Spain Articles

Spain

Spain, officially known as the Kingdom of Spain is situated in Southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It shares its border with France, Andorra, the Bay of Biscay to the north and Portugal to the west. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the south, and east and by the Atlantic Ocean in the west. The Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean are also included in Spanish territory. Spain is second largest country in Western Europe and 51st largest country in the world. It is second highest country in Europe. Madrid is the capital city. Spain is a member of European Union since 1986. King of Spain is the Commander-in-Chief of the Spanish Armed Forces, which comprises Army, Navy, Air force, Guardia Civil. In Spain, education is free and compulsory from the age of 6 to 16.

HISTORY:- The peninsula of Spain was earlier governed by the Roman Empire, followed by the Germanic rule in the middle ages. In the 8th century, Muslims invaded the land. Muslim hold weakened over this region. Castile and Aragon united with the marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand. The year of 1492 was marked by Columbus’s arrival to the America and conversion of thousands of Jews into Catholicism. Spain had become the first world power in Europe in the 16th and first half of the 17th centuries. But during the late 17th century, Spanish power came to diminish. Philip V of Spain of the French Bourbons dynasty united Castile and Aragon. In 1793, Spain was invaded by the French, which resulted into the loss of all the Spanish colonies in Latin America. During the mid 20th century Spain had recovered its economic condition. In 1978, Spain gained democracy.

GEOGRAPHY:- Spain is situated in Southern Europe at 40 00 N, 4 00 W. The total area of the country is 504,782 sq km (land- 499,542 sq km, water- 5,240 sq km). The coastline is 4,964 km long by the Mediterranean Sea. The lowest point is Atlantic Ocean (0 m) and the highest point is Pico de Teide, located on Canary Islands (3,718 m). Spain is mainly comprises high plateaus and mountains. Coastal area is composed of narrow low land. Northern part is formed of Pyre land. Major rivers are Tagus, the Ebro, the Duero, the Guadiana and the Guadalquivir.

CLIMATE:- The climate is mostly temperate with clear, hot summers and cloudy, cold winters in interior. Coastal area is more moderate and cloudy in summers and partly cloudy and cool in the winters.

GOVERNMENT:- Spain is Constitutional monarchy. The constitution was adopted on 31st October 1978 and came into effect on 29th December 1978. The three branch of the government are:

Executive branch comprises chief of state (King), head of government (President), Cabinet.

Legislative branch comprises the bicameral Cortes- Senate (264 seats), the Congress of Deputies (350 seats).

Judicial branch comprises Supreme Court.

Prominent political parties are Spanish Socialist Workers Party, Popular Party, and the United Left coalition. Other important regional parties are the Convergence and Union in Catalonia and the Basque Nationalist Party in the Basque country. Voting rights are universal at and above 18.

Monarch King Juan Carlos I

President of the Government José L. Rodríguez Zapatero

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- politically Spain comprises 17 Autonomous Communities and 2 autonomous cities (Ceuta and Melilla). Administratively Spain also comprises 50 provinces, and 7 autonomous communities (Asturias, Balearic Islands, Cantabria, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, and Navarre).

CULTURE:-Spain has been marked by its unique nature of all cultural aspects. Spanish literature, art, architecture are fusion of several cultures as Iberian, Celtiberian, Latin, Visigothic, Roman Catholic, and Islamic cultures. In Spain Pop, rock, hip hop and heavy metal music are very popular. Most popular sport in Spain is football. Spain possesses 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is second highest in the world.

ECONOMY:- Spain’s economy is 8th largest in world and 5th largest in Europe. Spain has a mixed capitalist economy.

GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $1.017 trillion; per capita $25,200.

Real growth rate: 3.4%.

Inflation: 3.4%.

Unemployment: 10.1%.

Arable land: 27%.

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

Labor force: 20.67 million; agriculture 5.3%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 30.1%, services 64.6% (2004 est.).

Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment.

Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land.

Budget:

Revenues: $571.1 billion

Expenditures: $544.9 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 35.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Exports: $194.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods.

Imports: $271.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments.

Major trading partners: France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, UK, Netherlands (2004)

Monetary unit: Euro (formerly peseta)

LANGUAGE:- Spanish is the official language of Spain. Other languages are:

Catalan 17% (official in in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and in the Valencian Community)

Galician 7%, (official in Galicia)

Basque 2% (official in the Basque Country and Navarre)

Aranese (official in Catalonia)

CITIES:- Madrid is the capital and largest city. Other large cities are Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza, Bilbao.

POPULATION:- The Spanish population is 40,448,191 with a growth rate of 0.1%.

Density per sq mi: 210

Literacy rate: 98% (2003 est.)

RACE:- Spain possesses distinct ethnic groups, include the Basques, Catalans, and Galicians.

RELIGION:-

Roman Catholic 94%

Other 6%

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 9.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 9.9 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 4.26 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.92 years

Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 1,000 (2003 est.)

UNICEF:- UNICEF in Spain works of various projects on child nutrition, health, education, protection. It carries out several campaigns against HIV and child rights.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 14,189 km (2002).

Highways: total: 663,795 km (1999).

Waterways: 1,045 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.

Airports: 152 (2002).