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Capital : Madrid
Gouvernment: constitutional monarchy.
King : Juan Carlos Ier
Président of the gouvernment: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Population: 44 108 530 hab, 27th population in the world.
Currency: euro
Member of the E.U: since 1986.
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Geography: Spain is located between France at the East (the border is delimited by the chain of the Pyrenees), and Portugal in the West; In the South, Spain is separated from the African continent by the strait of Gilbratar.Spain is surrounded by the Méditérranean sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal and Spain form the Iberian peninsula.
The Weather in Spain changes according to the area: in the North, it is rather an oceanic climate with precipations. In the center, the climate is rather continental, and finally in the South of the country and on the peninsula, you will find a méditérannean climate, with areas more arrides like the Canaries and Andalusia. The part of the south of Spain suffers from dryness and these areas are always threatened by the fires. Only the area of the Pyrenees has a mountain climate.
Population :Spain counts today more than 44 million inhabitants, and for a few years, Spain accomodates 700.000 new peopple, which makes of Spain the country with the strongest rate of immigration (three/four times superior than the one of the United States).The country must face a rate of extremely low fertility: about 9.80 in 2000 and which underwent a light rise these last years (10.60), thanks to the immigrant women who are more fertile. That does not prevent the risk which Spain is about to have a demographic crash landing in about forty years; Most inhabitants are concentrated in the plains and valleys, exept Madrid which is the exeption. As in the rest of Europe, Spain is touched by the rural migration: the attraction of the cities, and industrialization caused a turning into a desert of the campaigns. The Spanish capital counts today more than 5 million inhabitants, right in front of Barcelona with 4.600.000 inhabitants.
Politics:Spain is today a constitutional monarchy based on the constitution of 1978. King (Juan Carlos Ier) is the representative of the country, he has political powers and symbolic systems; he ratifies the laws, can dissolve the Parliament (Tired the Cortes Générales), names the President of the government, and is the chief of the armies but it is the Prime Minister (Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero) who holds the executive power for one four years renewable period. Concerning its regional policy, Spain is divided into 17 areas that one call autonomous community, with a certain degree of independance and each state is composed of one or more provinces. Since 1986, Spain is a member of the European Union. For 40 years, approximately, the Spanish government must face national terrorism generated by the ETA which is a clandestine organization which fights for the indepenadance of the Basque Country. ETA is in the beginning of many terrorist actions of the 1973, having thus killed 800 people in 35 years. On March 22, 2006, ETA announced one ceased fire permananent.
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Economy: After the loss of its colonies around 1820, Spain was not regarded any more as large European powers. In 1986, when Spain integrates the european- Union, it remains late compared to the other european powers. Nevertheless, these is a country which during these last years has known important changes, and a significant improvement at the socio-economic level in particular thanks to the fast growth of industry since the Fifties and with the rise of tourism. Between 1995 and 2001, industrial employment increased by 38%. Spain became in less than twenty years a great industrial and agricultural power. However, it is tourism which today draws the most income into the country. Spain is the ninth world power today. |
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accommodation in Spain, hotels, apartments Spain: http://www.barcelonapoint.com/en or http://www.perfectsuntravel.com/en
