Religions:
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Languages:
Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%; note -
Castilian is the official language nationwide; the other languages
are official regionally
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.7%
female: 97.2% (2003 est.)
Government Spain
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form: Spain
local short form: Espana
Government type:
parliamentary monarchy
Capital:
Madrid
Administrative divisions:
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular -
comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas,
singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares
(Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria,
Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana,
Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra,
Pais Vasco (Basque Country)
note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small
islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez
de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central
government, are all located off the coast of Morocco and are
collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de
Soberania)
Independence:
the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent
kingdoms prior to the Moslem 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
National holiday:
National Day, 12 October