FAX: (12) 342-2244

FAX: (202) 265-1607

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Delano E. LEWIS, Sr.

embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria

mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001

telephone: (12) 342-1048

consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

Flag description: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes

note: prior to 26 April 1994, the flag was actually four flags in one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which had three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags were a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

South Africa Economy

Economy - overview: South Africa is a middle-income, developing country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to cut into the 30% unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially the problems of poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. Other problems are crime, corruption, and HIV/AIDS. At the start of 2000, President MBEKI vowed to promote economic growth and foreign investment, and to reduce poverty by relaxing restrictive labor laws, stepping up the pace of privatization, and cutting unneeded governmental spending.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $369 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,500 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5%

industry: 30%

services: 65% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: 50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1%

highest 10%: 45.9% (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.3% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 17 million economically active (2000)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $31.1 billion

expenditures: $34.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY01/02)

Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 186.903 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 92.74%

hydro: 0.39%

nuclear: 6.87%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 172.393 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 3.884 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 2.457 billion kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products

Exports: $30.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: gold, diamonds, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment

Exports - partners: UK, Italy, Japan, US, Germany

Imports: $27.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery, foodstuffs and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments

Imports - partners: Germany, US, UK, Japan

Debt - external: $25.6 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $676.3 million

Currency: rand (ZAR)

Currency code: ZAR

Exchange rates: rand per US dollar - 7.60 (March 2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

South Africa Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 5.075 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular: over 2,000,000 (1999)

Telephone system: general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa

domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria

international: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 13.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 5.2 million (1997)

Internet country code: .za

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 44 (2000)

Internet users: 1.82 million (2000)

South Africa Transportation

Railways: total: 21,431 km

narrow gauge: 20,995 km 1.067-m gauge (9,087 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (1995)

Highways: total: 358,596 km

paved: 59,753 km (including 1927 km of expressways)

unpaved: 298,843 km (1996)

Waterways: NA

Pipelines: crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km

Ports and harbors: Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mosselbaai, Port
Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha

Merchant marine: total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 271,650 GRT/268,604 DWT

ships by type: container 6, petroleum tanker 2 (2000 est.)

Airports: 741 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 142

over 3,047 m: 9

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 47

914 to 1,523 m: 71

under 914 m: 10 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 599

1,524 to 2,437 m: 33

914 to 1,523 m: 304

under 914 m: 262 (2000 est.)

South Africa Military

Military branches: South African National Defense Force or SANDF (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service or SAPS

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 11,469,812 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 6,977,328 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 466,399 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2 billion (FY00/01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY99/00)

Military - note: the National Defense Force continues to integrate former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces

South Africa Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Swaziland has asked South Africa to open negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom

Illicit drugs: transshipment center for heroin, hashish, marijuana, and possibly cocaine; cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana

@Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean Introduction Top of Page

Background: A decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 delimited a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - from the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit. The Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean).

Southern Ocean Geography

Location: body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and
Antarctica

Geographic coordinates: 65 00 S, 0 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica, and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude

Map references: Antarctic Region

Area: total: 20.327 million sq km

note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of the US

Coastline: 17,968 km

Climate: sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

Terrain: the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 meters over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep - its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 meters (the global mean is 133 meters); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million square kilometers in March to about 18.8 million square kilometers in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers

Elevation extremes: lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench

highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources: probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin, manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs, squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fishes

Natural hazards: huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 meter thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue

Environment - current issues: increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish

note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries

Environment - international agreements: the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)

note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the very cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north

Geography - note: the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the very cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds

Southern Ocean Economy

Economy - overview: Fisheries in 1998-99 (1 July to 30 June) landed 119,898 metric tons, of which 85% was krill and 14% Patagonian toothfish. International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 1998-99 season landed five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery. In the 1999-2000 antarctic summer 13,193 tourists, most of them seaborne, visited the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, compared to 10,013 the previous year. Nearly 16,000 tourists are expected during the 2000-01 season.

