Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Population
10,767,827
47,042,984
Life Expectancy
80.050 years
81.270 years
Capital City
Athens
Madrid
Largest city
Athens (population: 729,137)
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Human Development Index
0.947
0.949
GDP per capita
$26,600 US
$31,000 US
Literacy Rate
96%
97.9%
Corruption Perception Index
4.7
6.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
14.7%
33.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
Spiro Latsis & family ($3.8bn US)
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
Unemployment Rate
17.300%
21.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
parliamentary republic
parliamentary monarchy
Independence date
1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)
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
Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages
Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Exports
food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
External Debt
$583,300,000,000 $
$2,570,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (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
4.300%
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
4
18
Location
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Area
131,957 km sq
505,370 km sq
Coastline
13,676 km
4,964 km
Climate
temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
