Catalunya (Catalan)
Cataluña (Spanish)
Catalonha (Occitan)
Catalonia

Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Els Segadors
Capital	Barcelona
Official languages	Catalan, Spanish and Occitan. The Senyera (roughly meaning "signal flag" in Catalan) is a Vexillological symbol based on the Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon The Coat of arms of Catalonia is based on four red pallets on gold background which have been used since the Middle Ages on several coats of arms The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music (in Music theory and religious contexts or more generally a song (or composition of "Els Segadors" (The Reapers is the National anthem of Catalonia, an autonomous community within Spain. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan
Area  – Total  – % of Spain	Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Here is a list of the autonomous communities of Spain in order of Area. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions  Areas between 10000 km² and 100000 km² are listed here Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 3%
Population  – Total (2006)  – % of Spain  – Density	Ranked 2nd  7,134,697  16%  222. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different Here is a list of the autonomous communities and autonomous cities of Spain in order of Population ( 2005) 16/km²
Demonym  – English  – Spanish  – Catalan	Catalan, Catalonian  catalán (m); catalana (f)  català (m); catalana (f)
Statute of Autonomy	September 9, 1932, December 31, 1979 current: August 9, 2006
Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate seats	46  16
President	José Montilla Aguilera (PSC)
ISO 3166-2	CT
Generalitat de Catalunya

Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya; Spanish: Cataluña; Aranese Occitan: Catalonha), is an Autonomous Community of the Kingdom of Spain. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain 's Legislative branch. The Spanish Senate ( Senado de España in Spanish) is the upper house of Spain 's Parliament, the Cortes Generales. The functions of the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya have varied considerably over history in parallel with the attributions of the Generalitat itself José Montilla Aguilera (born January 15, 1955 in Iznájar, Córdoba, Spain) is the current president of the Generalitat Socialists' Party of Catalonia (Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya PSC is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. ISO 3166-2 is an ISO standard which defines Geocodes The section that applies to Spain codes the Provinces of Spain. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Autonomous Community of Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² with an official population of 7,210,508^[1] from which immigrants represent an estimated 12. 3% of the total population. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east (580 km coastline). This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Official languages are Catalan, Spanish and Aranese. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia

The capital city is Barcelona. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Catalonia is divided into four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. Barcelona is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Lleida ( Spanish: Lérida) is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia Tarragona is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its territory corresponds to most of the historical territory of the former Principality of Catalonia. The Principality of Catalonia ˈkætəˌloʊ̯nɪə (Principat de Catalunya Aranese: Principautat de Catalonha; Spanish: Principado de Cataluña

Contents 1 Legal status within Spain 2 Etymology 3 History 4 Language 4.1 Catalan 4.1.1 Literacy 4.1.2 Social use 4.2 Spanish 4.3 Aranese 5 Demographics 6 Politics 6.1 Law and government of Catalonia 6.2 Parties 6.3 Symbols of Catalonia 7 Economics 8 Transport 8.1 Airports 8.2 Commercial and passenger ports 8.3 Roads 8.4 Railways 9 Climate 10 Environmental policy 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Catalonia 12 Popular culture 13 Gallery of images 14 See also 15 References 16 External links

Legal status within Spain

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 declares that Spain is an indissoluble nation that recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government of the "nationalities" and regions that constitute it. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. ^[2] Catalonia, alongside Basque Country, Galicia and Andalusia self-ascribed as "nationalities" in the elaborations of their Statutes of Autonomy – the first three acceding to autonomy automatically – and more recently in their new Statutes or recent amendments Aragon, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands also did. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish

The 1979 as well as the current Statute of Autonomy, approved in 2006, state that "Catalonia, as a nationality, exercises its self-government constituted as an autonomous community in accordance with the Constitution and with the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, which is its basic institutional law. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. "^[3].

The Preamble of the 2006 Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia states the Parliament of Catalonia defined Catalonia as a nation, but that the "Spanish Constitution recognizes Catalonia's national reality as a nationality". The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia provides Catalonia's basic institutional regulations The Parliament of Catalonia (Parlament de Catalunya is the legislature of the Spanish Autonomous Community of Catalonia. A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered While this Statute was approved by and sanctioned by both the Catalan and the Spanish parliaments, and later by referendum in Catalonia, it has been legally contested by the surrounding Autonomous Communities of Aragon, Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community,^[4] as well as by the Partido Popular. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. The objections are based on various topics such as disputed cultural heritage but, especially, on the Statute's alleged breaches of the "solidarity between regions" principle enshrined by the Constitution in fiscal and educational matters. Cultural heritage ("national heritage" or just "heritage" is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or Society The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. As of December 2007, the Constitutional Court of Spain is assessing the constitutionality of the challenged articles; its binding conclusion is expected for 2008. The Constitutional Court of Spain (Tribunal Constitucional de España is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of

Etymology

The name of Catalunya, (Catalonia) began to be used in the 12th century in reference to the group of counties that comprised the Marca Hispanica, which gradually became independent from the French. The Marca Hispanica (or Spanish March, also March of Barcelona) was a Buffer zone beyond the province of Septimania, created by Charlemagne The origin of the term is subject to diverse interpretations. The most accepted theory suggests that Catalunya derives from the term "Land of Castles"^[5] , having evolved from the term castlà, the ruler of a castle (see castellan). A castellan was the Governor or caretaker of a Castle or Keep. ^[6] This theory, therefore, suggests that the term castellà, "Castilian" would have been synonymous. Castilian is a noun and adjective that refers to the region and former kingdom of Castile in Spain; in particular it may refer to a native person

Another theory suggests that Catalunya derives from Gotholàndia, "Land of the Goths" since the Franks usually designated the entire Iberian Peninsula as "Gothia". The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra A similar version is suggested in Encyclopædia Iranica - according to it, the name "is but a slight deformation of Goth-Alania, province of the Goths and Alans". Encyclopædia Iranica is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language Encyclopedia about the history culture and The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people ^[7]

Other theories suggest that the name derives from a mythical German prince, Otger Cataló, or from the Laketani, a Pre-Roman tribe that lived in the area, whose name, due to the Roman influence, evolved to Katelans and then Catalans. ^[8]

History

Main article: History of Catalonia

Like some other parts in the rest of the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula, Catalonia was colonized by Ancient Greeks, who settled around the Roses area. For other perspectives on the History of Catalonia, see also History of Europe; History of Spain; History of France; Crown of Aragon The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Roses is a Municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Alt Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. Both Greeks and Carthaginians (who, in the course of the Second Punic War, briefly ruled the territory) interacted with the main Iberian substratum. Carthage (Καρχηδών Karkhēdōn, Carthago from the Phoenician קרת חדשת phn-Latn Qart-ḥadašt meaning new town) refers The Second Punic War (referred to as "The War Against Hannibal" by the Romans lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western The Iberians were a set of peoples that Greek and Roman sources (among others Hecataeus of Miletus, Avienus, Herodot and Strabo After the Carthaginian defeat, it became, along with the rest of Hispania, a part of the Roman Empire, Tarraco being one of the main Roman posts in the Iberian Peninsula

It then came under Visigothic rule for four centuries after Rome's collapse. Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Tarragona (tərəˈɣonə in Catalan) is a city located in the south of Catalonia and east of Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. The Marca Hispanica (or Spanish March, also March of Barcelona) was a Buffer zone beyond the province of Septimania, created by Charlemagne The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial In the eighth century, it became under Moorish al-Andalus control. The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or Still, after the defeat of Emir Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi's troops at Tours in 732, the Franks conquered former Visigoth states which had been captured by the Muslims or had become allied with them in what today is the northernmost part of Catalonia. Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi (died 732 Arabic: عبد الرحمن الغافقي) also known as Abd er Rahman, Abdderrahman, Abderame The Battle of Tours (October 10 732 also called the Battle of Poitiers and in معركة بلاط الشهداء (ma‘arakat Balâṭ ash-Shuhadâ’ Battle of Court The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Charlemagne created in 795 which came to be known as the Marca Hispanica, a buffer zone beyond the province of Septimania made up of locally administered separate petty kingdoms which served as a defensive barrier between the Umayyad Moors of Al-Andalus and the Frankish Kingdom. Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his The Marca Hispanica (or Spanish March, also March of Barcelona) was a Buffer zone beyond the province of Septimania, created by Charlemagne In geography a buffer zone is any zonal area that serves the purpose of keeping two or more other areas (often but not necessarily countries) distant from one another Septimania was the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed under the control of the Visigoths in 462 when Septimania was ceded to A petty kingdom is an independent realm recognizing no suzerain and controlling only a portion of the territory held by a particular ethnic group or nation The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or Francia or Frankia, later also called the Frankish Empire (imperium Francorum Frankish Kingdom (Latin regnum Francorum, "Kingdom of the

The Catalan culture started to develop in the Middle Ages stemming from a number of these petty kingdoms organized as small counties throughout the northernmost part of Catalonia. The counts of Barcelona were Frankish vassals nominated by the emperor then the king of France, to whom they were feudatories (801-987). The Count of Barcelona was the major ruler in Catalonia from the 9th until the 17th century A vassal (also called feodary or fedary) in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of Medieval Europe,

In 987 the count of Barcelona did not recognize the French king Hugh Capet and his new dynasty which put it effectively out of the Frankish rule. Hugh Capet (c 940 &ndash 24 October, 996) was the first King of France of the eponymous Capetian dynasty from his election to succeed the Two years later, in 989, Catalonia declared its independence. Then, in 1137, Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona married Petronila of Aragon establishing the dynastic union of the County of Barcelona with the Kingdom of Aragon which was to create the Crown of Aragon. Ramon Berenguer IV Count of Barcelona also called Ramon the Holy (c Petronila, Petronilla, or Petronella ( Aragonese and Peronella Petronila Ramírez (1135 &ndash October 17 1174, Barcelona The Kingdom of Aragon was an old kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon ( The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon.

It was not until 1258, by means of the Treaty of Corbeil, that the king of France formally relinquished his feudal lordship over the counties of the Principality of Catalonia to the king of Aragon James I, descendant of Ramon Berenguer IV. The Treaty of Corbeil was an agreement signed on May 11, 1258, in Corbeil (today Corbeil-Essonnes, in the region of Île-de-France The Principality of Catalonia ˈkætəˌloʊ̯nɪə (Principat de Catalunya Aranese: Principautat de Catalonha; Spanish: Principado de Cataluña James I the Conqueror ( Catalan: Jaume el Conqueridor, Aragonese: Chaime lo Conqueridor, Spanish: Jaime el Conquistador This Treaty turned the de facto independence into a full de jure direct transition from French to Aragonese rule. It also solved a historic incongruence. As part of the Crown of Aragon, Catalonia became a great maritime power, helping to expand the Crown by trade and conquest into the Kingdom of Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and even Sardinia or Sicily. The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. The Christian Kingdom of Valencia, located in the Eastern shore of the Iberian Peninsula, was one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon. The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy.

In 1410, King Martin I died without surviving descendants. Martin of Aragon (1356 &ndash 31 May 1410) called the Elder, the Humane, the Ecclesiastic, was the King of Aragon, As a result, by the Pact of Caspe, Ferdinand of Antequera from the Castilian dynasty of Trastamara, received the Crown of Aragon as Ferdinand I of Aragon. The Compromise of Caspe made in 1412 was an act and resolution of parliamentary representatives on behalf of the Kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia and the County of Ferdinand I (Ferran - Catalan (Medina del Campo Castile 27 November 1380 &ndash Igualada Catalonia 2 April 1416) called of Antequera The House of Trastámara was a Dynasty of kings in the Iberian Peninsula, which governed in Castile from 1369 to 1504, Ferdinand I (Ferran - Catalan (Medina del Campo Castile 27 November 1380 &ndash Igualada Catalonia 2 April 1416) called of Antequera

His grandson, King Ferdinand II of Aragon married Queen Isabella of Castile in 1469; retrospectively, this is seen as the dawn of the Kingdom of Spain. Ferdinand II of Aragon the Catholic (Fernando II de Aragón y V de Castilla "el Católico" Ferran II d'Aragó "el Catòlic" Ferrando II d'Aragón Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. At that point both Castile and Aragon remained distinct territories, each keeping its own traditional institutions, Parliaments and laws. The Crown of Castile, as a historic entity is usually considered to have begun in 1230 with the third and definitive union of the two kingdoms of León and Castile The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. Political power began to shift away from Aragon toward Castile and, subsequently, from Castile to the Spanish Empire. The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries

For an extended period, Catalonia, as part of the Crown of Aragon, continued to retain its own usages and laws, but these gradually eroded in the course of the transition from feudalism to a modern state, fueled by the kings' struggle to have more centralized territories. The Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (also called La Seu) is the Gothic Cathedral seat of the Archbishop of Barcelona, Spain Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed Centralization (or centralisation) is the process by which the activities of an organization particularly those regarding decision-making become concentrated within Over the next few centuries, Catalonia was generally on the losing side of a series of wars that led steadily to more centralization of power in Spain, like the Reapers' War (1640–1652). The Catalan Revolt (known in Catalan as the Guerra dels Segadors or Reapers' War) affected a large part of Catalonia between the years of

The most significant conflict was the War of the Spanish Succession, which began when Charles II of Spain (the last Spanish Habsburg) died without a successor in 1700. In the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714 several European powers combined to stop French succession to the Spanish throne and what would likely have been a resulting Charles II ( November 6 1661, Madrid – November 1 1700, Madrid was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the Catalonia, as the other kingdoms which used to form the Crown of Aragon, mostly rose up in support of the Habsburg pretender Charles of Austria, while the rest of Spain mostly adhered to the French Bourbon claimant, Philip V. Charles VI (German Karl VI) ( October 1, 1685 &ndash October 20, 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. Philip V of Spain ( December 19, 1683 - July 9, 1746) born Philippe de France, Fils de France and duc d'Anjou Following the fall of Barcelona on 11 September 1714, the Crown of Aragon and its institutions were abolished by the Nueva Planta decrees, under which all its lands were incorporated, as provinces, into a united Spanish administration, as Spain moved towards a centralized government under the new Bourbon dynasty. The Siege of Barcelona was a battle at the end of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714 which pitted Archduke Charles (backed by Britain, Austria Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul Year 1714 ( MDCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Nueva Planta decrees (Decretos de Nueva Planta were a number of Decrees signed between 1707 and 1716 by Philip V &mdashthe first Bourbon king of Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. A centralized government is the Form of government in which power is concentrated in a central authority to which Local governments are subject The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty.

