COUNTRY SPAIN

CONTENT
 Introduction
 Environment
• Economic
• Demography
• Culture
• Governance
 Biota
 Trade relation with India
INTRODUCTION
 CONTIOUNE
After a long and hard conquest, the Iberian Peninsula became a region of the Roman
Empire known as Hispania. During the early Middle Ages it came under Germanic
rule but later was conquered by Muslim invaders. Through a very long and fitful
process, the Christian kingdoms in the north gradually rolled back Muslim rule,
finally extinguishing its last remnant in Granada in 1492, the same year Columbus
reached the Americas. A global empire began which saw Spain become the
strongest kingdom in Europe and the leading world power in the 16th century and
first half of the 17th century.
Continued wars and other problems eventually led to a diminished status. The French
invasion of Spain in the early 19th century led to chaos, triggering independence
movements that tore apart most of the empire and left the country politically
unstable. In the 20th century it suffered a devastating civil war and came under the
rule of an authoritarian government, leading to years of stagnation, but finishing in
an impressive economic surge. Democracy was restored in 1978 in the form of a
parliamentary constitutional monarchy. In 1986, Spain joined the European Union,
experiencing a cultural renaissance and steady economic growth.
 COUNTRY PROFILE
• Full name: Kingdom of Spain
• Head of State: King Juan Carlos

• Prime Minister: Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (PSOE)

• Population: 46.9 million (source INE Spanish National

Statistics Office 2010)

• Capital: Madrid
• Area: 504,782 km², of which 499,542 km² is land and
5,240 km² is water.
• Major languages Spanish, Catalan - 17%, Galician
- 7%, Basque - 2%
• Major religion: Catholic - 94%; Protestant/other -
6% (source CIA World Factbook)
• Life expectancy: 78 male, 84 female (source
World Health Organisation)

• Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents

• Main exports: Transport equipment, agricultural
products
• GNI per capita: US $31,870 (World Bank,
2009)
• Internet domain: .es (.cat for Catalonia)
• International dialling code: +34
• Membership of international
groupings/organisations: European Union
(EU), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(NATO), United Nations (UN), Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
 ENVIORNMENT
GEOGRAPHY

• Spain is the second largest country in the EU after France. It has a

total surface area of 504,000 square kilometres. It comprises about
84% of the Iberian Peninsula. Spain’s borders are Andorra (63.7
km), France (623 km), Gibraltar (1.2 km), Portugal (1,214 km),
Morocco (Ceuta) (6.3 km), Morocco (Melilla) (9.6 km).
As well as the mainland, the territory includes two island
archipelagos – the Balearics and the Canaries – and two enclaves on
the North African coast, bordering Morocco – Ceuta and Melilla.
The Spanish climate is temperate with hot summers but more
moderate and cloudy along the coast; and cold winters in the
interior, and partly cloudy and cool along the coast.
ECONOMY
• GDP: € 1,051.1  billion
• GDP per head: (EU27=100, Year 2008) : €26,469.39.1
• Sectors contribution to GDP:
– 2.27% Agriculture
– 2.34% Energy
– 11.72% Industry
– 9.97% Construction
– 66.56% Services
• Annual growth: 3.6%
• Inflation: 0.3 %  (-0.7% in Q2 2009)
• Unemployment: Unemployment in Spain has risen to 20.09 % in Q2 2010, with services and construction
registering the heaviest job losses.
• Major industries: agriculture, fishing, construction, wine, cement, chemicals, engineering, petroleum
refining, forestry and timber, iron and steel automobiles, textiles, telecommunications
• Major trading partners: EU, Latin America.
• Total Exports: - 13.9%.
• Total Imports: - 23.4%
POLITICS
• The Spanish Government is a constitutional monarchy. The current Head of State
is King Juan Carlos. The role is largely ceremonial and policy is dictated, as in the
UK, by a democratically elected Prime Minister (known in Spanish as Presidente
del Gobierno). The Prime Minister resides over a bicameral parliament, which is
separated in to two houses - the Lower House Congreso de los Diputados, and the
Senate, Senado. The Congreso is primarily responsible for legislative matters and is
very much the centre of political attention.  The Congress has 350 deputies elected
at least every four years by proportional representation and the Senateis a mix of
208 members elected by provinces in parallel with the Congreso (elections are
simultaneous) and 48 selected by Autonomous Communities according to
population.  
Political parties participate in Parliament as parliamentary groups. Each party has a
spokesman, portavoz, appointed according to each party's rules.  The spokesman
acts both as manager of the group, and speaks for the party at major debates.
• There are two concurrent annual sessions for both chambers - September to
December and February to June. Plenary sessions are public and are often carried
on the media.  
Terrorism
• Recent terrorist activities :
• 09 August 2009 - following warnings given, there were four small
controlled explosions in and around Palma de Mallorca (Majorca). No
casualties were reported.
• 30 July 2009 - a bomb exploded in Palma Nova on the island of Mallorca
(Majorca) killing two Civil Guard Officers. ETA subsequently claimed
responsibility.
• 29 July 2009 - a van bomb exploded outside Civil Guard Barracks in Burgos
causing minor injuries to 66 people.
• 19 June 2009 – a car bomb exploded in Bilbao killing one police officer.  
• On 11 March 2004 a co-ordinated terrorist attack killed 191 people and
wounded 1,755. A series of bombs detonated on commuter trains with
routes in to Madrid. On 31 October 2007 21 people were convicted of
involvement in the attack, which was wholly attributed to Al-Queda
inspired terrorism.
 Demography

Religions In Spain
Catholicism-76%
Non-religious-13%
Atheism-7.3%
No answer-1.6%
Others-2.1%

 Culture
 

• Spain is known for its culturally diverse heritage, having been influenced by many nations
and peoples throughout its history. Spanish culture has its origins in the Iberian, Celtiberian,
Latin, Visigothic, Roman Catholic, and Islamic cultures.
• Spain has the second highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world, with a
total of 40.[135]
Education
• State education in Spain is free and compulsory from the age of 6 to 16. The current
education system was established by an educational law of 1990, Ley Orgánica de
Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo – Law on the General Organization of the
Educational System
Art
• Artists from Spain have been highly influential in the development
of various European artistic movements. Due to historical,
geographical and generational diversity, Spanish art has known a
great number of influences. The Moorish heritage in Spain,
especially in Andalusia, is still evident today in cities like Córdoba,
Seville, and Granada. European influences include Italy, Germany
and France, especially during the Baroque and Neoclassical periods.
Music
• Spamusic is often considered abroad to be synonymous with
flamenco, a West nish Andalusian musical genre, which, contrary to
popular belief, is not widespread outside that region. Various
regional styles of folk music abound in Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia,
Castile, the Basque Country, Galicia and Asturias. Pop, rock, hip hop
and heavy metal are also popular.
Sport
Sport in Spain has been dominated by football since the early 20th
century. Real Madrid C.F. and F.C. Barcelona are two of the most
successful football clubs in the world. The country's national football team
won the UEFA European Football Championship in 1964 and 2008 and the
FIFA World Cup in 2010

Cuisine
• Mediterranean Spain – all such coastal regions, from Catalonia to
Andalusia: heavy use of seafood, such as pescaíto frito; several cold soups
like gazpacho; and many rice-based dishes like paella from Valencia and
arroz negro from Catalonia.
• Inner Spain – Castile: hot, thick soups such as the bread and garlic-based
Castilian soup, along with substantious stews such as cocido madrileño.
Food is traditionally conserved by salting, like Spanish ham, or immersed
in olive oil, like Manchego cheese.
 TRADE AND INVESTMENT

• Spain is a highly developed, competitive market. Almost anything sold in the UK is likely to sell well
in Spain. It's also an open market for overseas companies and an important gateway to Latin
American markets.  UK-Spain commercial bilateral relations are very strong:
Trade
• The main UK Exports to Spain include medicinal and pharmaceutical products, inorganic chemicals
and various manufactured articles. Imports from Spain are largely in the same sectors with the
addition of fruit and vegetables.
Spain is the UK’s 7th largest export market. In 2008 exports (good & services) were valued at
₤15.7bn, and Spain is the 8th largest import source (₤21.4bn) in 2008.
•  
Investment
•
Spanish companies are becoming increasingly competitive and are looking more and more outside
their home base for opportunities to enable them to globalise their business.  Spain is one of the
leading investors in the UK in recent years. Approx 400 Spanish companies are registered in the UK.
• The UK is the second largest foreign investor in Spain.  From 2000-09 we were the largest foreign
investor in Spain.  There are around 700 UK companies already in Spain.
 India relation with spain
• India and Spain on Monday signed agreements on providing legal
assistance in criminal matters and on institutionalising their political
dialogue.
• At the end of the delegation level talks between Prime minister
Manmohan Singh and Spain’s prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez
Zapatero, the countries signed a MoU between Spain’s Technology
Development Board and India’s Centre for Development of Industrial
Technology.
• “The talks focussed on the bilateral economic relations between the two
growing economies. Spain is today the fifth largest economy in the EU and
its growth rate is amongst the highest,” external affairs ministry
spokesperson Navtej Sarna said.
• Every two of the five jobs created within the EU are in Spain. In this
context and India’s economic development, Spain has formulated a Plan
India on certain areas of cooperation like increase in trade, energy,
(particularly wind energy, where Spain and India are respectively the third
and the fourth largest producers in the world), infrastructure
 INDIA-SPAIN ECONOMIC &
COMMERCIAL RELATIONS
• Economic and commercial relations between
India and Spain have been growing steadily.
Last few years have seen substantial growth in
the trade relations between the two
countries. Agreement on Avoidance of Double
Taxation between the two countries was
signed in February 1993 followed by a
Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement in
1997.
 significantly in the last few years.
Bilateral trade statistics for the last
few years are given below:
• Year ----------------------------------------------2010 till June
• India’s Exports to Spain (in US$ mn)------1,633.7
• India’s Imports from Spain (in US$mn)---765.60
• Total Trade--------------------------------------2399.3
(in US $ mn)
• Balance of Trade- ------------------------------------+868.10
(in US $ mn)
• % growth--- ------------------------------+40( same period)
 India-Spain to strengthen trade and
investments relations
• Anand Sharma, Minister for Commerce & Industry, led an official delegation for the ninth
session of the India-Spain Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation at Madrid . The meeting
was co-chaired by  Anand Sharma from Indian side and Miguel Sebastian, Minister of Industry,
Tourism and Trade, on the Spanish side. 
 
• Both sides felt that there is a lot of scope for raising the trade and investment levels between
India and Spain. It was agreed that the Invest India and Invest in Spain agencies would work
towards entering into an MoU to facilitate and enhance two way investments.  Sharma invited a
business delegation to visit India and explore investment opportunities. The two sides agreed to
have the next meeting of the Joint Economic Commission at New Delhi in 2012. 
 
• “India’s total trade has increased more than ten fold between 1990-91 and 2008-09. By bringing
down tariff levels and removing import quotas, India contributes constructively to the
strengthening of multilateral trading system. India’s engagement with the world goes beyond
trade and investment flows to matters of international security; disaster management and re-
construction; global economic management and so on”,  Sharma said. He concluded by saying
that given the strength of its mines and market, India is poised to play a critical role in global
economic and geo political issues in times to come
 DID YOU KNOW?
Spain became the first country in the world to give
full marriage and adoption rights to homosexual
couples in 2005.

• The modern day guitar was invented in Spain,

when a sixth string was added to the Arab lute.
• There were 29.1 million internet users by June
2010, and more than 11 million Facebook users
by August 2010
• Prehistory and pre-Roman peoples
Neo-classical facade of the Congress of
Deputies, the lower house
Canary Islands: A staging point for thousands of African migrants
Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi shattered traditional concepts
Thank
you