Country · Europe
Spain
Kingdom of Spain
Spain is a country in Southern Europe. About 46.8 million people live there, in an area of 505 992 square kilometres. Its capital city is Madrid.
Picture credit: Jebulon (CC0) · Jebulon (CC0) · Jebulon (CC0) · Dmitry Dzhus (CC BY 2.0) · Felipe Gabaldón (CC BY 2.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Spain?
Spain lies in Southern Europe, on the continent of Europe.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 4 453 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 4 964 km long.
It shares a border with 5 countries: Andorra, France, Gibraltar, Morocco and Portugal.
How big is Spain?
Spain covers 505 992 square kilometres.
That is about 12 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 51st largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 92.5 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Spain?
About 46.8 million people live in Spain.
That is the 30th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Spanish.
They pay with the Euro (€).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 79 years.
The land of Spain
The land of Spain sits on average 660 metres above sea level.
Its coast runs for about 4 964 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 248 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Spain different?
A dish the country is known for: Tortilla española.
Websites from here often end in .es.
Spain and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 6 live in Spain.
It takes up about 0.38 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Europe the country ranks 4th of 45 by size, and 6th by population.
Spain and its neighbours
France, its largest neighbour, is about 1.1 times bigger.
France has more people: 67 million against 46.8 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 51 live wild in Spain: European badger, Eurasian otter, European rabbit, European brown hare, Common pipistrelle bat, Golden eagle and more. The highest mountain in the country is Teide, at 3 715 metres. The longest river in the country is the Ebro. The largest lake in the country is Gallocanta Lake.
European badger
Eurasian otter
European rabbit
European brown hare
Common pipistrelle bat
Golden eagle
Greater flamingo
Bottlenose dolphin
Wild boar
Red deer
Beech marten
Fire salamander
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
How big is Spain compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 19 times as big as Spain: 9 372 610 km² against 505 992 km². See both on one map
- Spain is about 2.1 times as big as the United Kingdom: 505 992 km² against 242 900 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Spain?
The capital of Spain is Madrid. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Spain?
About 46.8 million people live in Spain, which makes it the 30th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Spain?
How big is Spain?
Spain covers 505 992 square kilometres, making it the 51st largest country in the world. That is about 12 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in Spain?
The highest mountain in Spain is Teide, 3 715 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Spain?
The longest river in Spain is the Ebro, about 930 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Spain?
The largest lake in Spain is Gallocanta Lake. It covers about 14 km².
Which continent is Spain in?
Spain is in Europe, in the part called Southern Europe.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
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