1998 Edition

Area

total: 504,750 sq km land: 499,400 sq km water: 5,350 sq km note: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco-Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Area-comparative

slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Climate

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

Coastline

4,964 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Teide on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Environment-current issues

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

Environment-international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Desertification

Geographic coordinates

40 00 N, 4 00 W

Geography-note

strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Irrigated land

34,530 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

total: 1,919.1 km border countries: Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Land use

arable land: 30% permanent crops: 9% permanent pastures: 21% forests and woodland: 32% other: 8% (1993 est.)

Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean) territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower

Terrain

large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north

Age structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 3,057,919; female 2,879,109) 15-64 years: 69% (male 13,407,270; female 13,408,685) 65 years and over: 16% (male 2,651,149; female 3,729,864) (July 1998 est.)

Birth rate

9.73 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate

9.62 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Ethnic groups

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Infant mortality rate

6.51 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Languages

Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.56 years male: 73.78 years female: 81.59 years (1998 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 98% female: 94% (1986 est.)

Nationality

noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish

Net migration rate

0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Population

39,133,996 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate

0.08% (1998 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.21 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Administrative divisions

17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular-comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencian, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country) note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco (Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown

Constitution

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local short form: Espana

Data code

SP

Executive branch

chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the king 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 king is a hereditary monarch; president proposed by the king and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections; election last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by NA March 2000) election results: Jose Maria AZNAR elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA

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) Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lawrence G. embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: APO AE 09642 telephone: [34] (1) 587-2200

[34] (1) 587-2303 consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary monarchy

Independence

1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

International organization participation

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G8, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINUGUA, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio OYARZABAL MARCHESI chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Political parties and leaders: principal national parties, from right to left: Popular Party or PP [Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Joaquin ALMUNIA Amann, secretary general]; Spanish Communist Party or PCE [Julio ANGUITA Gonzalez]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Julio ANGUITA Gonzalez] chief regional parties: 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]); Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Xabier ARZALLUS Antia]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Lorenzo OLLARTE Cullen] Political pressure groups and leaders: on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty or ETA [Herri BATASUNA] and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Workers Confederation or CC.OO; the Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; business and landowning interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students

Legal system

civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (256 seats; 208 members are directly elected by popular vote and the other 48 were appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate-last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by March 2000); Congress of Deputies-last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by March 2000) election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PP 132, PSOE 96, CiU 11, PNV 6, IU 2, others 9; Congress of Deputies-percent of vote by party-PP 38.9%, PSOE 37.5%, IU 10.7%, CiU 4.6%; seats by party-PP 156, PSOE 141, IU 21, CiU 16, other 16

National capital

Madrid

National holiday

National Day, 12 October

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture-products

grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish catch of 867,000 metric tons in 1993

Budget

revenues: $113 billion expenditures: $139 billion, including capital expenditures of $15 billion (1995)

Currency

1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

Debt-external

$90 billion (1993 est.)

Economic aid

donor: ODA, $1.213 billion (1993)

Economy-overview

Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is three-fourths that of the four leading West European economies. Its center-right government has staked much on gaining admission to the first group of countries to implement the European single currency and, based on economic indicators, Madrid appears poised to be in EMU from the outset. The deficit-to-GDP ratio is 2.3%, the debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to be around 68%, and inflation is approximately 2%. Moreover, the AZNAR administration has continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy, and has introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment, nonetheless, remains the highest in the EU at 21%. The government, for political reasons, has made only limited progress in changing labor laws or reforming pension schemes, which are key to the sustainability of both Spain's internal economic advances and its competitiveness in a single currency area.

Electricity-capacity

39.583 million kW (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita

4,026 kWh (1995)

Electricity-production

154.144 billion kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

pesetas (Ptas) per US$1-153.94 (January 1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96 (1994), 127.26 (1993)

Exports

total value: $94.5 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: cars and trucks, semifinished manufactured goods, foodstuffs, machinery (1994) partners: EU 72.1%, US 4.2%, other developed countries 7.9% (1996)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

GDP

purchasing power parity-$642.4 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector

agriculture: 3.6% industry: 33.6% services: 62.8% (1995 est.)

GDP-per capita

purchasing power parity-$16,400 (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate

3.3% (1997 est.)

Imports

total value: $118.3 billion (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals (1994) partners: EU 65.6%, US 6.6%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 6.2% (1996)

Industrial production growth rate

-0.8% (1996)

Industries

textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism

Inflation rate-consumer price index

2.1% (1997 est.)

Labor force

total: 16.2 million by occupation: services 64%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 28%, agriculture 8% (1997 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 190, FM 406 (repeaters 134), shortwave 0

Radios

12 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

generally adequate, modern facilities domestic: NA international: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat, NA Inmarsat, and NA Marecs; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Telephones

12.6 million (1990 est.)

Television broadcast stations

100 (repeaters 1,297)

Televisions

15.7 million (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate

21% (1997 est.)

Airports

98 (1997 est.) Airports-with paved runways: total: 64 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 9 (1997 est.) Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 21 (1997 est.)

Heliports

2 (1997 est.)

Highways

total: 344,847 km paved: 341,399 km (including 7,747 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,448 km (1996 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,043,747 GRT/1,651,634 DWT ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 30, chemical tanker 7, combination ore/oil 1, container 8, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 29, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 8, roll-on/roll-off cargo 30, short-sea passenger 6, specialized tanker 1 (1997 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 265 km; petroleum products 1,794 km; natural gas 1,666 km Ports and harbors: Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Malaga, Melilla, Pasajes, Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo

Railways

total: 15,172 km broad gauge: 12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,355 km electrified; 2,295 km double track) standard gauge: 664 km 1.435-m gauge (480 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,727 km (privately owned: 1,708 km 1.000-m gauge, 517 km electrified; government owned: 19 km 1.000-m gauge, all electrified) (1996)

Waterways

1,045 km, but of minor economic importance

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard, National Police, Coastal Civil Guard

Military expenditures-dollar figure

$6.3 billion (1995)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP

1.4% (1995)

Military manpower-availability

males age 15-49: 10,387,539 (1998 est.) Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 8,369,756 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-military age

20 years of age

Military manpower-reaching military age annually

males: 323,552 (1998 est.)

Disputes-international

Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco-the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas

Illicit drugs

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