Spain Stock Market

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and relatively high unemployment.

Capital City: Madrid (+1 GMT)

Chief of State: King JUAN CARLOS I

Head of Govt.: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO

Currency: Euro

Main Cities: Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga

Major Languages: Castilian Spanish

Calling Code: 34

Voltage: 110/220V

Stock Exchanges: Bolsa de Madrid

Primary Religions: Roman Catholic

Main Airports

Alicante (ALC) (Altet), Barcelona (BCN) (el Prat), Madrid (MAD) (Barajas)

U.S. Embassy

Serrano, 75, 28006 Madrid
tel. 34-91-587-2200

Statistics

GDP: purchasing power parity:

$1.029 trillion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.4% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity:

25,500 (2005 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.4% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

20.67 million (2005 est.)

Exports:

$194.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - partners:

France 19.4%, Germany 11.4%, Portugal 9.5%, UK 8.5%, Italy 8.4% (2005)

Imports:

$271.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - partners:

Germany 15%, France 14.4%, Italy 8.5%, UK 5.8%, Netherlands 5%, China 4.3% (2005)

Population:

40,397,842 (July 2006 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.13% (2006 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line:

NA%

Major 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

Employing Workers: 161*

Registering Property: 33*

Enforcing Contracts: 42*

Closing a Business: 15*

*2006 World Bank rank out of 175 countries