Spain

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

highest point:

Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

lowest point:

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

mean elevation:

660 m

agricultural land:

49.6% (2023 est.)

arable land:

23% (2023 est.)

permanent crops:

10.2% (2023 est.)

permanent pasture:

19.8% (2023 est.)

forest:

38.2% (2023 est.)

other:

12.3% (2023 est.)

• 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;
• very dense settlement around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

• 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;
• Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia;
• the others are the Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde

noun:

Spaniard(s)

adjective:

Spanish

total:

47.2 years (2025 est.)

male:

45.7 years

female:

47.8 years

• 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;
• very dense settlement around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.76 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

2.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

2.7 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

2.1 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

83 years (2024 est.)

male:

80.3 years

female:

85.8 years

total:

10.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

4.67 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

3.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

2.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

23.9% (2025 est.)

male:

25.8% (2025 est.)

female:

22% (2025 est.)

• pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from oil and gas production;
• drought;
• air pollution;
• deforestation;
• desertification

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

agricultural land:

49.6% (2023 est.)

arable land:

23% (2023 est.)

permanent crops:

10.2% (2023 est.)

permanent pasture:

19.8% (2023 est.)

forest:

38.2% (2023 est.)

other:

12.3% (2023 est.)

urban population:

81.6% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

note: data include Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla

municipal solid waste generated annually:

22.409 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

27.7% (2022 est.)

municipal:

4.56 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

5.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

18.96 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

total global geoparks and regional networks:

18 (2025)

global geoparks and regional networks:

Basque Coast UNESCO; Cabo de Gata-Níjar; Cabo Ortegal; Calatrava Volcanoes. Ciudad Real; Central Catalonia; Costa Quebrada; Courel Mountains; El Hierro; Granada; Lanzarote and Chinijo Islands; Las Loras; Maestrazgo; Molina-Alto; Origens; Sierra Norte de Sevilla; Sierras Subbéticas; Sobrarbe-Pirineos: Villuercas Ibores Jara (2025)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Spain

conventional short form:

Spain

local long form:

Reino de España

local short form:

España

etymology:

• derivation of the name España is uncertain;
• the Basque words ezpain or espan ("edge," as in a river bank) are possible sources, or the Punic word span , meaning "rabbit;" some academics tie it to the god Hesperus from Greco-Roman mythology

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

time zone note:

Spain has two time zones, including the Canary Islands (UTC 0)

etymology:

• the meaning and origin of the name is unclear;
• the city grew from a small Moorish fort that was called Majerit in the first recorded mention in A.D. 932;
• some trace the modern-day name back to the Roman era, with the Latin word materia (materials) as a possible source

history:

several previous; 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

amendment process:

• proposed by the government, by the General Courts (the Congress or the Senate), or by the self-governing communities submitted through the government;
• passage requires three-fifths majority vote by both houses and passage by referendum if requested by one tenth of the members of either house;
• proposals disapproved by both houses are submitted to a joint committee, which submits an agreed upon text for another vote;
• passage requires two-thirds majority vote in Congress and simple majority vote in the Senate

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

chief of state:

King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014)

head of government:

President of the Government of Spain (prime minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ PEREZ-CASTEJON (since 2 June 2018)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers designated by the president

election/appointment process:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• following legislative elections, the monarch usually proposes as president the leader of the majority party or coalition, who is then indirectly elected by the Congress of Deputies;
• vice president and Council of Ministers appointed by the president

most recent election date:

23 July 2023

election results:

Congress of Deputies vote - 179 to 171 (16 November 2023)

expected date of next election:

31 July 2027

note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding

legislature name:

The Cortes (Las Cortes Generales)

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)

number of seats:

350 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

proportional representation

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

7/23/2023

parties elected and seats per party:

• People's Party (PP) (136);
• Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) (122);
• Vox (33);
• SUMAR (31);
• Other (28)

percentage of women in chamber:

44.3%

expected date of next election:

July 2027

chamber name:

Senate (Senado)

number of seats:

265 (208 directly elected; 57 indirectly elected)

electoral system:

mixed system

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

7/23/2023

parties elected and seats per party:

• People's Party (PP) (120);
• Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) (72);
• Other (16)

percentage of women in chamber:

42.5%

expected date of next election:

July 2027

highest court(s):

• Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo (consists of the court president and organized into the Civil Room, with a president and 9 judges; the Penal Room, with a president and 14 judges; the Administrative Room, with a president and 32 judges; the Social Room, with a president and 12 judges; and the Military Room, with a president and 7 judges);
• 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;
• 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 (in each of the autonomous communities);
• provincial courts;
• courts of first instance

