Spain - Tourism and Travel

The Kingdom of Spain is a country in southwestern Europe. It makes up most of the Iberian Peninsula, which also includes Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar.

Spain has coasts on the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Canary Islands in the Atlantic, the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, and Ceuta and Melilla, which are enclaves in North Africa, are part of Spain.

Spain has an area of 194,897 square miles (504,782 square kilometers).

Most of the Spanish mainland is made up of a high plateau that is drained by the Guadiana, Douro and Tagus rivers.

Spain has many mountain ranges.

The Pyrenees lie on the border with France and Andorra.

Mulhacén, the highest mountain in the Iberian peninsula, is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains in southern Spain. Mulhacén is 11,418 meters (11,318 feet) high.

There are lowlands along the east coast, in the Ebro river basin in the northeast, and in the Guadalquivir river basin in the southwest.

Along the plateau, summers are hot and winters are cold. In the north, it is colder and wetter, while in the south, it is hotter and drier.

The capital of Spain is Madrid.

44,904,000 people live in Spain.

72% are Castilian Spanish, 17% are Catalan, 6% are Galician, 2% are Basque and 1% are Roma.

Official languages are Spanish, Catalan, Galician and Basque.

96% of the population is Roman Catholic.

More than 75% of the people live in urban areas.

Spain was a dictatorship until the 1970s. After it became a democracy in the 1970s, it underwent a period of rapid modernization.

Services and manufacturing form the basis of Spain's economy

Tourism, banking and commerce are important industries.

Spain is an important manufacturer of motor vehicles, transportation equipment, machinery and food products.

Only about 10 percent of the people work in agriculture. Wine, fruits and vegetables are important exports.

Fishing is very important.

There are large reserves of mercury, iron and coal.

Spain has a parliamentary system of government.

It is a member of the European Union. The official currency is the euro.