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About Spain and the capital, Madrid

The national flag of Spain	Borderline map of Spain
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of “Plus Ultra” (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe; the triband arrangement with the center stripe twice the width of the outer dates to the 18th century. Note: the red and yellow colors are related to those of the oldest Spanish kingdoms: Aragon, Castile, Leon, and Navarre.	Border length: total: 1,952.7 km. Border countries (total: 5): Andorra 63 km, France 646 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,224 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km, Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km. Note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera.

About Madrid

Madrid built to rule, established on a broad, flat plateau in the geographical center of the Iberian peninsula to bring Spain’s many fractious regions together. It’s no wonder, then, that Madrid is Spain’s melting pot. Native Madrileños are joined here not only by Basques, Galicians, Catalonians, and Andalusians but by immigrants from Africa and South America. Far from the sea and lacking the multi-millennial history of Barcelona or Seville, Madrid can still claim more than its fair share of world-class attractions: its impressive royal palace, beautiful parks, the wealth of art museums, and passionate and diverse population. Madrileños work hard and party even harder, dining at midnight and dancing until dawn in throbbing, multilevel nightclubs or whiling away the evening in smoky, atmospheric tapas bars.

Renovation and reconstruction are everywhere in Madrid, whether invisible in the lifted gloom of the Chueca neighborhood, once a dangerous, crime-ridden area and now the city’s hottest nightlife district, or thrillingly evident in the modern wings of the Prado, Thyssen, and Reina Sofia museums, three of Spain’s most significant temples of art. The result of all this work is a city of comfortable, well-lighted plazas and winding yet approachable streets and a population that looks to the future with power and pride.

Did you know about Spain?

• Spain united in the 15th century and rapidly became an imperial power. It lost most of its colonies during the 19th century.
• Over 3000 festivals and feasts take place each year in Spain.
• The south of Spain was once occupied by the Islamic Moors, who left behind many beautiful buildings.

Spain includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the coast of Morocco in North Africa.

Spain has a long Mediterranean coast and is a largely mountainous country with a dry, elevated central plateau called the Meseta. The two principal mountain ranges are the Pyrenees, which straddle the border with France, and the Sierra Nevada, which runs roughly west to east behind the Mediterranean coast. Considerable areas of Spain are relatively wild and uninhabited and are home to some of Europe’s rarer animals, such as the wolf, lynx, wildcat and mountain goat.

Agriculture and fishing still play a significant role in the country’s economy, and while traditional industries such as shipbuilding, iron and steel and textiles have declined, there has been considerable expansion in new areas such as information technology and electronics. The country has useful reserves of iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, gypsum, and silver but poor fossil fuel reserves. Electricity is generated from hydroelectric schemes and nuclear power and through the burning of mainly imported fossil fuels.

Tourism makes a significant contribution to the economy. Each year, numerous visitors come to enjoy Spain’s Mediterranean coastal resorts, historical cities and the unspoiled towns and villages of its interior.

Madrid

Spain’s capital city located in the center of the country in the dry, plateau region and there has been a settlement on the site since Roman times. Most of Madrid’s grand and beautiful buildings, including the famous Prado museum, were constructed in the mid-to-late 18th century. These form the historic heart of the city which has remained relatively unspoiled by the massive growth and urban sprawl that has developed around it. The museums and art galleries in the center of Madrid, particularly the Prado National Museum, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia National Museum, together house one of the world’s greatest art collections. Of particular importance is the Prado Museum, which is home to an extensive collection of Spanish art, including works by El Greco, Velásquez, Goya, Murillo, Ribera, and Zubaran.

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Facts of Spain (ES)

Name conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain, conventional short form: Spain, local long form: Reino de Espana, local short form: Espana, etymology: derivation of the name “Espana” is uncertain, but may come from the Phoenician term “span,” related to the word “spy,” meaning “to forge metals,” so, “i-spn-ya” would mean “place where metals are forged”; the ancient Phoenicians long exploited the Iberian Peninsula for its mineral wealth
Codes: ISO; ES, Internet; .es
Capital city: Madrid
Language(s): Castilian Spanish (official language nationwide) 74%, Catalan (official language in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian)) 17%, Galician (official language in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official language in the Basque Country and in the Basque-speaking area of Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official language in the northwest corner of Catalonia (Vall d’Aran) along with Catalan;
National holiday(s): National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set foot in the Americas
Motto: Plus Ultra (Further Beyond)
Currency: Euro (EUR), since 1999
GPS: 40 00 N, 4 00 W, Madrid; 40 24 N 3 41 W
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France
Geography note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas
Land boundaries: Andorra 63 km, France 646 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,224 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km, Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km. Note: an additional 75-meter border segment exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclave of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, total: 1,952.7 km
Maritime boundaries: N/A
Coastline: 4,964 km
Area: total: 505,370 sq km; land: 498,980 sq km, water: 6,390 sq km (total 195 364,52 mi2), almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon.
Roadways: total: 683,175 km, paved: 683,175 km (includes 16,205 km of expressways) (2011)
Waterways: 1,000 km (2012)
Local time (capital): UTC+1, 6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time
Note to the local time: Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October. Note: Spain has two time zones including the Canary Islands
Population in Spain: 46 397 452
Population in Madrid: 6 574 000 (including the metropolitan areas)
Urbanization: urban population: 79.6% of total population (2015)
Major urban areas population: MADRID (capital) 6.199 million; Barcelona 5.258 million; Valencia 810,000 (2015)
Population growth rate: 0.84% (2016 estimate)
Birth rate: 9.4 births / 1,000 population (2016 estimate)
Death rate: 9.1 deaths / 1,000 population (2016 estimate)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.43% (male 3,854,687 / female 3,638,288) 15-24 years: 9.56% (male 2,400,188 / female 2,243,311) 25-54 years: 45.24% (male 11,200,786 / female 10,771,652) 55-64 years: 11.91% (male 2,820,933 / female 2,963,050) 65 years and over: 17.85% (male 3,700,832 / female 4,969,749) (2016 estimate)
Median age: total: 42.3 years; male: 41.2 years, female: 43.6 years (2016 estimate)
Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
Government type: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Legal system: civil law system with regional variations
National anthem: Marcha Real (Royal March)
Known national hazards: periodic droughts, occasional floodingvolcanism: volcanic activity in the Canary Islands, located off Africa’s northwest coast; Teide (elev. 3,715 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and proximity to human populations; La Palma (elev. 2,426 m), which last erupted in 1971, is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes; Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano
Major infectious diseases: N/A
Land use: agricultural land: 54.1%; arable land 24.9%; permanent crops 9.1%; permanent pasture 20.1%; forest: 36.8%; other: 9.1% (2011 estimate)
Agricultural products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment
Export commodities: machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
Main export partners: France 15.7%, Germany 11%, Italy 7.4%, UK 7.4%, Portugal 7.1%, US 4.5% (2015)
Import commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semi-finished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments
Main import partners: Germany 14.4%, France 11.7%, China 7.1%, Italy 6.5%, Netherlands 5%, UK 4.9% (2015)

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