It’s a Small World After All…

Spain is a country located in Western Europe and is part of the Iberian Peninsula. It has borders with France, Andorra, Portugal, Morocco, and Gibraltar. It has coasts on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Spain now has a population of 40,491,052 (July 2008 est.)1. The official language of the country is Spanish. There is no official religion, though most Spaniards are Roman Catholic. Spain is composed of 17 autonomous regions and 2 autonomous cities. While each region is under the control, rules, and taxes of the Spanish government, each region is allowed to establish additional aspects in these categories and more on their own.
Spain has undergone major political, economic, and cultural changes in the past 70 years. From 1936 to 1939, while it was under the Second Spanish Republic, Spain under went a civil war2. After the Civil War, General Francisco Franco took control of the country. Franco’s dictatorship isolated Spain from the world. In 1975, after the death of Franco and the appointment of Juan Carlos I as king, Spain moved to become a democratic country3. In 1976, the first free elections were held and in 1978 the current constitution was passed by referendum3. The Constitution established the system of government, laws, the liberties of Spaniards, the system of autonomous communities, and other aspects. Spain is now a parliamentary monarchy. There is both and king and a president. The current king is Juan Carlos I. The current president is Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The government has three branches. The executive branch is composed of the king, the president, and a cabinet of ministers. The legislative branch is composed of two houses: the Senate and the Congress. The judicial branch is composed of the Supreme Court. Spain’s economy has changed drastically since Franco’s regime.
From 1986 to 1990 Spain’s economy grew roughly 5% per year1. In 1986 Spain joined the European Community, which is now the European Union3. In 2002, Spain changed its currency over to the Euro3. Spain’s GDP (ppp) is $1.352 trillion (2007 est.) and its GDP per capita is $30,100 (2007 est.)1. Spain’s main exports are machinery, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, and consumer goods1. The country’s main imports are machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semi-finished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, and measure and medical control instruments1. Spain’s current issues include immigration, international territory disputes, and illicit drugs1.

1 CIA World Factbook - “Spain”. CIA World Factbook. 2008. CIA. 25 Sept. 2008.  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications….
2 Wikipedia - “History of Spain”. 2008. Wikipedia. 25 Sept. 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_….
3 Marco - Marco, Sebastián Quesada. España: Manual de Civilización. Madrid: Edelsa Grupo Didascalia, S.A., 2006