Introduction to Spain

Spain
By: Ryan Benson
ITL/FST 180 A



It is impossible to speak of Spain without the idea of political upheaval following close behind. However, from the powerful, global empires of the 16th and 17th centuries to the civil war that crippled the country at the advent of WWII, Spain’s past history contrasts sharply with the present day. This said, in order to truly understand the country as a whole, I will begin the study of Spain with some basic geographical, social, cultural, and economic facts.

BASIC FACTS:

In a study of the geographic, social, cultural, and economic facts, I have decided to compare selected statistical information to that of the United States. This is done merely to provide a basis of understanding for otherwise cryptic or obscure social information that often seems out of place, trivial, and rather difficult to comprehend.

Basic Information:
Population: 40,448,191
Capital: Madrid, 3,200,000

Geography:
Location: Spain is located on the tip of Southwestern Europe, to the east of Portugal and south of the tip of France.

Borders:
Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea to south and east, Portugal to east, North Atlantic Ocean to extreme west, and Pyrenees Mountains to the north (southwest of France’s border).

Area:
Spain: 504,782 square kilometers, 499,542 land, 5,240 water
(slightly smaller than the state of Texas)
United States: 9,826,630 square kilometers, 9,161,923 land, 664,707 water

Climate:
Temperate. Clear, hot summers are typical away from the sea, while more moderate and cloudy bordering the coast. Winters often prove to be quite cold towards Spain’s interior, while only cool and partly cloudy along the coast.

Terrain:
A large, flat, dissected plateau surrounded by hills. Slopes to the sea on southern and eastern sides. The Pyrenees Mountains lie to the north.

Land Use:
Arable land—27.18% Spain, 18.01% United States
Permanent Crops—9.85% Spain, 0.21% United States

Current Environmental Issues:
Spain currently faces a relatively few number of environmental issues. However, among them includes the pollution of the Mediterranean from sewage, runoff, and offshore oil production. The water quality within the country is also continually a concern along with the quantity of water available for the public’s use. Deforestation and desertification have also been important in the last twenty years.

PEOPLE

Population Growth Rate:
0.116% Spain
0.894% United States

Infant Mortality Rate:
4.31 deaths/1,000 births, Spain
6.37 deaths/1,000 births, United States

Life Expectancy:
79.78 years, Spain
78.00 years, United States

Ethnic Groups:
Mediterranean, Nordic

Religion:
94% Roman Catholic
6% Other

Language:
Castilian Spanish (official), 74%, Catalan, 17%, Galician, 7%, Basque, 2%

GOVERNMENT

Type:
Parliamentary Monarchy

National Holiday:
National Day, 12 October 1492 (Christopher Columbus's 'discovery' of America)

Constitution:
Approved: 31 October 1978
Referendum: 6 December 1978
Effective: 29 December 1978


ECONOMY

GDP-Composition:
Spain—3.8% agriculture, 29.4% industry, 66.8% service
United States—0.9% agriculture, 20.6% industry, 78.5% service

Unemployment Rate:
7.6%, Spain
4.6%, United States

Population Below Poverty Line:
19.8%, Spain
12.0%, United States