Spain

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

49 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

13.1 million (1997)

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; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Telephones - main lines in use

17.336 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular

8.394 million (1999)

Television broadcast stations

228 (plus 2,112 repeaters); note - these figures include 11 television broadcast stations and 89 repeaters in the Canary Islands (September 1995)

Televisions

16.2 million (1997)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $115 billion expenditures: $125 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Currency

1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

Debt - external

$90 billion (1993 est.)

Economic aid - donor

ODA, $1.3 billion (1995)

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 successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency on 1 January 1999. 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 16%. 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. Adjustment to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe - and reducing the unacceptably high level of unemployment - will pose difficult challenges to Spain in the next few years.

Electricity - consumption

170.306 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

5.6 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

9 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

179.468 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 48.23% hydro: 19.16% nuclear: 31.23% other: 1.38% (1998)

Exchange rates

euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999); pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 143.39 (January 1999), 149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995) note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at a fixed rate of 166.386 pesetas per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Exports

$112.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, other consumer goods

Exports - partners

EU 72% (France 20%, Germany 14%, Italy 9%, Portugal 9%, UK 8%), Latin America 7%, US 4% (1998)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $677.5 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.2% industry: 33.6% services: 63.2% (1998 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $17,300 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.6% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)

Imports

$137.5 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods; foodstuffs, consumer goods (1997)

Imports - partners

EU 67% (France 18%, Germany 15%, Italy 10%, UK 8%, Benelux 8%), US 6%, OPEC 5%, Japan 3%, Latin America 4% (1998)

Industrial production growth rate

2.7% (1999 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.3% (1999 est.)

Labor force

16.2 million (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

services 64%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 28%, agriculture 8% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Unemployment rate

16% (1999 est.)

Area

total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km note: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - Ceuta, Melilla, 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 (Tenerife) 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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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: 1,917.8 km border countries: Andorra 63.7 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

contiguous zone: 24 nm 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, arable land

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, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencian, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country) note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco: Ceuta and Melilla are administered as autonomous communities; Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera are under direct Spanish administration

Capital

Madrid

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 Edward L. ROMERO embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: APO AE 09642 telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200 FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303 consulate(s) general: Barcelona

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 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)

Executive branch

chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968 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 monarch is hereditary; president proposed by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections; election last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on proposal of the president election results: Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (PP) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 44%

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, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, 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), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, 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; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 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 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); Congress of Deputies - last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PP 127, PSOE 61, CiU 8, PNV 6, CC 5, PIL 1; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PP 44.5%, PSOE 34%, CiU 4.2%, IU 5.4%, PNV 1.5%, CC 1%, BNG 1.3%; seats by party - PP 183, PSOE 125, CiU 15, IU 8, PNV 7, CC 4, BNG 3, other 5

National holiday

National Day, 12 October

Political parties and leaders

Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Xabier ARZALLUS Antia]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Lorenzo OLLARTE Cullen]; 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]); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Xose Manuel BEIRAS]; Party of Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [leader NA]; Popular Party or PP [Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez]; Spanish Communist Party or PCE [Francisco FRUTOS]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Joaquin ALMUNIA Amann, secretary general]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Francisco FRUTOS]

Political pressure groups and leaders

business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; Euskal Herritarok or EH [Herri BATASUNA]; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); 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; Opus Dei; Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university students; Workers Confederation or CC.OO

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating Civil War (1936-39). In the second half of the 20th century, it has played a catch-up role in the western international community. Continuing concerns are large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement.

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$6 billion (FY97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.1% (FY97)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 10,569,785 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 8,481,690 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 295,335 (2000 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 15% (male 3,046,379; female 2,866,712) 15-64 years: 68% (male 13,702,947; female 13,618,766) 65 years and over: 17% (male 2,830,607; female 3,931,260) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

9.22 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

9.03 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Infant mortality rate

4.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 78.79 years male: 75.32 years female: 82.49 years (2000 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish

Net migration rate

0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

39,996,671 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0.11% (2000 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: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.15 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

Gibraltar issue 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 [Country Listing] [ The World Factbook Home]

Airports

105 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 70 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 25 (1999 est.)

Heliports

2 (1999 est.)

Highways

total: 346,858 km paved: 343,389 km (including 9,063 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,469 km (1997 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 130 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,131,648 GRT/1,688,996 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 24, chemical tanker 9, container 9, liquified gas 2, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off 36, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 1 (1999 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: 13,950 km broad gauge: 12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,358 km electrified; 2,295 km double track) standard gauge: 525 km 1.435-m gauge (525 km electrified) narrow gauge: 644 km 1.000-m gauge (438 km electrified) (1998)

Waterways

1,045 km, but of minor economic importance