| Vital statistics |
Information |
|
| Area |
7,234 square kilometres |
|
| Population (2003) |
2,112,204 |
|
| Population density |
287.9 |
|
| Official languages |
Basque and Spanish |
|
| Capital |
Vitoria-Gasteiz |
|
| Airports |
3 |
|
| Major ports |
2 |
|
| Technology parks |
3 |
|
| Doctors |
4.7 per 1,000 inhabitants |
|
| Life expectancy |
76.4 years (Men)
83.7 years (Women) |
|
Ratios pupils/teacher
(2002-2003) |
9.6 (Secondary education) |
|
| Schooling ratios (3-15 years) |
100% |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| The economy |
Information |
|
The Basque economy in Spain:
|
|
4.94% of the Spanish population.
(Source: INE 2003)
6.38% of the Spanish GDP. (Source: INE 2002)
8.27% of Spanish exports. (Source: ECOMEX 2003)
5.67% of Spanish imports. (Source: ECOMEX 2003)
8.9% of state industrial production. (Source: INE 2002) |
|
GDP (Gross Domestic Product):
|
|
Year
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003 *
|
Euskadi
3.4%
3.5%
3.2%
5.0%
6.0%
4.9%
5.2%
2.9%
1.7%
2.4%
|
Spain
2.4%
2.8%
2.4%
4.0%
4.3%
4.2%
4.2%
2.7%
2.0%
2.4%
|
E.U. -15
2.8%
2.4%
1.6%
2.5%
2.9%
2.8%
3.5%
1.6%
1.0%
0.7%
|
|
* (estimates)
Source: EUSTAT, EUROSTAT, INE y OCDE |
|
| Gross Domestic product (GDP 2002 - Constant prices) |
42,491.56 million € |
|
| GDP per inhabitant (2003) |
- Europe 15: 100%
- Europe 25: 91.7%
- Basque Country: 107%
- Spain: 87%
|
|
| EU-25 ranking as per GDP per capita (pps in dollars) -In 2001 |
- Basque Country: 24,552
- Ranking: 8th
|
| Source: Directorate for Economic Affairs and Planning (PPS = Purchasing power standard) |
|
| Gross Added Value (2002. Constant prices) |
|
- Farming and fisheries
- Industry
- Building
- Services |
Euskadi
1.47%
32.68%
7.74%
58.12 % |
Spain
4.15%
23%
8.65%
64.20 % |
|
|
Working population by sectors (in thousands)2003
|
|
- Farming and fisheries
- Industry
- Building
- Services
TOTAL |
18.6 (2.08%)
247.2 (27.58%)
85.2 (9.51%)
545.2 (60.83%)
896.2 (100%) |
Foreign Trade
|
Exports 2003
|
28,924 million € |
- Rest of Spain: 17,171
- Other countries: 11,753
|
|
Imports 2003
|
29,662 million € |
- Rest of Spain: 19,209
- Other countries: 10,453
|
|
Export tendencies* (abroad)
(Data for 2003):
|
Basque Country:
Germany:
France:
Italy:
Spain:
|
26.15%
32.86%
23.53%
24.56%
27.94%
|
* Proportion of GDP accounted for by exports of goods and services, at constant prices.
Source: EUSTAT, INE, INSEE, DESTATIS, ISTAT |
|
| Degree of openness of the Basque economy 2003: |
- Basque Country: 131.85%
- Spain: 57.68%
|
| Source: Directorate for Economic Affairs and Planning based on data provided by EUSTAT (Basque Institute of Statistics) and INE (Spanish Institute of Statistics) |
| Definition of the degree of openess of Euskadi: ratio of imports plus exports of goods, and services both abroad and to the rest of the Sapain over GDP (at current prices) |
|
Gross disposable household income per capita
|
| *Variation in index in Euskadi (Index for Spain: 100 for 1995 & 2001): |
- 2001: 124.6 points
- 1995: 119.8 points
|
| *Euro value - 2001: |
- Euskadi: 12,847 euro (Autonomous community with highest income)
- Spain: 10,313 euro
|
| Source: INE |
|
| Unemployment rate (2003) |
8.6% |
|
| Retail Price Index (2003) |
2.6% |
|
| Research & Development 2002 |
- Euskadi: 1.50% of GDP
- Spain: 1.03% of GDP
|
|
| Researches E.D.P. In relation to the active population (‰ ): |
- Euskadi (2002): 11.4
- Spain (2001): 7.8
- European Union (2001): 10.6
|
| E.D.P.: Equivalent to full time |
|
| Quality of Basque industry in % no. of quality certificates/6 million euros GDP |
10.92 (3rd in Europe, behind the United Kingdom and Ireland) |
|
| Source: The Basque Institute of Statistics (Eustat) |
| |
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Prehistoric man came to the western foothills of the Pyrenees in search of a place to settle and live. Close to the natural border formed by the mountains that stretch across the land joining the Iberian peninsula to the rest of Europe, he found what he was looking for.
The Basque Country covers a surface area of 20,664 square kilometers at the western end of the Pyrenees to the Bay of Biscay. Today it consists of seven districts which, for political and administrative purposes, form part of two different European countries: Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Navarre which are in Spain, and Lapurdi, Zuberoa and Benafarroa which are in France.
