from
CIA World Factbook 2006
Spain
Introduction
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). A peaceful transition to democracy following
the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and
rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in
1986), have given Spain one of the most dynamic
economies in Europe and made it a global champion of
freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque
Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and relatively
high unemployment.
Geography
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay,
Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees
Mountains, southwest of France
Geographic 40 00 N, 4 00 W
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 504,782 sq km
land: 499,542 sq km
water: 5,240 sq km
note: there are 2 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
Area - slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
comparative:
Land total: 1,917.8 km
boundaries: 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 territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the
Atlantic Ocean)
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 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary
Islands 3,718 m
Natural coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium,
resources: tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar,
gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable
land
Land use: arable land: 27.18%
permanent crops: 9.85%
other: 62.97% (2005)
Irrigated 37,800 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural periodic droughts
hazards:
Environment - pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and
current effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas;
issues: water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution;
deforestation; desertification
Environment - party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
international Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
agreements: 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
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants
Geography - strategic location along approaches to Strait of
note: Gibraltar
People
Population: 40,397,842 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,000,686/female 2,821,325)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 13,751,963/female 13,653,426)
65 years and over: 17.7% (male 2,993,496/female
4,176,946) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 39.9 years
male: 38.6 years
female: 41.3 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.13% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 10.06 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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 (2006 est.)
Infant total: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 4.76 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 3.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 79.65 years
expectancy at male: 76.32 years
birth: female: 83.2 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.7% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 140,000 (2001 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 1,000 (2003 est.)
deaths:
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 long form: Reino de Espana
local short form: Espana
Government parliamentary monarchy
type:
Capital: name: Madrid
geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
note: Spain is divided into two time zones, including
the Canary Islands
Administrative 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas,
divisions: singular - comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities*
(ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma);
Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic
Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna,
Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja,
Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (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 located along the coast of Morocco
and are collectively referred to as Places of
Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)
Independence: the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of
independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation
that began in the early 8th century AD 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 National Day, 12 October
holiday:
Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November
branch: 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch,
born 30 January 1968
head of government: President of the Government and
Prime Minister Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (since 17
April 2004); First Vice President and Deputy Prime
Minister (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa
FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004) and Second
Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance)
Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004)
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, but its
recommendations are non-binding
elections: the monarchy 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 14 March 2004
(next to be held March 2008); vice presidents appointed
by the monarch on the proposal of the president
election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE)
elected president; percent of National Assembly vote -
52.29%
Legislative bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las
branch: 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)
elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be
held March 2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14
March 2004 (next to be held March 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party -
PP 49%, PSOE 38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%,
CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC 1.4%; seats by party - PP 102,
PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV 6,
CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU
3.2%, CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU
10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU 2, CC 3, other 8
Judicial Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
branch:
Political Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ];
parties and Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties)
leaders: [Paulino RIVERO Baute]; Convergence and Union or CiU
[Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of the Democratic
Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro]
and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep
Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress
(a Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties -
PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG
[Anxo Manuel QUINTANA]; Party of Independents from
Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular Party
or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Republican Left of Catalonia or
ERC [Joan Puigcercos BOIXASSA]; 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 business and landowning interests; Catholic Church;
pressure free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist
groups and General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller
leaders: independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university
students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers'
Commissions or CC.OO.; Nunca Mas (Galician for "Never
Again"; formed in response to the oil tanker Prestige
oil spill)
International AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC,
organization EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
participation: ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU,
LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,
SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP
representation chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340
FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco,
San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr.
representation embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
from the US: mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200
FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303
consulate(s) general: Barcelona
Flag three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double
description: 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 - The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990, averaging
overview: five percent annual growth. After a European-wide
recession in the early 1990s, the Spanish economy
resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's mixed
capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita
basis is 80% that of the four leading West European
economies. The center-right government of former
President AZNAR 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 continued to advocate liberalization,
privatization, and deregulation of the economy and
introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment
fell steadily under the AZNAR administration but
remains high at 10.1%. Growth of 2.5% in 2003, 2.6% in
2004, and 3.4% in 2005 was satisfactory given the
background of a faltering European economy. The
socialist president, RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, has initiated
economic and social reforms that are generally popular
among the masses of people, but that are anathema to
religious and other conservative elements. Adjusting to
the monetary and other economic policies of an
integrated Europe, reducing unemployment, and absorbing
widespread social changes will pose challenges to Spain
over the next few years.
