Spain

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The Kingdom of Spain, mostly known as Spain, is located in the South – Western part of Europe, bordering with France, Portugal, and Andorra (The Columbia Encyclopedia).The territory of Spain is in Iberian Peninsula, including the Balearic and Canary islands (ibid.). The Kingdom of Spain, administratively, is subdivided into 17 autonomous regions and 2 autonomous enclave cities - Ceuta and Melilla, with Madrid being the capital and the largest city of the country (ibid.). The biggest part of land is flat with several mountain regions called sierras, the most notable being Pyrenees (Philip’s World Factbook 2008-2009). The Kingdom’s climate is the most volatile within Europe since northern part of the country is humid while the rest of the country is arid (ibid.). As a result, Spain experiences periodic droughts, occasional flooding, and natural hazard in the form of volcanic activity (The World Factbook). The Kingdom of Spain is a constitutional monarchy governed by the constitution approved in 1978 (The World Factbook). The executive branch of the state consists of a monarch and the Prime Minister (ibid.). The head of the state is a hereditary monarch, currently King Juan Carlos, who has right to approve laws, dissolve the legislative branch of government, propose a candidate for the post of the prime minister, and is also a head of military force (The Columbia Encyclopedia, The World Factbook). Nevertheless, the King and royal family do not govern the state but rather act as official figureheads (Issues in Context Online Collection). The prime minister is the head of government, currently Mariano Rajoy (ibid.). Spain is one of the bicameral legislative states, that is, the National Assembly is subdivided into the Congress of Deput... ... middle of paper ... ... the United Nations Development Program. Also, despite sluggish economic growth in recent years due to financial crisis and substantial unemployment rate Spain’s GDP per capita is high. Works Cited "Spain." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Global Issues In Context. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. “Spain.” Philip’s World Factbook 2008-2009. London: Philip’s, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. “Spain.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press. 2013. Credo Reference. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. “Spain.” The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sp.html The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World. Human Development Report 2013. UNDP. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/14/hdr2013_en_complete.pdf

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