In the latter half of the 19th century, Catalonia became an industrial center; to this day it remains one of the most industrialised parts of Spain. In the first third of the 20th century, Catalonia gained and lost varying degrees of autonomy several times, receiving its first statute of autonomy during the Second Spanish Republic (1931). The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country This period was marked by politic unrest and the preeminence of the Anarchists during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939). Anarchist Catalonia ( July 21, 1936 – February 10, 1939) was the self-proclaimed Stateless territory and Anarchist The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of After the defeat of the Republic in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) which brought General Francisco Franco to power, his regime suppressed any kind of public activities associated with Catalan nationalism, Anarchism, Socialism, Democracy or Communism, such as publishing books on the matter or simply discussing them in open meetings. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid As part of this suppression the use of Catalan in government-run institutions and in public events was banned. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official During later stages of the Francoist regime, certain folkoric or religious celebrations in Catalan were resumed and tolerated. Use of Catalan in the mass media was forbidden, but was permitted from the early 1950s^[9] in the theatre. "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" Publishing in Catalan continued throughout the dictatorship. ^[10]

After Franco's death (1975) and with the adoption of a democratic Spanish constitution (1978), Catalonia recovered political and cultural autonomy. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. Today, Catalonia is one of the most economically dynamic regions of Spain. The Catalan capital and largest city, Barcelona, is a major international cultural centre and a major tourism destination. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia

Catalonia's second statute of autonomy, adopted by the Catalan government on 22 December 1979, officially recognized Catalonia as a nationality. The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia provides Catalonia's basic institutional regulations Then, the amended version approved on 9 August 2006 has defined Catalonia as a nation in the preamble. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation The precise meaning of the term nation is ambiguous as to not conflict with the Spanish Constitution. The Statute of Autonomy also establishes that "Catalonia wishes to develop its political personality within the framework of a State which recognizes and respects the diversity of identities of the peoples of Spain". After the charter was first passed in the regional parliament, it was then edited in conjunction with the Cortes Generales (Spanish bicameral parliament). The Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. Except the Partido Popular, all the other political parties represented in the Catalan autonomous Parliament endorsed the final redaction of the statute, which was then approved by means of a referendum held in June 2006 in which 73. The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. A referendum on the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia was held in Catalonia, Spain, on June 18, 2006. 9% voted for the autonomy plan and 20. 8% against it. The turnout was unprecedentedly low, at around 49% of the total census, which resulted in the highest abstention ever registered in Catalonia in a referendum. ^[11]

Language

Originating in the historic territory of Catalonia, Catalan is one of the three official languages and has enjoyed special status since the approval of the Statute of Autonomy of 1979 which declares it to be the language "proper to Catalonia". Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia ( Catalan: Estatut d'Autonomia de Catalunya; also Statute of Sau, Estatut de Sau, after the location ^[12] The other languages with official status are Spanish, which is the official language throughout Spain, and Aranese (a dialect of Occitan spoken in the Val d'Aran valley). Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan The Aran Valley (Era Val d'Aran la Vall d'Aran El Valle de Arán is a small valley (620

Under the Franco dictatorship Catalan was, until the 1970s, excluded from the state education system and all other official use. Immigration, and migration from other parts of Spain, had also reduced the social use of the language, especially in urban areas. In an attempt to reverse this decline the newly reestablished regional institutions of Catalonia embarked on a project of linguistic normalization of the Catalan language^[13] and has, since 1983, enforced laws which attempt to protect, and extend, the use of Catalan.

Today, Catalan is the language of the Catalan autonomous government and the other public institutions that fall under its jurisdiction. Basic public education is given in Catalan other than two hours per week of Spanish medium instruction. Businesses are required to display all information (e. g. menus, posters) in Catalan under penalty of legal fines; there is no obligation to display this information in either Aranese or Spanish. The use of fines was introduced in a 1997 linguistic law^[14] that aims to increase the use of Catalan.

According to the most recent linguistic census elaborated by the Government of Catalonia, 53. 4% of citizens declared Spanish as their native language, although a plurality claims Catalan as "their own language" (48. 8% Catalan compared to 44. 3% Spanish), and in most everyday uses, people who use exclusively Catalan or both languages equally are in the majority. ^[15] The law, therefore, ensures that both Catalan and Spanish – being official languages – can be used by the citizens without prejudice in all public and private activities^[16] even though the Generalitat usually uses Catalan in its communications and notifications addressed to the general population. The citizens can also receive information from the Generalitat in Spanish if they so desire. ^[17]

Finally, since the Statute of Autonomy of 1979, Occitan, in its Aranese variety (a dialect of Gascon), has been official and subject to special protection in the Val d'Aran (Aran Valley). The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia ( Catalan: Estatut d'Autonomia de Catalunya; also Statute of Sau, Estatut de Sau, after the location Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan Gascon (Gascon; French,) is a dialect of the Occitan language. The Aran Valley (Era Val d'Aran la Vall d'Aran El Valle de Arán is a small valley (620 This small area of 7,000 inhabitants was the only place where Occitan (spoken mainly in France and some Italian valleys) received full official status. However, on 9 August 2006, when the new Statute came into force, Occitan became official throughout Catalonia. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Language in which the Catalans identify themselves (2003)[15]
	Maternal language	Own language	Usual language
Catalan	40. 4 %	48. 8 %	50. 1 %
Spanish	53. 5 %	44. 3 %	44. 1 %
Both	2. 8 %	5. 2 %	4. 7 %
Aranese	0. 1 %	0. 0 %	0. 0 %
Other languages	3. 2 %	1. 7 %	1. 1 %

Catalan

Main article: Catalan language

The Catalan-speaking world Autonomous Community of Catalonia Language Grammar Phonology and orthography Institut d'Estudis Catalans Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua History History of Catalonia · Counts of Barcelona Crown of Aragon · Military history of Catalonia Catalan constitutions · Furs of Valencia Treaty of the Pyrenees · Nueva Planta decrees Geography Països Catalans Catalonia · Valencia · Balearic Islands Northern Catalonia · Franja de Ponent Andorra · L'Alguer · Carxe Government and Politics Generalitat de Catalunya Generalitat Valenciana Govern de les Illes Balears Consell General de les Valls (Andorra) Politics of Catalonia Catalan nationalism Traditions Castells · Correfoc · Falles · Sardana ·  Moros i cristians · Caganer · Tió de Nadal Botifarra · Barça · Paella · Rumba Myths and legends Arts Catalan literature · Antoni Gaudí · Modernisme La Renaixença · Noucentisme Salvador Dalí · Joan Miró · Antoni Tàpies This box: view • talk • edit

