Spain

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Spain

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name España/Spain Area 504,750 sq km/194,883 sq mi (including the Balearic and Canary islands) Capital Madrid Language Spanish (Castilian; official), Basque, Catalan, Galician Religion Roman Catholic 98% Time difference GMT +1 Major holidays 1, 6 January, 19 March (most areas), 1 May, 25 July, 15 August, 12 October, 1 November, 8, 25 December; variable: Corpus Christi, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Holy Thursday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Seville, Málaga, Bilbao, Las Palmas (on Gran Canarias island), Murcia, Palma (on Mallorca) Major ports Barcelona, Valencia, Cartagena, Málaga, Cádiz, Vigo, Santander, Bilbao Physical features central plateau with mountain ranges, lowlands in south; rivers Ebro, Douro, Tagus, Guadiana, Guadalquivir; Iberian Plateau (Meseta); Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains, Andalusian Mountains, Sierra Nevada Territories Balearic and Canary islands; in North Africa: Ceuta, Melilla, Peña d'Alhucemas, Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera Airports 41 airports, almost all of which are equipped to handle international flights; total passengers carried: 42.5 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 12,624 km/7,844 mi; total passenger journeys: 490.4 million (2003) Roads total road network: 666,292 km/414,015 mi, of which 99% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 558 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state King Juan Carlos I from 1975 Head of government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero from 2004 Political system liberal democracy Political executive parliamentary Administrative divisions 17 autonomous regions (Melilla and Ceuta are also administered as autonomous regions) and 50 provinces Political parties Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), democratic socialist; Popular Party (PP), right of centre Death penalty abolished in 1995 Armed forces 147,300; plus 319,000 reservists and paramilitary forces of 73,400 (2006 est) Conscription military service is voluntary (from 2003) Defence spend (% GDP) 1.1 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4.5 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 5.5 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency euro (peseta until 2002) GDP (US$) 1,123.7 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 3.4 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 1,100.1 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$ 25,820 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3.8% (2006 est) Unemployment 8.6% (2006 est) Labour force 5.3% agriculture, 29.7% industry, 65% services (2005) Major trading partners France, Germany, Italy, UK, EU Resources coal, lignite, anthracite, copper, iron, zinc, uranium, potassium salts Industries machinery, motor vehicles, textiles, footwear, chemicals, electrical appliances, wine, olive oil, fishery products, steel, cement, tourism Exports motor vehicles, machinery and electrical equipment, vegetable products, metals and their manufactures, foodstuffs, wine. Principal market: France 19.2% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, electrical equipment, raw materials, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, consumer goods. Principal source: Germany 14.6% (2005) Arable land 27.2% (2006 est) Agricultural products barley, wheat, sugar beet, vegetables, citrus fruit, bananas (Canary Islands), grapes, olives (Spanish olives account for 40% of the world total); fishing (one of the world's largest fishing fleets)


POPULATION

Population 43,378,800 (2006 est) Population growth rate -0.1% (2000–15) Population density (per sq km) 86 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 77 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 14%, 15–59 64%, 60+ 22% (2005 est) Ethnic groups mostly of Moorish, Roman, and Carthaginian descent Life expectancy 77 (men); 84 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 5 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 11 Literacy rate 99% (men); 97% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 32 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 4 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.6 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 2,000 (2005 est)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 42.9 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 96.8 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 330 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 549 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 28.1 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 35.4 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

2nd century BC Roman conquest of Iberian peninsula, which became province of Hispania. 5th century AD After fall of Roman Empire, Iberia overrun by Vandals and Visigoths. 711 Muslims invaded from North Africa and overthrew Visigoth kingdom. 9th century Christians in northern Spain formed kingdoms of Asturias, Aragón, Navarre, and Léon, and county of Castile. 10th century Abd-al-Rahman III established caliphate of Córdoba; Muslim culture at its height in Spain. 1230 Léon and Castile united under Ferdinand III, who drove the Muslims from most of southern Spain. 14th century Spain consisted of Christian kingdoms of Castile, Aragón, and Navarre, and the Muslim emirate of Granada. 1469 Marriage of Ferdinand of Aragón and Isabella of Castile; kingdoms united on their accession in 1479. 1492 Conquest of Granada ended Muslim rule in Spain. 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas; Spain and Portugal divided newly discovered America; Spain became a world power. 1519–56 Emperor Charles V was both King of Spain and Archduke of Austria; he also ruled Naples, Sicily, and the Low Countries; Habsburgs dominant in Europe. 1555 Charles V divided his domains between Spain and Austria before retiring; Spain retained Low Countries and southern Italy as well as South American colonies. 1568 Dutch rebelled against Spanish rule; Spain recognized independence of Dutch Republic in 1648. 1580 Philip II of Spain inherited throne of Portugal, where Spanish rule lasted until 1640. 1588 Spanish Armada: attempt to invade England defeated. 17th century Spanish power declined amid wars, corruption, inflation, and loss of civil and religious freedom. 1701–14 War of Spanish Succession: allied powers fought France to prevent Philip of Bourbon inheriting throne of Spain. 1713–14 Treaties of Utrecht and Rastat: Bourbon dynasty recognized, but Spain lost Gibraltar, southern Italy, and Spanish Netherlands. 1793 Spain declared war on revolutionary France; reduced to French client state in 1795. 1808 Napoleon installed his brother Joseph as King of Spain. 1808–14 Peninsular War: British forces played large part in liberating Spain and restoring Bourbon dynasty. 1810–30 Spain lost control of South American colonies. 1833–39 Carlist civil war: Don Carlos (backed by conservatives) unsuccessfully contested succession of his niece Isabella II (backed by liberals). 1870 Offer of Spanish throne to Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen sparked Franco-Prussian War. 1873–74 First republic ended by military coup which restored Bourbon dynasty with Alfonso XII. 1898 Spanish-American War: Spain lost Cuba and Philippines. 1923–30 Dictatorship of Gen Primo de Rivera with support of Alfonso XIII. 1931 Proclamation of Second Republic, initially dominated by anticlerical radicals and socialists. 1933 Moderates and Catholics won elections; insurrection by socialists and Catalans in 1934. 1936 Left-wing Popular Front narrowly won fresh elections; General Francisco Franco launched military rebellion. 1936–39 Spanish Civil War: Nationalists (with significant Italian and German support) defeated Republicans (with limited Soviet support); Franco became dictator of nationalist-fascist regime. 1941 Though officially neutral in World War II, Spain sent 40,000 troops to fight USSR. 1955 Spain admitted to United Nations (UN). 1975 Death of Franco; succeeded by King Juan Carlos I. 1978 Referendum endorsed democratic constitution. 1982 Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) took office under Felipe González; Spain joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); Basque separatist organization ETA stepped up terrorist campaign. 1986 Spain joined European Community (EC). 1996 PSOE lost power to Popular Party (PP) in parliamentary elections; José María Aznar replaced González as prime minister. 1998–99 ETA ceasefire. 2002 Environmental disaster as oil spill from tanker Prestige polluted northwest coast. Spain adopted single European currency (euro). Dispute with Morocco over ownership of uninhabited island of Perejil; resolution brokered by USA. 2004 Terrorist bomb attacks on railway system in Madrid killed nearly 200 people; Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda network blamed. PSOE regained power in parliamentary elections; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero replaced Aznar as prime minister. 2006 ETA declared another ceasefire in March, but broken in December; government suspended proposed dialogue.


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