Spanish splendor

Country facts:

Area:504,780 sq km

Population(2006est.):44,709,964; density per sq km: 86; birth rate: 10.1/1000; infant mortality rate: .4/1000; life expectancy: 79.7 years

Capital:Madrid

Other large cities:Barcelona; Valencia; Seville

Monetary unit:Euro (formerly peseta)

Languages:Spanish 74 percent (official nationwide); Catalan 17 percent, Galician 7 percent, Basque 2 percent (each official regionally)

Ethnicity/race:composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Religions:Roman Catholic 94 percent, other 6 percent

Literacy rate:98 percent (2003 est.)

Economic summary:

GDP/PPP (2005 est.):

$1.017 trillion; per capita $25,200

Real growth rate:3.4 percent

Labor force:20.67 million

Inflation:3.4 percent

Agriculture5.3 percent, manufacturing, mining, and construction 30.1 percent, services 64.6 percent (2004 est.)

Agriculture:grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus fruits; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, fish.

Industries:textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment.

Natural resources:coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydro-power, arable land.

Tourism:

Spain attracted 55.6 million foreign tourists in 2005, to follow France as the world's second most popular tourist destination.

Tourists from the United Kingdom, France and Germany account for 43 percent of the total overseas visitors to Spain.

39 of the country's historical relics are on the UNESCO world Heritage list.

Fashion:

Garments

Garments are a powerful industry and a driving force in the Spanish economy. The sector comprises 4,273 companies providing employment to 143,996 people, with estimated annual turnover in 2006 being 8.538 billion ($11.44 billion).

At the end of 2006, exports had risen above 4.053 billion ($5.43 billion), up 19 percent against the previous year. In the last five years, foreign sales have grown 42 percent. This strong performance is reflected in Spain's share of 6 percent of the total European Union textile exports.

Footwear

Spain is a world leader in designer and high-end footwear, and has also developed a powerful auxiliary industry. Creativity and excellent raw materials, like high-quality tanned leather, have given it a dominant global position, with exports rising to 1.718 billion ($2.3 billion) in 2006.

Leatherwear & Leather goods

Spain has an internationally acclaimed leatherwear and leather goods industry. The excellent quality of its raw materials, the designs of its garments, bags and accessories, and their high-grade finish have brought recognition on a global level.

Food & wine:

Gastronomic industry

Spain is famed for its wine and olive oil.

The gastronomic industry in Spain is a dynamic sector that represents the country's second largest industry, contributing 17 percent to GDP (gross domestic product) and 14 percent in terms of job opportunities.

Spanish products that have become the latest fads in foreign markets include mineral water, cheese, chocolates and sweets, liquors and other distilled drinks, as well as pastries and functional food.

Spain exports approximately one-third of the total wine it produces. It is the third largest exporter of wines in the world, after France and Italy, and accounts for a 10-percent share in the world market.

Spain is also the world's largest producer of wine, with its vineyards accounting for 35 percent of the total in the European Union and 15 percent of that worldwide.

Spain is the world's largest producer of olive oil, representing 45.5 percent of the global production, and the largest exporter of olives, with a 65-70 percent share of the global market.

Today, Spain is the first country to export olive oil to China, and sales by volume in the Chinese market have been rising steadily since 2001.

(China Daily 06/27/2007 page29)