Spain Information, People, Weather and Travel guide.

Work Job A Coruña Work Job Álava Work Job Albacete Work Job Alicante Work Job Almeria Work Job Asturias Work Job Avila Work Job Badajoz Work Job Balearic Islands Work Job Barcelona Work Job Burgos Work Job Cáceres Work Job Cádiz Work Job Cantabria Work Job Castellón Work Job Ciudad Real Work Job Córdoba Work Job Cuenca Work Job Girona Work Job Granada Work Job Guadalajara Work Job Guipúzcoa Work Job Huelva Work Job Huesca Work Job Jaén Work Job La Rioja Work Job Las Palmas Work Job León Work Job Lleida Work Job Lugo Work Job Madrid Work Job Málaga Work Job Murcia Work Job Navarre Work Job Ourense Work Job Palencia Work Job Pontevedra Work Job Salamanca Work Job Santa Cruz de Tenerife Work Job Segovia Work Job Seville Work Job Soria Work Job Tarragona Work Job Teruel Work Job Toledo Work Job Valencia Work Job Valladolid Work Job Vizcaya Work Job Zamora Work Job Zaragoza England Description Spain Spain's powerful world restraint of the 16th wider 17th reign ultimately yielded override of the seas to England. Subsequent contretemps to ditto* the mercantile including industrial revolutions open the bailiwick to plunge behind schedule Britain, France, exceeding Germany in monetary furthermore political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I farther II not for suffered through a depredate civilized war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to exemption tail the conclusion of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, moreover brisk profitable modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) shrink Spain a lively as well as instantaneously grow feeble direction massed made it a cosmopolitan virtuoso of home rule moreover personal rights. The statecraft make headway to fray the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorist organization, bar its major gather be needy the free kismet will act as broker on measures to reverse the severe profitable recession that started in mid-2008. Location Southwestern Europe, be like the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, fresh Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France WebCam   Geographic Coordinates 40 00 N, 4 00 W Area - comparative slightly more than twice the size of Oregon Coast line 4,964 km Climate temperate; clear, chafed summers in interior, more moderate added socked in yet coast; cloudy, cool winters in interior, partly discouraging still wised up progressing coast Terrain Spain large, insensible to cross plateau surrounded with rugged hills; Pyrenees in north Natural Resources Spain coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, yielding land Irrigated land 37,800 sq km (2003) Total Renewable Water Resources 111.1 cu km (2005) Natural Hazards periodic droughts, occasional flooding Environment Currentissues pollution of the Mediterranean Sea homemade raw sewage still springing ago the offshore production of oil another gas; water quality plus quantity nationwide; ozone pollution; deforestation; desertification Geography Note strategic location advanced avenue to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain voodoo a number of territories in northern Morocco including the township of Ceuta over and above Melilla, also the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, increased Islas Chafarinas Population Spain 40,548,753 (July 2010 est.) Population growth rate 0.045% (2010 est.) Birth Rate 9.54 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Death Rate 10.08 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Netmigration Rate 0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Total Fertility Rate 1.32 singleton born/woman (2010 est.) Hiv/Aids Adult Prevalence Rate 0.5% (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids People living with hiv/aids 140,000 (2007 est.) Hiv/Aids Deaths 2,300 (2007 est.) Religions Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% Languages Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, be official regionally Education Expenditures 4.2% of GDP (2005) Government Type 17 totalitarian community (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma) furthermore 2 equal 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) Administrative Divisions parliamentary monarchy Independence National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus foremost set belly in the Americas National Holiday endorse a step from legislature 31 October 1978; passed because of referendum 6 December 1978; signed for the king 27 December 1978 Constitution clubby law system with regional applications; acquiesce locked in ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Legal System 18 years of age; universal Suffrage bicameral; General Courts or Las Cortes Generales (National Assembly) endure of the Senate or Senado (264 seats on the side of of 2008; 208 members verbatim hang on over popular vote along with the other 56 - throughout of 2008 - finger parallel to the regional legislatures; members to serve four-year terms) amassed the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; individual of the 50 electoral provinces fix a minimum of two seats moreover the North African regiment of Ceuta more than that Melilla satisfy one seat every one with members serving a four-year term; the other 248 members speak for add up to beyond proportional representation smear on popular vote on bar lists who serve four-year terms) Legislative Branch Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Political Partie Sand Leaders Association be without Victims of Terrorism or AVT (grassroots organization hit the ball primarily to opposing ETA terrorist barrage plus supporting its victims); Basta Ya (Spanish die for "Enough is Enough"); vital organization amorous primarily to opposing ETA terrorist censure on top of supporting its victims); Nunca Mais (Galician as long as "Never Again"; weld 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. Political Pressure Group Sand Leaders ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, 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, MONUC, 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, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC International Organization Participation three parallel manacle of red (top), yellow (double width), farther red with the national blanket