World Factbook
Spain
Reino de España
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double-width), and red, with the national coat of arms on the left side of the yellow band; the coat of arms shows the emblems of the area's former kingdoms (clockwise from upper left: Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon), which also used red and yellow as their colors; the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield represents Granada; the two columns represent the Pillars of Hercules, which are promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on the Strait of Gibraltar; a red scroll bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond), referring to Spanish lands outside Europe
Capital
name
Madrid
etymology
the meaning and origin of the name is unclear; the city grew from a small Moorish fort that was called Majerit in the first recorded mention in A.D. 932; some trace the modern-day name back to the Roman era, with the Latin word materia (materials) as a possible source
time zone note
Spain has two time zones, including the Canary Islands (UTC 0)
time difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
geographic coordinates
40 24 N, 3 41 W
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of Spain
dual citizenship recognized
only with select Latin American countries
residency requirement for naturalization
10 years for persons with no ties to Spain
Constitution
history
several previous; latest approved by the General Courts 31 October 1978, passed by referendum 6 December 1978, signed by the king 27 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
amendment process
proposed by the government, by the General Courts (the Congress or the Senate), or by the self-governing communities submitted through the government; passage requires three-fifths majority vote by both houses and passage by referendum if requested by one tenth of the members of either house; proposals disapproved by both houses are submitted to a joint committee, which submits an agreed upon text for another vote; passage requires two-thirds majority vote in Congress and simple majority vote in the Senate
Country name
etymology
derivation of the name España is uncertain; the Basque words ezpain or espan ("edge," as in a river bank) are possible sources, or the Punic word span , meaning "rabbit;" some academics tie it to the god Hesperus from Greco-Roman mythology
local long form
Reino de España
local short form
España
conventional long form
Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form
Spain
Independence
1492
note: the Iberian peninsula was home to 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 completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain
Legal system
civil law system with regional variations
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo (consists of the court president and organized into the Civil Room, with a president and 9 judges; the Penal Room, with a president and 14 judges; the Administrative Room, with a president and 32 judges; the Social Room, with a president and 12 judges; and the Military Room, with a president and 7 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional de Espana (consists of 12 judges)
subordinate courts
National High Court; High Courts of Justice (in each of the autonomous communities); provincial courts; courts of first instance
judge selection and term of office
Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary Power, a 20-member governing board chaired by the monarch; judges can serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Assembly, executive branch, and the General Council of the Judiciary, and appointed by the monarch for 9-year terms
Executive branch
note
note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding
cabinet
Council of Ministers designated by the president
chief of state
King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014)
election results
Congress of Deputies vote - 179 to 171 (16 November 2023)
head of government
President of the Government of Spain (prime minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ PEREZ-CASTEJON (since 2 June 2018)
most recent election date
23 July 2023
election/appointment process
the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the monarch usually proposes as president the leader of the majority party or coalition, who is then indirectly elected by the Congress of Deputies; vice president and Council of Ministers appointed by the president
expected date of next election
31 July 2027
National holiday
National Day (Hispanic Day), 12 October (1492)
note: commemorates the arrival of explorer Christopher COLUMBUS in the Americas
National color(s)
red, yellow
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites
50 (44 cultural, 4 natural, 2 mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain (c); Works of Antoni Gaudí (c); Santiago de Compostela (Old Town) (c); Historic City of Toledo (c); Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida (c); Tower of Hercules (c); Doñana National Park (n); Pyrénées - Mont Perdu (m); Alhambra, Generalife, and Albayzín in Granada (c); Old City of Salamanca (c); Teide National Park (n); Historic Walled Town of Cuenca (c); Old Town of Segovia and its Aqueduct (c); Historic Cordoba (c); Royal Site of Saint Lorenzo de El Escorial (c); Cathedral, Alcázar, and Archivo de Indias in Seville
Political parties
Asturias Forum or FAC Basque Country Unite (Euskal Herria Bildu) or EH Bildu (coalition of 4 Basque pro-independence parties) Basque Nationalist Party or PNV or EAJ Canarian Coalition or CC (coalition of 5 parties) Ciudadanos Party (Citizens Party) or Cs Compromis - Compromise Coalition Navarrese People's Union or UPN Together for Catalonia or Junts People's Party or PP Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE Teruel Existe or TE Unidas (Unite) or Sumar (electoral coalition formed in March 2022) (formerly Unidas Podemos or UP) Vox or VOX
Legislative branch
legislature name
The Cortes (Las Cortes Generales)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"Himno Nacional Espanol" (National Anthem of Spain)
history
adopted 1942;officially in use between 1770 and 1931, restored in 1939; the Spanish anthem was the first to be officially adopted; it first appeared in a 1761 military bugle-call book and was replaced by "Himno de Riego" in the years between 1931 and 1939; the long version of the anthem is used for the king, and the short version is used for the prince, prime minister, and occasions such as sporting events
lyrics/music
no lyrics/unknown
National symbol(s)
Pillars of Hercules
Administrative divisions
17 autonomous communities ( comunidades autonomas , singular - comunidad autonoma ) and 2 autonomous cities* ( ciudades autonomas , singular - ciudad autonoma ); Andalucia; Aragon; Asturias; Canarias (Canary Islands); Cantabria; Castilla-La Mancha; Castilla-Leon; Cataluña (Castilian), Catalunya (Catalan), Catalonha (Aranese) [Catalonia]; Ceuta*; Comunidad Valenciana (Castilian), Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian) [Valencian Community]; Extremadura; Galicia; Illes Baleares (Balearic Islands); La Rioja; Madrid; Melilla*; Murcia; Navarra (Castilian), Nafarroa (Basque) [Navarre]; Pais Vasco (Castilian), Euskadi (Basque) [Basque Country]
note: Spain administers the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and the three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Velez de la Gomera, which are all located along the coast of Morocco; they are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
350 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
7/23/2023
expected date of next election
July 2027
percentage of women in chamber
44.3%
parties elected and seats per party
People's Party (PP) (136); Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) (122); Vox (33); SUMAR (31); Other (28)
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
Senate (Senado)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
265 (208 directly elected; 57 indirectly elected)
electoral system
mixed system
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
7/23/2023
expected date of next election
July 2027
percentage of women in chamber
42.5%
parties elected and seats per party
People's Party (PP) (120); Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) (72); Other (16)
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 833-5670
chancery
2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone
[1] (202) 452-0100
chief of mission
Ambassador Ángeles MORENO Bau (since 27 February 2024)
consulate(s) general
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
email address and website
emb.washington@maec.es https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Embajadas/washington/en/Paginas/index.aspx
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[34] (91) 587-2303
embassy
Calle de Serrano, 75, 28006 Madrid
telephone
[34] (91) 587-2200
mailing address
8500 Madrid Place, Washington DC 20521-8500
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Rian Harker HARRIS (since 15 July 2024); note - also accredited to Andorra
consulate(s) general
Barcelona
email address and website
askACS@state.gov https://es.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CABEI, CAN (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAIA (observer), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction