Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Population
114,975,406
47,042,984
Life Expectancy
76.660 years
81.270 years
Capital City
Mexico (Distrito Federal)
Madrid
Largest city
Mexico City (population: 11,285,700)
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Human Development Index
0.842
0.949
GDP per capita
$14,800 US
$31,000 US
Literacy Rate
91%
97.9%
Corruption Perception Index
3.6
6.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
22.1%
33.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
Carlos Slim Helu & family ($35.0bn US)
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
Unemployment Rate
5.200%
21.700%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished
Political System
federal republic
parliamentary monarchy
Independence date
16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
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
Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
External Debt
$210,800,000,000 $
$2,570,000,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 11.016 (2008 est.), 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (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
0.500%
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
3
18
Location
Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Area
1,964,375 km sq
505,370 km sq
Coastline
9,330 km
4,964 km
Climate
varies from tropical to desert
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
