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). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism and relatively high unemployment.

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Total	Land	Water
504782 sq km	499542 sq km	5240 sq km

Age structure

	0-14	15-64	65+
Percentage share (count, rate)	14.4% (male 3,005,818/female 2,826,805)	67.8% (male 13,758,869/female 13,661,295)	17.8% (male 3,002,585/female 4,192,819)

Sex rate

0-14	15-64	65+
1.063 male(s)/female 0-14	1.007 male(s)/female 15-64

Infant mortality

Total	Male	Female
4.31 total	4.7 deaths/1,000 live births male	3.9 deaths/1,000 live births female

Life expectancy

Total	Male	Female
79.78 years total	76.46 years male	83.32 years female

1.29 (2007) Leteracy (age 15 and over can read and write)

Total	Male	Female
97.9% total	98.7% male	97.2% female

Gross domestic product - Purchasing power parity: 1.109e+12 (2006)
Gross domestic product - Real growth rate: 3.9% (2006)
Gross domestic product - Per capita: 27400 (2006)
Unemployment rate: 8.1
Population below poverty line: 19.8

Internet - Country code: es
Internet - Hosts: 2.552 million (2007)
Internet - Users: 18578000.0 (2006)