Spain

Kingdom of Spain

parliamentary monarchyIndependence 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

Spain as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 85 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 sq km

LocationSouthwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay,

Populationas each edition published it

39.4 million July 1995 est. · 39.27m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.27% 1995 est. · 0.24% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

77.91 years 1995 est. · 77.51 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.41 children per woman 1995 est. · 1.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

6.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 6 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$13,120 1994 est. · $13,200 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

1.8% 1994 est. · 1% in 1993

Geography

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

14 fields

Area

504,750sq km

land area: 499,400 sq kmcomparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Note

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

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

Irrigated land

33,600sq km

(1989 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Europe

International 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%

Environment

current issues:: pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas;
air pollution;
deforestation;
desertification
natural hazards:: periodic droughts
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

15 fields

Population

39,404,348

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 0.27% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

11.21Death

8.86Net migration

0.31

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years77.91

74.67 · 81.39

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy96%

98% · 94%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1986)

Labor force

14.621million

by occupation: services 53%, industry 24%, agriculture 14%, construction 9% (1988)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 17% (female 3,214,606; male 3,446,643)
15-64 years:: 68% (female 13,377,839; male 13,457,683)
65 years and over:: 15% (female 3,461,367; male 2,446,210) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

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

Total fertility rate

1.41 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Spaniard(s)
adjective:: Spanish

Ethnic divisions

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Religions

Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%

Languages

Castilian Spanish, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Government

Parliamentary monarchy; King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982)

24 fields

Legislature, 255 seatsone dot, one seat

PSOE 117PP 107CiU 15PNV 5IU 2other 9

Legislature, 350 seatsseats by party

PSOE 159PP 141IU 18CiU 17PNV 5CC 4HB 2other 4

Names

conventional long form:: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form:: Spain
local short form:: Espana

Digraph

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

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 y Serra (since 13 March 1991)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers; designated by the prime minister

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 6 June 1993 (next to be held by June 1997);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (255 total) PSOE 117, PP 107, CiU 15, PNV 5, IU 2, other 9

Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)

elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by June 1997);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (350 total) PSOE 159, PP 141, IU 18, CiU 17, PNV 5, CC 4, HB 2, other 4

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)

Political parties and leaders

principal national parties, from right to left:: Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez;
Democratic Social Center (CDS), Rafael CALVO Ortega;
Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez, secretary general;
Socialist Democracy Party (DS), Ricardo GARCIA Damborenea;
Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio ANGUITA Gonzalez;
United Left (IU - a coalition of parties including the PCE, a branch of the PSOE, and other small parties), Julio ANGUITA Gonzalez
chief regional parties:: Convergence and Union (CiU), Miquel ROCA i Junyent, secretary general;
Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS Antia and Jose Antonio ARDANZA;
Basque United People (HB), Jon IDIGORAS Guerricabeitia and Inaki ESNAOLA;
Canarian Coalition (CC), a coalition of five parties

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, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G- 8, GATT, 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, ONUSAL, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIH, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Jaime De OJEDA Eiseley
chancery:: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 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, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER
embassy:: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address:: APO AE 09642
telephone:: [34] (1) 577-4000

FAX

[34] (1) 577-5735

consulate(s) general:: Barcelona
consulate(s):: 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

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$13,120

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

1.8%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 4% (1994 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

4.9%

(1994)

Unemployment rate

24.5%

(yearend 1994)

Budget

Revenues

$97.7 billionExpenditures

$128 billion (1993 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 43,800,000 kW

Electricity production

148 billionElectricity consumption per capita

3,545 (1993)

Overview

Spain, with a per capita output approximately two-thirds that of the four leading economies of Western Europe, has shared with these countries the recession of the early 1990s and the upturn of their economic fortunes in 1994. But whereas unemployment in these countries has hovered just above 10%, Spain has been forced to cope with a 25% unemployment rate.

Continued political turmoil has complicated the establishment of stable government policies toward budgetary restraint, interest rates, labor law reform, and Spain's role in the evolving economic integration of Western Europe. Because the recession has been so deep, the growth in industrial output, tourism, and other sectors in 1994, while welcome, falls far short of the growth required to bring unemployment down to, say, 10%. The recovery in the economies of major trade partners, the comparatively low inflation rate, lower interest rates, and prospects in the tourist sector suggest that Spain can make substantial progress in 1995.

National product

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

Exports

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

commodities:: cars and trucks, semifinished manufactured goods, foodstuffs, machinery
partners:: EC 71.2%, US 4.8%, other developed countries 7.9% (1992)

Imports

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

commodities:: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals
partners:: EC 60.7%, US 7.4%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 5.9% (1992)

External debt

$90 billion (1993 est.)

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 and North African hashish entering the European market; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin

Economic aid

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545 million note: not currently a recipient

Currency

1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates

pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 132.61 (January 1995), 133.96 (1994), 127.26 (1993), 102.38 (1992), 103.91 (1991), 101.93 (1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 106 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

331,961Railroads

14,400Inland waterways

1,045

Highways: paved: 328,641 km (2,700 km of expressways) · unpaved: 3,320 km (1991) · Railroads: broad gauge: 12,111 km 1.668-m gauge (6,404 km electrified; 2,295 km double track) · standard gauge: 515 km 1.435-m gauge (515 km electrified) · narrow gauge: 1,774 km (privately owned: 1,727 km 1.000-m gauge, 560 km electrified; 28 km 0.914-m gauge, 28 km electrified; government · owned: 19 km 1.000-m gauge, all electrified) · Inland waterways: , but of minor economic importance

Railroads

total:: 14,400 km
broad gauge:: 12,111 km 1.668-m gauge (6,404 km electrified; 2,295 km double track)
standard gauge:: 515 km 1.435-m gauge (515 km electrified)
narrow gauge:: 1,774 km (privately owned: 1,727 km 1.000-m gauge, 560 km electrified; 28 km 0.914-m gauge, 28 km electrified; government
owned:: 19 km 1.000-m gauge, all electrified)

Highways

total:: 331,961 km
paved:: 328,641 km (2,700 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 3,320 km (1991)

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

total:: 157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 868,326 GRT/1,382,335 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 12, cargo 41, chemical tanker 11, container 9, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 25, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 12, roll-on/roll-off cargo 34, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 2

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

15,350,464 telephones; generally adequate, modern facilities

local:: NA
intercity:: NA
international:: 22 coaxial submarine cables;
2 earth stations for INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean);
earth stations for working the EUTELSAT, INMARSAT, and MARECS satellite communications systems;
microwave tropospheric scatter links to adjacent countries