Spain

Location

• Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France
• strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco, including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas; Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are the Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Madrid	3,255,944	Capital
Barcelona	1,686,208
Valencia	824,340
Zaragoza	686,986
Sevilla	686,741
Málaga	591,637
Murcia	471,982
Palma	438,234
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria	383,516
Alicante	348,901

Size

• 194,896 square miles
• 504,782 square kilometers
• almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

History

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England.  Spain remained neutral during both World Wars but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39) resulting in a dictatorship. A peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization after Spain joined the EU in 1986 gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy. After a severe recession in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008, Spain has posted solid years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the euro-zone's fourth-largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region.

Climate

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

Terrain

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

Languages

Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in part of Catalonia) <5,000 speakersmajor-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.note: Aragonese, Aranese Asturian, Calo, and Valencian are also recognized as regional languages 

Religions

Roman Catholic 58.2%, atheist 16.2%, agnostic 10.8%, other 2.7%, non-believer 10.5%, unspecified 1.7% (2021 est.)

Government

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest approved by the General Courts 31 October 1978, passed by referendum 6 December 1978, signed by the king 27 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978amendment process: proposed by the government, by the General Courts (the Congress or the Senate), or by the self-governing communities submitted through the government; passage requires three-fifths majority vote by both houses and passage by referendum if requested by one tenth of the members of either house; proposals disapproved by both houses are submitted to a joint committee, which submits an agreed upon text for another vote; passage requires two-thirds majority vote in Congress and simple majority vote in the Senate
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system with regional variations
• Executive Branch: chief of state: King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014)head of government: President of the Government of Spain (prime minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ PEREZ-CASTEJON (since 2 June 2018)cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the presidentelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the monarch usually proposes as president the leader of the majority party or coalition, who is then indirectly elected by the Congress of Deputies; vice president and Council of Ministers appointed by the presidentmost recent election date: 23 July 2023election results: Congress of Deputies vote - 179 to 171 (16 November 2023)expected date of next election: 31 July 2027note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo (consists of the court president and organized into the Civil Room, with a president and 9 judges; the Penal Room, with a president and 14 judges; the Administrative Room, with a president and 32 judges; the Social Room, with a president and 12 judges; and the Military Room, with a president and 7 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional de Espana (consists of 12 judges)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary Power, a 20-member governing board chaired by the monarch; judges can serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Assembly, executive branch, and the General Council of the Judiciary, and appointed by the monarch for 9-year termssubordinate courts: National High Court; High Courts of Justice (in each of the autonomous communities); provincial courts; courts of first instance
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: The Cortes (Las Cortes Generales)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, core-EU and eurozone economy; strong growth driven by public consumption, tourism, and other service exports; tight labor market despite high structural unemployment; efforts to narrow persistent fiscal deficits through tax and spending measures; high but declining unemployment supported by job growth and immigration
• Budget: revenues: $512.57 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $549.772 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land
• 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
• Agricultural Products: milk, olives, pork, grapes, wheat, tomatoes, barley, sugar beets, maize, oranges (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 53.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 23.4% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 10.2% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 19.8% (2022 est.)forest: 37.2% (2022 est.)other: 9.5% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: crude petroleum, cars, garments, vehicle parts/accessories, natural gas (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Germany 11%, China 10%, France 10%, Italy 7%, USA 7% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: cars, packaged medicine, refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, garments (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: France 15%, Germany 10%, Portugal 9%, Italy 9%, UK 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports