Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (2003)
Transnational Issues Spain
Disputes - international:
in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to
remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty"
arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK
and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater
autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves
of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera,
Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters;
Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration
into Spain from North Africa
Illicit drugs:
key European gateway country and consumer for Latin American
cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market;
destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian
heroin; money-laundering site for European earnings of Colombian
narcotics trafficking organizations
This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005
======================================================================
@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 45 islands are occupied by relatively
small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing
zone that overlaps a southern reef, but has not made any formal
claim.
Geography Spratly Islands