GDP $1.033 trillion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $1.019 trillion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 3.5% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $25,600 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 4%
composition by industry: 29.5%
sector: services: 66.5% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 20.67 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 5.3%
by occupation: industry: 30.1%
services: 64.6% (2004 est.)
Unemployment 9.2% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population NA%
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 2.8%
income or highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 32.5 (1990)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 3.4% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 29.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $440.9 billion
expenditures: $448.4 billion; including capital
expenditures of $12.8 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt: 42.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets,
products: 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 0.7% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 247.3 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 50.4%
production by hydro: 18.2%
source: nuclear: 27.2%
other: 4.1% (2001)
Electricity - 231.2 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 7.5 billion kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 8.7 billion kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 24,540 bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 1.544 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: 135,100 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 1.582 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved 10.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)
reserves:
Natural gas - 216 million cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 23.27 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 0 cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 17.26 billion cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 2.662 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
proved
reserves:
Current $-83.14 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $194.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals,
commodities: medicines, other consumer goods
Exports - France 19.4%, Germany 11.4%, Portugal 9.5%, UK 8.5%,
partners: Italy 8.4% (2005)
Imports: $271.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished
commodities: goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and
medical control instruments
Imports - Germany 15%, France 14.5%, Italy 8.5%, UK 5.8%,
partners: Netherlands 4.9%, China 4.3% (2005)
Reserves of $17.23 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $970.7 billion (2005 est.)
external:
Economic aid - ODA, $1.33 billion (1999)
donor:
Currency euro (EUR)
(code): note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union
introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by
the financial institutions of member countries; on 1
January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for
everyday transactions with the member countries
Currency code: EUR
Exchange euros per US dollar - 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004),
rates: 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones - 18.322 million (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 41.328 million (2005)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: generally adequate, modern
system: facilities; teledensity is 45 main lines for each 100
persons
domestic: NA
international: country code - 34; 22 coaxial submarine
cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1
Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;
tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Radio AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 13.1 million (1997)
Television 224 (plus 2,105 repeaters)
broadcast note: these figures include 11 television broadcast
stations: stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands (1995)
Televisions: 16.2 million (1997)
Internet .es
country code:
Internet 2,520,711 (2006)
hosts:
Internet 56 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 19,204,771 (2006)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 157 (2006)
Airports - total: 96
with paved over 3,047 m: 16
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 26 (2006)
Airports - total: 61
with unpaved 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
runways: 914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 44 (2006)
Heliports: 8 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 7,962 km; oil 622 km; refined products 3,447 km
(2006)
Railways: total: 14,873 km
broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km
electrified)
standard gauge: 998 km 1.435-m gauge (998 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,928 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km
electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified)
(2005)
Roadways: total: 666,292 km
paved: 659,629 km (including 12,009 km of expressways)
unpaved: 6,663 km (2003)
Waterways: 1,000 km (2003)
Merchant total: 169 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,902,839 GRT/
marine: 1,874,161 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 13, chemical tanker 14,
container 27, liquefied gas 9, passenger 1, passenger/
cargo 49, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 5,
roll on/roll off 20, specialized tanker 2, vehicle
carrier 5
foreign-owned: 36 (Cuba 1, Denmark 1, Germany 12, Italy
2, Mexico 3, Norway 7, UK 1, Uruguay 2, US 7)
registered in other countries: 112 (Bahamas 12, Belize
3, Brazil 4, Cambodia 1, Cape Verde 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus
7, Italy 1, Malta 6, Marshall Islands 3, Nigeria 1,
Panama 53, Portugal 15, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, UK 1,
Venezuela 1) (2006)
Ports and Algeciras, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gijon, Huelva, La
terminals: Coruna, Tarragona, Valencia
Military
Military Spanish Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Armada Espanola, AE;
branches: includes Marine Corps), Air Force (Ejercito del Aire,
EdA) (2006)
Military 20 years of age (2004)
service age
and
obligation:
Manpower males age 20-49: 9,366,588
available for females age 20-49: 9,155,057 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 20-49: 7,623,356
for military females age 20-49: 7,434,465 (2005 est.)
service:
Manpower males age 18-49: 233,384
reaching females age 20-49: 221,805 (2005 est.)
military
service age
annually:
Military $9,906.5 million (2003)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 1.2% (2003)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by
international: referendum to remain a British colony and against a
"total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding
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; 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
Illicit drugs: key European gateway country and consumer for Latin
American cocaine and North African hashish entering the
European market; destination and minor transshipment
point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering site
for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and
organized crime