Spain
| Kingdom of Spain[1] | |
|---|---|
 
| |
| Motto | "Plus Ultra" |
| National anthem | La Marcha Real / Marcha Granadera |
| 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 | 505,370[3] km² |
| Population | 40,548,753[3] (July 2010 estimate) |
| Population density | 80.2/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 as the Kingdom of Spain, Reino de España. 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 occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and its arm the Bay of Biscay, and the Pyrennes Mountains. Spain also has some overseas territories outside the Iberian peninsula. Sharing the Iberian Peninsula are Portugal in the south and central west, Andorra, occupying a small are in the Pyrennes Mountains, and Gibraltar, a dependency of the United Kingdom occupying a small peninsula in the center of the southern coast of the peninsula. Spain also shares land borders with France along the Pyrennes mountains, and Morocco, at Ceuta and Melilla.
Physical Geography
The Iberian peninsula is among the hottest and driest parts of Europe, though the climate varies widely across the peninsula. The northernmost part of Spain is wetter.
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 powerful 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
- ↑ Spain
- ↑ 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 Spain (CIA World Factbook)
- ↑ HDR06, UN, Human Development Report 2006 (United Nations)
- ↑ Congreso de los Diputados, [1], last visit 2007/8/27
- ↑ El Senado de España, [2], last visit 2007/8/27