Highways: total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA Ports: Grytviken on South Georgia Airports: total: 5 usable: 5 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 0 Telecommunications: coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
@Spain, Geography
Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea, between Portugal and France
Map references:
Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
504,750 sq km
land area:
499,400 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
note:
includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of
sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco -
Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
Velez de la Gomera
Land boundaries:
total 1,903.2 km, Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
Portugal 1,214 km
Coastline:
4,964 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty
(plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal
enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the
islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas
Chafarinas
Climate:
temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy
along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool
along coast
Terrain:
large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees
in north
Natural resources:
coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum,
zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
31%
permanent crops:
10%
meadows and pastures:
21%
forest and woodland:
31%
other:
7%
Irrigated land:
33,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from untreated sewage and effluents
from the offshore production of oil and gas; air pollution;
deforestation; desertification
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber,
Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen
Oxides, Law of the Sea
Note:
strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
@Spain, People
Population: 39,302,665 (July 1994 est.) Population growth rate: 0.25% (1994 est.) Birth rate: 11.05 births/1,000 population (1994 est.) Death rate: 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.) Net migration rate: 0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.) Infant mortality rate: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.71 years male: 74.45 years female: 81.21 years (1994 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1994 est.) Nationality: noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish Ethnic divisions: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1% Languages: Castilian Spanish, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2% Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 95% male: 97% female: 93% Labor force: 14.621 million by occupation: services 53%, industry 24%, agriculture 14%, construction 9% (1988)
@Spain, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form:
Spain
local short form:
Espana
Digraph:
SP
Type:
parliamentary monarchy
Capital:
Madrid
Administrative divisions:
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad
autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencia,
Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia,
Navarra, Pais Vasco
note:
there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco
(Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown
Independence:
1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
National holiday:
National Day, 12 October
Constitution:
6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system:
civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975)
head of government:
Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy
Prime Minister Narcis SERRA y Serra (since 13 March 1991)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; designated by the prime minister
Council of State:
is the supreme consultative organ of the government
Legislative branch:
bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes
Generales)
Senate (Senado):
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (255 total) PSOE 117,
PP 107, CiU 15, PNV 5, IU 2, other 9
Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados):
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997);
results by percent of party NA; seats - (350 total) PSOE 159, PP 141,
IU 18, CiU 17, PNV 5, CN 4, HB 2, other 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
Political parties and leaders:
principal national parties, from right to left:
Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR; Social Democratic Center (CDS),
Rafael Calvo ORTEGA; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe
GONZALEZ Marquez, secretary general; Socialist Democracy Party (DS),
Ricardo Garcia DAMBORENEA; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio
ANGUITA; United Left (IU) a coalition of parties including the PCE, a
branch of the PSOE, and other small parties, Julio ANGUITA
chief regional parties:
Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi PUJOL Saley and Miguel ROCA in
Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS and Jose
Antonio ARDANZA; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos GARAICOETXEA Urizza;
Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon IDIGORAS and Inaki ESNAOLA; Basque
Socialist Party (PSE), coalition of the PSE, EE and PSOE, Jose Maria
BANEGAS and Jon LARRINAGA; Andalusian Progress Party (PA), Pedro
PACHECO; Canarian Coalition (CN), Dimas MARTIN; Catalan Republican
Left, Angel COLOM; Galician Coalition, Senen BERNARDEZ; Aragonese
Regionalist Party (PAR), Jose Maria MUR Bernad; Valencian Union (UV),
Vicente GONZALEZ Lizondo, Manuel CAMPILLOS Martinez
Other political or pressure groups:
on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the
First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to
oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977)
include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the
Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent
Workers Syndical Union (USO); business and landowning interests; the
Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students
Member of:
AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM,
CSCE, EBRD, AfDB, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-8, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA
(observer), LORCS, MTRC, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jaime De OJEDA y Eiseley
chancery:
2700 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
(202) 265-0190 or 0191
consulate(s) general:
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,
San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER
embassy:
Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address:
APO AE 09642
telephone:
[34] (1) 577-4000
FAX:
[34] (1) 577-5735
consulate(s) general:
Barcelona
consulate(s):
Bilbao
Flag:
three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band;
the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of
Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on
either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
@Spain, Economy