Queen: Margrethe II Prime Minister: Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Population
5,543,453
47,042,984
Life Expectancy
78.780 years
81.270 years
Capital City
Copenhagen
Madrid
Largest city
Copenhagen (population: 1,153,620)
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Human Development Index
0.952
0.949
GDP per capita
$37,600 US
$31,000 US
Literacy Rate
99%
97.9%
Corruption Perception Index
9.3
6.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
38%
33.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen ($2.1bn US)
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.000%
21.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
constitutional monarchy
parliamentary monarchy
Independence date
first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy
the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim 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
Religions
Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Christian (includes Protestant and Roman Catholic) 3%, Muslim 2%
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Exports
machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, pharmaceuticals, furniture, windmills
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
External Debt
$626,900,000,000 $
$2,570,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.0236 (2008 est.), 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004)
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.300%
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
7
18
Location
Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Area
43,094 km sq
505,370 km sq
Coastline
7,314 km
4,964 km
Climate
temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
