Spain

About Spain

Spain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula, includes 17 autonomous regions with diverse geography and cultures. Capital city Madrid is home to the Royal Palace and Prado museum, housing works by European masters. Segovia has a medieval castle (the Alcázar) and an intact Roman aqueduct. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is defined by Antoni Gaudí’s whimsical modernist landmarks like the Sagrada Família church.

Spain is a secular parliamentary democracy and a parliamentary monarchy,[19] with King Felipe VI as head of state. It is a highly developed country[20] and a high income country, with the world’s fourteenth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the sixteenth-largest by PPP. Spain is a member of the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Eurozone, the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), the Union for the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Schengen Area, the World Trade Organization (WTO) and many other international organizations. While not an official member, Spain has a “Permanent Invitation” to the G20 summits, participating in every summit, which makes it a de facto member of the group.

Good to Know

Country

Spain

Visa Requirements

Everyone else needs a visa.

Languages spoken

Spanish

Currency used

The Euro

Area (km2)

691,873 square kilometers