View Intelligence Dossier Back to 2000 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

49 (1999)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios [time series]

13.1 million (1997)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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 - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

17.336 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

8.394 million (1999)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

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

Televisions [time series]

16.2 million (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

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

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

Debt - external [time series]

$90 billion (1993 est.)

Economic aid (Economic aid - donor) [time series]

ODA, $1.3 billion (1995)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

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 [time series]

170.306 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports [time series]

5.6 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports [time series]

9 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production [time series]

179.468 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

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

Exchange rates [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Exports - commodities [time series]

machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, other consumer goods

Exports - partners [time series]

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

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

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

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

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

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

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

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

3.6% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

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

Imports - commodities [time series]

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

Imports - partners [time series]

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 [time series]

2.7% (1999 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

2.3% (1999 est.)

Labor force [time series]

16.2 million (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

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

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Unemployment rate [time series]

16% (1999 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

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 [time series]

slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

4,964 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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 [time series]

40 00 N, 4 00 W

Geography - note [time series]

strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Irrigated land [time series]

34,530 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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 [time series]

arable land: 30% permanent crops: 9% permanent pastures: 21% forests and woodland: 32% other: 8% (1993 est.)

Location [time series]

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Map references [time series]

Europe

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean) territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards [time series]

periodic droughts

Natural resources [time series]

coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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 [time series]

Madrid

Constitution [time series]

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local short form: Espana

Data code [time series]

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

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 (Flag description) [time series]

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 [time series]

parliamentary monarchy

Independence [time series]

1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

International organization participation [time series]

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 [time series]

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Legal system [time series]

civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

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 [time series]

National Day, 12 October

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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 parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

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 [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

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

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$6 billion (FY97)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1.1% (FY97)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

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

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

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

Military manpower - military age [time series]

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 295,335 (2000 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Death rate [time series]

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

Ethnic groups [time series]

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Infant mortality rate [time series]

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

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

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

Literacy [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish

Net migration rate [time series]

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

Population [time series]

39,996,671 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.11% (2000 est.)

Religions [time series]

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Sex ratio [time series]

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 [time series]

1.15 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

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 [time series]

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]

Transportation

Airports [time series]

105 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Heliports [time series]

2 (1999 est.)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

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 [time series]

crude oil 265 km; petroleum products 1,794 km; natural gas 1,666 km

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

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 [time series]

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 [time series]

1,045 km, but of minor economic importance