Fast Facts
| Population: | 40,397,842 (July 2006). |
| Population growth rate: | 0.13% |
| Climate: | Summer: clear and hot inland and cloudy along the coast. Winter: cold inland, partly cloudy and cool along the coast. |
| Geography: | Europe's fourth largest country, consisting of the Spanish mainland, the Balearic islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands of Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, La Palma, Gomera, Fuerteventura and Hierro in the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Capital: | Madrid. |
| Economic growth: | 2.6% in 2004, 3.4% in 2005 |
| Construction: | 900,000 new homes started in 2005. |
| Language: | Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%. |
| Government: | Parliamentary monarchy. |
| Unemployment rate: | 9.2% in 2005. |
| Currency: | The Euro was introduced in January 2002. |
| Exchange rate: | Euros per UK pound – 1.4673 (September 2006). |
| Airports: | 57 in 2006. |
| Religion: | Over 98% of people are Roman Catholic. |
| Time: | Central European Time = GMT + 1 hour. |
| Business hours: | Opening times are from Monday to Saturday from 9am/10pm to 1.30pm/2pm, reopening after siesta from 4pm until 8pm/9pm. Many businesses close for holidays in August. Banks generally open from 9am to 2pm from Monday to Friday, and from 9am to midday or 1pm on Saturday. Hours vary in summer months. |
| Visa information: | No visas are necessary for EU nationals staying a maximum of three months. |