Climate.—The climate varies much in different localities. On the elevated table-land it is both colder in winter and hotter in summer than usual under the same latitude. In the plains and on the coasts the hot summer is followed by a cold rainy season, terminating in April in a beautiful spring. The mean temperature at Malaga in summer is 77° F., in winter at Barcelona 77° and 50°; and at Madrid 75° and 44.6°. The rainfall is small; in the in terior between 8 and 12 inches per an num. In some parts of the S. the cli mate is almost tropical. The hot S. wind of Andalusia, known as the solano, and the cold N. wind called the gallego, are peculiar to Spain.
Vegetable Products and Agriculture.— About one-sixth of the acrez.ge is under wood; the more remarkable trees being the Spanish chestnut and several vari eties of oak, and in particular the cork oak. Fruits are extremely abundant, and include, in addition to apples, pears, cherries, plums, peaches, and apricots, the almond, date, fig, orange, citron, olive, and pomegranate; and in the lower districts of the S. the pineapple and banana. The culture of the vine is general, and great quantities of wine are made, both for home consumption and exportation. The more important farm crops are wheat, rice, maize, bar ley and legumes. In the S. cotton and the sugar cane are grown. Hemp and flax, esparto, the mulberry for rearing silk worms, saffron, licorice, are also to be mentioned. The only large animals in a wild state are the wolf, common in all the mountainous districts, and the bear and chamois, found chiefly in the Pyrenees. Domestic animals include the merino sheep in great numbers, horses, mules, asses, horned cattle, and pigs. The chief agricultural products in 1919 were as follows: Wheat, 77, 660,040 cwt.; barley, 33,946,488 cwt.; oats, 9,597,534 cwt.; rye, 12,295,808 cwt.; maize, 14,920,464 cwt. Other important products are rice, beans, kidney beans, peas, lentils, and tares. In 1919 3,300, 965 acres were employed in grape culti vation. The production was 7,914,252, 192 pounds of grapes, yielding 543, 904,788 gallons of wine. There are about 4,000,000 acres devoted to olive culture. The other important products are esparto, flax, hemp, and pulse. There are important industries connected with the preparation of wine and fruits. Silk culture is carried on in Valencia, Mur cia, and other provinces. There are about 30 sugar cane factories and about 40 beet root sugar factories.
Manufactures and Commerce.—The manufactures of Spain are not as a whole important, but considerable ad vances have been made in recent times. The most important industries are the manufacture of cotton, woolens and linens, cutlery and metal goods, paper, ,ilk, leather, tobacco, and cigars, be sides wine, flour, and oil. There are about 750 concerns engaged in the man ufacture of cotton. These employ about 70,000 looms with about 2,700,000 spin dles. In woolen manufacture there are about 9,000 looms with about 665,000 spindles. The paper-making industry is of importance. There are about 150 paper mills engaged in the making of writing, printing, packing, and cigarette paper. Other important industries are glass making and the manufacture of corks. The total imports in 1918 were valued at £24,394,077. The exports were valued at £37,917,084. The chief articles of import were cotton and its manufac tures, food stuffs, machinery, tobacco, gold, animals, wool, hair and silk. The chief articles of export are food stuffs and wine, metals and their manufac tures, drug and chemical products, cot ton and its manufactures, wool and its manufactures timber and its manufac tures, and animals and their products. The total value of wine exported in 1918 was £3,725,137. The larger number of imports are received from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The chief exports are to France, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Trans portation.—There are about 10, 000 miles of railway, of which about 7,000 are of normal gauge and about 4,000 of varying gauges. In October, 1919, the first underground electric rail way service in Spain was inaugurated in Madrid, which covers a distance of about 5 miles. The railway systems belong to private companies but are nearly all subsidized by the govern ment. There are about 70,000 miles of telegraph line and there is wireless con nection with all important countries. The merchant navy consisted in 1919 of 475 steamers of 691,328 tons net, and 448 sailing vessels of 74,970 tons net. The chief shipping centers are Bilbao and Barcelona.
Finances.—The total revenue in 1919 was 1,648,800,000 pesetas, and the ex penditure 2,065,065,000 pesetas. The es timated revenue in 1920-21 was 1,962, 830,000 pesetas, and the estimated expenditure 2,373,155,000 pesetas. The national debt on January 1, 1920, amounted to 12,026,280,212 pesetas.