Spanish Tourist Information

The Population of Spain

The estimated population as of July 2004 was 40,280,780 of which 20,584,342 were female and 19,696,438 were male. 5,800,403 were estimated to be between the ages of 0-14 years, 27,401,850 were estimated to be between the ages of 15-64 years and 7,078,527 were estimated to be 65 years and older.

Spanish Languages

The official language of Spain is Castilian which is spoken by about 74% of the population. There are regional langauges spoken in the various regions such as Catalan spoken by about 17%, Galician spoken by about 7% and Basque spoken by about 2%.

The Spanish State

The chief of State is King Juan Carlos I who has reigned since 22 November 1975. The next in line is the King's son Prince Felipe who was born on the 30 January 1968 and married Letizia Ortiz in the summer of 2004. The prime minister of Spain since April 2004 is Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero representing the Spanish Socialist Workers Party.

The Origen of the Spanish Flag

The Spanish flag is made up of three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. Legend suggests that Hercules separated Africa from Europe by using the rock of Gibraltar and Ceuta to push the continents apart.

The Spanish Currency

On 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions of member countries. On 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions with the member countries