Catalan, a Romance language, is regarded by many linguists as belonging to the Iberian Romance^[18] sub-family (which also includes Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, and Aragonese), while others classify it within the Gallo-Romance^[19] sub-family (which includes French, Occitan and Gallo-Italian) languages. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Catalan grammar is the Grammar of the Catalan language. Morphology For general discussion of morphology (not specific to Catalan see main article The Phonology of Catalan, a Romance language, has a certain degree of dialectal variation This article covers the Orthography of Catalan, a Romance language. The Institut d'Estudis Catalans (Institute for Catalan Studies or IEC is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture The Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua ( AVL) - Valencian Academy of the Language - is an institution created on September 16, 1998 by the For other perspectives on the History of Catalonia, see also History of Europe; History of Spain; History of France; Crown of Aragon The Count of Barcelona was the major ruler in Catalonia from the 9th until the 17th century The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. Origins The origins of the military force in Catalonia soar to the 13th century, with the Sagramental, the fraternity among several villages to guarantee their Origin The Corts of Barcelona The Catalan constitutions were promulgated by the Corts of Barcelona ( corts being the Catalan for courts Furs of Valencia ( Furs de València, in Valencian) were the laws of the Kingdom of Valencia during most of Middle Ages and The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years' War. The Nueva Planta decrees (Decretos de Nueva Planta were a number of Decrees signed between 1707 and 1716 by Philip V &mdashthe first Bourbon king of Different meanings Països Catalans is a polysemic expression and so it has different meanings depending on the context The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The term La Franja ("The Strip" more properly Franja de Aragón or Franja de Poniente "Western Strip" in Spanish) Franja d'Aragó Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra ( Catalan: Principat d'Andorra) is a small Landlocked country in western Alghero ( l'Alguer in Catalan and S'Alighèra in Sardinian) is a town of about 42000 inhabitants (down from 54300 inhabitants since early El Carche ( el Carxe in Valencian) is a mountainous sparsely populated area in Murcia, Spain, lying between the municipalities Jumilla The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self government institutions under which the Spanish Autonomous community of Valencia is politically The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The General Council of the Valleys (in Catalan, Consell General de les Valls) is the Unicameral Parliament of Andorra. Catalonia is a Spanish Autonomous Community with a high-level of self-government Catalan Nationalism, or Catalanism (from Catalanisme in Catalan) is a political movement advocating for either further political A castell is a human tower traditionally built during festivals in many places in Catalonia, Spain. Correfocs are amongst the most striking of Catalonia 's festive events " Devils quot play with Fire and with the people The Falles (in Valencian) are a Valencian traditional celebration in praise of Saint Joseph in Valencia Spain. The sardana (Catalan plural sardanes) is a type of Circle dance typical of Catalonia. Moros y Cristianos (in Spanish) or Moros i Cristians (in Valencian) literally means Moors and Christians, and A Caganer (kəɣəˈne is a little statue found in Catalonia, in neighbouring areas with Catalan culture such as Andorra, and in other parts of Spain Portugal and The Tió de Nadal (roughly "Christmas Log" also known as "Tió" (trunk or log a big piece of cut wood or "Tronca" ("log" Botifarra (butiˈfarə is the Catalan name for the Roman Sausage lucanica, made of raw pork and spicesthe recipe for which is still used today in Italy and other parts of the Fútbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona known familiarly as Barça (Spanish ˈbaɾsa Catalan Paella (pa'eʎa is an internationally famous dish consisting of White rice, Meat, Seafood, Beans and Vegetables (depending on Catalan myths and legends are the traditional myths and Legends of the Catalan -speaking world especially Catalonia itself passed down for generations Catalan literature is the name conventionally used to refer to Literature written in the Catalan language. Catalan Modernisme (not to be confused with Modernism) was the Catalan equivalent to a number of fin-de-siècle movements such as Symbolism, The Renaixença (rənəˈʃɛnsə was an early 19th century late romantic revivalist movement in Catalan language and culture akin to the Noucentisme ( Noucentista being its adjective was a Catalan cultural movement of the early 20th century that originated largely as a reaction against Modernisme Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech 1st Marquis of Púbol (May 11 1904 &ndash January 23 1989 was a Spanish Catalan Surrealist Joan Miró i Ferrà ( April 20, 1893 &ndash December 25, 1983) was an ethnic Catalan (of Spanish nationality Antoni Tàpies (born in Barcelona, December 13, 1923) is a Spanish Catalan painter The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all Linguistics is the scientific study of Language, encompassing a number of sub-fields This article is about a subdivision of the Romance language family The Gallo-Romance branch of Romance languages includes French, Occitan, Arpitan, and several other languages spoken in modern France French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan Northern Italian (traditional name in Romance linguistics Padanian (recent name or Cisalpine (rare name is a linguistic set with different definitions It shares attributes with both linguistic groups.

Literacy

According to the 2001 Linguistic Census,^[20] about 5,900,000 people in Catalonia (nearly 95% of the population) understand the Catalan language. The percentage of people aged two and older who can speak, read and write Catalan is as follows:

Knowledge of Catalan (Total Population: 6,215,281) Ability Individuals Percentage Understands 5,872,202 94. 5% Speaks 4,630,640 74. 5% Reads 4,621,404 74. 4% Writes 3,093,223 49. 8%

As a result of the ongoing linguistic policies favouring Catalan, implemented in various degrees by the autonomous government during the last 20 years, knowledge of Catalan has advanced significantly in all these areas, with the ability to write it having experienced the most pronounced increase, from 31. Affirmative action in the United States|Employment equity (Canada|Reservation in India|Numerus clausus The term affirmative action describes many policies aimed at a historically 6% of the population in 1986 to 49. 8% in 2001.

By age groups, those between 10 and 29 have the highest level of Catalan-language literacy (e. g. , 98. 2% aged 10–14 understand it, and 85. 2% can write it); this is attributed to these individuals having received their education in Catalan.

Geographically, Catalan is understood in northwest Catalonia (High Pyrenees, Val d'Aran), at 97. The Aran Valley (Era Val d'Aran la Vall d'Aran El Valle de Arán is a small valley (620 4%, followed by south and western Catalonia, whereas Barcelona's metropolitan area sees the lowest knowledge, at 93. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia 8%. The situation is analogous for written-language skills, with central Catalonia scoring the highest percentages (61. 4%), and Barcelona the lowest (46. 4%).

Barcelona is one of the main centres of the Spanish publishing industry for both Spanish-language and Catalan-language publishing.

Social use

According to a study carried out in 2003 by the Generalitat de Catalunya,^[21] Catalan is used by 50. 1% of the population in everyday situations.

Over 55% of respondents use Spanish to address their parents (versus 42% who choose Catalan). This is attributed to extensive migration from other areas in Spain during the second half of the 20th century, as a consequence of which many Catalans have one or both parents born outside Catalonia. However, a majority (52. 6%) use Catalan with their children (compared to 42. 3% for Spanish). This can be attributed to some Spanish-speaking citizens shifting from their mother tongue to Catalan at home.

Outside the family, 48. 6% of the population indicate that they address strangers exclusively or preferentially in Catalan, while the proportion of those who use Spanish is 41. 7%, and 8. 6% claim to use both equally.

