Spain

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Capital: Madrid

Population: 40,037,995 (July 2001 est.)
Area: 504,782 sq km (this includes land & water - slightly more than twice the size of Oregon)
Government: Parliamentary monarchy
Money: Spanish peseta (ESP); euro (EUR)
Climate: Temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Languages: Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating Civil War (1936-39). In the second half of the 20th century, it has played a catch-up role in the western international community. Continuing concerns are large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement.

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