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 in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury,
pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin,
potash, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 30%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 21%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 34,530 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
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
Geography--note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of
Gibraltar
People
Population: 39,167,744 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 3,012,907; female 2,835,455)
15-64 years: 68% (male 13,411,046; female 13,406,214)
65 years and over: 17% (male 2,702,654; female 3,799,468) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 9.99 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 9.69 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
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: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.41 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.71 years
male: 73.97 years
female: 81.71 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.24 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish
Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Languages: Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,
Basque 2%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 98%
female: 94% (1986 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form: Spain
local short form: Espana
Data code: SP
Government type: parliamentary monarchy
Capital: Madrid
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
Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
National holiday: National Day, 12 October
Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does
not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
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 3 March 1996 (next to be held by NA
April 2000); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on proposal of
the president
election results: Jose Maria AZNAR elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote--NA
Legislative branch: bicameral; the General Courts or National
Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado
(256 seats--208 members directly elected by popular vote and the
other 48 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 April
2000); Congress of Deputies--last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held
by April 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
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Political parties and leaders:
principal national parties, from right to left: Popular Party or PP
Gonzalez]
Soley, secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence
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
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
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), MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, 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
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 Edward L. ROMERO
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address: APO AE 09642
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
Economy
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 deficit-to-GDP
ratio is 2.1%, the debt-to-GDP ratio is 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 20%. 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 will
pose difficult challenges to Spain in the next few years.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$645.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$16,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.4%
industry: 33.3%
services: 63.3% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 16.2 million
Labor force--by occupation: services 64%, manufacturing, mining,
and construction 28%, agriculture 8% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $113 billion
expenditures: $139 billion, including capital expenditures of $15
billion (1995)
Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and
beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding,
automobiles, machine tools, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.8% (1998)
Electricity--production: 163.468 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 43.17%
hydro: 23.92%
nuclear: 32.74%
other: 0.17% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 164.568 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 5.7 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 6.8 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes,
sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
Exports: $111.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: cars and trucks, other machinery and
manufactured goods, foodstuffs, and other consumer goods
Exports--partners: EU 70% (France 20%, Germany 18%, Italy 10%,
Portugal 9%, UK 8%), US 4.4% (1997)
Imports: $132.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery, transport equipment, fuels,
semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals (1997)
Imports--partners: EU 65% (France 17%, Germany 15%, Italy 9%, UK
8%, Benelux 7%), US 6%, Japan 3% (1997)
Debt--external: $90 billion (1993 est.)
Economic aid--donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1--143.39 (January 1999),
149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96
(1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 166.386 pesetas per euro; the euro will replace the local
currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 12.6 million (1990 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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 190, FM 406 (repeaters 134),
shortwave 0
Radios: 12 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 542 (382 network stations, 160
low-power stations, and one US Air Force Europe station) (1997)
Televisions: 15.7 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 15,079 km
broad gauge: 12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,355 km electrified; 2,295 km
double track)
standard gauge: 525 km 1.435-m gauge (480 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,773 km 1.000-m gauge (594 km electrified) (1996)
Highways:
total: 346,858 km
paved: 343,389 km (including 9,063 km of expressways)
unpaved: 3,469 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
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
Merchant marine:
total: 137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,094,408
GRT/1,695,708 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 29, chemical tanker 10, container 10,
liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 25, passenger 1, refrigerated
cargo 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 35, short-sea passenger 6,
specialized tanker 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 99 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 66
over 3,047 m: 15
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard,
National Police, Coastal Civil Guard
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 10,374,314 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 8,346,155 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 311,350 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $6.3 billion (1995)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.4% (1995)
Transnational Issues
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
======================================================================
@Spratly Islands
---------------
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the
South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam
to the southern Philippines
Geographic coordinates: 8 38 N, 111 55 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: less than 5 sq km
land: less than 5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts
scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South
China Sea
Area--comparative: NA
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 926 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: tropical
Terrain: flat
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
Natural resources: fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas
potential
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of
numerous reefs and shoals
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: strategically located near several primary
shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous
small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several
claimant states
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Data code: PG
Economy
Economy--overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial
fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary
basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the
region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of
potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Transportation
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 4 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military--note: Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small
islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by
China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia
and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive
fishing zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly
Islands, but has not publicly claimed the island
======================================================================
@Sri Lanka
---------
Geography
Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of
India
Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 65,610 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km
water: 870 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,340 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March);
southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in
south-central interior
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems,
phosphates, clay
Land use:
arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 15%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 32% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environment--current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife
populations threatened by poaching; coastal degradation from mining
activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being
polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography--note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea
lanes
People
Population: 19,144,875 (July 1999 est.)
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and
armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand
Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of late 1996, 63,068 were
housed in refugee camps in south India, another 30,000-40,000 lived
outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought
political asylum in the West
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 2,650,135; female 2,535,092)
15-64 years: 67% (male 6,231,987; female 6,500,782)
65 years and over: 6% (male 592,539; female 634,340) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.1% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 18.16 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.12 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.67 years
male: 69.89 years
female: 75.59 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay,
and Vedda 1%
Religions: Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil
(national language) 18%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about
10% of the population
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.2%
male: 93.4%
female: 87.2% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
former: Ceylon
Data code: CE
Government type: republic
Capital: Colombo
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Central, North Central,
North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution: adopted 16 August 1978
Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law,
Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since
12 November 1994); note--Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister;
in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of
state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the
more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and
the prime minister when both offices exist
head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
(since 12 November 1994); note--Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime
minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the
chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast
to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the
president and the prime minister when both offices exist
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000)
election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA elected
president; percent of vote--Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
(People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party)
37%, other 1%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members
elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional
representation system to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC
1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other
1.7%; seats by party--PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE
3, SLPF 1, UPF 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the
Judicial Service Commission; Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil
APPUHAMY]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in
either parliament or provincial councils
Political pressure groups and leaders: Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam or LTTE; other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups; Buddhist
clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions