country comparison to the world: 13
male: 78.06 years
female: 84.27 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.47 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
140,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,300 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Nationality:
noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish
Ethnic groups:
composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions:
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages:
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque
2%, are official regionally
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.7%
female: 97.2% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
4.4% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 93
Government ::Spain
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form: Spain
local long form: Reino de Espana
local short form: Espana
Government type:
parliamentary monarchy
Capital:
name: Madrid
geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
note: Spain is divided into two time zones including the Canary
Islands
Administrative divisions:
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular -
comunidad autonoma) and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas,
singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares
(Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna (Catalonia), Comunidad
Valenciana (Valencian Community), Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja,
Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country)
note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small
islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez
de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central
government, are all along the coast of Morocco and are collectively
referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)
Independence:
1492; the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of
independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in
the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the
small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost
immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this
event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is
traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain
National holiday:
National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set foot
in the Americas
Constitution:
approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum 6
December 1978; signed by the king 27 December 1978
Legal system:
civil law system with regional applications; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with reservations
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 (Prime Minister
equivalent) Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004);
First Vice President (and Minister of the Interior) Alfredo Perez
RUBALCABA (since 20 October 2010), Second Vice President (and
Minister of Economy and Finance) Elena SALGADO Mendez (since 8 April
2009), and Third Vice President (and Minister of Regional Affairs)
Manuel CHAVES Gonzalez (since 8 April 2009)
cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme
consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are
non-binding
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition usually proposed president by the monarch and
elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 and 11
April 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); vice presidents
appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president
election results: Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO reelected President
of the Government; percent of National Assembly vote - 46.9%
Legislative branch:
bicameral; General Courts or Las Cortes Generales (National
Assembly) consists of the Senate or Senado (264 seats as of 2008;
208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 56 - as
of 2008 - appointed by the regional legislatures; members to serve
four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los
Diputados (350 seats; each of the 50 electoral provinces fills a
minimum of two seats and the North African enclaves of Ceuta and
Melilla fill one seat each with members serving a four-year term;
the other 248 members are determined by proportional representation
based on popular vote on block lists who serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 9 March 2008 (next to be held by
March 2012); Congress of Deputies - last held on 9 March 2008 (next
to be held by March 2012)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PP 101, PSOE 88, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV
2, CC 1, members appointed by regional legislatures 56; Congress of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.6%, PP 40.1%, CiU
3.1%, PNV 1.2%, ERC 1.2%, other 10.8%; seats by party - PSOE 169, PP
154, CiU 10, PNV 6, ERC 3, other 8; note - seats by party in the
Congress of Deputies as of 15 December 2009 - PSOE 169, PP 153, CiU
10, PNV 6, ERC 3, other 9
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Political parties and leaders:
Basque Nationalist Party or PNV or EAJ [Inigo URKULLU Renteria];
Canarian Coalition or CC [Claudina MORALES Rodriquez] (a coalition
of five parties); Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro]
(a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC
[Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC
[Josep Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a
Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV,
EUA); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Guillerme VAZQUEZ Vazquez];
Initiative for Catalonia Greens or ICV [Joan SAURA i Laporta];
Navarra Yes or NaBai [collective leadership] (a coalition of four
Navarran parties); Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY Brey];
Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Joan PUIGCERCOS i Boixassa];
Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis Rodriguez
ZAPATERO]; Union of People of Navarra or UPN [Yolanda BARCINA
Angulo]; Union, Progress and Democracy or UPyD [Rosa DIEZ Gonzalez];
United Left or IU [Cayo LARA Moya] (a coalition of parties including
the Communist Party of Spain or PCE and other small parties)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Association for Victims of Terrorism or AVT (grassroots organization
devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and supporting
its victims); Basta Ya (Spanish for "Enough is Enough"); grassroots
organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and
supporting its victims); Nunca Mais (Galician for "Never Again";
formed in response to the oil Tanker Prestige oil spill); Socialist
General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers
Syndical Union or USO; Trade Union Confederation of Workers'
Commissions or CC.OO.
