Madrid – Barcelona – Marbella

Spain is littered with hundreds of glittering beaches, flamenco dancers, great pans of steaming paella and pitchers of sangria. Emerald green mountains seem to slide into the wild blue Atlantic in the north and proud, solitary castles and medieval towns are strewn across the interior.

Brief overview

Country name: Kingdom of Spain
Population: 45 million (UN 2010)
Capital: Madrid
Area: 505,988 sq km (195,363 sq miles)
Major languages: Spanish (Castilian), Catalan and its variant Valencian, Gallego (Galician), Euskera (Basque)
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 79 years (men), 85 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
Main exports: Transport equipment, agricultural products
GNI per capita: US $31,870 (World Bank, 2009)
Internet domain: .es
International dialling code: +34