Spain's population density, at 87.8/km² (220/sq. mile), is lower than that of most Western European countries. With the exception of the capital, Madrid, the most populated regions lie around the coast. World map showing Europe Political map (neighboring countries in Asia and Africa also shown) Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Location Location of Madrid in Europe Coordinates : 40° 23’N , 3°43′0″W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de...

The population of Spain doubled during the twentieth century, but the pattern of growth was extremely uneven due to large-scale internal migration from the rural interior to the industrial cities, a phenomenon which happened later than in other Western European countries.. No fewer than eleven of Spain's fifty provinces saw an absolute decline in population over the century.

The last quarter of the century saw a dramatic fall in birth rates. Spain's fertility rate of 1.28 (the number of children the average woman will have during her lifetime) is now one of the lowest in the world.

Spain has no official religion. The constitution of 1978 abolished the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, while recognizing the role it plays in Spanish society. More than 90% of the population are at least nominally Catholic. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ...

Educational system

About 70% of Spain's student population attends public schools or universities. The remainder attend private schools or universities, the great majority of which are operated by the Catholic Church. Students attending a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, meaning to direct ones zeal at; hence a student is one who directs zeal at a subject. ...

Compulsory education begins with primary school or general basic education for ages 6-16. It is free in public schools and in many private schools, most of which receive government subsidies. Following graduation, students attend either a secondary school offering a general high school diploma or a school of professional study in all fields — law, sciences, humanities, and medicine — and the superior technical schools offer programs in engineering and architecture. In economics, a subsidy is generally a monetary grant given by government to lower the price faced by producers or consumers of a good, generally because it is considered to be in the public interest. ...

Immigration

After centuries of net emigration, Spain (like Ireland), has recently experienced large-scale immigration for the first time. According to the Spanish government there are 3.7 million legal foreign residents in Spain. Of these around 500 000 are Moroccan and another half a million are Ecuadorian. More than 300 000 are Romanian and 270 000 are Colombian. There are also a significant number of British and German citizens. Immigrants from several African countries settled Spain as contract workers, mostly speaking official European languages of their homelands (whether Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, or even Afrikaans). In 2005 alone, the immigrant population of Spain increased by 700 000 people. Spain has the highest immigration rate of the European Union.

Metropolitan areas

The most important metropolitan areas in 2005 are:

1. Madrid 5.843.041
2. Barcelona 4.686.701
3. Valencia 1.623.724
4. Sevilla 1.317.098
5. Málaga 1.074.074
6. Bilbao 947.581
7. Asturias (Gijón-Oviedo) 855.199
8. Alicante 711.215
9. Zaragoza 683.763
10. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 616.903
11. Bahía de Cádiz (Cádiz-Jerez de la Frontera) 615.494
12. Murcia 563.272
13. Palma de Mallorca 474.035
14. Granada 472.638
15. Vigo 423.821
16. Santa Cruz de Tenerife 420.198
17. San Sebastián 399.125
18. A Coruña 396.015
19. Valladolid 383.894
20. Tarragona 375.749
21. Cordoba 321.164
22. Pamplona 309.631

Location Location of Madrid in Europe Coordinates : 40° 23’N , 3°43′0″W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal Postal code 08001-08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Location Coordinates : 39°29′ N 0°22′ W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Catalan) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ... This article is about the city in Spain. ... Location within Spain Malaga redirects here. ... Bilbao (Basque: Bilbo) in the North of Spain, is the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay (Basque: Bizkaia). ... Capital Oviedo Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10 604 km²  2,1% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 13th  1 076 635  2,4%  101,53/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Asturian  â€“ Spanish  asturian  asturianu  asturiano Statute of Autonomy January 11, 1982 Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate seats  8  2... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... fuuuuuuuuuuuuccckkkkkkkkkk u Location of Alicate in Spain Alicante (Castillian Spanish) or Alacant (Valencian Catalan) is the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of the Alacantí, in the southern part of the Valencian community, Spain, a historic Mediterranean port. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Zaragoza (Spanish) Spanish name Zaragoza Founded 24 Postal code 50001 - 50018 Website http://www. ... Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a Spanish city, the capital city of Gran Canaria which is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, 210 kilometers located off the northwestern coast of Africa. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Tacita de plata (little silver cup) Location Location within Spain Government Province Cádiz Mayor Teófila Martínez (PP) Geographical characteristics Area     City 12. ... Location of Jerez de la Frontera Municipality Cádiz Mayor Pilar Sánchez Muñoz Area    - City 1,186 km²  - Land 1,186 km²  - Water 0. ... Murcia () is a city and municipality on the river Segura in southeastern Spain and the capital of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. ... Palma de Mallorca Palma de Mallorca is the major city and port in the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. ... Granada (Arabic: غرناطة) is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Olive City Location Situation of Vigo within Galicia Government Parroquias Alcabre, Beade, Bembrive, Cabral, Candeán, Castrelos, Comesaña, Coruxo, Lavadores, Matamá, Navia, Oia, Saiáns, Sampaio, Sárdoma, Valadares, Zamáns. ... Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2005 population 221,627) is a Spanish city on the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands as stated in the 2005 census. ... Geography > Europe > Spain > Basque Country > Guipúzcoa San Sebastián with sailboats Statue of Jesus on Urgull Mountain Donostia (in Basque) or San Sebastián (in Spanish) is the capital city of the province of Guipuscoa, in the Spanish autonomous community of Basque Country. ... A Coruña , (in English Corunna, in Spanish La Coruña, and in Galician A Coruña) is a Galician city, in north-western Spain. ... Plaza Mayor and city hall, Valladolid Valladolid is an industrial city and its municipality in central Spain, upon the Rio Pisuerga and within the Ribera del Duero region. ... For the municipality in the Philippines, see Tarragona, Davao Oriental. ... Location Coordinates : 37° 53’N , 4°46′0″W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Córdoba (Spanish) Spanish name Córdoba Founded 8th century BC Postal code 140xx Website http://www. ... Pamplona (Basque: Iruñea or Iruña) is the capital city of Navarre, Spain. ...

