Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Population
394,451
47,042,984
Life Expectancy
74.690 years
81.270 years
Capital City
Male
Madrid
Largest city
Male (population: 84,972)
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Human Development Index
0.749
0.949
GDP per capita
$8,800 US
$31,000 US
Literacy Rate
96.3%
97.9%
Corruption Perception Index
2.8
6.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
12%
33.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
Unemployment Rate
14.500%
21.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished in practice
Abolished
Political System
republic
parliamentary monarchy
Independence date
26 July 1965 (from UK)
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
Sunni Muslim
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages
Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Exports
fish
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
External Debt
$943,000,000 $
$2,570,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
rufiyaa (MVR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 12.8 (2006), 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003)
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
5.500%
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
18
Location
Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Area
298 km sq
505,370 km sq
Coastline
644 km
4,964 km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