• Asturias Forum or FAC
• Basque Country Unite (Euskal Herria Bildu) or EH Bildu (coalition of 4 Basque pro-independence parties)
• Basque Nationalist Party or PNV or EAJ
• Canarian Coalition or CC (coalition of 5 parties)
• Ciudadanos Party (Citizens Party) or Cs
• Compromis - Compromise Coalition
• Navarrese People's Union or UPN
• Together for Catalonia or Junts
• People's Party or PP
• Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC
• Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE
• Teruel Existe or TE
• Unidas (Unite) or Sumar (electoral coalition formed in March 2022) (formerly Unidas Podemos or UP)
• Vox or VOX

chief of mission:

• Ambassador (vacant);
• Chargé d’Affaires Rian Harker HARRIS (since 15 July 2024);
• note - also accredited to Andorra

embassy:

Calle de Serrano, 75, 28006 Madrid

mailing address:

8500 Madrid Place, Washington DC 20521-8500

telephone:

[34] (91) 587-2200

FAX:

[34] (91) 587-2303

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://es.usembassy.gov/

consulate(s) general:

Barcelona

description:

• three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double-width), and red, with the national coat of arms on the left side of the yellow band;
• the coat of arms shows the emblems of the area's former kingdoms (clockwise from upper left: Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon), which also used red and yellow as their colors;
• the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield represents Granada;
• the two columns represent the Pillars of Hercules, which are promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on the Strait of Gibraltar;
• a red scroll bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond), referring to Spanish lands outside Europe

title:

"Himno Nacional Espanol" (National Anthem of Spain)

lyrics/music:

no lyrics/unknown

history:

• adopted 1942;officially in use between 1770 and 1931, restored in 1939;
• the Spanish anthem was the first to be officially adopted;
• 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, and the short version is used for the prince, prime minister, and occasions such as sporting events

total World Heritage Sites:

50 (44 cultural, 4 natural, 2 mixed)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (c);
• Works of Antoni Gaudí (c);
• Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) (c);
• Historic City of Toledo (c);
• Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida (c);
• Tower of Hercules (c);
• Doñana National Park (n);
• Pyrénées - Mont Perdu (m);
• Alhambra , Generalife, and Albayzín in Granada (c);
• Old City of Salamanca (c);
• Teide National Park (n);
• Historic Walled Town of Cuenca (c);
• Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct (c);
• Historic Cordoba (c);
• Royal Site of Saint Lorenzo de El Escorial (c);
• Cathedral , Alcázar , and Archivo de Indias in Seville

• high-income, core-EU and eurozone economy;
• strong growth driven by public consumption, tourism, and other service exports;
• tight labor market despite high structural unemployment;
• efforts to narrow persistent fiscal deficits through tax and spending measures;
• high but declining unemployment supported by job growth and immigration

agriculture:

2.5% (2024 est.)

industry:

19.5% (2024 est.)

services:

69.1% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

27% (2024 est.)

male:

26.4% (2024 est.)

female:

27.7% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

12.9% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

4% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.3% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

24.8% (2022 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

7 (2025)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

7.12GW (2025 est.)

Percent of total electricity production:

20.3% (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:

3 (2025)

production:

1.28 million metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

7.388 million metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

1.629 million metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

9.798 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

1.187 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

47,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

1.325 million bbl/day (2024 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

150 million barrels (2021 est.)

production:

34.124 million cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

29.041 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports:

6.576 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

35.252 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

2.549 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• mix of publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations;
• hundreds of TV channels available, including national, regional, local, public, and international channels;
• satellite and cable TV available;
• multiple national radio networks, large number of regional radio networks, and larger number of local radio stations (2019)

total ports:

52 (2024)

large:

3

medium:

14

small:

9

very small:

24

size unknown:

2

ports with oil terminals:

13

key ports:

Alicante, Barcelona, Cadiz, Ceuta, Ferrol, Huelva, Las Palmas, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Puerto de Bilbao, Puerto de Pasajes, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Sevilla, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo

• the military's inventory is comprised of weapons and equipment that were produced domestically, co-produced with or imported from other European countries, or acquired from the US;
• key suppliers of major armaments include Germany and the US;
• Spain's defense industry manufactures land, air, and sea weapons systems and is integrated within the European defense-industrial sector (2025)

• Spain has up to 3,000 military personnel deployed on 17 missions supporting the EU, NATO, and the UN on four continents, as well as naval missions in the Mediterranean and the seas off the Horn of Africa;
• its largest deployments are up to 700 troops in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and about 1,700 personnel in Eastern Europe supporting NATO missions in Latvia, Romania, and Slovakia (2025)

• space program dates back to the 1940s;
• manufactures and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific/technology satellites;
• has developed sounding rockets;
• conducts research and development in a broad range of space-related capabilities, including astrobiology, astronomy, imaging/RS, meteorology, optics, propulsion, robotics, satellites (particularly micro- and nano-satellites), and satellite launch vehicles;
• program is integrated into the ESA;
• also participates in EU space programs;
• hosts the European Space Astronomy Center (ESOC) and the ESA’s Space Surveillance and Tracking Data Centre (ESAC);
• cooperates with foreign space agencies and industries, including the US;
• has an active commercial space industry (2025)