Spain Travel Podcast with Mateo Herrera

Location

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France

Terrain

Large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in north

Climate

Temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Elevation

Highest point

Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Lowest point

Atlantic Ocean 0 m

Mean elevation

660 m

Area

Total

505,370 sq km

Land

498,980 sq km

Water

6,390 sq km

Size comparison

Almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Coastline

4,964 km

Land borders

Total

1,952.7 km

Border countries

Andorra 63 km; France 646 km; Gibraltar 1.2 km; Portugal 1,224 km; Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km and Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km

Natural resources

Coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land

Land use

Agricultural land

49.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land

23% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

10.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

19.8% (2023 est.)

Forest

38.2% (2023 est.)

Other

12.3% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Periodic droughts, occasional flooding

Volcanism: volcanic activity in the Canary Islands, located off Africa's northwest coast; Teide (3,715 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; La Palma (2,426 m) is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes; Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano

Note

Strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco, including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas; Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are the Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde

Population

Total

47,280,433 (2024 est.)

Male

23,069,327

Female

24,211,106

Nationality

Noun

Spaniard(s)

Adjective

Spanish

Ethnic groups

Spanish 84.8%, Moroccan 1.7%, Romanian 1.2%, other 12.3% (2021 est.)

Languages

Languages

Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in part of Catalonia) <5,000 speakers

Major-language sample(s)

La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

Religions

Roman Catholic 58.2%, atheist 16.2%, agnostic 10.8%, other 2.7%, non-believer 10.5%, unspecified 1.7% (2021 est.)

Median age

Total

47.2 years (2025 est.)

Male

45.7 years

Female

47.8 years

Life expectancy

Total population

83 years (2024 est.)

Male

80.3 years

Female

85.8 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

81.6% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

With the notable exception of Madrid, Sevilla, and Zaragoza, the largest urban agglomerations are found along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; numerous smaller cities are spread throughout the interior; very dense settlement around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

Largest cities

6.751 million MADRID (capital), 5.687 million Barcelona, 838,000 Valencia (2023)

Background

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Spain remained neutral during both World Wars but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39) resulting in a dictatorship. A peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization after Spain joined the EU in 1986 gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy. After a severe recession in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008, Spain has posted solid years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the euro-zone's fourth-largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region.

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital

Madrid

Time zone

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Reino de España

Independence

1492

National day

National Day (Hispanic Day), 12 October (1492)

Overview

High-income, core-EU and eurozone economy; strong growth driven by public consumption, tourism, and other service exports; tight labor market despite high structural unemployment; efforts to narrow persistent fiscal deficits through tax and spending measures; high but declining unemployment supported by job growth and immigration

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$48,400 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$47,300 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$46,600 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

2.8% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

3.5% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

8.4% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

11.4% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

12.2% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

13% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Euros (EUR) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

0.924 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

0.925 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

0.95 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

0.845 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

0.876 (2020 est.)

Main industries

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

Agriculture

Milk, olives, pork, grapes, wheat, tomatoes, barley, sugar beets, maize, oranges (2023)

Airports

365 (2025)

Railways

Total 15,489 km (2020) 9,953 km electrified

Ports

Total ports

52 (2024)

Large

3

Medium

14

Small

9

Very small

24

Size unknown

2

Ports with oil terminals

13

Key ports

Alicante, Barcelona, Cadiz, Ceuta, Ferrol, Huelva, Las Palmas, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Puerto de Bilbao, Puerto de Pasajes, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Sevilla, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo

Internet domain

.es

Internet users

Percent of population 95% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

61.2 million (2023 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

124 (2022 est.)

Environmental issues

Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from oil and gas production; drought; air pollution; deforestation; desertification

Fresh water

111.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

18 (2025)

Global geoparks and regional networks

Basque Coast UNESCO; Cabo de Gata-Níjar; Cabo Ortegal; Calatrava Volcanoes. Ciudad Real; Central Catalonia; Costa Quebrada; Courel Mountains; El Hierro; Granada; Lanzarote and Chinijo Islands; Las Loras; Maestrazgo; Molina-Alto; Origens; Sierra Norte de Sevilla; Sierras Subbéticas; Sobrarbe-Pirineos: Villuercas Ibores Jara (2025)