|
To answer that
question you either will need the facts and statistics of
Spain, or just take a holiday trip over here to se for your
self, anyway we will on this page Specify all Facts and details
about the most..
|
| Introduction |
Spain |
| 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 Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating civil
war (1936-39). In the second half of the 20th century, Spain
has played a catch-up role in the western international community;
it joined the EU in 1986. Continuing concerns are Basque Fatherland
and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and further reductions in unemployment. |
|
| Geography |
|
| 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 |
| Area: |
total: 504,782 sq km
water: 5,240 sq km
note: there are 19 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
land: 499,542 sq km
|
| Land boundaries: |
total: 1,917.8 km
border countries: Andorra 63.7 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: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
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
highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718
m
|
| Natural resources: |
coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar,
gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower,
arable land |
| Land use: |
arable land: 28.6%
permanent crops: 9.56%
other: 61.84% (1998 est.)
|
| Irrigated land: |
36,400 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: |
periodic droughts |
| Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
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
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
|
| Geography - note: |
strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar |
|
| People |
|
| Population: |
40,217,413 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 2,985,705; female 2,808,791)
15-64 years: 68% (male 13,721,053; female 13,626,121)
65 years and over: 17.6% (male 2,962,646; female 4,113,097)
(2003 est.)
|
| Median age: |
total: 38.7 years
male: 37.4 years
female: 40.1 years (2002) |
| Population growth rate: |
0.16% (2003 est.) |
Birth rate:
|
10.08 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death rate: |
9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net migration rate: |
0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
|
| Infant mortality rate: |
total: 4.54 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 4.94 deaths/1,000 live births
|
| Life expectancy at birth: |
total population: 79.23 years
male: 75.87 years
female: 82.8 years (2003 est.)
|
| Total fertility rate: |
1.26 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish
|
| Ethnic groups: |
composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% |
| Languages: |
Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
note: Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other
languages are official regionally |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.7%
female: 97.2% (2003 est.) |
|
| Government |
|
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form: Spain
local short form: Espana |
| Government type: |
parliamentary monarchy |
| Capital: |
Madrid |
| Administrative divisions: |
19 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular
- comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares
(Balearic Islands), Ceuta, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencian,
Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla, Murcia, Navarra,
Pais Vasco (Basque Country)
note: three small Spanish possessions are located off the coast
of Morocco: Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon
de Velez de la Gomera; Ceuta and Melilla gained limited autonomous
status in 1994
|
| Independence: |
the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent
kingdoms prior to the Moslem 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: |
Hispanic Day, 12 October |
| Constitution: |
6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 |
| Legal system: |
civil law system, with regional applications; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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 monarch, born 30 January
1968
head of government: President of the Government Jose Maria
AZNAR Lopez (since 5 May 1996); First Vice President (and Minister
of Economy) Rodrigo RATO Figaredo (since 4 September 2003)
and Second Vice President (and Minister of the Presidency)
Javier ARENAS (since 4 September 2003)
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
election results: Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (PP) elected president;
percent of National Assembly vote - 44.54%; note - the Popular
Party (PP) obtained an absolute majority of seats in both the
Congress of Deputies and the Senate as a result of the March
2000 elections
elections: the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of
the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the
monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last
held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); vice presidents
appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president
|
| Legislative branch: |
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes
Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208
members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 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)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 44.6%,
PSOE 34.1%, CiU 4.2%, PNV 1.5%, CC 1.1%, PIL 0%; seats by party
- PP 127, PSOE 61, CiU 8, PNV 6, CC 5, PIL 1; Congress of Deputies
- percent of vote by party - PP 44.5%, PSOE 34%, CiU 4.2%,
IU 5.4%, PNV 1.5%, CC 1%, BNG 1.3%; seats by party - PP 183,
PSOE 125, CiU 15, IU 8, PNV 7, CC 4, BNG 3, other 5
elections: Senate - last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held
NA March 2004); Congress of Deputies - last held 12 March 2000
(next to be held NA March 2004)
|
| Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo |
| Political parties and leaders: |
Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Xabier ARZALLUS Antia];
Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino
RIVERO]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Jordi PUJOL i Soley,
secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence
of Catalonia or CDC [Jordi PUJOL i Soley] and the Democratic
Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]); Galician
Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Xose Manuel BEIRAS]; Party of Independents
from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular Party
or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE
[Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition
of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar
LLAMAZARES] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: |
business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free
labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General
Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers
Syndical Union or USO; university students; Workers Confederation
or CC.OO; Nunca Mais (Galician for "Never Again";
formed in response to the oil tanker Prestige oil spill) |
| International organization participation: |
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,
ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),
MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| 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 |
|
| Economy |
|
| Economy - overview: |
Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a
per capita basis is 80% that of the four leading West European
economies. Its center-right government successfully worked
to gain admission to the first group of countries launching
the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999.
The AZNAR administration has continued to advocate liberalization,
privatization, and deregulation of the economy and has introduced
some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment has been steadily
falling under the AZNAR administration but remains high at
11.7%. The government intends to make further progress in changing
labor laws and reforming pension schemes, which are key to
the sustainability of both Spain's internal economic advances
and its competitiveness in a single currency area. A general
strike in mid-2002 reduced cooperation between labor and government.
Growth of 2.4% in 2003 was satisfactory given the background
of a faltering European economy. Adjusting to the monetary
and other economic policies of an integrated Europe - and reducing
unemployment - will pose challenges to Spain over the next
few years. |
|
|
|
|