other: business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free
labor unions (authorized in April 1977); university students
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council
(observer), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CBSS (observer), CE, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,
OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer),
SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union
Latina, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jorge DEZCALLAR de Mazarredo
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, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alan D. SOLOMONT
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200
FAX: [34] (91) 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 is quartered to display the emblems of the
traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile,
Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the
stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are
framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which
are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the
eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the
two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further
beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe; the triband
arrangement with the center stripe twice the width of the outer
dates to the 18th century
note: the red and yellow colors are related to those of the oldest
Spanish kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre
National anthem:
name: "Himno Nacional Espanol" (National Anthem of Spain)
lyrics/music: none/unknown
note: officially in use between 1770 and 1931, restored in 1939; the
Spanish anthem has no lyrics; in the years prior to 1931 it became
known as "Marcha Real" (The Royal March); it first appeared in a
1761 military bugle call book and was replaced by "Himno de Riego"
in the years between 1931 and 1939; the long version of the anthem
is used for the king, while the short version is used for the
prince, prime minister, and occasions such as sporting events
Economy ::Spain
Economy - overview:
Spain's mixed capitalist economy is the 12th largest in the world,
and its per capita income roughly matches that of Germany and
France. However, after almost 15 years of above average GDP growth,
the Spanish economy began to slow in late 2007 and entered into a
recession in the second quarter of 2008. GDP contracted by 3.7% in
2009, ending a 16-year growth trend, and by another 0.4% in 2010,
making Spain the last major economy to emerge from the global
recession. The reversal in Spain's economic growth reflects a
significant decline in the construction sector, an oversupply of
housing, falling consumer spending, and slumping exports. Government
efforts to boost the economy through stimulus spending, extended
unemployment benefits, and loan guarantees did not prevent a sharp
rise in the unemployment rate, which rose from a low of about 8% in
2007 to 20% in 2010. The government budget deficit worsened from
3.8% of GDP in 2008 to about 9.7% of GDP in 2010, more than three
times the euro-zone limit. Spain's large budget deficit and poor
economic growth prospects have made it vulnerable to financial
contagion from other highly-indebted euro zone members despite the
government's efforts to cut spending, privatize industries, and
boost competitiveness through labor market reforms. Spanish banks'
high exposure to the collapsed domestic construction and real estate
market also poses a continued risk for the sector. The government
intervened in one regional savings bank in 2009, and investors
remain concerned that Madrid may need to bail out more troubled
banks. The Bank of Spain, however, is seeking to boost confidence in
the financial sector by pressuring banks to come clean about their
losses and consolidate into stronger groups.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.374 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
$1.379 trillion (2009 est.)
$1.432 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.375 trillion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-0.4% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
-3.7% (2009 est.)
0.9% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$29,500 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
$29,800 (2009 est.)
$31,200 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 25.5%
services: 71.6% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
22.96 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 4.2%
industry: 24%
services: 71.7% (2009 est.)
Unemployment rate:
20% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
18.1% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
19.8% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 102
32.5 (1990)
Investment (gross fixed):
22.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
Public debt:
63.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
53.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.3% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
-0.3% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
1.75% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 122
3% (31 December 2008)
note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal
lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro
area
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
10.72% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 82
11.02% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$849.2 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 9
$856.5 billion (31 December 2009 est)
note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro
area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for
the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual
members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating
within their own borders
Stock of broad money:
$2.264 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
$2.451 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.683 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
$3.451 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$1.297 trillion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 11
$946.1 billion (31 December 2008)
$1.8 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef,
pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
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
Industrial production growth rate:
-2% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Electricity - production:
300.5 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
Electricity - consumption:
276.1 billion kWh (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
Electricity - exports:
16.92 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
5.88 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
27,230 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
Oil - consumption:
1.482 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
Oil - exports:
218,600 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Oil - imports:
1.716 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Oil - proved reserves:
150 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
Natural gas - production:
13 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
Natural gas - consumption:
33.88 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Natural gas - exports:
975 million cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
Natural gas - imports:
34.67 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.548 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Current account balance:
-$66.74 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
-$80.38 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$268.3 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
$224 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines,
other consumer goods
Exports - partners:
France 19.27%, Germany 11.11%, Portugal 9.21%, Italy 8.24%, UK 6.18%
(2009)
Imports:
$324.6 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
$286.8 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods,
foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments
Imports - partners:
Germany 15.02%, France 12.82%, Italy 7.17%, China 5.8%, Netherlands
5.22%, UK 4.7% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$NA (31 December 2010 est.)
