The Constitution is the most important law in Spain. It was approved on 6 December 1978. The Constitution defines the organisation of Spanish territory, the organisation of the government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.

The Constitution defines the flag, the national anthem and the coat of arms as the symbols of the State.

The Constitution establishes Spain as a parliamentary monarchy. This means that the king or queen is the Head of State but Parliament is responsible for making and approving new laws.

Felipe VI is the Head of State, but he doesn’t establish laws. He represents Spain in international relations.

The Constitution establishes three powers: legislative, executive and judicial.

• Legislative power: Parliament is made up of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. Deputies and Senators make and develop the laws. They are elected in General Elections every 4 years by citizens who are 18 years old or over.

• Judicial power: Belongs to courts and tribunals, composed of judges and magistrates, they ensure that the laws are obeyed. The highest judicial bodies in Spain are: The Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.

• Executive power: Following the general elections the party with the most votes forms the Government, The Prime Minister is the head of the Government. The ministers work in different areas such as: education, health...

Spain is divided into 17 Autonomous Communities and two Autonomous Cities: Ceuta and Melilla. Autonomous Communities are made up of one or more provinces.

The absolute population of an area is the number of inhabitants in that area. The absolute population is constantly changing. These changes depend on the birth rates, death rates and immigration and emigration statistics.

The science that studies these characteristics is called demography.

Natural increase: Is the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths.

There are three types of migratory movements: international emigration, internal migration and international immigration. During the 20th century, Spain experienced all three.

• International emigration: People move to other countries and continents, in this case America, the north of Europe… to find jobs and new opportunities.

• Internal migration: This process is known as rural exodus. People from rural areas move to the bis cities to find jobs, this type of migration brought some consequences such as: overcrowded cities, environmental problems…

• International immigration: At the end of 20th century Spain started receiving immigrants from other countries.