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Europe / Southern Europe · Card 049

Spain

Spain is a country in Southern Europe. Its capital is Madrid.

Find Spain

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Madrid
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Population: 49.4 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 505,992 km²195,364.52 square miles
Constitution: 1978The present democratic constitutional framework.

Spain in context

Europe and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Madrid; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

Spain’s mainland includes a large interior plateau surrounded and crossed by mountain ranges. Lower river basins and coastal plains create important contrasts. The Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains and southern ranges differ in rainfall, elevation and vegetation.

The Picos de Europa represent rugged northern mountain country, while the Tabernas area in the southeast is notably dry. Spain also includes the Balearic and Canary Islands, whose Mediterranean and volcanic Atlantic landscapes add further variety.

Climate & seasons

The interior has greater summer and winter temperature extremes than the coasts. Mediterranean areas are generally summer-dry, while the Atlantic north is wetter.

Regional climates

Northern Atlantic areas are generally wetter than the interior and southeast. Mediterranean regions have dry summers, while high mountains can be snowy. Water supply and elevation strongly influence agriculture and natural habitats.

Flag

Three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double-width), and red, with the national coat of arms on the left side of the yellow band; the coat of arms shows the emblems of the area's former kingdoms (clockwise from upper left: Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon), which also used red and yellow as their colors; the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield represents Granada; the two columns represent the Pillars of Hercules, which are promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on the Strait of Gibraltar; a red scroll bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond), referring to Spanish lands outside Europe

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

Castilian Spanish is official throughout Spain. Catalan, Valencian, Galician and Basque have co-official roles in relevant autonomous communities, with Aranese also official in Catalonia.

Community and regional languages

Other regional languages include Asturian and Aragonese. Basque is unrelated to the Romance languages around it. The exact legal scope of co-official status varies, particularly within Navarre.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Culture & everyday life

Flamenco traditions

Flamenco brings together song, dance and instrumental performance. Andalusia is its principal heartland, with roots and traditions in other southern regions as well. Gitano communities have played an especially important role in its development, and skills are passed through families, clubs and performers.

Sources: UNESCO · Flamenco

History & status

Spain developed through the gradual union of kingdoms. A civil war from 1936 to 1939 led to Francisco Franco's dictatorship. After his death in 1975, a transition restored democratic government, and the 1978 constitution established the present framework.

1936
The Spanish Civil War begins
1978
The democratic constitution is approved
1986
Spain joins the European Communities

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Tourism and other services are major activities. Manufacturing includes vehicles, machinery, chemicals and food products. Agriculture, renewable energy and regional industries also contribute.

Industry and production

textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

49.42025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	33,814,531	33.815
1980	37,491,165	37.491
1990	38,867,322	38.867
2000	40,567,864	40.568
2010	46,576,897	46.577
2020	47,359,424	47.359
2025	49,355,143	49.355

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars

1.52025 · trillions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	745,271,992,216	0.745
1991	764,246,620,838	0.764
1992	771,348,118,767	0.771
1993	763,391,725,887	0.763
1994	781,584,842,223	0.782
1995	803,136,997,375	0.803
1996	824,078,081,164	0.824
1997	853,640,231,891	0.854
1998	890,363,642,200	0.890
1999	929,618,577,228	0.930
2000	977,964,704,474	0.978
2001	1,016,292,009,754	1.016
2002	1,044,295,490,090	1.044
2003	1,074,990,358,774	1.075
2004	1,108,471,271,904	1.108
2005	1,147,835,587,310	1.148
2006	1,194,247,574,981	1.194
2007	1,236,446,314,615	1.236
2008	1,245,931,907,237	1.246
2009	1,198,983,535,018	1.199
2010	1,200,112,046,038	1.200
2011	1,192,432,281,394	1.192
2012	1,158,267,740,899	1.158
2013	1,141,735,527,746	1.142
2014	1,159,095,455,877	1.159
2015	1,206,164,777,553	1.206
2016	1,241,326,362,266	1.241
2017	1,277,275,696,051	1.277
2018	1,307,871,701,701	1.308
2019	1,333,521,400,433	1.334
2020	1,187,633,217,292	1.188
2021	1,267,004,457,827	1.267
2022	1,347,716,659,731	1.348
2023	1,380,882,052,539	1.381
2024	1,428,595,035,672	1.429
2025	1,468,952,188,359	1.469

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.918Very High human developmentRank 28 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.766

20000.833

20100.875

20200.901

20230.918

83.7 yearsLife expectancy at birth

10.8 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The Cortes (Las Cortes Generales) has two chambers (a bicameral legislature).

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Spain.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

What did Spain’s 1978 constitution establish?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.