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| State of Spain | |
|---|---|
| Conventional long name | Kingdom of Spain |
| Common name | Spain |
| Native name | Reino de España |
| Capital | Madrid |
| Largest city | Madrid |
| Official languages | Spanish |
| Government | Parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Monarch | Felipe VI |
| Prime minister | Pedro Sánchez |
| Area km2 | 505990 |
| Population estimate | 47350000 |
| Currency | Euro |
| Calling code | +34 |
State of Spain Spain is a sovereign country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe, with territory in the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, and enclaves in North Africa. Madrid is its capital and largest city, and the country has deep historical links to the Roman Empire, the Visigothic Kingdom, the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba, the Crown of Castile, the Crown of Aragon, the Habsburgs, and the Bourbon dynasty.
The English name "Spain" derives from Latin Hispania, used by the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, while the Spanish endonym "España" evolved through medieval Latin and Old Spanish alongside references in sources such as the Chronicle of Alfonso III and documents from the Visigothic Kingdom. Alternative historical names include Hispania Tarraconensis, Baetica, and Gallaecia in Roman provincial nomenclature, and later polities like the Crown of Castile, the Crown of Aragon, and the Kingdom of Navarre. The modern constitutional designation follows the restoration of the Bourbon Restoration (Spain) and the post-Franco Spanish transition to democracy codified under the 1978 Constitution of Spain.
Iberian prehistory features cultures such as the Cave of Altamira inhabitants and the Iberians (ancient people), succeeded by colonization by Phoenicia, Carthage, and later conquest by the Roman Republic culminating in incorporation into the Roman Empire. The fall of Rome brought the Vandal Kingdom, Suebi, and the Visigothic Kingdom, until the Umayyad conquest of Hispania established Al-Andalus with political centers including Córdoba Caliphate. The Reconquista involved polities like Kingdom of León, Kingdom of Castile, Kingdom of Aragon, County of Barcelona, and events such as the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. The 1492 union of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon led to the Spanish Empire under the Habsburgs, marked by the voyages of Christopher Columbus, colonial administration in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and Viceroyalty of Peru, and conflicts with Ottoman Empire, Dutch Republic, and England including the Spanish Armada. The 18th century saw the War of the Spanish Succession and Bourbon reforms, while the 19th century featured the Peninsular War, the Spanish American wars of independence, and the loss of colonies after the Spanish–American War (1898). The 20th century encompassed the Second Spanish Republic, the Spanish Civil War, the rule of Francisco Franco, and the subsequent Spanish transition to democracy culminating in the 1978 Constitution of Spain and Spain's accession to NATO and the European Union.
Spain is a parliamentary monarchy under the 1978 Constitution of Spain with a hereditary monarch, currently Felipe VI, and an executive led by the Prime Minister of Spain, presently Pedro Sánchez. The Cortes Generales is the bicameral legislature composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate (Spain), with major political parties including the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, the People's Party (Spain), Vox (political party), and Podemos. Key institutions comprise the Government of Spain, the Supreme Court of Spain, the Constitutional Court of Spain, and autonomous community parliaments such as the Parliament of Catalonia and the Basque Parliament. Spain participates in supranational frameworks like the European Union and judicial cooperation via the International Criminal Court and the European Court of Human Rights through the Council of Europe.
Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities, including Andalusia, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Galicia, Basque Country, Community of Madrid, and the autonomous cities Ceuta and Melilla. Each autonomous community has an executive (for example, the Junta de Andalucía), a legislature, and statutes of autonomy rooted in the 1978 Constitution of Spain. The country is further subdivided into 50 provinces such as Province of Barcelona, Province of Seville, and Province of Zaragoza, and into municipalities like Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, and Bilbao. Regional identities draw on historical polities such as the Kingdom of Navarre, the Crown of Aragon, and kingdoms like Castile and León, with linguistic diversity including varieties such as Catalan, Galician, Basque, and co-official language arrangements in several communities.
Spain has a mixed market economy and is a member of the Eurozone using the euro. Major economic sectors include tourism centered on destinations such as Barcelona, Madrid, Ibiza, and Canary Islands; manufacturing clusters in Basque Country and Catalonia; agriculture from Andalusia and Valencia; and services concentrated in financial centers like Madrid. Fiscal policy operates through the Ministry of Finance and tax mechanisms aligned with European Central Bank regulations and Eurogroup coordination. Spain's economic history features the fiscal strains of the Spanish financial crisis (2008–2014), structural reforms under governments responding to the European sovereign debt crisis, and recovery aided by investments from multinational companies and membership in institutions like the World Trade Organization and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Spain's population includes urban agglomerations such as Madrid metropolitan area, Barcelona metropolitan area, and Valencia metropolitan area, with demographic trends shaped by immigration from Morocco, Romania, Ecuador, Colombia, and intra-EU migration. Cultural heritage is represented by landmarks like the Prado Museum, the Sagrada Família, the Alhambra, and festivals such as La Tomatina, San Fermín, and Semana Santa (Spain). Spain has produced influential figures including Miguel de Cervantes, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Federico García Lorca, and scientists like Santiago Ramón y Cajal. Social policies are administered through institutions such as the National Institute of Health Management and decentralized healthcare in autonomous communities; educational systems include the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Barcelona.
Spain maintains diplomatic relations worldwide through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Spain), participates in the United Nations, and contributes to EU foreign policy via the European External Action Service. Defense responsibilities are executed by the Spanish Armed Forces including the Spanish Army, Spanish Navy, and Spanish Air and Space Force; Spain hosts NATO facilities and collaborates with partners such as the United States at bases like Naval Station Rota. Spain engages in regional diplomacy within institutions like the Union for the Mediterranean and the Organization of Ibero-American States, and it has historical and contemporary ties with former colonies across Latin America, including bilateral relations with Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru.
Category:Countries of Europe