exports: 8.219 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 25
Imports: 36.38 billion m³ (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 11
Proven reserves: 2.548 billion m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 98

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 276 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 20

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 19,180,192
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40
Fixed lines rank: 16
Mobile cellular total: 50.926 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 106
Mobile cellular rank: 30

Telephone system
General assessment: well-developed modern facilities
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 145 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 34; submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe Middle East Asia and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries (2015)

Broadcast media: a mixture of both publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations; overall hundreds of TV channels are available including national regional local public and international channels; satellite and cable TV systems available; multiple national radio networks a large number of regional radio networks and a larger number of local radio stations; overall hundreds of radio stations (2008)

Internet
Country code: .es
Users total: 37.886 million
Users percent of population: 78.7%
Users rank: 20

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 110

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service by a Spanish citizen or legal immigrant 2-3 year obligation; women allowed to serve in all SAF branches including combat units; no conscription but Spanish Government retains right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency; mandatory retirement of non-NCO enlisted personnel at age 45 or 58 depending on service length (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 20
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 414
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 60,809,228
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,040,913,279 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: EC (2016)

Airports: 150 (2013)
Rank: 38
With paved runways total: 99
With paved runways over 3047 m: 18
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 14
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 19
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 24
With paved runways under 914 m: 24
With unpaved runways total: 51
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 36

Heliports: 10 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 10,481 km; oil 616 km; refined products 3,461 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 16,102 km
Broad gauge: 11,873 km 1.668-m gauge
Standard gauge: 2,312 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 1884.9 km 1.000-m gauge ; 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified); 3.6 km 0.600-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 17

Roadways
Total: 683,175 km
Paved: 683,175 km (2011)
Rank: 11

Waterways: 1000 km (2012)
Rank: 63

Merchant marine
Total: 132
By type: bulk carrier 7 cargo 19 chemical tanker 8 container 5 liquefied gas 12 passenger/cargo 43 petroleum tanker 18 refrigerated cargo 4 roll on/roll off 9 vehicle carrier 7
Foreign owned: 27
Registered in other countries: 103 (2010)
Rank: 44

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Algeciras Barcelona Bilbao Cartagena Huelva Tarragona Valencia ; Las Palmas Santa Cruz de Tenerife (in the Canary Islands)
Container port: Algeciras (3,608,301) Barcelona (2,033,747) Valencia (4,327,371); Las Palmas (1,287,389)
LNG terminal: Barcelona Bilbao Cartagena Huelva Mugardos Sagunto


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Disputes international: in 2002 Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any 'shared sovereignty' arrangement; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta Melilla and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas and surrounding waters; both countries claim Isla Perejil (Leila Island); Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 440
Note: 14,661 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals

Illicit drugs: despite rigorous law enforcement efforts North African Latin American Galician and other European traffickers take advantage of Spain's long coastline to land large shipments of cocaine and hashish for distribution to the European market; consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish; destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized crime