According to COUNTRYAAH, Spain is a State of southwestern Europe (505,936 km²). Capital: Madrid. Administrative division: autonomous communities (17). Population: 46.559.738 inhab. (2013 estimate). Language: Spanish (official), Basque (Euskera), Catalan, Galician. Religion: Catholics 71%, non-religious / atheists 25%, Muslims 2.5%, Protestants 1.5%. Monetary unit: euro (100 cents). Human Development Index: 0.869 (27th place). Borders: France (NE), Andorra (NE), Portugal (W); it overlooks the Atlantic Ocean (SW and NW) and the Mediterranean Sea (E and SE). Member of: Council of Europe, EBRD, NATO, OECD, UN, OSCE, WTO and EU.
After the end of Franco’s dictatorship (1975), the institutional life of the country underwent a profound transformation towards democracy. After the very long dictatorship in power since 1939, in which legislative activity was nominally delegated to a unicameral Parliament, with a corporate structure and in practice with very limited powers, the reform work culminated in the promulgation of the Constitution (December 28, 1978), under which Spain is a hereditary constitutional monarchy. Head of State is the sovereign, the highest representative of the State in international relations, as well as head of the Armed Forces. The executive power lies with the prime minister (who is elected by the Congress of Deputies of the sovereign designation) and the various ministers who formed the government; the Legislative power is exercised by the Parliament (Cortes), bicameral and formed by the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, both elected by universal and direct suffrage for four years. The Congress of Deputies is made up of 350 members, elected on a proportional basis; the Senate has 248, of which 208 are directly elected, while the remaining 40 are chosen by the assemblies of the 17 Autonomous Communities. Furthermore, in September 1977 the region of Catalonia gained internal autonomy, followed by the Basque Country (October 1979), Galicia (December 1980), and Andalusia. (October 1981) and subsequently (May 1983) from the other 13 regions: Spain, in fact, is therefore close to a federal structure. The judicial system, based on continental European law, provides for a national Supreme Court and 17 High Courts of Justice, one for each Autonomous Community. The Criminal Code which entered into force in 1996 provides for a maximum penalty of 30 years of imprisonment, thus excluding life imprisonment, while the death penalty had already been abolished in 1978. Spain has initiated a reform that provides for the creation of an army of only volunteer professionals. The armed forces are divided into army, navy and air force. Alongside the traditional bodies there is the Guardia Civil, a paramilitary body with police functions. L’ education is compulsory from six to 15 years old and school attendance is free. There are three main cycles: elementary, secondary and university. Primary schools are divided into state, ecclesiastical, patronage, for foreigners and private. Secondary education is divided into general and technical-professional. Higher education takes place in actual universities and in universidades laborales, technical schools that confer degrees of architect and engineer in the various specialties. The university system begins with a cycle leading to a diploma (three years); the second cycle (of two or three years) gives the licenciatura and after a third cycle of two years the title of doctor is obtained.
- Abbreviation Finder: Check to see national geography, brief history, society description, domestic politics, economy overview, and a list of widely used acronyms about Spain.
Optimal travel time for the regions
In the following overview you can see the best travel time depending on the region (Spain).
| Place | Best travel time |
| Barcelona | May, June, July, August, September and October |
| Madrid | May, June, July, August and September |
| La Coruña | June, July, August and September |
| Ibiza | June, July, August and September |
| Palma de Mallorca | June, July, August and September |
| Málaga | June, July, August and September |
| Formentera | June, July, August and September |
| Menorca | June, July, August and September |
| Lloret de Mar | June, July, August and September |
| Cordoba | May, June, July, August and September |
| Seville | April, May, June, July, August, September and October |
| Malaga | May, June, July, August, September and October |
Temperatures, precipitation, sunshine in Barcelona (Spain)
| Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Daytime temperature | 13 ° C | 15 ° C | 16 ° C | 18 ° C | 21 ° C | 24 ° C | 28 ° C | 28 ° C | 26 ° C | 22 ° C | 17 ° C | 14 ° C |
| Night temperature | 4 ° C | 5 ° C | 7 ° C | 9 ° C | 12 ° C | 16 ° C | 19 ° C | 19 ° C | 17 ° C | 13 ° C | 8 ° C | 6 ° C |
| Water temperature | 13 ° C | 12 ° C | 13 ° C | 14 ° C | 16 ° C | 19 ° C | 22 ° C | 24 ° C | 22 ° C | 20 ° C | 16 ° C | 14 ° C |
| Precipitation in mm | 41 | 29 | 42 | 49 | 59 | 42 | 20 | 61 | 85 | 91 | 58 | 51 |
| Rainy days | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
| Hours of sunshine | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Sunrise | 8:15 | 7:45 | 7:05 | 7:15 | 6:35 | 6:15 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:05 | 7:40 | 8:10 |
| Sunset | 17:45 | 18:25 | 18:55 | 20:30 | 21:00 | 21:25 | 21:25 | 20:55 | 20:00 | 19:10 | 17:35 | 17:25 |
Temperatures
The annual average temperature in Barcelona is 15.6 ° C. For comparison: Munich reaches an average of 8.6 ° C, in Berlin it is 9.6 ° C. The warmest month is August (23.7 ° C), coldest month of January with mean values of 8.9 ° C. The maximum water temperature in Barcelona is 24 ° C. Comfortable bathing is possible at these temperatures. The months of June, July, August, September and October have a water temperature of at least 17 ° C. Bathing is then possible to a limited extent. The months of July, August and September have a water temperature of at least 21 ° C and are therefore suitable for a beach holiday.
Precipitation
The annual precipitation is 628 mm on 72 days with precipitation. For comparison: In Munich, 967 mm, in Berlin 570 mm, precipitation is measured annually. There is no rainy season, i.e. months with more than 175 mm of precipitation. In January snowfall is possible.
Sunshine
As our climate table shows, July is the sunniest month with an average of 10 hours of sunshine per day. On average over the year the sun shines for 6.8 hours per day. For comparison: In Munich and Berlin, the sun shines an average of 4.7 hours per day throughout the year.
Cities nearby
The following larger towns are nearby and have a similar climate: Eixample, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sant Martí, Terrassa, Badalona, Sabadell, Sants-Montjuïc, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Sant Andreu, Mataró, Barcelona / Gracia, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Ciutat Vella.
