Facts on Spain

Spain facts to help you organize your travel

Below is a list of the most interesting facts on Spain. You'll find a whole bunch of practical info and some curiosities as well...

Some of the information is summarized but you can explore further on your own if you are interested in a particular subject.

Official name: The Kingdom of Spain

Capital of Spain: Madrid

Flag of Spain:

Facts on Spain: Geography

Population: 47.2 million in 2010

Top 3 Largest cities in Spain: Madrid (3.3 million inhabitants), Barcelona (1.6), Valencia (0.8). Suburban areas are not included

Size: 504,030 square meters / 195,364 square miles (Spain is the 2nd largest country in Europe after France)

Mean Altitude: 600 meters / 1,970 feet (which makes Spain the 2nd highest country in Europe after Switzerland)

Highest Point: 3,719 meters / 12,200 feet (Pico del Teide in Tenerife)

Facts on Spain: Culture

Tourism: Over 52 million tourists visited Spain in 2010. Spain is among the top 3 most visited countries in the world (France and the USA are the other two).

Foreigners Living in Spain: Officially there were 5.7 million foreign residents in 2010.

Facts on Spain: Politics

Political Structure: Parliamentary monarchy (since 1978).

Regions: Spain is made up of 17 autonomous regions.

Language: Spanish (Catalan, Valencian, Gallego, Euskera are independent languages spoken in Catalonia, Valencia, Galicia and The Basque Country).

Facts on Spain - Practical information

Time zone: +1 GMT, except Canary Islands (GMT). Wondering about the current time in Spain?

Currency: The introduction of the Euro in 2002 replaced the former Spanish currency -the Peseta. More on the Spanish currency.

Measures: Weight measured in kilograms, distances measured by the metric system, temperature measured in degrees Celsius.

Weather: Speaking about temperatures... what about the Spanish weather?

Electricity: 220 volts.

Telephone country code: +34

Emergency numbers: They are all free. General emergency services: 112. Ambulance: 061. Fire service: 080. National police: 091. Municipal police: 092. Civil guard: 062.

Opening hours: In most of Spain the siesta is respected, but the hours differ between regions. Stores open around 10am and close around 2pm, then open again around 5pm. More to the south and especially in summer, the stores open later (sometimes 6pm or 7pm).

Opening hours (banks): In general banks are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 2.15pm and on Saturday until 1pm (only in fall and winter). Some savings banks open on Thursday afternoon from 4.15pm to 8pm (only in fall and winter).

Tipping: Spanish people aren't used to big tips. As a rule of thumb, you don't tip for beverages, meals or taxis. For bigger sums (such as restaurant bills), you can just leave a few coins and that will make it. In Spain, the tip is considered a reward for an excellent service or product, not a mandatory payment to compensate the worker wages. No need to add the extra 10% to the final bill as you would do in the US.

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