Spain

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.)

Agriculture - products

grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish catch of 866,831 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 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 by developing an austere 1997 budget - including a wage freeze for public-sector employees - in hopes of meeting the Maastricht monetary convergence criteria. The government slashed spending by $1.6 billion in mid-1996 to ensure that Spain's deficit did not exceed its target of 4.4% of GDP for the year; the government forecasts a deficit of 3% for 1997. The AZNAR administration advocates liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy, and has introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment, nevertheless, remains the highest in the EU at about 22%, but 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 Spain's economic advances.

Electricity - capacity

39.58 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

3,752 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

163.7 billion kWh (1995)

Exchange rates

pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 134.77 (January 1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96 (1994), 127.26 (1993), 102.38 (1992)

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

GDP

purchasing power parity - $593 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

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

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $15,300 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

2.4% (1996 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

5% (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

3.7% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 12.475 million by occupation: services 62%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 29%, agriculture 9% (1996)

Unemployment rate

22% (1996 est.)

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-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, 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: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Law of the Sea

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, and North Atlantic Ocean, 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

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 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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address : APO AE 09642 telephone: [34] (1) 587-2200

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio de OYARZABAL MARCHESI chancery : 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340

Executive branch

chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975) head of government : President of the Government Jose Maria AZNAR (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 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)

FAX

[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, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 8, 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), MTCR, NACC, 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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

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

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 [Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez, 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, secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Pere ESTEVE] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN LLEIDA]); Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Xabier ARZALLUS Antia and Jose Antonio ARDANZA]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties)

Political pressure groups and leaders

on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty or ETA 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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: 10,387,353 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 8,381,141 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 333,758 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 3,121,625; female 2,942,492) 15-64 years: 69% (male 13,396,398; female 13,400,728) 65 years and over: 16% (male 2,592,692; female 3,653,977) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

9.94 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

9.54 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Infant mortality rate

6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population : 77.39 years male: 73.59 years female: 81.46 years (1997 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 (1997 est.)

Population

39,107,912 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

0.06% (1997 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 total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.18 children born/woman (1997 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 SPRATLY ISLANDS

Airports

96 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 82 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m : 15 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 28 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 14 1,524 to 2,437 m : 2 914 to 1,523 m: 12 (1996 est.)

Heliports

2 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 343,197 km paved: 339,765 km (including 7,747 km of expressways) unpaved : 3,432 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 141 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 888,815 GRT/1,396,541 DWT ships by type : bulk 9, cargo 33, chemical tanker 10, combination ore/oil 1, container 9, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 26, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 9, roll-on/roll-off cargo 31, short-sea passenger 6, specialized tanker 1 (1996 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: 14,343 km broad gauge: 12,139 km 1.668-m gauge (6,510 km electrified; 2,295 km double track) standard gauge: 488 km 1.435-m gauge (488 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,716 km (privately owned: 1,669 km 1.000-m gauge, 489 km electrified; 28 km 0.914-m gauge, 28 km electrified; government owned: 19 km 1.000-m gauge, all electrified)

Waterways

1,045 km, but of minor economic importance