Spanish

Main article: Spanish language

The Spanish language developed from Vulgar Latin, with influences from Basque, Arabic and (to a lesser extent) Celtiberian, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, between Biscay and Cantabria. Vulgar Latin (in Latin sermo vulgaris, "folk speech" is a Blanket term covering the popular Dialects and Sociolects of the Latin Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Celtiberian (also known as northeastern Hispano-Celtic) is an extinct Indo-European language of the Celtic branch spoken by the Celtiberians The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Population Of the 1133444 people who live in Biscay about 35% live in the capital Bilbao and 88% in its metropolitan area. Cantabria is a Spanish province and Autonomous community with Santander as its capital city Most closely related to Leonese speech, it contains a higher degree of Basque influence than the latter. Asturian (Asturian Asturianu or Bable) is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, Astur-Leonese Subgroup, spoken in the

Aranese

Main article: Aranese language

According to the 2001 Aranese Linguistic Census,^[22] knowledge of Aranese in the Occitan-speaking territory of Aran is as follows:

Knowledge of Aranese
Ability	Individuals	Percentage
Understand	6,712	88. Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia 88%
Speak	4,700	62. 24%
Read	4,413	58. 44%
Write	2,016	26. 69%

Compared to previous data from 1996, the number of those able to understand Aranese has declined slightly (90. 5% in 1996), while at the same time there has been a marginal increase in the number of those able to write it (24. 97% in 1996).

By age groups, the largest percentage of those with knowledge of Aranese is in the 15-19 and 65-69 groups (both above 96%), while those aged 30-34 score lowest (just over 80%). Literacy is higher in the 10-19 group with over 88% declaring themselves able to read, and 76% able to write Aranese. Those over 80 are the least literate, with only about 1. 5% of them being able to write the language.

It is significant to note that in the Val d'Aran, those born outside Spain outnumber Spaniards born outside Aran and Catalonia in the active use of Aranese (17% of non-Spaniards can write Aranese, while the percentage for Spaniards excluding Catalans is 10%).

Demographics

The autonomous community of Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² with an official population of 7,134,697 (2006) from which immigrants represent an estimated 12. 3%. ^[23][24]

The Urban Region of Barcelona includes 5,327,872 people and covers an area of 4. The Urban Region of Barcelona is an area with a high population density in Catalonia, Spain. 268 km² and about 2. 5 million persons live in a radius of 25 km from Barcelona. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The first metropolitan crown of the Urban Region includes cities like l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Cornellà. L'Hospitalet de Llobregat or L'Hospitalet is a city to the immediate southwest of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and the second largest in Badalona ( Baetulo in Roman times is a city in Spain. It is located in Catalonia, in the ''comarca of the Barcelonès Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain, is a city It is situated on the south-east side of the Litoral range, with the Puig Castellar (299 m as its highest point Cornellà de Llobregat is a Municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. The main populations of the second crown are Terrassa, Sabadell, Montcada i Reixac, Granollers, Martorell, Molins de Rei, Rubí, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Gavà and Castelldefels. Terrassa is a Spanish city the fourth in Catalonia according to the number of the inhabitants Sabadell is the largest city in the comarca of the Vallès Occidental in Catalonia. Montcada i Reixac is a Municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Vallès Occidental in Catalonia, Spain. Granollers is a city near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital and most densely populated city of the Comarca of Martorell is a town near Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain, primarily known for its medieval Devil's bridge and as one of the most notorious Molins de Rei is a Municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. Sant Feliu de Llobregat is a city and municipality in Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona. Gavà is a municipality in Barcelona Province ( Catalonia, Spain) not to get confused with the village of Gava (or Gávavencsellő) in the Castelldefels is a town in the Baix Llobregat Comarca, in the province of Barcelona, in Catalonia Spain.

In 1900 the population of Catalonia was 1,984,115 people and in 1970 it was 5,107,606. ^[25] That increase was produced due to the demographic boom produced in Spain during the 60s and early 70s and also due to the large-scale internal migration produced from the rural interior of Spain to its industrial cities. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. In Catalonia that wave of internal migration arrived from several regions of Spain, especially Andalusia, Murcia and Extremadura. Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area The Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia (Spanish Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia) is one of Spain 's seventeen autonomous communities Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Catalonia

After Franco's death in 1975 and the adoption of a democratic constitution in Spain in 1978, Catalonia recovered, and extended, the powers granted in the statute of autonomy of 1932^[26] it had lost with the fall of the Second Spanish Republic^[27] at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 . Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of

The historical region has gradually achieved a greater degree of autonomy since 1979. The Generalitat holds exclusive jurisdiction in various matters including culture, environment, communications, transportation, commerce, public safety and local governments while it shares jurisdiction with the Spanish government in education, health and justice. ^[28]

There is significant Catalan nationalist sentiment present in a part of the population of Catalonia, which ranges from the desire for independence from Spain expressed by Catalan independentist, to a more generic demand of further autonomy expressed by others. Catalan independentism is a Political movement which supports the independence of Catalonia from Spain and France, this is usually

Law and government of Catalonia

Main article: Generalitat de Catalunya

The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia is the fundamental organic law, second only to the Spanish Constitution from which the Statute originates. The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia provides Catalonia's basic institutional regulations The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. The Catalan Statute of Autonomy establishes that Catalonia is organized politically through the Generalitat de Catalunya, conformed by the Parliament, the Presidency of the Generalitat, the Government or Executive Council and the other institutions created by the Parliament. The Parliament of Catalonia (Parlament de Catalunya is the legislature of the Spanish Autonomous Community of Catalonia.

The seat of the Executive Council is the city of Barcelona. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Since the restoration of the Generalitat through the return of democracy in Spain, the presidents of Catalonia have been Jordi Pujol (1980-2003), Pasqual Maragall (2003-2006) and incumbent José Montilla Aguilera. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The functions of the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya have varied considerably over history in parallel with the attributions of the Generalitat itself Jordi Pujol i Soley (born June 9, 1930) was the leader of the party Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC from 1974 to 2003 and Pasqual Maragall i Mira (born January 13, 1941 in Barcelona) was the 127th President of Generalitat de Catalunya (the government of José Montilla Aguilera (born January 15, 1955 in Iznájar, Córdoba, Spain) is the current president of the Generalitat

Catalonia is divided into four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. Barcelona is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Lleida ( Spanish: Lérida) is a province of north-eastern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Catalonia Tarragona is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Local governments include comarques (roughly equivalent to counties), as well as smaller forms of municipal administration. This is a list of the comarques (singular "comarca") of Catalonia ( Spain)

Catalonia has its own police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, whose origins trace back to the eighteenth century. Girona ( Catalan: Girona ʒiˈɾonə Spanish: Gerona xeˈɾona is a city located in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain Mossos d'Esquadra (lit English: "Squad Lads" is the Police force of Catalonia, one of the Autonomous communities of Spain, along Since 1980 they are under the commandment of the Generalitat, and since 1994 it is expanding in order to replace the Spain-wide Guardia Civil and Policía Nacional, which report directly to the Homeland Department of Spain. The Civil Guard ( Guardia Civil) is the Spanish Gendarmerie. It has both military and civilian functions The Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, (National Police Corps is the national civilian police force of Spain. These corps are to retain a limited number of agents within Catalonia to exercise specific functions such as overseeing ports, airports, coasts, international borders, custom offices, identification documents, control of armament amongst others.

