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Spain - Travel guideSpain - OverviewSpain'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), have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and relatively high unemployment. |
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Spain General Information |
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| Country full name : | conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local short form: Espana |
| Capital : | Madrid |
| Religions : | Roman Catholic 94%, other 6% |
| Languages : | Castilian Spanish, Catalan, Galician, Basque |
| Location : | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France |
| Geographic coordinates : | 40 00 N, 4 00 W |
| Area : | total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km note: there are 2 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 |
| Climate : | temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast |
| Population : | 40,397,842 (July 2006 est.) |
| Nationality : | noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish |
| Ethnic groups : | composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types |
| Government type : | parliamentary monarchy |
| Administrative divisions: | 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country) note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central government, are all located along the coast of Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania) |
| Legal system : | civil law system, with regional applications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage : | 18 years of age; universal |
| Internet code : | .es |
| Calling code : | +34 |
| Time zone : | GMT/UTC +1 |
| Electricity : | 220V 50Hz |
| National holiday : | National Day, 12 October |
| Interesting link : | Spain travel guide - Lonely Planet Spain travel guide - Wikitravel Tourism Office of Spain |
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Spain Travel Guide Information