The Kingdom of Spain is a parliamentary Monarchy with
the national capital in Madrid. Its status as a single
country traces back to 1492, when the Kingdoms of Castille
and Aragon united and Granada was reconquered.
Spain's capitalist economy is among the 10 most important
economies in western countries. Just over 40 million people
occupy a land area of 500,000 sq kms with a coastline of
4,950 kms.
A well developed road and rail network brings substantial
areas of the country into the natural cargo catchment areas
of the main Mediterranean ports – Valencia and Barcelona
(see map).
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