Windmühlen bei Consuegra im Abendlicht. Foto: Unsplash/Enrique Jimenez.
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Spain

Consuegra

Spain

Science in Spain

Good weather, clear nights, plenty of islands - what attracts tourists to Spain also benefits a certain field of science: astronomy. Planetariums and observatories are located in many places in Spain. They profit from the few clouds and the low light pollution. On the whole, however, the country has a lot of catching up to do in the field of natural sciences due to historical reasons: the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the Franco dictatorship (1936-1975), which had a very conservative Catholic influence, made it difficult for science to develop. An economic crisis and a comparatively high unemployment rate followed. The unemployment rate today is still the second highest in the EU. In the meantime, however, the Spanish state is also trying to promote science in the country and has developed various strategies and funding programs.

The Facts

Population 46,354,321
Area 505,992 km²
Gross domestic product per capita in US-Dollar 30,374.5
Public expenditure on education (share of GDP) 4.0 %
Share of female researchers 40.5 %
Universities 266
Universities per 1 million inhabitants 5.70
Students 2,083,979
Expenditure on Research and Development (share of GDP) 2.0 (share of GDP)

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