$28.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.166 trillion (30 June 2010)
country comparison to the world: 9
$2.317 trillion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$668.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
$664 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$641 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
$634.4 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010), 0.7179 (2009), 0.6827
(2008), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006)
Communications ::Spain
Telephones - main lines in use:
20.057 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 13
Telephones - mobile cellular:
50.991 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 23
Telephone system:
general assessment: well developed, modern facilities; fixed-line
teledensity is roughly 50 per 100 persons
domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is
nearly 175 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 34; submarine cables provide
connectivity to Europe, Middle East, Asia, and US; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA
Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Broadcast media:
a mixture of both publicly-operated and privately-owned TV and radio
stations broadcasting; overall, hundreds of TV channels are
available including national, regional, local, public, and
international channels; satellite and cable TV systems are
accessible; multiple national radio networks, a large number of
regional radio networks, and a larger number of local radio stations
broadcasting; overall, hundreds of radio stations operating (2008)
Internet country code:
.es
Internet hosts:
3.822 million (2010)
country comparison to the world: 23
Internet users:
28.119 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 14
Transportation ::Spain
Airports:
154 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 35
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 97
over 3,047 m: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 13
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 24 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 57
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 38 (2010)
Heliports:
9 (2010)
Pipelines:
gas 7,738 km; oil 560 km; refined products 3,445 km (2009)
Railways:
total: 15,288 km
country comparison to the world: 18
broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified)
standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (1,054 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,949 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km
0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 681,298 km
country comparison to the world: 10
paved: 681,298 km (includes 15,152 km of expressways) (2008)
Waterways:
1,000 km (2008)
country comparison to the world: 65
Merchant marine:
total: 138
country comparison to the world: 44
by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 17, chemical tanker 12, container 8,
liquefied gas 13, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 40, petroleum tanker
17, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 13, vehicle carrier 5
foreign-owned: 26 (Canada 5, Denmark 2, Germany 5, Italy 1, Mexico
2, Norway 10, Switzerland 1)
registered in other countries: 107 (Angola 1, Argentina 3, Bahamas
9, Belize 1, Brazil 12, Cape Verde 1, Cyprus 7, France 1, Malta 10,
Nigeria 1, Panama 40, Portugal 15, Uruguay 5, Venezuela 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Algeciras, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Huelva, Tarragona, Valencia
(Spain); Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands)
Military ::Spain
Military branches:
Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy
(Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force
(Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,851,306
females age 16-49: 9,574,929 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 8,040,207
females age 16-49: 7,798,254 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 193,038
female: 181,703 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
Transnational Issues ::Spain
Disputes - international:
in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to
reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement; the government of
Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and
Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater
autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves
of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera,
Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters;
both countries claim Isla Perejil (Leila Island); Morocco serves as
the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from
North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over
the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of
the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
Illicit drugs:
despite rigorous law enforcement efforts, North African, Latin
American, Galician, and other European traffickers take advantage of
Spain's long coastline to land large shipments of cocaine and
hashish for distribution to the European market; consumer for Latin
American cocaine and North African hashish; destination and minor
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering
site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized
crime
page last updated on January 20, 2011
======================================================================
@Spratly Islands (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Spratly Islands
Background:
The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs.
They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas
and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China,
Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the
Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small
numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that
overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim.
Geography ::Spratly Islands
Location: