Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Population
5,485,998
47,042,984
Life Expectancy
56.550 years
81.270 years
Capital City
Madrid
Largest city
Freetown (population: 802,639)
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Human Development Index
0.329
0.949
GDP per capita
$31,000 US
Literacy Rate
35.1%
97.9%
Corruption Perception Index
1.9
6.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
13.2%
33.6%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
Unemployment Rate
21.700%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
constitutional democracy
parliamentary monarchy
Independence date
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
Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages
English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Exports
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
External Debt
$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)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.200%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
18
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Area
71,740 km sq
505,370 km sq
Coastline
402 km
4,964 km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
