Spain

Spain

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Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

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

Land Boundaries

Total 1,903.2 km, Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km

Coastline

4,964 km

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Gibraltar question with U.K.; 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 Peņon de Alhucemas, Peņon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas

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

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

33,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

international agreements:

Party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Law of the Sea Note: Strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

PEOPLE

Population

39,181,114 (July 1996 est.)
39,404,348 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

16% (male 3,237,942; female 3,055,881) (July 1996 est.)
17% (male 3,446,643; female 3,214,606) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

68% (male 13,380,956; female 13,352,582) (July 1996 est.)
68% (male 13,457,683; female 13,377,839) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

16% (male 2,566,728; female 3,587,025) (July 1996 est.)
15% (male 2,446,210; female 3,461,367) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.16% (1996 est.)
0.27% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

10.04 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
11.21 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

8.86 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
8.86 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

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: 0.72 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
6.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

1.26 children born/woman (1996 est.)
1.41 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Castilian Spanish, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2% and a minority of Valencian

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1986)

Labor Force

11.837 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

SP

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 Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco

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

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Council of State

Is the supreme consultative organ of the government

Legislative Branch

Bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales)

Senate (Senado)

Elections last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by March 2000); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (256 total) PP 132, PSOE 96, CiU 11, PNV 6, IU 2, others 9

Congress of Deputies (Congreso De Los Diputados)

Elections last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by March 2000); results - PP 38.9%, PSOE 37.5%, IU 10.7%, CiU 4.6%; seats - (350 total) PSOE 141, PP 156, IU 21, CiU 16, other 16

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)

Political Parties and Leaders

Other Political or Pressure Groups

On the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977) include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union (USO); business and landowning interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students

Member of

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

Anthem

Flag

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

ECONOMY

Overview

Spain, with a mixed capitalist economy and a per capita GDP two-thirds that of the four leading economies of Western Europe, has shared with these countries the recession of the early 1990s, the gradual upturn of 1994-95, and the ongoing controversies over the timing and terms of European economic union. Reduction of the budget deficit - at 5.9% of GDP in 1995 - to meet the Maastricht monetary convergence criterion of 3% by 1997 remains the primary goal of Spanish economic policy, but political pressures had kept the Socialist government from implementing the full range of reforms necessary to meet this goal. Spain's official unemployment rate of 23% is the highest in the EU, and the troubled Socialists had been reluctant to cut social spending. Parliament rejected the administration's proposed 1996 budget because of political wrangling - not because of great differences with the substance of the spending plan - forcing the government to continue spending at 1995 levels and use piecemeal decrees to raise consumption taxes to a level consistent with inflation. The conservative opposition Popular Party, now in power after ending 13 years of Socialist rule in the spring of 1996, has promised to cut government spending, loosen regulations on financial markets, and lower taxes to spur job creation. The conservatives have stated support for Spain's role in the EU but also have cautioned against harming Spain's economy by moving too quickly to meet the criteria for monetary union.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $565 billion (1995 est.), $515.8 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

3% (1995 est.)
1.8% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$14,300 (1995 est.)
$13,120 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

4.3% (1995)
4.9% (1994)

Unemployment Rate

22.8% (yearend 1995)
24.5% (yearend 1994)

Budget

Exports

$85 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
$72.8 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$110 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
$92.5 billion (c.i.f., 1993)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$90 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial Production

Growth rate 4% (1994 est.)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

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

Illicit Drugs

Key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin

Economic Aid

Currency

1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

Exchange Rates

Pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 123.19 (January 1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96 (1994), 127.26 (1993), 102.38 (1992), 103.91 (1991), 101.93 (1990) - In 1993 the peseta was devaluated several times.

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

1,045 km, but of minor economic importance

Pipelines

Crude oil 265 km; petroleum products 1,794 km; natural gas 1,666 km

Ports

Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Malaga, Melilla, Pasajes, Puerto de Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo

Merchant Marine

Airports

Heliports:

2 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

12.6 million telephones (1990 est.); generally adequate, modern facilities

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard, National Police, Coastal Civil Guard

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 10,360,209; males fit for military service 8,434,460; males reach military age (20) annually 370,197 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $6.3 billion, 1.4% of GDP (1995), $8 billion, 1.6% of GDP (1994)

TRAVEL

Places of Interest

Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Merida.

History
World Atlas

Last modified: 19 november 1997