Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.15% (2002)
Transnational Issues Spain
Disputes - international:
Gibraltar residents vote overwhelmingly in referendum against
"total shared sovereignty" arrangement worked out between Spain and
UK to change 300-year rule over colony; Morocco protests Spain's
control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Penon de
Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas
Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; Morocco also rejected Spain's
unilateral designation of a median line from the Canary Islands in
2002 to set limits to undersea resource exploration and refugee
interdiction; Morocco allowed Spanish fishermen to fish temporarily
off the coast of Western Sahara after an oil spill soiled Spanish
fishing grounds; Portugal has periodically reasserted claims to
territories around the town of Olivenza, Spain
Illicit drugs:
key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North
African hashish entering the European market; destination and minor
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Spratly Islands
Introduction Spratly Islands
Background:
The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or
reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially
by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by
China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia
and the Philippines. About 50 islands are occupied by China (about
450 soldiers), Malaysia (70-90), the Philippines (about 100), and
Vietnam (about 1,500). Brunei is a claimant but has no outposts.
Geography Spratly Islands