Head of state: King Juan Carlos I Prime minister: Mariano Rajoy
King: King Mohammed VI
Population
47,042,984
32,309,239
Life Expectancy
81.270 years
76.110 years
Capital City
Madrid
Rabat
Largest city
Madrid (population: 3,117,980)
Casablanca (population: 3,144,910)
Human Development Index
0.949
0.646
GDP per capita
$31,000 US
$5,100 US
Literacy Rate
97.9%
52.3%
Corruption Perception Index
6.5
3.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
33.6%
6.2%
Wealthiest Citizens
Amancio Ortega ($18.3bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
21.700%
8.900%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished in practice
Political System
parliamentary monarchy
constitutional 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
2 March 1956 (from France)
Religions
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
Languages
Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy
Exports
machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
clothing and textiles, electric components, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, citrus fruits, vegetables, fish
External Debt
$2,570,000,000,000 $
$28,080,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6734 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 7.526 (2008 est.), 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
1.200%
5.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
18
2
Location
Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara
Area
505,370 km sq
446,550 km sq
Coastline
4,964 km
1,835 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
Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior
