Country Map and Facts

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FACTS & FIGURES

POPULATION

• The population of Spain currently stands at 40.4 million.
• There was a 15.5 per cent increase in the population between 1999 and 2003.
• The most populous metropolitan area is around Madrid, with a population of three million.
• Spain is experiencing significant rural-urban migration, with 78 per cent of the population now living in towns or cities.
• Ethnic groups in Spain who have kept their own cultural and linguistic identity include the Catalans, who make up 17 per cent of the population, the Galicians (seven per cent) and the Basques (two per cent).

ECONOMY

• Spain's economy is the fifth largest in Europe, and accounts for nine per cent of the EU output.
• The per capita income in Spain is only 95 per cent of the EU average.
• Spain was traditionally an agricultural country, but tourism, the service sector and industry have become more important, with 60 per cent of the population now employed in services, and over one third in industry.
• Spain's fishing fleet, although reduced from its peak, remains one of the world's largest.
• There has been a rapid expansion in chemicals, electronics, IT and industrial design.
• The unemployment rate in Spain stands at 11 per cent, and has been steadily falling.
• The main exports are: olive oil, citrus fruit, cereals, wine, cork, textiles, iron, steel and chemicals.

CLIMATE

• Northern Spain has an Atlantic climate with average winter temperatures of 9°C, average summer temperatures of 18°C, and 965mm annual rainfall.
• The Central Plateau has a continental climate, with average winter temperatures of 4°C, average summer temperatures of 24°C and 380mm average annual rainfall.
• The south and east coasts have a Mediterranean climate, with average winter temperatures of 12°C, average summer temperatures of 22°C, and average annual rainfall of 350mm.
• The wettest month in Spain is October, the hottest is July, and the coldest is January.

GEOGRAPHY

• Spain covers 504,750 sq km (194,884 sq miles), mostly on the Iberian peninsula which it shares with Portugal.
• The main physical feature of Spain is the vast central plateau or meseta, which is divided by several chains of Sierras.
• Spain is the second-highest and most mountainous country in Europe, with an average altitude of 610m above sea level, and a highest point of 3,715m, the Pico del Teide on Tenerife.
• The Mediterranean coastal area reaches from the French frontier to the Straits of Gibraltar.
• The total length of Spain's borders is 6,881km (4,273 miles), of which 4,964km (3,083 miles) is coastline.