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Geography |
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of
Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and
Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references: Europe
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
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
Coastline: 4,964 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to
the Atlantic Ocean)
territorial sea: 12 nm
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 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, arable
land
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
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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.
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People |
Population: 39,996,671 (July 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.)
Population
growth rate: 0.11% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 9.22 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 9.03 deaths/1,000 population (2000
est.)
Net migration rate: 0.88 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2000 est.)
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.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live
births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.79 years
male: 75.32 years
female: 82.49 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.15 children born/woman
(2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish
Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and
Nordic types
Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Languages: Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan
17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA%
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Communications |
Telephones - main lines in use: 17.336 million
(1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8.394 million (1999)
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
Radio broadcast stations: AM 208, FM 715, shortwave
1 (1998)
Radios: 13.1 million (1997)
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)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 49 (1999)
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Transportation |
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)
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: 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.)
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.)
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