Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar; to the north by France, Andorra, and the Bay of Biscay; and to the northwest and west by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal.

Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast, and two autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, that border Morocco. Furthermore, the town of Llívia is a Spanish exclave situated inside French territory. With an area of 504,030 km², it is the second largest country in Western Europe and the European Union after France.

Because of its location, the territory of Spain was subject to many external influences since prehistoric times and through to its dawn as a country. Conversely, it has been an important source of influence to other regions, chiefly during the Modern Era, when it became a global empire that has left a legacy of over 400 million Spanish speakers today, making it the world's second most spoken first language.

Spain is a democracy organised in the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy. It is a developed country with the ninth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP, and very high living standards (15th highest Human Development Index), including the tenth-highest quality of life index rating in the world, as of 2005. It is a member of the United Nations, European Union, NATO, OECD, and WTO.

Kingdom of Spain Reino de España
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Plus Ultra" (Latin) "Further Beyond"
Anthem: "Marcha Real" (Spanish) "Royal March"
Location of Spain (dark green) – on the European continent (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union (light green) — [Legend]
Capital (and largest city)		Madrid 40°26′N 3°42′W / 40.433°N 3.7°W / 40.433; -3.7
Official language(s)		Spanish
Recognised regional languages		Aranese, Basque, Catalan/Valencian and Galician
Ethnic groups		87.8% Spanish, 12.2% (Romanian, Moroccan, Germans, Ecuadorian, British) other (2010)
Demonym		Spanish, Spaniard
Government		Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
-	King	Juan Carlos I
-	Prime Minister	José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE)
Formation		15th century
-	Traditional date	569 (Ascension to the throne of Liuvigild)
-	Dynastic	1479
-	de facto	1812
-	de jure	1716
-	Constitutional democracy	1978
EU accession		1 January 1986
Area
-	Total	504,030 km2 (51st) 195,364 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.04
Population
-	2010 estimate	46,030,109 (27th)
-	Density	93/km2 (106th) 231/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$1.360 trillion
-	Per capita	$29,689
GDP (nominal)		2009 estimate
-	Total	$1.464 trillion
-	Per capita	$31,946
Gini (2005)		32
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.955 (very high) (15th)
Currency		Euro (€) (EUR)
Time zone		CET[note 4] (UTC+1)
-	Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Date formats		dd.mm.yyyy (Spanish; CE)
Drives on the		right
Internet TLD		.es
Calling code		34

Tourism in Spain was developed during the last years of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, when the country became a popular place for summer holidays, especially for tourists from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Scandinavia. Since then Spain has been the second most visited country of the world after France. In 2007 almost 60 million foreign tourists were received, according to the World Tourism Organization, which has its headquarters in Madrid. Spain's tourism spending annually is over £46 Billion ($68 Billion), the highest tourism spending in any nation worldwide except the USA with $74 Billion.

Spain's national airline is Iberia (or Iberia Airlines), but the country can also be flown into on many international passenger airlines such as Spanair, Air Europa, Vueling, Air Berlin, Clickair and charter airlines, both of which fly to many tourist spots in the region. The main train operator is RENFE; the AVE (Spanish high speed train) or Talgo are the intercity services for tourists. Many freeways link the touristic cities.