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

Capital:      Madrid

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, Spain has played a catch-up role in the western international community. Continuing concerns are Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and further reductions in unemployment.

Independence:

The Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Moslem occupation that began in the early 8th Century A. D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain

National Holiday:    Hispanic Day, 12 October

Location:                  Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France                                        Click here for a map of Europe 

Area:                            total: 504,782 sq km
                                      water: 5,240 sq km
note: there are 19 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
                                         land: 499,542 sq km                                             (slightly more than twice the size of Oregon)

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

Government Type:      Parliamentary monarchy

Population:                   40,077,100 (July 2002 est.)

Religion:                        Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%

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

Military Branches:            Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard,         National Police, Coastal Civil Guard

Currency:                       Euro, exchange rate is typically about 1 Euro=1 USD

Visa Requirement:        Passport required.  Visa not required for tourist or business stays up to 90 days.  For more information, check with the Embassy of Spain   http://www.spainemb.org/ingles/indexing.htm 

All information gathered from the CIA Factbook website http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sp.html 

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