Spain
| Kingdom of Spain | |
|---|---|
 
| |
| Motto | "Plus Ultra" |
| National anthem | La Marcha Real / Marcha Granadera[1] |
| Capital | Madrid |
| Official language | Spanish |
| Government type | constitutional monarchy |
| King | Juan Carlos I (before: Francisco Franco (Jefe del Estado))[2] |
| President | José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero (before: José María Aznar) |
| Area | 505 990 [3] km² |
| Population | 44 873 567[3] (2006 estimate) |
| Population density | 88.68/km² |
| HDI | 0.938[4] (high) (19th) (2006) |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) Summer:CEST (UTC+2) |
| Country codes | Internet TLD : es Calling code : +34 |
Spain is a Western European country, officially known under the name 'Spanish Kingdom'. It also comprises various overseas islands and small territories located on Africa. It is a member of the European Union, the United Nations and NATO.
Geography
Spain extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, called Cantabrico Sea, and from the Atlantic Occean to the The Pyrenees. Metropolitan Spain is also referred as the 'Bull fur'.
The direct neighbors of Spain are :
Spain also shares land borders with Morocco (bordering Ceuta and Melilla).
Politics
The Kingdom of Spain is a constitutional monarchy. The king of Spain is the Head of State and Supreme Commander in Chief of the armed forces. His legal and constitutional role is similar to that of the Queen of England. Spain has a bicameral parliament (Cortes Generales in spanish) which is divided into the Congress and the Senate. The Congress or 'Camara Baja' has 349 [5] Diputados 'deputies', elected every 4 years, while the senate or 'Camara Alta' has 259 senators[6], elected for a 4-year term.
Economy
Spain has a highly-developed industrial economy, between the eighth and ninth largest economies in the world. Spanish most powerfull sectors are: turism, construction and manufacturing.
International relations
Spain is a member of the European Union (since 1986), a member of the United Nations, as well as a member of NATO and the Western European Union.
References
- ↑ Presidencia del Gobierno, [1], last visit 27/8/2007
- ↑ Franco ruled Spain as the "Head of State", and in 1947, declared Spain a monarchy and himself Regent,but did not name a future king until 1969.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Instituto Nacional de Estadística,[2], 1/7/2007
- ↑ HDR06, UN, [3], last visit 27/8/7
- ↑ Congreso de los Diputados, [4], last visit 2007/8/27
- ↑ El Senado de España, [5], last visit 2007/8/27