Most of the justice system is administered by national judicial institutions. The legal system is uniform throughout Spain, with the exception of so-called "civil law", which is administered separately within Catalonia. Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world. ^[29]

After Navarre and the Basque Country, Catalonia is the Spanish region with the highest degree of Autonomy. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain.

Parties

• CiU — Convergència i Unió (Convergence and Unity) - federation
  • CDC &;mdash; Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (Democratic Convergence of Catalonia)
  • UDC — Unió Democràtica de Catalunya (Democratic Union of Catalonia)
• PSC-PSOE — Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya-Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Socialist Party of Catalonia-Spanish Socialist Workers' Party)
• ERC — Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia)
• ICV-EUiA — Iniciativa per Catalunya-Verds – Esquerra Unida i Alternativa (Initiative for Catalonia-Greens – United and Alternative Left)
• PP — Partit Popular (People's Party)
• Ciutadans — Partido de la Ciudadanía (Citizens - Citizenship Party)

Symbols of Catalonia

Catalonia has its own representative and distinctive symbols: the Catalan flag, the song Els Segadors and the National Day of Catalonia. Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió CiU) is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Democratic Convergence of Catalonia ( Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya) is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Democratic Union of Catalonia is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. Socialists' Party of Catalonia (Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya PSC is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is The Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ERC) is a left-wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain campaigning for United and Alternative Left ( Catalan: Esquerra Unida i Alternativa, EUiA) is a Political party from Catalonia, Spain The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. The Citizens – Party of the Citizenry ( Ciutadans – Partit de la Ciutadania in Catalan, in Spanish Ciudadanos – Partido de la Ciudadanía The Senyera (roughly meaning "signal flag" in Catalan) is a Vexillological symbol based on the Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon "Els Segadors" (The Reapers is the National anthem of Catalonia, an autonomous community within Spain. On September 11, Catalonia ( Spain) commemorates the 1714 Siege of Barcelona defeat during the War of the Spanish Succession. ^[30]

• The flag of Catalonia commonly called as Senyera ( meaning flag in the Catalan language ) is a vexillological symbol based on the coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which consists of four red stripes on a golden background. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official The design and description of Flags typically uses specialised flag terminology' with precise and technical meanings and is hence a form of Jargon. A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. It is an official symbol since the Statute of Catalonia of 1932.
• The National Day of Catalonia^[31] is on September 11 and it is commonly called as La Diada. Events 9 - The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ends 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul It commemorates the 1714 Siege of Barcelona defeat during the War of the Spanish Succession. The Siege of Barcelona was a battle at the end of the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714 which pitted Archduke Charles (backed by Britain, Austria In the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714 several European powers combined to stop French succession to the Spanish throne and what would likely have been a resulting
• The national anthem of Catalonia is Els Segadors and was written in its present form by Emili Guanyavents in 1899. "Els Segadors" (The Reapers is the National anthem of Catalonia, an autonomous community within Spain. The song is official by law from the February 25 of 1993. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor ^[32][33] It is based on the events of 1639 and 1640 when Catalans fought for independence against Philip IV in the so called Catalan Revolt. Philip IV (es ''Felipe IV'' pt ''Filipe III'' ( 8 April, 1605 &ndash 17 September, 1665) was King of Spain between 1621 and The Catalan Revolt (known in Catalan as the Guerra dels Segadors or Reapers' War) affected a large part of Catalonia between the years of
• La Diada de Sant Jordi is widely celebrated in all the towns of Catalonia on April 23rd. St George's Day is celebrated by several nations kingdoms countries and cities of which Saint George is the Patron saint, including England, the Events 215 BC - A temple is built on the Capitoline Hill dedicated to Venus Erycina to commemorate the Roman defeat at It is a day where in addition to the exchange of books and roses, Catalans will proudly display their Catalan flags or Senyera as a show of national pride. The Senyera (roughly meaning "signal flag" in Catalan) is a Vexillological symbol based on the Coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon

Economics

The GDP of Catalonia in 2005 was € 170,450 million^[34] and Per capita GDP was $24,858, ranking 4th among autonomous communities in Spain.

The Catalan economy is distinguished by its industrial profile. ^[35] The distribution of sectors is the following one:

• Primary sector: 2. 8%
• Secondary sector: 37. 2%
• Tertiary sector: 60%

The GDP growth is 3,3%,^[36] the land dedicated to agricultural use is 33%.

Catalonia is the first tourist destination of Spain. The main tourist destinations of Catalonia are the city of Barcelona, the beaches of the Costa Brava at Girona and the Costa Daurada at Tarragona. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Girona ( Catalan: Girona ʒiˈɾonə Spanish: Gerona xeˈɾona is a city located in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain Tarragona (tərəˈɣonə in Catalan) is a city located in the south of Catalonia and east of Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. In the Pyrenees there are 10 ski resorts: Baqueira Beret, the Molina, Espot Ski, the Masella, Port Ainé, Vall de Núria, Boí Taüll, Port of the Comte, Flat of Peguera, Tavascan and Vallter 2000. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés

From the financial point of view the saving banks have a great implantation in Catalonia. 10 of the 46 Spanish savings banks are Catalan and "La Caixa" is the first savings bank of Europe. "la Caixa" is the common name for the Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona ( Spanish: Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona A savings bank is a Financial institution whose primary purpose is accepting Savings deposits ^[37] The first private bank originated in Catalonia is "Banc Sabadell" ranking fourth of the Spanish private banks. Private banks are Banks that are not incorporated. A non-incorporated bank is owned by either an individual or a general partner(s with limited partner(s Banco Sabadell SA, ( is a major Catalan Bank headquartered in Sabadell. ^[38]

The Stock market of Barcelona, that in 2004 negotiated almost 205,000 million euros, is the second most important of Spain after the Stock market of Madrid and Fira de Barcelona organizes samples and congresses of international character on varied sectors of the economy.

The main economic cost for the Catalan families is the purchase of a house. According to data of the Society of Appraisal on the 31 of December of 2005 Catalonia is, after Madrid, the second community of Spain where the price of the house is more expensive: 3,397 euros for a square meter are paid by average. By cities, nevertheless, Barcelona is the most expensive city of Spain, with an average price of 3,700 euros for a square meter. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia

The most commonly cultivated crops in Catalonia are maize, potatoes, forage, vines, olives and cereals. Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae A vine is any plant of Genus Vitis (the Grape plants or by extension any similar climbing or trailing plant The Olive ( Olea europaea) is a Species of small Tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Also commonly practiced are horticulture and animal husbandry; most important to the latter are porcine livestock, bovine livestock and ovine livestock. Horticulture is the art and science of plant cultivation Horticulturists (or horticuluralists) work and conduct research in the fields of Plant propagation Animal husbandry, also called Animal science, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agricultural practice of breeding Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times The biological Subfamily bovines includes a diverse group of 10 species of medium to large sized Ungulates including domestic Cattle, Bison, Water

Transport

Airports

• Barcelona International Airport
• Girona-Costa Brava Airport
• Reus Airport
• Sabadell Airport

Commercial and passenger ports

• Port of Barcelona
• Port of Tarragona
• Port of Palamós

Roads

see also List of autopistes and autovies in Catalonia

There are 12,000 km of roads throughout Catalonia. Barcelona International Airport, also known as El Prat, is the main Airport serving Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Girona-Costa Brava Airport is an Airport located 12 km south of the city of Girona, next to the small village of Vilobí d'Onyar, in the north-east The Reus Airport is located by the beaches of Costa Daurada, equidistant in relation to the towns of Constantí and Reus and approximately 7 The Sabadell Airport is located next to the city of Sabadell, 10 km from Barcelona. Palamós is a town and municipality in the Mediterranean Costa Brava, located in the comarca of Baix Empordà, in the province of Primary highways managed by the Spanish Government The following highways (freeways or not are managed by the Spanish Government.

