Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor Prime minister: Perry Christie
Population
47,042,984
316,182
Life Expectancy
81.270 years
71.440 years
Capital City
Madrid
Nassau
Largest city
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Nassau (population: 227,940)
Human Development Index
0.949
NA
GDP per capita
$31,000 US
$31,400 US
Literacy Rate
97.9%
95.6%
Corruption Perception Index
6.5
NA
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.6%
NA
Wealthiest Citizens
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
21.700%
14.200%
Death Penalty
Abolished
NA
Political System
parliamentary monarchy
constitutional parliamentary democracy
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
10 July 1973 (from UK)
Religions
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)
Languages
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Exports
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables
External Debt
$2,570,000,000,000 $
$342,600,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2008 est.), 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.200%
0.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
18
0
Location
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba
Area
505,370 km sq
13,880 km sq
Coastline
4,964 km
3,542 km
Climate
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
