|
Background Note: Spain
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Kingdom of Spain
Geography
Area: 504,750 sq. km. (194,884 sq. mi.), including the Balearic
and Canary Islands; about the size of Arizona and Utah combined.
Cities: Capital--Madrid (5.5 million). Other cities--Barcelona
(4.9 million), Bilbao (353,950), Malaga (1.3 million), Seville
(1.8 million), Valencia (2.3 million), Zaragoza (871,000).
Terrain: High plateaus, lowland areas such as narrow coastal
plains, and mountainous regions.
Climate: Temperate. Summers are hot in the interior and more
moderate and cloudy along the coast; winters are cold in
interior and partly cloudy and cool along the coast.
Time zone: Spanish mainland and Balearic Isles--local time is 1
hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) in winter and 2 hours
ahead in summer. Canary Islands are on GMT.
People
Nationality: Noun--Spaniard(s). Adjective--Spanish.
Population: 44.1 million.
Annual growth rate: 1%
Ethnic groups: Distinct ethnic groups within Spain include the
Basques, Catalans, and Galicians.
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic.
Languages: Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan-Valenciana 17%,
Galician 7%, Basque 2%.
Education: Years compulsory--to age 16. Literacy--98%
(2003 est.).
Work force (19.2 million): Services--65.1%;
agriculture--5.2%; construction--12.5%;
industry--17.2% (2005 est.).
Government
Type: Constitutional monarchy (Juan Carlos I proclaimed King
November 22, 1975).
Constitution: 1978.
Branches: Executive--president of government nominated by
monarch, subject to approval by democratically elected Congress
of Deputies. Legislative--bicameral Cortes: a 350-seat
Congress of Deputies (elected by the d'Hondt system of
proportional representation) and a Senate. Four senators are
elected in each of 47 peninsular provinces, 16 are elected from
the three island provinces, and Ceuta and Melilla elect two
each; this accounts for 208 senators. The parliaments of the 17
autonomous regions also elect one senator as well as one
additional senator for every 1 million inhabitants within their
territory (about 20 senators). Judicial--Constitutional
Tribunal has jurisdiction over constitutional issues. Supreme
Tribunal heads system comprising territorial, provincial,
regional, and municipal courts.
Subdivisions: 47 peninsular and three island provinces; two
enclaves on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco (Ceuta and
Melilla) and three island groups along that coast--Alhucemas,
Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and the Chafarinas Islands.
Political parties: Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE),
Popular Party (PP), and the United Left (IU) coalition. Key
regional parties are the Convergence and Union (CIU) in
Catalonia and the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) in the Basque
country.
Economy
GDP (2005): $1,124.8 billion in current prices
(seventh-largest Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development--OECD--economy).
Annual growth rate: 3.5%.
Per capita GDP: $25,505.
Natural resources: Coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury,
pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper,
kaolin, hydroelectric power.
Agriculture and fisheries (2.9% of GDP, 2005 est.): Products--grains,
vegetables, citrus and deciduous fruits, wine, olives and olive
oil, sunflowers, livestock.
Industry (13.56% of GDP, 2005 est.): Types--processed
foods, textiles, footwear, petrochemicals, steel, automobiles,
consumer goods, electronics.
Trade (2005): Exports--$192.5 billion: automobiles,
fruits, minerals, metals, clothing, footwear, textiles. Major
markets--EU 72.1%, U.S. 3.97%. Imports--$289.8
billion: petroleum, oilseeds, aircraft, grains, chemicals,
machinery, transportation equipment, fish, consumer goods.
Major sources--EU 60.8%, U.S. 3.38%.
Average exchange rate (2005): 0.805 euros=U.S.$1.
PEOPLE
Spain's population density, lower than that of most European
countries, is roughly equivalent to New England's. In recent
years, following a longstanding pattern in the rest of Europe,
rural populations are moving to cities.
Spain has no official religion. The
constitution of 1978 disestablished the Roman Catholic Church as
the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays
in Spanish society. More than 90% of the population are at least
nominally Catholic. |