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Spain Travel and Destination Guide

BACKGROUND INFO

Full Name
Spain

Capital City
Madrid

Area
505,000 sq km

Population
42,700,000

Time Zone
GMT/UTC +1

Daylight Saving Start
last Sunday in March

Daylight Saving End
last Sunday in September

Weights Measures System
Metric

Geography
Spain and Portugal share the Iberian Peninsula, a vaguely square-shaped realm at the far southwestern edge of Europe. Spain occupies some 80% of this peninsula and spreads over nearly 505,000 sq km (194,982 sq mi), making it the biggest country in Western Europe after France. More than half of the country is made up of vast, elevated tablelands - the mesetas - and five major mountain ranges stretch across the country. In fact, with an average altitude of 650m (2133ft), it's the highest European country after Switzerland. Landscapes range from the deserts of Andalucía to the green wetlands of Galicia, and from the sunbaked plains of Castilla-La Mancha to the rugged snowcapped Picos de Europa and Pyrenees. Spain's coast is as varied as its interior. The long Mediterranean coast alternates between rocky coves and inlets and flatter, straighter stretches with some long beaches. The Atlantic coast has colder seas and whiter, sandier beaches. The Costa de la Luz, from the Strait of Gibraltar and the Portuguese border, has many long sandy beaches backed by dunes. In the northwest, Galicia is deeply indented by long estuaries called rías, with plenty of sandy beaches. It also has Spain's most awesome cliffs, at Cabo Ortegal and the Serra da Capelada. Along the Bay of Biscay, the Cordillera Cantábrica comes almost down to the coast, and the beaches are mostly coves and small bays, though still sandy.

Languages
• Spanish (official)
Also known as Castellano.
• Basque (other)
Official language of Basque country.
• Gallegan (other)
Also known as Galician and Gallego.
• Catalan (other)
Official language in Catalunya.

People
Castilians, Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Moroccans, South Americans

Religion
85% Roman Catholic; 2% Jewish; 2% Muslim

Government Type
Parliamentary Monarchy

Government Leaders
Juan Carlos I
King (head of state)

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
President (head of government)

Country Dialing Code
34

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