Spain

parliamentary monarchyIndependence 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

Spain as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 76 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalMadrid

Area504,750 km2

Populationas each edition published it

39.12 million July 1992 · 39.27m in 1990

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.24% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 77.51 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.4 children per woman 1992 · 1.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 6 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $13,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

504,750km2

Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Coastline

4,964km

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

1,903.2km total

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

Land area

499,400 km2; 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

Disputes

Gibraltar question with UK; 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 Penon de Alhucemas, Penon 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

Natural resources

coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower

Land use

arable land 31%;
permanent crops 10%;
meadows and pastures 21%;
forest and woodland 31%;
other 7%;
includes irrigated 6%

Environment

deforestation; air pollution

Note

strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

People

14 fields

Population

39,118,399

(July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

11Death

Literacy

95%

(male 97%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Net migration rate

NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Infant mortality rate

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth

74 years male, 81 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate

1.4 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality

noun - Spaniard(s); adjective - Spanish

Ethnic divisions

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Religions

Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%

Languages

Castilian Spanish; second languages include Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Labor force

14,621,000; services 53%, industry 24%, agriculture 14%, construction 9% (1988)

Organized labor

less 10% of labor force (1988)

Government

Parliamentary monarchy

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

39.6%

PSOE 39.6%PP 25.8%CDS 9%Communist-led coalition (IU) 9%CiU 5%PNV 1.2%HB 1%PA 1%other 8.4%

Long-form name

Kingdom of Spain

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)

Constitution

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Legal system

civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday

National Day, 12 October

Executive branch

monarch, president of the government (prime minister), deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet), Council of State

Legislative branch

bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)

Leaders

Chief of State:: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Narcis SERRA (since 13 March 1991)

Political parties and leaders

principal national parties, from right to left - Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR;
Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Luis DE GRANDES;
Social Democratic Center (CDS), Rafael Calvo ORTEGA;
Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez;
Socialist Democracy Party (DS), Ricardo Garcia DAMBORENEA;
Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio ANGUITA;
chief regional parties - Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi PUJOL Saley, in Catalonia;
Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS;
Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos GARAICOETXEA Urizza;
Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon IDIGORAS;
Basque Left (EE), Kepa AULESTIA;
Andalusian Party (PA), Pedro PACHECO;
Independent Canary Group (AIC);
Aragon Regional Party (PAR);
Valencian Union (UV)

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Elections

Senate:: last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held NA October 1993);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (208 total) PSOE 106, PP 79, CiU 10, PNV 4, HB 3, AIC 1, other 5
Congress of Deputies:: last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held NA October 1993);
results - PSOE 39.6%, PP 25.8%, CDS 9%, Communist-led coalition (IU) 9%, CiU 5%, PNV 1.2%, HB 1%, PA 1%, other 8.4%;
seats - (350 total) PSOE 175, PP 106, CiU 18, IU 17, CDS 14, PNV 5, HB 4, other 11

Communists

PCE membership declined from a possible high of 160,000 in 1977 to roughly 60,000 in 1987;
the party gained almost 1 million voters and 10 deputies in the 1989 election;
voters came mostly from the disgruntled socialist left;
remaining strength is in labor, where it dominates the Workers Commissions trade union (one of the country's two major labor centrals), which claims a membership of about 1 million;
experienced a modest recovery in 1986 national election, nearly doubling the share of the vote it received in 1982

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);
the Catholic Church;
business and landowning interests;
Opus Dei;
university students

Member of

AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-8, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Jaime de OJEDA;
Chancery at 2700 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009;
telephone (202) 265-0190 or 0191;
there are Spanish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

US:: Ambassador Joseph ZAPPALA;
Embassy at Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid (mailing address is APO AE 09642);
telephone [34] (1) 577-4000, FAX [34] (1) 577-5735;
there is a US Consulate General in Barcelona and a Consulate in Bilbao

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

Spain has done well since joining the EC in 1986.

17 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

5.9%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

16.0%

(1991 est.)

External debt

$45billion

(1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$111.0 billionExpenditures

$115.9 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $20.8 billion (1991 est.)

Overview

Spain has done well since joining the EC in 1986. In accordance with its accession treaty, Spain has almost wholly liberalized trade and capital markets. Foreign and domestic investment has spurred average growth of 4% per year. Beginning in 1989, Madrid implemented a tight monetary policy to fight inflation - around 7% in 1989 and 1990.

As a result growth slowed to 2.5% in 1991. Spanish policymakers remain concerned with inflation - still hovering at 6%. Government officials also are worried about 16% unemployment, although many people listed as unemployed work in the underground economy. Spanish economists believe that structural adjustments due to the ongoing integration of the European market are likely to lead to more displaced workers.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $487.5 billion, per capita $12,400; real growth rate 2.5% (1991 est.)

Exports

$60.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991)

commodities:: cars and trucks, semifinished manufactured goods, foodstuffs, machinery
partners:: EC 71.0%, US 4.9%, other developed countries 7.9%

Imports

$93.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990)

commodities:: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals
partners:: EC 60.0%, US 8.0%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 2.6%

Industrial production

growth rate 2.0% (1991 est.)

Electricity

46,589,000 kW capacity; 157,040 million kWh produced, 3,980 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism

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 entering the European market

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545.0 million;
not currently a recipient

Currency

peseta (plural - pesetas); 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates

pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 104.79 (March 1992), 103.91 (1991), 101.93 (1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 278 ships by type

passenger 2short-sea passenger 9cargo 86refrigerated cargo 13container 15roll-on/roll-off cargo 32vehicle carrier 4petroleum tanker 48chemical tanker 14liquefied gas 7specialized tanker 3bulk 45278 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,915,409 GRT/5,228,378 DWT

Airports, 105 total, 99 usable

permanent-surface runways

60runways over | 3,659 m

4runways 2,440-3,659 m

22runways 1,220-2,439 m

Railroads

15,430 km total;
Spanish National Railways (RENFE) operates 12,691 km 1.668-meter gauge, 6,184 km electrified, and 2,295 km double track;
FEVE (government-owned narrow-gauge railways) operates 1,821 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge and 441 km electrified;
privately owned railways operate 918 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge, 512 km electrified, and 56 km double track

Highways

150,839 km total; 82,513 km national (includes 2,433 km limited-access divided highway, 63,042 km bituminous treated, 17,038 km intermediate bituminous, concrete, or stone block) and 68,326 km provincial or local roads (bituminous treated, intermediate bituminous, or stone block)

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

Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, El Ferrol del Caudillo, Puerto de Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Mahon, Malaga, Melilla, Rota, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sagunto, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, and 175 minor ports

Civil air

210 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

generally adequate, modern facilities;
15,350,464 telephones;
broadcast stations - 190 AM, 406 (134 repeaters) FM, 100 (1,297 repeaters) TV;
22 coaxial submarine cables;
2 communications satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean);
MARECS, INMARSAT, and EUTELSAT systems;
tropospheric links