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

lowest point:

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:

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

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

periodic droughts, occasional flooding volcanism:

• volcanic activity in the Canary Islands, located off Africa's northwest coast;
• Teide (3,715 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations;
• La Palma (2,426 m), which last erupted in 1971, is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes;
• Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano

• 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

0-14 years:

15.29% (male 3,879,229 /female 3,664,016)

15-24 years:

9.65% (male 2,458,486 /female 2,299,523)

25-54 years:

44.54% (male 11,208,598 /female 10,762,651)

55-64 years:

12.38% (male 2,980,206 /female 3,125,949)

65 years and over:

18.15% (male 3,833,601 /female 5,118,817) (2018 est.)

total dependency ratio:

51 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:

22.5 (2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:

28.5 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio:

3.5 (2015 est.)

total:

43.1 years (2018 est.)

male:

41.9 years

female:

44.3 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 reflecting Spain's agrarian heritage;
• very dense settlement 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:

0.75 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

total:

3.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male:

3.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

2.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

81.8 years (2018 est.)

male:

78.8 years

female:

85 years

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 (UTC 0)

etymology:

• the Romans named the original settlement "Matrice" after the river that ran through it;
• under Arab rule it became "Majerit," meaning "source of water";
• in medieval Romance dialects (Mozarabic) it became "Matrit," which over time changed to "Madrid"

• 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 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;
• 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 (Prime Minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ Perez-Castejon (since 2 June 2018);
• Vice President (and Minister of the President's Office) Maria del Carmen CALVO Poyato (since 7 June 2018)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers designated by the president

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• following legislative elections, the monarch usually proposes as 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 28 April 2019 (next to be held on April 2022);
• 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

highest courts:

• 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, 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

• Asturias Forum or FAC [Carmen MORIYON]
• Basque Country Unite (Euskal Herria Bildu) or EH Bildu (coalition of 4 Basque pro-independence parties)
• Basque Nationalist Party or PNV or EAJ [Andoni ORTUZAR]
• Canarian Coalition or CC [Ana ORAMAS] (coalition of 5 parties)
• Junts per Catalunia or JxCat [Carles PUIDGEMONT]
• Ciudadanos Party or C's [Albert RIVERA]
• Compromis - Communist Coalition [Joan BALDOVI]
• New Canary or NCa [Pedro QUEVEDOS]
• Unidas Podemos [Pablo IGLESIAS Turrion] (formerly Podemos IU; electoral coalition formed for May 2016 election)
• People's Party or PP [Pablo CASADO]
• Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Oriol JUNQUERAS i Vies]
• Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Pedro SANCHEZ]
• JxCat-Junts Together for Catalonia [Jordi SANCHEZ]
• Union of People of Navarra or UPN [Javier ESPARZA]
• Navarra Suma (electoral Coaltion formed by Navarrese People's Union (UPN), Ciudadanos (C's), and the Popular Partty (PP) ahead of the 2019 election)
• Vox or Vox [Santiago ABASCAL]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Richard Duke BUCHAN III (since 18 January 2018) note - also accredited to Andorra

telephone:

[34] (91) 587-2200

embassy:

Calle de Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid

mailing address:

PSC 61, APO AE 09642

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)

lowest 10%:

2.5%

highest 10%:

24% (2011)

general assessment:

• well-developed, modern facilities;
• one of the largest in Europe, average mobile penetration for Europe;
• effective competition with encouraging regulation;
• investment in 5G technologies and services;
• more than 60 percent of households have access to fiber to the home broadband connections (2018)

domestic:

fixed-line 42 per 100 and mobile-cellular 113 telephones per 100 persons (2018)

international:

• country code - 34;
• landing points for the MAREA, Tata TGN-Western Europe, Pencan-9, SAT-3/WASC, Canalink, Atlantis-2, Columbus -111, Estepona-Tetouan, FEA, Balalink, ORVAL and PENBAL-5 submarine cables providing connectivity to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South America, Asia, Southeast Asia and the US;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;
• tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries (2019)

• 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 (2019)

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

20 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 414 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

60,809,228 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

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

total:

15,333 km (9,699 km electrified) (2017)

standard gauge:

2,571 km 1.435-m gauge (2,571 km electrified) (2017)

narrow gauge:

1,207 km 1.000-m gauge (400 km electrified) (2017)

broad gauge:

11,333 km 1.668-m gauge (6,538 km electrified) (2017)

mixed gauge:

• 190 km 1.668-m and 1.435m gage (190.1 km electrified);
• 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified);
• 4 km 0.600-m gauge

total:

683,175 km (2011)

paved:

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

total:

119

by type:

container ship 2, general cargo 17, oil tanker 12, other 88 (2019)

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 (4,389,836), Barcelona (2,968,757), Valencia (4,832,156) (2017)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Huelva, Mugardos, Sagunto

Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA):

aim(s): establish an independent Basque homeland in northern Spain and southwestern France based on Marxist principles

area(s) of operation:

headquartered in northern Spain, reportedly disarmed in 2017 (2018)

• 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):

• 13,765 (Syria), 10,555 (Ukraine) (2018) note - estimate represents asylum applicants since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 to November 2018;
• 58,597 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum or have received alternative legal stay), 6,873 (Morocco) (2019)

stateless persons:

2,455 (2018)

note: 155,841 estimated refugee and migrant arrivals (January 2015-December 2019); 65,325 migrant arrivals in 2018

• 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