SPAIN

General

• Area: 504,782 sq km (194,897 sq miles).
• Population: 39,371,147 (1998).
• Population Density: 78.0 per sq km.
• Capital: Madrid. Population: 5,091,336 (1998).

Geography: Spain shares the Iberian peninsula with Portugal and is bounded to the north by the Pyrenees, which separate Spain from France. The Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera), 193km (120 miles) southeast of Barcelona, and the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa are part of Spain, as are the tiny enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the north African mainland. With the exception of Switzerland, mainland Spain is the highest and most mountainous country in Europe, with an average height of 610m (2000ft). The Pyrenees

• Government: Constitutional monarchy since 1978. Head of Stat  since 1975. Head of Government since 1996.
• Language: Spanish (Castillian), Catalan, Galician and Basque.
• Religion: Roman Catholic majority
• Time: Mainland Spain/Balearics: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
• The Canary Islands: GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
• Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Generally, round 2-pin plugs and screw-type lamp fittings are in use.

Communications:  

• Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 34. Outgoing international code: 00. Area codes are incorporated within a nine digit number. The following are a selection of codes for major centres: Madrid 91, Alicante 96, Balearic Islands 971, Barcelona 93, Benidorm 96, Bilbao 94, Granada 958, Las Palmas 928, Málaga and Torremolinos 95, Santander 942, Seville 95, Tenerife 922 and Valencia 96.
• Mobile telephone: GSM 1800/900 networks available. Roaming agreements exist with all major networks. Coverage is good throughout the country. Main network providers include Airtel  Telefonica and Retevision.
• Fax: Most post offices have services. Facilities are also generally available at 4- and 5-star hotels, especially those catering for the business and conference traveller.
• Internet/E-mail: There are a variety of internet cafés in most urban areas. Main ISPs include World Online Empresa.
• Telegram: Facilities are available at main post offices. A 24-hour service is available in Madrid at Plaza de Cibeles; in Barcelona at Plaza Antonio Lopez; in Bilbao at 15 Calle Alameda Urquijo.
• Post: There are efficient internal and international postal services to all countries. Airmail within Europe usually takes around five days. Poste Restante facilities are available at main post offices.
• Press: The English-language daily is The Iberian Daily Sun. Local newspapers published in English include the Majorca Daily Bulletin and the English-language edition of Sur (weekly). Spanish dailies with large circulations include ABC, Diario 16, El País and El Mundo.