Population: 45 million. About 77 per cent of the population lives in urban areas.
Political structure: A constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected parliament. Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities, or regions. Madrid is the national capital. Spain is a member of the eurozone.
Economy. Services account for about 66 per cent of gross domestic product with major sectors being retail, tourism and transport. Spain had over 57 million tourist visits in 2008, mostly from other European countries. Agriculture remains important economically and socially, particularly in production of wine, vegetables and fruit. The manufacturing sector employs about 2 million people and is a major processor of food, beverages and tobacco and metallurgical products. A decade-long construction boom, particularly in housing, ended with the financial crisis in 2008 and unemployment began to rise.