Spain
Europe Β· Capital: Madrid
How it is run: Spain is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Spain is home to 49.4 million people in Southern Europe, where people speak Spanish.
Numbers that tell a story π’
π₯ People
49.4 million people
That is 0.6% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
πΊοΈ Land
505,992 kmΒ²
Bigger than Texas β a long road trip from one side to the other.
ποΈ How crowded
About 98 people per square kilometre β a comfortable mix of cities and open land.
π Size in its region
6th most people in Europe
4th largest by land in Europe.
π£οΈ Official languages
Spanish
π° Money
Euro (β¬)
Life here today π©Ί
These come from World Bank open data β the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
β€οΈ How long people live
83.9 years on average
One of the healthier countries β good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
πΌ Money made per person each year
about US$38,627
An upper-middle-income country: growing cities, and more families joining the middle class.
π’ Living in cities
80.5% of people
Mostly a city country β think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
π Kids under 15
12.6% of the population
An older country β there are more grandparents than schoolchildren.
Everyday details π§
π Phone code
+34
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
π Websites end in
.es
π§ People here are called
Spanish
π·οΈ Name at home
EspaΓ±a
Also written: Kingdom of Spain, Reino de EspaΓ±a.
π Coast or inland
Has a coastline
ποΈ UN voting group
Western European and Others Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders π€
Spain touches 5 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world π£οΈ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
EspaΓ±a
French
Espagne
Arabic
Ψ₯Ψ³Ψ¨Ψ§ΩΩΨ§
Chinese
θ₯Ώηη
Japanese
γΉγγ€γ³
Russian
ΠΡΠΏΠ°Π½ΠΈΡ
Portuguese
Espanha
German
Spanien
Put it in perspective π
- Russia β the most populated country in Europe β has about 2.9Γ as many people as Spain.
- Spain covers roughly 4,819 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Spain lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 24,678 km.
Flags through time π
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Spain change.
Royal Spain
Red-yellow-red was chosen so ships could spot Spain far out at sea.
Second Republic
A purple band was added when Spain became a republic.
Modern Spain
The coat of arms shows the old kingdoms that formed Spain.
Fast facts π§
Fact of the day: Spain is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
π·οΈ Official name
Kingdom of Spain
ποΈ Capital
Madrid
π Region
Europe Β· Southern Europe
π€ Country code
ES
ποΈ UN status
UN member state
π© Independence
Independent country
More about Spain π
Sagrada FamΓlia
Antoni GaudΓ started this church in 1882 and it is still being finished. Its columns branch like trees so the inside feels like a stone forest.
See it in Street Viewπ§ Where on the map
40.0Β° N, 4.0Β° W
π Half of the world
Northern & Western hemisphere
π°οΈ Clock check
Roughly UTC+0 β when it is noon in London it is about 12:00 in Madrid.
- Spain sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- πͺπΈ is the flag of Spain. Its country code β the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics β is ES.
- Spain is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly β the same as every other member, big or small.
- Spain shares its part of the world with Malta. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- The capital of Spain is Madrid β that's where the country's big decisions get made.
Countries nearby π€
Talk about it π¬
- Spain has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Spain can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Spain spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz π§ͺ
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Spain?
Madrid
Which money do people spend in Spain?
Euro (β¬)
How many countries share a land border with Spain?
5 β Andorra, France, Gibraltar, Portugal, Morocco.
Roughly how many people live in Spain?
49.4 million people
Keep researching π
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further β and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here β kid-friendly encyclopedias π
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ποΈ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy π°
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card π«
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians β all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.