In 2011, Spain, along with Portugal, Ireland and Greece were popularly given the acronym
“PIGS." Their economic situation was so bad that they were expected to consume mass
bailouts from the European Union. But in the past 4 years, Spain has seen a lightening
fast recovery, and the highest economic growth in the EU as of 2015. So what is it about
Spain that helped them turn things around? Just how powerful is Spain?
Well, Spain is a relatively large country by European standards, coming in at roughly
200,000 square miles, or three quarters the size of Texas. This makes them the second
largest country in the EU, after France. But, Spain is only the 5th most populous with a
bit more than 45 million residents. Despite it’s smaller size, Spain’s historical
legacy is vast. As one of the first and largest colonial empires EVER, at their height they
controlled nearly 8 million square miles, covering 12% of the world’s population.
This mass influence has led to Spanish being the second most spoken first language in the
world.
But Spain has since lost its hold over much of the world, and become a peaceful EU member.
Today their GDP is around $1.4 trillion dollars, and ranks 14th globally. However, despite
their recent economic success, they’re still not quite in the clear. Spain’s unemployment
figures have exploded from about 8% in 2007 to 26% in 2013. Spain has also suffered from
high inflation, and one of the worst education systems among OECD nations. But, despite all
of this, Spain continues to rake in enormous amounts of revenue from tourism, and is one
of the most prolific tourist industries in the world. In 2006, tourism brought in 40
billion euros, comprising 5% of the entire country’s GDP. Spain is also one of the
largest renewable energy countries, with more solar power energy produced than even the
United States.
But how strong is their military? Well, their armed forces are comprised of an Army, Navy,
and Air Force, boasting roughly 140,000 total personnel. In 2015 they allocated about 6.3
billion dollars to defense, making up only about half a percent of their GDP. As NATO
members they are expected to contribute closer to 2%, and the US spends about 3.5%. Spain’s
military also contributes peacekeeping troops to the United Nations. Luckily, as an EU and
NATO member, Spain has mutual assurance pacts with the rest of Europe and the United States,
meaning they have little to fear in case of foreign belligerence.
Spain is a beautiful, large, inviting country with a formidable economy, sufficient military,
and storied history. But just how powerful is Spain? Well, with a weak education system,
high unemployment, and a dropping standard of living, Spain has many problems to tackle
before reaffirming their former global power.
Sure, Spain has a while to go to become a leading nation. France, on the other hand,
is among the top five most powerful countries in the WORLD. So how did France get so strong?
To find out, be sure to watch this video. Thanks for watching TestTube News! Please
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