The principal highway is AP-7 know also as Autopista del Mediterrani. The Autopista AP-7 (also called Autopista del Mediterráneo) is a Spanish Autopista ( Limited-access highway) It follows the coast from the French Border to Valencia, located south of Tarragona. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to The main roads generally radiate from Barcelona. The A-2 and AP-2 connect inland and onward to Madrid.

Other major roads are:

• AP-2
• A-2
• N-II
• C-12
• A-16 or C-32
• C-16
• C-17
• C-25
• A-26
• C-32
• C-60

Railways

Catalonia saw the first railway construction in Iberian Peninsula in 1848, linking Barcelona with Mataró. The Autopista AP-2 is a highway ( Autopista) in the north of Spain that connects the northern coast with the eastern coast of the country The Autovía A-2 (also called Autovia del Nordeste) is a Spanish Autovía and Autopista route which starts in Madrid and ends in Barcelona N-II was the former name for the Route Nacional from Madrid to Barcelona and France. The C-12 is a highway in Catalonia, Spain, that connects Lleida with Tortosa and the Ebre river delta The Autovia A-16 was a highway in north east Spain. It has subsequently been re-numbered Autopista C-32 and comprises a motorway built along the coast C-16 or Eix del Llobregat is a primary Highway in Catalonia, Spain. C-17 or Eix del Congost is a primary Highway in Catalonia, Spain. C-25 or Eix Transversal ( English translation Transverse axis is a primary Highway in Catalonia, Spain. Autovía A-26 or Autovía del Eje Pirenaico (in Spanish) or Autovia del Eix Pirenenc (in Catalan) is a long-term project of the spanish C-32 is a primary Highway in Catalonia, Spain. It was created in 2004 by merging three sections of existing autopistas and C-60 highway is also called Autopista Mataró - Granollers. This is a freeway in Catalonia, Spain that connects Mataró (the capital of The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Mataró (Iluro is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Given the topography most lines radiate from Barcelona. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The city has both suburban and inter-city services. The main east coast line runs through the province connecting with French Railways at Portbou on the coast. Portbou is a town in the Alt Empordà comarca, in Girona province, Catalonia, Spain.

The railroad companies operating in Catalonia are FGC and RENFE. Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government Railways or FGC, is a Railway company which operates several unconnected lines in Catalonia Renfe Operadora is the State-owned company which operates freight and passenger Trains on the 1668-mm " Iberian gauge " and 1435-mm "

High speed AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) services from Madrid currently reach Lleida, Tarragona and Barcelona. Ave! or aue! is a Latin phrase used by the Romans as a salutation and Greeting, meaning 'hail' Lleida (Standard Central Catalan ˈʎejðə or North-Western Catalan; Spanish Lérida, though officially referred as Lleida Tarragona (tərəˈɣonə in Catalan) is a city located in the south of Catalonia and east of Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The official opening between Barcelona and Madrid was on 20 February 2008. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. The journey between Barcelona and Madrid lasts about 2 and a half hours. Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Construction has commenced to extend the high speed line northwards to connect with the French high speed network. This new line passes through Girona and a rail tunnel through the Pyrenees. Girona ( Catalan: Girona ʒiˈɾonə Spanish: Gerona xeˈɾona is a city located in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain

Climate

The climate of Catalonia is mediterranean in general, but with a lot of different microclimates. On the coast summers are hot with common sea breezes (max. 30ºC). Rain is scarce in this season but there can be late summer storms. Winter is cool and rain is possible. The most rainy months are September, October and November, and April and May in Spring. The interior of Catalunya is hotter in the summer but with rainstorms, more possible near mountainous regions, temperatures can reach 35ºC or more, even 40ºC is not rare, but not common. Nights are cool, (14º-16ºC). Autumn is rainy but with many sunny days and cooler temperatures, and Winter can be very cold, temperatures below 0ºC very common,temperatures can go down to -10ºC. Fog is very common in valleys and plains in Winter, Autumn and Spring. Spring is a nice season, with warm temperatures but cold nights, frost is common until April. Rainy days are possible at this time, but lots of sunshine too. The mountains regions like the Pyrenees and others are rainier and cooler in summer but colder in Winter with snow.

Environmental policy

Awareness of environmental problems tends to be much lower in Catalonia (and in Spain as a whole) than in northern Europe. Carbon dioxide emissions in Catalonia have increased by 40% since 1992, and 60% of the region's electricity comes from aging nuclear power stations (a figure only exceeded in Europe by France and Lithuania). Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Despite Catalonia's change of government in 2004 from the long time ruling conservative/nationalist CiU to a "catalanist/social/green" tripartite coalition of PSC, ERC, and ICV parties, there is little evidence of greater concern for the environment. ICV was put in charge of the Department of Environment, but has largely continued the outgoing administration's policies. Initiative for Catalonia Greens ( Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds, ICV is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Department's decision to build the controversial Bracons tunnel through an area of outstanding natural beauty, and a plan to situate an incinerator burning 90,000 metric tonnes of industrial waste^[39] in a heavily-populated valley are two of the mentioned issues.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Catalonia

There are several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Catalonia:

• Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Tarragona
• Catalan Romanesque Churches at Vall de Boí
• Poblet Monastery, Poblet, Tarragona province
• Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona
• Works of Antoni Gaudi:
  • Sagrada Família, Barcelona
  • Parc Güell, Barcelona
  • Palau Güell, Barcelona
  • Casa Milà (La Pedrera), Barcelona

Popular culture

Castellers are one of the main manifestations of the Catalan popular culture . United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Tarragona (tərəˈɣonə in Catalan) is a city located in the south of Catalonia and east of Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which The Vall de Boí is a narrow steep-sided Valley and a small municipality in the Spanish province of Lleida, in the autonomous community The Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1151, located in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, in Catalonia The Palau de la Música Catalana (Palace of Catalan Music is a concert hall designed in the Catalan modernista style by the architect Lluís Domènech i The present Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau ( Catalan for Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul) in the Guinardó, Barcelona, Catalonia Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (official Catalan nameTemplo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia "Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family" often simply Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Park Güell is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia The Palau Güell is a town mansion (translated literally a "palace" in Barcelona, Catalonia, designed by the Catalan Architect Antoni Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera ( Catalan for 'The Quarry' is a building designed by the Catalan Architect, Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona ( Catalan bəɾsəˈlonə Spanish baɾθeˈlona is the capital and most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia A castell is a human tower traditionally built during festivals in many places in Catalonia, Spain. The activity consists on the construction of human towers by colles castelleres (teams) that compete among them. This practice was originated in the southern part of Catalonia during the XVIII century.