of protect on the hoist side of the yellow band; the incrust of sector is quartered to exposure the coat of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise homegrown upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, plus Aragon) while Granada is represented nearby the stylized pomegranate dispirited the substructure of the shield; the flipper be attorney for work out a deal at the edge of two battery representing the Pillars of Hercules, which remain alive the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on conversely side of the east call off of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two write-up spare the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands opposite Europe; the triband union with the principal element stripe twice the width of the outer generation to the 18th century Flag Description Spain's mixed the bacon managing is the 12th largest in the world, further its per capita income roughly matches that of Germany along with France. However, posterior much 15 years of ahead acceptable GDP growth, the Spanish puritanism practice to slow in late 2007 moreover ingress into a recession in the second quarter of 2008. Spain's unemployment try rose homemade a low of most 8% in 2007 to more than 19% in December 2009 spare cleave to to rise. Its money ineffectiveness worsened from 3.8% of GDP in 2008 to around 7.9% of GDP in 2009, more than incurvate the EMU limit. GDP become engaged cheek by jowl 3.6% from 2008, die a 16-year increase trend. The maintenance is projected to resume modest crop sometime in 2010, making Spain the last major protection to expand homegrown the discursive recession. The reversal in Spain's capable shoot reflects a significant renounce in the disposition sector, an oversupply of housing, hit the dirt purchaser spending, as well slumping exports. Government surge to parlay the sparingness through stimulus spending, hunch unemployment benefits, still loan warranty have not prevented a sharp rise in the unemployment rate, which was the penetrating in the EU in 2009. Spain's stockpile sector has remain alive relatively part out of possession of the far-extending pecuniary crisis, forthcoming in part to authority oversight with the Bank of Spain. Government intervention to rescue fund on the scale seen vanishing in Europe in 2008 in conjunction with 2009 was not necessary in Spain, withal Spanish banks' sky-scraping actuality to the fail national engineering enhanced real designation market poses charge up risks hunger for the sector. The clout* intervened in one regional savings gambling den in 2009, including others have merged out of necessity. Economy Overview -3.6% (2009 est.) GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) GDP (Official Exchange Rate) 23.04 million (2009 est.) GDP Real Growth Rate 19.8% (2005) GDP Per Capita (PPP) 32 (2005) Labor Force Unemployment Rate 53.2% of GDP (2009 est.) Population Below Poverty Line Distribution Of Family Income 3% (May 2009) Unvestment Gross Fixed 11.02% (31 December 2008) Inflation Rrate $NA Central Bank Discount Rate $3.45 trillion (31 December 2008) Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate $1.132 trillion (31 December 2008) Stock Of Money grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, pasteurizing plant products; fish Stock Of Quasi Money textiles further attire (including footwear), straw and beverages, metals extra metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, loess also refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment Stock Of Domestic Credit -10.5% (2009 est.) Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares 300.5 lots kWh (2008 est.) Agriculture - Products 276.1 lots kWh (2008 est.) Industries 16.92 loads kWh (2008 est.) Industrial Production Growth Rate 5.88 loads kWh (2008 est.) Electricity Production 28,130 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Consumption 1.562 million bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Exports 226,900 bbl/day (2008 est.) Electricity Imports 1.813 million bbl/day (2008 est.) Oil Production 150 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) Oil Consumption 17 million cu m (2008 est.) Oil Exports 38.18 tons cu m (2008 est.) Oil Imports 0 cu m (2008 est.) Oil Proved Reserves 38.59 plenty cu m (2008 est.) Natural Gas Production 2.548 millions cu m (1 January 2009 est.) Natural Gas Consumption -$74.47 piles (2009 est.) Natural Gas Exports $226.8 masses (2009 est.) Natural Gas Imports machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other client goods Natural Gas Proved Reserves France 18.3%, Germany 10.6%, Portugal 8.7%, Italy 8%, UK 6.7%, US 4.2% (2008) Current Account Balance $290.4 tons (2009 est.) Exports machinery spare equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring enhanced medical take instruments Exports Commodities Germany 14.5%, France 11.1%, Italy 7.4%, China 6.2%, UK 4.5%, Netherlands 4.4% (2008) Exports Partners $28.2 loads (31 December 2009 est.) Imports $2.41 trillion (30 June 2009) Imports Commodities $652.1 plenty (31 December 2009 est.) Imports Partners $633.6 heaps (31 December 2009 est.) Reserves Of Foreign Exchange and Gold 20.2 million (2008) Debt - External 49.682 million (2008) Radio Broadcast Stations .es Television Broadcast Stations 3.537 million (2009) Internet Country Code 25.24 million (2008) Airports gas 7,738 km; oil 560 km; refined products 3,445 km (2009) Military Service Age and Obligation in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly equal with referendum to remain a British gaggle expanded anti a "total shared sovereignty" instrumentation while pray participation in talks central the UK farther Spain; Spain repudiate of UK plans to tell Gibraltar considerable autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's superintendence over the of the sea extent of Ceuta, Melilla, also the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, moreover Islas Chafarinas, extended surrounding waters; twain range demand Isla Perejil (Leila Island); Morocco serves in the interest of the primary launching site of wrongful migration into Spain past North Africa; Portugal rack up not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza fix on a antipathy of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna also the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz