Spain Government

Officially known as the Kingdom of Spain, the Spanish government is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Along with its Upper and Lower Houses of Parliament the country also has a prime minister as well as a reigning king. Its current democracy has been in effect since December 29, 1978 and was facilitated by the passage of Spain’s constitutional referendum.

The electoral system in Spain consists of general elections, local elections, elections to the legislatures of the autonomous communities, as well as elections to the European Parliament. Spain’s prime minister has no fix limits as to his/her term while members of the Congress of Deputies are elected every four years with no restrictions on how many times they can run. Spain’s multi-party electoral system includes several political parties competing for votes. Among its current parties are the conservative People’s Party, the liberal Ciudadanos, left wing Podemos, and moderate Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.

Spain’s house of parliament is known as Cortes Generales. The Upper House of the legislature meets in the Palacio del Senado, located in the Plaza de la Marina Española in the capital city of Madrid. The building’s history can be traced back to its time when it served as a convent school in 1590 but the structure wasn’t used as a parliament building until 1814. The official residence of the Prime Minister of Spain, the Palace of Moncloa, became the home of Spain’s legislative head of state in 1977. Although the Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of Spain’s reigning monarch the palace is currently used solely for ceremonial purposes. Felipe VI and his family actually reside in Zarzuela Palace on the edge of the city of Madrid.

The major political parties of Spain include the People's Party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, United We Can, and Citizens. Spain has a multiparty system.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Madrid
Languages	Castilian Spanish (official nationwide) 74%, Catalan (official in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community (where it is known as Valencian)) 17%, Galician (official in Galicia) 7%, Basque (official in the Basque Country and in the Basque-speaking area of Navarre) 2%, Aranese (official in the northwest corner of Catalonia (Vall d'Aran) along with Catalan; <5,000 speakers)
Ethnic Groups	Composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religion	Roman Catholic 67.8%, atheist 9.1%, other 2.2%, non-believer 18.4%, unspecified 2.5% (2016 est.)
Government	Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Independance	1492; the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain
Area	505,370.00 km²
Water Area	6,390.00 km²
Land Area	498,980.00 km²
Population	48,563,476.00 With the notable exception of Madrid, Sevilla, and Zaragoza, the largest urban agglomerations are found along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts; numerous smaller cities are spread throughout the interior reflecting Spain's agrarian heritage; dense settlement is found around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona
Location	Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France
No. Bordering Countries	5
Bordering Countries	Andorra 63 km, France 646 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,224 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km, Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km
GDP(PPP)	$1,690,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$36,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are France, Germany, and Italy.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are machinery, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, and pharmaceuticals.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Germany, France, and China.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and equipment, fuels, and chemicals.
Climate	Tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain	Large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in north
Learn More	Spain

Spain Government

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