Spain - Religions

Before 1978, Roman Catholicism was the official religion of Spain, but the constitution of 1978 established the principles of religious freedom and separation of church and state. The Roman Catholic Church does, however, continue to maintain certain privileges from the state. In 1998, government statistics indicated

LOCATION: 36° to 43°47′ N ; 3°19′ E to 9°30′ W. BOUNDARY LENGTHS: France, 623 kilometers (387 miles); Andorra, 65 kilometers (40 miles); Mediterranean coastline, 1,670 kilometers (1,038 miles); Gibraltar, 1 kilometer (0.6 miles); Portugal, 1,214 kilometers (754 miles); Atlantic and Bay of Biscay coastlines, 2,234 kilometers (1,388 miles). The Balearic Islands extend from 1°12′ to 4°19′ E and 38°38′ to 40°5′ N ; coastline, 910 kilometers (565 miles). The Canary Islands, 1,400 kilometers (900 miles) to the southwest, extend from 13°20′ to 18°19′ W and 27°38′ to 29°25′ N ; coastline, 1,126 kilometers (700 miles). TERRITORIAL SEA LIMIT: 12 miles.

that at least 93% of the population was Roman Catholic. However, in a poll conducted by the Center for Sociological Investigations in February 2002, only about 82% of respondents were nominally Catholic, with only 19% claiming to participate actively in church activities. In the same survey, 10% claimed to be nonbelievers or agnostics and 4% claimed to be atheists. Protestants, numbering about 350,000, are represented by the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities. The Federation of Spanish Islamic Entities (FEERI), located in Cordoba, reports that there are more than 450,000 Muslims, not counting illegal immigrants (who could total a quarter million). There are about 25,000 Jews registered; however, as many as 50,000 attend Jewish religious services. In addition, about 200,000 who profess Roman Catholicism still keep some Jewish practices; these people are descendants of the Marranos, the Spanish term for those who officially converted to Christianity but secretly practiced Judaism for centuries after all professing Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. There are also 3,000 registered Buddhists, but authorities claim there are at least three times that many in practice.