Spain

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

lowest point:

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:

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

arable land:

30%

permanent crops:

9%

permanent pastures:

21%

forests and woodland:

32%

other:

8% (1993 est.)

• pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas;
• water quality and quantity nationwide;
• air pollution;
• deforestation;
• desertification

0-14 years:

15% (male 3,046,379; female 2,866,712)

15-64 years:

68% (male 13,702,947; female 13,618,766)

65 years and over:

17% (male 2,830,607; female 3,931,260) (2000 est.)

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 (2000 est.)

total population:

78.79 years

male:

75.32 years

female:

82.49 years (2000 est.)

noun:

Spaniard(s)

adjective:

Spanish

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Spain

conventional short form:

Spain

local short form:

Espana

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 Francisco ALVAREZ CASCOS Fernandez (since 5 May 1996) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Rodrigo RATO Figaredo (since 5 May 1996)

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

elections:

• the monarch is hereditary;
• president proposed by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections;
• election last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA 2004);
• vice presidents appointed by the monarch on proposal of the president

election results:

Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (PP) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 44%

• Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Xabier ARZALLUS Antia];
• Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Lorenzo OLLARTE Cullen];
• 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 [leader NA];
• Popular Party or PP [Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez];
• Spanish Communist Party or PCE [Francisco FRUTOS];
• Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Joaquin ALMUNIA Amann, secretary general];
• United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Francisco FRUTOS]

• business and landowning interests;
• Catholic Church;
• Euskal Herritarok or EH [Herri BATASUNA];
• free labor unions (authorized in April 1977);
• on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the government;
• Opus Dei;
• Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO;
• university students;
• Workers Confederation or CC.OO

chief of mission:

Ambassador Antonio OYARZABAL MARCHESI

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)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Edward L. ROMERO

embassy:

Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid

mailing address:

APO AE 09642

telephone:

[34] (91) 587-2200

FAX:

[34] (91) 587-2303

consulate(s) general:

Barcelona

• 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

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

25.2% (1990)

• grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus;
• beef, pork, poultry, dairy products;
• fish

total:

13,950 km

broad gauge:

12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,358 km electrified; 2,295 km double track)

standard gauge:

525 km 1.435-m gauge (525 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

644 km 1.000-m gauge (438 km electrified) (1998)

total:

346,858 km

paved:

343,389 km (including 9,063 km of expressways)

unpaved:

3,469 km (1997 est.)

• crude oil 265 km;
• petroleum products 1,794 km;
• natural gas 1,666 km

total:

130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,131,648 GRT/1,688,996 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 11, cargo 24, chemical tanker 9, container 9, liquified gas 2, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off 36, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 1 (1999 est.)

• key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market;
• transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]