Spain

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

mean elevation:

660 m

elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:

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

agricultural land:

54.1%;

• arable land 24.9%;
• permanent crops 9.1%;
• permanent pasture 20.1%

forest:

36.8%

other:

9.1% (2011 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 reflecting Spain's agrarian heritage;
• dense settlement is found around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

• 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

• 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

noun:

Spaniard(s)

adjective:

Spanish

• 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 reflecting Spain's agrarian heritage;
• dense settlement is found around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

at birth:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.74 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Spain

conventional short form:

Spain

local long form:

Reino de Espana

local short form:

Espana

etymology:

• derivation of the name "Espana" is uncertain, but may come from the Phoenician term "span," related to the word "spy," meaning "to forge metals," so, "i-spn-ya" would mean "place where metals are forged";
• the ancient Phoenicians long exploited the Iberian Peninsula for its mineral wealth

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 has two time zones, including the Canary Islands

• 1492;
• the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century A.D. 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

history:

previous 1812; 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

amendments:

• 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 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 vote in Congress and simple majority vote in the Senate;
• amended 1992, 2007, 2011 (2016)

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); Heir Apparent Princess LEONOR, Princess of Asturias, daughter of the monarch (born 31 October 2005)

head of government:

• President of the Government or Prime Minister Mariano RAJOY (since 20 December 2011);
• Vice President (and Minister of the President's Office) Soraya SAENZ DE SANTAMARIA (since 22 December 2011)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers designated by the president

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• following legislative elections, the monarch usually proposes at president the leader of the party or coalition with the largest majority of seats, who is then indirectly elected by the Congress of Deputies;
• election last held on 26 June 2016 (next to be held in June 2020);
• vice president and Council of Ministers appointed by the president

election results:

percent of National Assembly vote - NA

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

description:

bicameral General Courts or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (266 seats; 208 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 58 appointed by the regional legislatures; members serve 4-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; 348 members directly elected in 50 multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 2 directly elected from the North African Ceuta and Melilla enclaves by proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms or until the government is dissolved)

elections:

• Senate - last held on 26 June 2016 (next to be held no later than June 2020);
• Congress of Deputies - last held on 26 June 2016 (next to be held no later than June 2020)

election results:

• Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - PP 149, PSOE 62, Podemos 20, ERC 12, EAJ/PNV 6, other 17;
• Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PP 33.0%, PSOE 22.7%, Podemos 21.1%, C's 13.0%, ERC-CatSi 2.6%, EAJ/PNV 1.2%, other 6.4%;
• seats by party - PP 134, PSOE 84, Podemos 67, C's 32, ERC-CatSi 9, EAJ/PNV 5, other 19

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 that includes presidential appointees, and lawyers and jurists confirmed by the National Assembly;
• 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pedro MORENES Eulate (since 24 April 2017)

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 York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulate(s):

Kansas City (MO)

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Benjamin G. ZIFF (since August 2017) note - also accredited to Andorra

embassy:

Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid

mailing address:

PSC 61, 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 is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield;
• the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar;
• the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe;
• the triband arrangement with the center stripe twice the width of the outer dates to the 18th century

note: the red and yellow colors are related to those of the oldest Spanish kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre

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

agriculture:

4.2%

industry:

24%

services:

71.7% (2009 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.5%

highest 10%:

24% (2011)

general assessment:

well-developed, modern facilities

domestic:

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 145 telephones per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 34;
• submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe, Middle East, Asia, and US;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;
• tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries (2016)

• a mixture of both publicly operated and privately owned TV and radio stations;
• overall, hundreds of TV channels are available including national, regional, local, public, and international channels;
• satellite and cable TV systems available;
• multiple national radio networks, a large number of regional radio networks, and a larger number of local radio stations;
• overall, hundreds of radio stations (2008)

number of registered air carriers:

20; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 414

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

60,809,228

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

1,040,913,279 mt-km (2015)

total:

16,101.5 km

broad gauge:

11,873 km 1.668-m gauge (6,488 km electrified)

standard gauge:

2,312 km 1.435-m gauge (2,312 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

• 1,884.9 km 1.000-m gauge (807 km electrified);
• 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified);
• 3.6 km 0.600-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 17

total:

683,175 km

paved:

683,175 km (includes 16,205 km of expressways) (2011)

country comparison to the world: 11

major seaport(s):

Algeciras, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Huelva, Tarragona, Valencia (all in Spain); Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (in the Canary Islands)

container port(s) (TEUs):

Algeciras (4,516,000), Barcelona (1,965,000), Valencia (4,615,000) (2015)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Huelva, Mugardos, Sagunto

• 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service by a Spanish citizen or legal immigrant, 2-3 year obligation;
• women allowed to serve in all SAF branches, including combat units;
• no conscription, but Spanish Government retains right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency;
• mandatory retirement of non-NCO enlisted personnel at age 45 or 58, depending on service length (2013)

• in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement;
• the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain;
• Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy;
• after voters in the UK chose to leave the EU in a June 2016 referendum, Spain again proposed shared sovereignty of Gibraltar;
• UK officials rejected Spain’s joint sovereignty proposal;
• 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;
• both countries claim Isla Perejil (Leila Island);
• 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

refugees (country of origin):

• 8,205 (Afghanistan) (2016);
• 8,100 (Ukraine) (2017);
• note: estimate represents asylum applicants since Ukraine crisis began in 2014 until September 2017

stateless persons:

1,011 (2016)

note: 38,017 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015 - November 2017); 17,491 migrant arrivals in 2017

• despite rigorous law enforcement efforts, North African, Latin American, Galician, and other European traffickers take advantage of Spain's long coastline to land large shipments of cocaine and hashish for distribution to the European market;
• consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish;
• destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin;
• money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized crime