Spain
9:53 AM
Posted by tourist guide
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 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
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) | ||||||
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 |