Spain

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Spain

Geography

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

Capital-Madrid

Major Cities- Barcelona

Cadiz

Cartagena

Gibraltar

Leon

Salamanca

Tarragona

Valencia

Vigo

Zaragoza

Major Geographic Features- There are 19 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands. Spain has three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco known as Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Pennon de Velez de la Gomera.

Land Boundaries- Countries bordering Spain are Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gilbraltar 1.2 km, Portuga 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, and Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km.

Terrain- Flat dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in the north.

Climate- Clear hot summers in the interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast.

Cloudy cold winters in the interior, and partly cloudy and cool along the coast.

Natural Resources- coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower

Natural Hazards- periodic droughts

Macroeconomic Summary

Population- 40,077,100 (July 2002 est.)

GDP- 2% (2002 est.)

GDP per capita- purchasing power parity $20,000 (2002 est.)

GDP composition by sector- Agriculture 4%

Industry 31%

Services 65% (2000 est.)

Education- definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97%

Currency- euro (EUR)

Spanish peseta (ESP)

On January 1, 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as common currency to be used by the financial institutions of member countries.

On January 1, 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions with the member countries.

Credit Cards- Visa, American Express, MasterCard, Diners Club

Exchange Rate- euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002)

pesetas per US dollar - 149.40

Inflation Rate- 3. % (2002 est.)

Trade- Imports- $156.6 billion f.o.b. (2002...