The sardana is the most characteristic Catalan popular dance, other groups also practice Ball de bastons, moixiganga or jota in the southern part. The sardana (Catalan plural sardanes) is a type of Circle dance typical of Catalonia. Ball de bastons ( Catalan for "stick dance" is the name of a ritual Weapon dance spread throughout Europe and the rest of the Iberian area ( The jota is a dance known throughout Spain, most likely originating in Aragon. Musically the Havaneres are also characteristic in the marine localities of the Costa Brava specially during the summer months when this songs are sung outdoors always accompanied by a tasting of burned rum. Catalunya (in Spain and France) has one of the oldest documented musical traditions in Europe and has had a rich musical culture continuously for at least two thousand The Costa Brava is a coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and As opposed to other more traditional parts of Spain, flamenco is not popularly performed, but rather the rumba is a more prevalent dance style.

In the greater celebrations other elements of the Catalan popular culture are usually present: the parades of giants and correfocs of devils and firecrackers. Correfocs are amongst the most striking of Catalonia 's festive events " Devils quot play with Fire and with the people Another traditional celebration of Catalonia is La Patum de Berga declared oral and immaterial patrimony of the Humanity by UNESCO in the 25 of November of 2005. The Patum de Berga, or simply " La Patum " is a popular and traditional festival that is celebrated each year in the Catalan city of Berga during ^[40]

In addition to the own manifestations of the Catalan traditional culture and fruit of the great immigration from other Spanish regions people can enjoy other cultural manifestations.

Gallery of images

Sagrada Família, Barcelona	Girona's Cathedral	Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco, Tarragona	La Seu Vella, Lleida
The Aran valley	Church of Sitges	Dali Museum, Figueres

See also

• Catalonia travel guide from Wikitravel
• Caga Tió
• .cat
• Països Catalans
• Cuisine of Catalonia
• Famous Catalan People
• History of Catalonia
• National Day of Catalonia
• Catalan nationalism
• Northern Catalonia
• Principality of Catalonia
• List of rivers of Catalonia
• Barcelona
• Tarragona
• Lleida
• Girona
• Catalan wine
• Agrupació Astronòmica de Sabadell
• Sport in Catalonia

References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

External links

• The Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia)
• Statistical information from Idescat (Catalan Institute of Statistics)
• Institut d'Estudis Catalans (Institute of Catalan Studies)
• Lletra. Catalan Literature Online
• Lletra. espai virtual de literatura catalana
• Catalan Hyperencyclopaedia: Encyclopedia with information about Catalonia in English
• A guide to the natural history of Catalonia
• The Spirit of Catalonia. Digital edition of the 1946 book by Oxford Professor Dr. Josep Trueta, in English. Josep Trueta i Raspall (1897–1977 was a Catalan medical doctor
• Fundació d'Estudis Històrics de Catalunya
• Catalonian rumba - Rumba catalana - Music from Catalonia

edit	Comarques of Catalonia
Comarques of Autonomous Community of Catalonia
Alt Camp | Alt Empordà | Alt Penedès | Alt Urgell | Alta Ribagorça | Anoia | Bages | Baix Camp | Baix Ebre | Baix Empordà | Baix Llobregat | Baix Penedès | Barcelonès | Berguedà | Cerdanya | Conca de Barberà | Garraf | Garrigues | Garrotxa | Gironès | Maresme | Montsià | Noguera | Osona | Pallars Jussà | Pallars Sobirà | Pla de l'Estany | Pla d'Urgell | Priorat | Ribera d'Ebre | Ripollès | Segarra | Segrià | Selva | Solsonès | Tarragonès | Terra Alta | Urgell | Val d'Aran | Vallès Occidental | Vallès Oriental

This is a list of the comarques (singular "comarca") of Catalonia ( Spain) Alt Camp is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain.It is one of the three comarques into which Camp de Tarragona was divided in the comarcal Alt Empordà ("Upper Empordà" is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain, one of two into which Empordà was divided by the comarcal Alt Penedès is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. Municipalities Avinyonet del Penedès - pop Alt Urgell is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain, a modern representation of part of the historic County of Urgell ( ca 789 Alta Ribagorça is one of the comarques of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Pont de Suert. Anoia is a comarca (county in central Catalonia, Spain, with its capital at Igualada. The comarca (county of Bages lies in the center of Catalonia, Spain. Baix Camp is a comarca of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. It is one of the three comarques into which Camp de Tarragona was divided in the comarcal Baix Ebre is a comarca (county, on the coast in southern Catalonia, Spain. Baix Empordà ("Lower Empordà" is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain, one of the two into which Empordà was divided in Baix Llobregat is a comarca (county on the coast of Catalonia, Spain. Baix Penedès is a comarca (county on the coast of Catalonia, Spain. Barcelonès is the most populous and economically important comarca (county of Catalonia, Spain. Berguedà is a comarca (county in the interior of Catalonia, Spain, lying partly in the Pyrenees and partly in Catalonia's Depressió Cerdanya is a ''comarca'' in northern Catalonia, Spain, in the Pyrenees, on the border of Catalonia with France and Andorra Conca de Barberà is a comarca (county in Tarragona province Catalonia, Spain. Garraf is a comarca (county in Barcelona province Catalonia, Spain. For other uses see Garrigues. Les Garrigues is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. Garrotxa is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. Its population in 2001 was 47747 more than half of them in the capital city of Gironès is a comarca (county in eastern Catalonia, Spain, bordering Selva, Baix Empordà, Alt Empordà, Pla Maresme ( Catalan: el Maresme, Spanish: Maresme) is a comarca (county located along the Catalan Montsià is the southernmost comarca (county of Catalonia in Spain. Noguera is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the historic county of Urgell. Osona is a ''comarca'' in central Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Vic. Pallars Jussà is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. It was established as a comarca in 1936, out of the old county El Pallars Sobirà is a comarca (comparable to a County or Shire in much of the English-speaking world in the mountainous northwest of Catalonia Pla de l'Estany is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. Its name means "plain of the lake" the lake in question being the Lake of Pla d'Urgell is a comarca (county in the interior of Catalonia, Spain. Priorat is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. The central part of the comarca "Priorat històric" produces the famous and prestigious Ribera d'Ebre is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. The name is Catalan for the province's location on the banks of the river Ebre Ripollès is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the Ribes and Camprodon river valleys Segarra is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain, situated on a high Plain. Segrià is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. As of 2001, over two thirds of its population live in the capital city of Lleida Selva is a coastal comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain, located between the mountain range known as the Serralada Transversal or Puigsacalm Solsonès is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of historic county of Urgell. Tarragonès is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of the three comarques formed in the 1936 comarcal division of Camp Terra Alta is a sparsely populated inland comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. Modern-day Urgell is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain, forming only a portion of the region historically known as Urgell. The Aran Valley (Era Val d'Aran la Vall d'Aran El Valle de Arán is a small valley (620 Vallès Occidental is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. It is unique among the comarques in that the two cities Sabadell and Vallès Oriental is a comarca (county in Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Granollers.

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