Capital: Madrid
Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco
note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco (Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown

Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
National holiday: National Day, 12 October

Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975)
head of government: Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Narcis SERRA y Serra (since 13 March 1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; designated by the prime minister
Council of State: is the supreme consultative organ of the government

Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales)
Senate (Senado): elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (255 total) PSOE 117, PP 107, CiU 15, PNV 5, IU 2, other 9
Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados): elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997); results by percent of party NA; seats - (350 total) PSOE 159, PP 141, IU 18, CiU 17, PNV 5, CN 4, HB 2, other 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)

Political parties and leaders:
principal national parties, from right to left: Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Rafael Calvo ORTEGA; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez, secretary general; Socialist Democracy Party (DS), Ricardo Garcia DAMBORENEA; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio ANGUITA; United Left (IU) a coalition of parties including the PCE, a branch of the PSOE, and other small parties, Julio ANGUITA
chief regional parties: Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi PUJOL Saley and Miguel ROCA in Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS and Jose Antonio ARDANZA; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos GARAICOETXEA Urizza; Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon IDIGORAS and Inaki ESNAOLA; Basque Socialist Party (PSE), coalition of the PSE, EE and PSOE, Jose Maria BANEGAS and Jon LARRINAGA; Andalusian Progress Party (PA), Pedro PACHECO; Canarian Coalition (CN), Dimas MARTIN; Catalan Republican Left, Angel COLOM; Galician Coalition, Senen BERNARDEZ; Aragonese Regionalist Party (PAR), Jose Maria MUR Bernad; Valencian Union (UV), Vicente GONZALEZ Lizondo, Manuel CAMPILLOS Martinez
Other political or pressure groups: on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977) include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union (USO); business and landowning interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students
Member of: AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, AfDB, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-8, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, MTRC, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jaime De OJEDA y Eiseley
chancery: 2700 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: (202) 265-0190 or 0191
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address: APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (1) 577-4000
FAX: [34] (1) 577-5735
consulate(s) general: Barcelona
consulate(s): Bilbao

Flag: 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

NOTE: The information regarding Spain on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Spain Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Spain Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.