Southern Ocean Transportation

Ports and harbors: McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in
Antarctica

note: few ports or harbors exist on the southern side of the Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most of them to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by Antarctic Treaty observers

Transportation - note: Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal

Southern Ocean Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary in the Antarctica entry); sections (some overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and UK; the US and most other nations do not recognize the maritime claims of other nations and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Introduction Top of
Page

Background: The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. The famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses a small military garrison. The islands have large bird and seal populations and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 miles to 200 miles around each island.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Geography

Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic
Ocean, east of the tip of South America

Geographic coordinates: 54 30 S, 37 00 W

Map references: Antarctic Region

Area: total: 3,903 sq km

land: 3,903 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of some nine islands

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: NA km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use: arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants

note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in
March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the
British Antarctic Survey which also has a biological station on Bird
Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2001 est.)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Government Top of
Page

Country name: conventional long form: South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands

conventional short form: none

Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by UK civil commissioner Donald A. LAMONT, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is the garrison town

National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

Constitution: adopted 3 October 1985

Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the
UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Flag description: the flag of the UK is used

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Economy

Economy - overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.

Budget: revenues: $291,777

expenditures: $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA%

hydro: NA%

nuclear: NA%

other: NA%

Electricity - consumption: NA kWh

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Communications Top of Page

Telephone system: general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken

Radio broadcast stations: none

Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)

Internet country code: .gs

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Transportation Top of Page

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Grytviken

Airports: none

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Transnational Issues T op of Page

Disputes - international: claimed by Argentina

@Spain

Spain Introduction

Background: Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II, but suffered through a devastating Civil War (1936-39). In the second half of the 20th century, it has played a catch-up role in the western international community. Continuing concerns are large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement.

Spain Geography

Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 504,782 sq km

land: 499,542 sq km

water: 5,240 sq km

note: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - Ceuta, Melilla, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries: total: 1,917.8 km

border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline: 4,964 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land

Land use: arable land: 30%

permanent crops: 9%

permanent pastures: 21%

forests and woodland: 32%

other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 34,530 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification

Geography - note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of
Gibraltar

Spain People

Population: 40,037,995 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 14.62% (male 3,015,851; female 2,835,763)

15-64 years: 68.2% (male 13,701,065; female 13,605,314)

65 years and over: 17.18% (male 2,881,334; female 3,998,668) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 9.26 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 9.13 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.93 years

male: 75.47 years

female: 82.62 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.15 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.58% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 120,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Spaniard(s)

adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Languages: Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97%

male: NA%

female: NA%

Spain Government

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain

conventional short form: Spain

local short form: Espana

Government type: parliamentary monarchy

Capital: Madrid

Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades
autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon,
Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Canarias (Canary Islands),
Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad
Valencian, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra,
Pais Vasco (Basque Country)

note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco: Ceuta and Melilla are administered as autonomous communities; Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera are under direct Spanish administration

Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)

National holiday: Hispanic Day, 12 October

Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968

head of government: President of the Government Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (since 5 May 1996); First Vice President Juan Jose LUCAS (since 28 February 2000) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy) Rodrigo RATO Figaredo (since 5 May 1996)

cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president

note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government

elections: the monarch is hereditary; president proposed by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections; election last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on proposal of the president

election results: Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (PP) elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 44%

Legislative branch: bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); Congress of Deputies - last held 12 March 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PP 127, PSOE 61, CiU 8, PNV 6, CC 5, PIL 1; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PP 44.5%, PSOE 34%, CiU 4.2%, IU 5.4%, PNV 1.5%, CC 1%, BNG 1.3%; seats by party - PP 183, PSOE 125, CiU 15, IU 8, PNV 7, CC 4, BNG 3, other 5

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Political parties and leaders: Basque Nationalist Party or PNV
[Xabier ARZALLUS Antia]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of
five parties) [Paulino RIVERO]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Jordi
PUJOL i Soley, secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic
Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Jordi PUJOL i Soley] and the
Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]);
Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Xose Manuel BEIRAS]; Party of
Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular
Party or PP [Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez]; Spanish Socialist Workers
Party or PSOE [Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a
coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties)
[Gaspar LLAMAZARES]

Political pressure groups and leaders: business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; Euskal Herritarok or EH [Herri BATASUNA]; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the government; Opus Dei; Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university students; Workers Confederation or CC.OO

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA,
EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Francisco Javier RUPEREZ

chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: (202) 452-0100, 728-2340