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| Overview | People | Geography | Economy | Government | Communications | Transport | Military | Map |
| Country | Spain |
| Flag |  |
| Capital | name: Madrid geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Spain is divided into two time zones including the Canary Islands |
| Population | 40,525,002 (July 2009 est.) |
| GMT | +1 |
| Location | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France see map |
| Area | total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera |
| Ethnic groups | composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% |
| Languages | Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally |
| Government type | parliamentary monarchy |
| National holiday | National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set foot in the Americas |
| Constitution | approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 |
| Legal system | civil law system, with regional applications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Background | Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. The government continues to battle the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorist organization, but its major focus for the immediate future will be on measures to reverse the severe economic recession that started in mid-2008. |
| Internet country code | .es |
