Spain – country information

Country name	Spain
Official name	The Kingdom of Spain
Capital	Madrid
Continent	Europe
Area	505,992 km2
Population	46,609,700 (2013)
Foundation of a state	2/1/1492
The highest mountains	Pico de Teide 3718 m, Mulhacén 3482 m
Longest rivers	Ebro 928 km, Tajo 910 km (in the country 635 km)
State system	constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Madrid (capital) 3,225,000, Barcelona 1,750,000, Valencia 775,000
Official language	Spanish
Ethnicity/National Composition	Spaniards 72.5%, Catalans 16.3%, Galicians 8%, Basques 2.3%, others 0.9%
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholics 96%, atheists and no religion 3%, others 1%
Currency	1 euro = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$30,058 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	79.65 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 3.5%, mining and industry 23%, construction 8.5%, services 65%

Spain – neighboring countries

State	Capital	Area	Population
Andorra	Andorra la Vella	468 km2	76,098
France	Paris	551,500 km2	65,844,000
Morocco	Rebate	446,550 km2	33,202,300
Portugal	Lisbon	91,982 km2	10,487,289

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Spain is located on the Iberian (Iberian) peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It borders France to the north and Portugal to the west. Spain includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea and the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean west of the African coast.

Country data

Location: Western Europe

Time zone: CET

Total area: 505,370 km²

Land area: 498,980 km²

Water area: 6,390 km²

Length of the state border: 1920 km

Bordering countries:
Andorra: 64 km
France: 623 km
Gibraltar: 1.2 km
Morocco: 18 km
Portugal: 1,214 km

Coastline: 4,964 km

Capital: Madrid

Regions: 17
Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencian, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 34 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Pico de Teide 3,718 m

Population

Population: approx. 47.7 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.8% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 79

Life expectancy: 78 (male), 85 (female)

Official language: Spanish

Religions:

• 94% Roman Catholic
• 6% other

Climate

North:

• temperate climate zone
• warm summer months
• cold winters
• the rain is evenly distributed throughout the year

South of the country:

• Mediterranean climate
• very hot during the day in summer (over 35 ° C)
• cool winter months
• Rain falls mainly in the winter months

Currency / finance

Currency unit: € / Euro (EUR)

Division: 1 € = 100 cents

ATMs: Available in many cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted by many hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 17 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Ceuta and Melilla are not part of the EU customs territory.

Behavioral advice

Pickpockets are common in the larger tourist centers. You should therefore not openly show your money and valuables and only always take the amount of money you actually need with you.

Economy

The former agricultural country has built up a flourishing industry over the past few decades, the most important branches Bordering countries are tourism and mechanical engineering.

Communication and information technology, the metal processing industry and petrochemicals have also developed strongly.

The largest contributions to the gross domestic product come from the tourism industry and the export of agricultural goods.

Industries: chemistry, vehicle manufacturing, fishing, food manufacturing, mechanical engineering, metal processing, shipbuilding, textiles, tourism

Natural resources: lead, iron ore, gypsum, coal, copper, farmland, uranium, hydropower, zinc

Land use:

• Usable land: 30%
• Grain cultivation: 9%
• Pasture area: 21%
• Forests: 32%
• other: 8%

Plants

Most of the contiguous forest areas are in the north and west of Spain. Many different shrubs, bushes, and grass species are scattered across the country.

Grapes that have made a name for themselves in the wine industry also grow particularly well.

Animals

The forests and the unpopulated regions are home to foxes, wild boars, wolves and several species of red deer.

For bullfighting, which is famous worldwide as a national sport, the animals are bred in special farms.

In particular, many different animal species also populate the rivers, lakes and seas of the country and the coastal strips that surround them.