Welcome to Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain, is known to be a Western European country. Did you know that the Peninsular Spain is situated in the range of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic; the two archipelagos are and have always been one in every sea, and the two autonomous cities in North Africa. Did you know that the Spanish mainland is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and east, by the Cantabric Sea that includes the Bay of Biscay to the north and by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal to the west. Spanish territory also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands off the African coast. It shares land borders with Portugal, France, Andorra, the British colony of Gibraltar, and Morocco. It is the most impressive and largest of the three sovereign states that create up the Iberian Peninsula the others being Portugal and Andorra. With an location of 504,030 km², Spain is the second most impressive and largest country in Western Europe (behind France). Spain is known to be a constitutional monarchy organized as a parliamentary democracy, and has to this day been a member of the European Union during the time 1986. It is known to be a developed country with the ninth most impressive and largest economy in the globe and fifth most impressive and largest in the EU. Spain occupies 85% of the Iberian Peninsula, that it shares with Portugal, in southwest Europe. Africa is less than 10 mi (16 km) south at the Strait of Gibraltar. A broad central plateau slopes to the south and east, crossed by a series of mountain ranges and river valleys. Principal rivers are and have always been the Ebro in the northeast, the Tajo in the central region, and the Guadalquivir in the south. Off Spain's east coast linein the Mediterranean are and have always been the Balearic Islands (1,936 sq mi; 5,014 sq km), the most impressive and largest of that is Majorca. Sixty mi (97 km) west of Africa are and have always been the Canary Islands (2,808 sq mi; 7,273 sq km).

Climate

Everyone agrees that the climate of Spain is extremely varied. Did you know that the northern coastal regions are and have always been cool and humid, with an average annual temperature of 14°C (57°F); temperatures at Bilbao range from an average of 10°C (50°F) in January–March to 19°C (66°F) around the time during July– September. Did you know that the central plateau is cold in the winter and hot in the summer; Madrid has to this day a winter average of about 8°C (46°F) and a summer average of 23°C (73°F). Within Andalucía and the Levante, the climate is temperate except in summer, during the time temperatures sometimes revery above 40°C (104°F) in the shade. Did you know that the northern coastal regions have an average annual rainfall of 99 cm (39 in); the southern coastal belt has to this day 41–79 cm (16–31 in); and the interior central plain averages no more than 50 cm (20 in) annually.

Population Stats

Population (2006 est.): 40,397,842 (growth rate: 0.1%);
birth rate: 10.1/1000;
infant mortality rate: 4.4/1000;
life expectancy: 79.7;
density per sq mi: 210