Statistical indicators

Population: 44,108,530 (January 2005)

Age structure (2000 est.):
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,000,686/female 2,821,325)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 13,751,963/female 13,653,426)
65 years and over: 17.7% (male 2,993,496/female 4,176,946) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.13% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 10.06 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.65 years
male: 76.32 years
female: 83.2 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.28 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups: Castilian speakers with Catalan, Basque and Galician speaking minorities. Large immigrant communities from Latin America, Eastern Europe and North Africa.

Religions: Roman Catholic 79%, other or agnostic 21% The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

• Islam in Spain

Languages: Islam in Spain has a long history in Spain as the country was under Islamic control as Al-Andalus starting from the 8th century. ...

• Spanish (official) 100%
• Catalan 10% (co-official in Catalonia, Balearic Islands, and Valencia — see Valencian)
• Galician 6% (co-official in Galicia)
• Basque 2% (co-official in Basque Country).
• Aranese (a variant of Gascon Occitan) is co-official in Val d'Aran, a small valley in the Pyreenes.

Others with no official status: Catalan in Europe Catalan IPA: (català ) is a Romance language, the official language of Andorra and co-official in the Spanish autonomous communities of Balearic Islands, Valencia (under the name Valencian) and Catalonia. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Catalan, Spanish, Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th in Spain  32 114 km²  6,3% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 2nd in Spain  6 995 206  15,9%  217,82/km² GDP Total (2004) GDP: €157,124 billion GDP per /capita: $26,550... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official languages Catalan and Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4 992 km²  1,0% Population  â€“ Total (2003)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 14th  916 968  2,2%  183,69/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Catalan  â€“ Spanish Balearic balear balear Statute of Autonomy March 1, 1983 ISO 3166... Location Coordinates : 39°29′ N 0°22′ W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Catalan) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ... Valencian (valencià) is the historical, traditional, and is the official name used in the Land of Valencia (Spain) to refer to the language spoken therein, also known as Catalan (català) in the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands; in the country of Andorra; in the southern... Galician (Galician: galego) is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Basque (in Basque: Euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ... Capital Vitoria-Gasteiz Official languages Basque and Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 14th  7 234 km²  1,4% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 7th  2 124 846  4,9%  293,73/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  â€“ Basque  Basque  vasco/a euskal herritar, euskaldun GDP GDP/Cápita 30. ... Aranese (Aranès or Aranais) is a dialect of Gascon (which is part of the Occitan language group of the Romance languages), spoken in Spain, where it is an official language. ... Occitan, or lenga dòc, or languedoc, is a Romance language (or group of languages), spoken mainly in the Languedoc or Occitania region in southern France. ... Val dAran, a small valley (620. ...

• Asturian (in Asturias and part of Leon province)
• Aragonese (in Huesca province, Aragon)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9% (2003 est.)
male: 98.7% (2003 est.)
female: 97.2% (2003 est.) Asturian, Leonese, Astur-Leonese or Bable (Asturianu in Asturian, Llïonés in Leonese) is a Romance language spoken in some parts of the provinces of Asturias, León, Zamora and Salamanca in Spain, and in the area of Miranda de Douro in Portugal (where it is officially recognized as... Capital Oviedo Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 10th  10 604 km²  2,1% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 13th  1 076 635  2,4%  101,53/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Asturian  â€“ Spanish  asturian  asturianu  asturiano Statute of Autonomy January 11, 1982 Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate seats  8  2... Categories: Spain geography stubs | Castile-Leon | Provinces of Spain ... Languages distribution in Aragon (Aragonese in red). ... Huesca (Aragonese Uesca, Catalan Osca) is a city in Aragon, Spain. ... Capital Zaragoza Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47 719 km²  9,4% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 11th  1 269 027  2,9%  26,59/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  Aragonese  aragonés Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982 ISO 3166-2 AR Parliamentary representation  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate...

Nigger slums

See also

• List of Spaniards
• Nationalities in Spain