ABSTRACT
The north/south divide that is evident in other European countries is evident in Spain in that the northern part of the country, particularly around Madrid, Barcelona and the northern industrial towns, is relatively rich compared to the southern regions. Spain is a young democracy, with the new constitution having been formed in 1978, two years after that of Portugal, and three years after Greece. A very large proportion of Spain is under forest or agriculture, and at 93% this is the highest in Europe. Partly as a consequence of this, and partly of a consequence of the regime which governed Spain prior to 1978, several major adjustments are still working their way through the Spanish political system. Each autonomous Region has a Legislative Assembly which is an elected body, elected by un. The main departmental responsibility within national government in Spain lies with the Ministry of Agriculture, within which there is a specialist institute for the conservation of nature.
