 | Name
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local
short form: Espana Spain's powerful
world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the
seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions
caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and
political power. For
a quick brief check The CIA Factbook |
Border
countries:
Andorra 63.7 km France 623 km Gibraltar 1.2 km
Portugal 1,214 km Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km Coast
line: 4,964 km Capital City & airport: Madrid
(MAD)
Other airports Alicante,
Almeria, Barcelona, Fuerteventura, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Murcia, Mallorca,
Menorca | Area: Total: 504,782
sq km Water: 5,240 sq km There are 19 autonomous
communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish
possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and
Penon de Velez de la Gomera Land: 499,542 sq km Population: 40,217,413
(July 2003 est.) Language: Castilian Spanish
- official - also - Catalan , Galician & Basque Climate: temperate;
clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy,
cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast |