Area Total | 505,370 sq km |
Climate | temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast |
Natural Resources | coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land |
Imports | Germany 14.2%, France 11.9%, China 6.9%, Italy 6.8%, Netherlands 5.1%, UK 4% (2017) – machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semi-finished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments |
Exports | France 15.1%, Germany 11.3%, Italy 7.8%, Portugal 7.1%, UK 6.9%, US 4.4% (2017) – Exports – machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods |
Government | parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Capital | Madrid |
Population | 49.3 million (July 2018 est.) |
Ethnicity | Spanish 86.4%, Morocco 1.8%, Romania 1.3%, other 10.5% (2018 est.) |
Language | Castilian Spanish (official nationwide) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian)) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and in the Basquespeaking area of Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in the northwest corner of Catalonia (Vall d’Aran) along with Catalan, <5,000 speakers) |
News about Spain
- Spanish climate deniers use past heat records to sow doubt onlineby The Local on August 8, 2022
With Europe gripped by successive heatwaves, climate-change deniers are spreading scepticism by publishing data on social media on extreme temperatures allegedly recorded decades ago to imply scientists are exaggerating global warming.
- ‘The new normal’: how Europe is being hit by a climate-driven drought crisisby Jon Henley and Guardian correspondents (Spain | The Guardian) on August 8, 2022
Water shortages across the continent, from France through Italy, Spain and beyond, are creating a critical situationEurope’s worst ever drought in picturesEurope’s most severe drought in decades is hitting homes, factories, farmers and freight across the continent, as experts warn drier winters and searing summers fuelled by global heating mean water […]
- Ryanair strikes: Which Spanish airports are most affected?by The Local on August 8, 2022
Ryanair cabin crew in Spain resumed strike action on Monday. But which airports will be affected, and how long will it last?
- Airport chaos in Europe: What are your rights if flights are delayed or cancelled?by The Local on August 8, 2022
Summer is up, tourism is recovering from pandemic years, and people are stuck at chaotic airports. Here are your rights if something goes wrong.
- All you need to know about Spain's plan for free train ticketsby The Local on August 8, 2022
The Spanish government will be offering free train travel on certain lines across Spain from September, but how can I claim the tickets?
- Drought: Where in Spain are there limits on water usage?by The Local on August 8, 2022
With extreme temperatures, little rain, and low water reserves, many regions across Spain are limiting water usage.
- Hundreds evacuated as Spain battles wildfires in northwestby The Local on August 8, 2022
Spanish firefighters on Saturday struggled to contain wildfires that have ravaged large tracts in the northwest, as a third summer heat wave grips the country.
- Increasing food prices put Spaniards at risk of poor nutritionby The Local on August 8, 2022
The skyrocketing prices of basic foods are putting Spaniards at risk of poor nutrition and increasing the use of food banks.
- Ryanair cabin crew in Spain begin latest round of strike actionby The Local on August 8, 2022
Ryanair cabin crew in Spain begin their third round of summer strike action on Monday.
- Drought forces water use rethink in Spainby The Local on August 8, 2022
Faced with a historic drought and threatened by desertification, Spain is rethinking how it spends its water resources
- Pat Bishop obituaryby Donald Trelford (Spain | The Guardian) on August 7, 2022
My mother-in-law, Pat Bishop, who has died aged 92, was revered in Mallorca as a wildlife pioneer, and was the driving force behind the creation of a national park at Albufera in Alcúdia, on the north of the island.The park was created as the result of a campaign that Pat led for many years to save almost 4,000 acres of threatened wetlands – and the […]
- Why are Spanish homes so dark?by The Local on August 7, 2022
Despite being known for its year-long sunny weather, Spain is the EU country with the fewest homes with natural light, often intentionally. Why is it that when it comes to spending time at home, Spaniards seem to love being in the dark?
- Six hard facts Americans should be aware of before moving to Spain by The Local on August 7, 2022
There are 40,000 US nationals living in Spain but the road to residency and integration isn’t always straightforward for them. Here are six practical points Americans should factor in before embarking on a move to 'España', from work, to tax and healthcare.
- European football giants cancel Israel pre-season match over securityby The Local on August 6, 2022
Italian footballing giants Juventus were set to square off against Spanish side Atlético Madrid in Tel Aviv this weekend but the match was postponed amid renewed hostilities in the region.
- 'Nobody listens here!' Ten common complaints foreigners make to their Spanish partnersby The Local on August 6, 2022
Cross-cultural relationships are as interesting as they are complex. Here are some of the ten most common moans foreigners have when talking to their Spanish partners.
- NEW LAWS: How it's now easier for foreigners to work in Spainby The Local on August 6, 2022
Spain has amended its immigration laws to make it easier for non-EU citizens (UK nationals, Americans etc) to work in the country in a bid to address some of its most pressing labour shortages. Here are the changes, the reasons why they’re being introduced and more.
- IN DEPTH: Will bullfighting ever be banned in Spain?by The Local on August 6, 2022
It's one of the longest held stereotypes about Spanish society and one that's increasingly controversial, but will bullfighting ever be banned in Spain, or could it even die out soon?
- TRAVEL: Tourists in Spain will also be eligible for free train ticketsby The Local on August 5, 2022
In welcome news for tourists and travellers in Spain, holidaymakers will be eligible to take advantage of Spain's 100% discounts on train travel later in the year.
- Paraplegic shooting suspect can avoid trial and end his life, Spanish court saysby Stephen Burgen in Barcelona (Spain | The Guardian) on August 5, 2022
Man who allegedly injured former co-workers before being shot by police is entitled to assisted dyingA Spanish court has ruled that a paraplegic man, who was accused of firing on colleagues in a rage before being shot in the spine by police, can avoid trial as he has the right to end his life.Last December, Marin Eugen Sabau, 46, a Romanian security guard, […]
- EXPLAINED: Why is Spain running out of ice?by The Local on August 5, 2022
A combination of skyrocketing utilities bills and scorching summer weather has made ice cubes a hot commodity and increasingly hard to come by in Spain.
- Spanish fuel prices fall but can't stop most expensive August everby The Local on August 5, 2022
Although the cost of filling up in Spain has been falling in recent weeks, petrol and diesel prices in August make it the most expensive on record despite government discounts softening the blow.
- The Spanish phone numbers to avoid if you don't want to be overchargedby The Local on August 5, 2022
Calling certain phone numbers in Spain can result in nasty surprises on your phone bill. Here are the Spanish phone prefixes that tend to overcharge as well as other useful tips to avoid these numbers.
- Spain announces two child deaths from mysterious hepatitis outbreakby The Local on August 5, 2022
A six-year-old boy from Murcia and a 15-month-old baby in Andalusia have died of hepatitis amid 46 reported cases among children in Spain.
- Antisemites again target Spanish village that dropped ‘Kill Jews’ nameby Sam Jones in Madrid (Spain | The Guardian) on August 4, 2022
Castrillo Mota de Judíos, which was officially renamed in 2015, daubed with graffiti and bins set alightJewish groups in Spain are calling for urgent action after a small village synonymous with the country’s medieval persecution of its Jewish population was again defaced with antisemitic graffiti.On Wednesday night Castrillo Mota de Judíos, which means […]
- 62-year-old French sailor saved by Spanish coastguard after 16 hours in capsized boat – videoby (Spain | The Guardian) on August 3, 2022
A French sailor was saved by the Spanish coastguard after 16 hours trapped in his capsized boat. The 62-year-old managed to find an air bubble inside his craft from where he sent out a distress call late on Sunday just off the coast of north-west Spain. The seas were rough and the coastguard attached buoyancy aids to prevent the boat sinking in a mission […]
- Sailor survives for 16 hours in capsized boat off Spainby Reuters (Spain | The Guardian) on August 3, 2022
Rescuers located vessel as sun set but rough seas meant they had to wait until morning to help free manA 62-year-old Frenchman survived for 16 hours in an air bubble inside his capsized sailing boat in the Atlantic Ocean before being rescued by Spanish coastguard divers in what they described as an operation “verging on the impossible”.The 12-metre […]
- Spain puts limits on air conditioning and heating to save energyby Sam Jones in Madrid (Spain | The Guardian) on August 2, 2022
Rules apply to public and large commercial buildings – but Madrid president says she will not complySpain has announced new energy-saving measures, including limits on air conditioning and heating temperatures in public and large commercial buildings, as it becomes the latest European country to seek to reduce its energy consumption and its dependence on […]
- Spain warns heatwave threatens olive oil productionby Julia Kollewe (Spain | The Guardian) on August 2, 2022
Weather also threatens output in Italy and grain across Europe as Ukraine war pushes prices higherFierce heatwaves and a lack of rain in Spain threaten to reduce olive oil production from the world’s top exporter, the country’s agriculture minister has warned.“If there is no temperature relief or rains in the coming weeks, this year’s olive harvest […]
- Third woman complains at use of her image in Spanish ‘beach body’ adby Matthew Weaver (Spain | The Guardian) on August 1, 2022
Juliet Fitzpatrick, a cancer survivor, said photo of her face on the body of another woman was unacceptableSpain has apologised after a third British woman complained that doctored images of her were used without permission in a widely criticised “beach body” campaign.The women’s institute, part of Spain’s equality ministry, has emailed all three […]
- Cost of living crisis: how does UK compare with rest of Europe?by Rory Carroll, Jasmine Gadhavi, Shane Hickey and Philip Oltermann (Spain | The Guardian) on August 1, 2022
Britain has taken steps to ease the impact of rising prices . But other countries have gone furtherAs the cost of living crisis continues to bite, millions of households are in need of help. And the problem has spread across Europe. In the UK, more than 8 million households, who are on income-related benefits and tax credits, are eligible for a £650 cost […]