Spain - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Spain. Strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar; Spain controls a number of territories in northern Morocco including the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas, and Islas Chafarinas; Spain's Canary Islands are one of four North Atlantic archipelagos that make up Macaronesia; the others are Azores (Portugal), Madeira (Portugal), and Cabo Verde. Mother's mean age at first birth is 31.2 years (2020 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Spain
Location Southwestern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Biscay, and Pyrenees Mountains; southwest of France
Geographic coordinates 40 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references Europe
Tarrain large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees Mountains in north
Natural Resources coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land
Natural Hazards

periodic droughts, occasional flooding

volcanism: volcanic activity in the Canary Islands, located off Africa's northwest coast; Teide (3,715 m) has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; La Palma (2,426 m), which last erupted in 1971, is the most active of the Canary Islands volcanoes; Lanzarote is the only other historically active volcano

Irrigated Land 37,593 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km) Tagus river source (shared with Portugal [m]) - 1,006
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,952.7 km
Border Countries Andorra 63 km; France 646 km; Gibraltar 1.2 km; Portugal 1,224 km; Morocco (Ceuta) 8 km and Morocco (Melilla) 10.5 km
Coastline 4,964 km
Climate temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Area
Total Area
Land Area 498,980 sq km
Water Area 6,390 sq km
comparative Area almost five times the size of Kentucky; slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)
Elevations
Highest point Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 660 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 54.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 24.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 20.1% (2018 est.)
Forest 36.8% (2018 est.)
Other 9.1% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

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; very dense settlement around the capital of Madrid, as well as the port city of Barcelona

People and Society

In Spain, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Spanish 84.8%, Moroccan 1.7%, Romanian 1.2%, other 12.3% (2021 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.12% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 7.1 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 10 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 10.7% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 3 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Total fertility rate 1.3 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 0.64 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 62.1% (2018)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 50.1% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 4.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate 4.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Spanish | Spaniard(s)
Languages
Religions Roman Catholic 58.2%, atheist 16.2%, agnostic 10.8%, other 2.7%, non-believer 10.5%, unspecified 1.7% (2021 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 13% (male 3,147,019/female 3,012,821)
15-64 years 66.1% (male 15,662,492/female 15,585,138)
65 years and over 20.9% (2024 est.) (male 4,259,816/female 5,613,147)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 52.4
Youth dependency ratio 21.9
Elderly dependency ratio 30.2
Potential support ratio 3.3 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 46.8 years (2024 est.)
Male 45.7 years
Female 47.8 years
Urbanization
Urban population 81.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 0.24% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 6.751 million MADRID (capital), 5.687 million Barcelona, 838,000 Valencia (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population 0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 2.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 83 years (2024 est.)
Male 80.3 years
Female 85.8 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 99.9% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0.1% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural rural: 100% of population
Improved: total total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 0% of population
Unimproved: total total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 10.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 4.67 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 3.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 2.34 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 27.7% (2020 est.)
Male 28.6% (2020 est.)
Female 26.7% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Spain

Want to know more about Spain? Check all different factbooks for Spain below.

Spain is found in Southern Europe