Citizendia

Historically, the modern country of Spain was formed by the accretion of several independent Iberian realms (Asturias, León, Galicia, Castile, Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia, Majorca, Valencia, Granada) through dynastic inheritance, conquest, and the will of the local elites. The History of Spain spans the period from Prehistoric Iberia, through the rise and fall of the first global empire, to Spain's current position Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The Kingdom of Asturias was the first Christian political entity to be established in the Iberian peninsula after the collapse of the Visigothic Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Galicia (410-1833 was a kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula for two distinct periods Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Navarre (Reino de Navarra Nafarroako Erresuma Royaume de Navarre originally the Kingdom of Pamplona, was a European kingdom which occupied lands on either The Kingdom of Aragon was an old kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon ( The Count of Barcelona was the major ruler in Catalonia from the 9th until the 17th century The Kingdom of Majorca was founded by James I of Aragon, also known as James The Conqueror. 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. Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain. These realms had their own identities and borders. Portugal, an independent country since the 12th century, was the only one of the Iberian realms not to be absorbed into the Spanish kingdom due to the failure of the Iberian Union in 1640. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Iberian Union is a modern day term that refers to the historical political unit that governed all of the Iberian peninsula south of the Pyrenees from 1580–1640

Since the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, there has been a process of uniformization by the central authorities. The Catholic Monarchs (los Reyes Católicos is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon Simultaneously, this uniformization has been repelled by some of the local elites that formed their own national consciences based on traditional historical, linguistical and cultural traits.

The dynamics between centralization and decentralization is one of the forces in the history of the last centuries. Since the beginning of the transition to democracy in Spain after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, there have been many movements towards more autonomy in certain regions of the country in order to achieve full independence in some cases, and to achieve their own autonomous "community" in others. The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the Dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid

Despite uniformization, few Spanish citizens identify only as Spanish. . Many Spanish citizens feel no conflict in having several national identities at the same time.

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 states the following intentionally ambiguous sentence that lies in the root of the matter:

"The Constitution is based on the indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards; it recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government of the nationalities and regions of which it is composed and the solidarity among them all. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. "

This article intends to describe the nationalist and regionalist parties' claims in Spain and it is divided between them, independently of their self-denomination, clearly distinguishable by their goals.

The structure of the article is also determined by social support and thoughts of the claims, so that even if there are political parties claiming independence from Spain for Castile, Cantabria, Aragon, Valencia, Andalusia or Murcia they hardly get any vote and thus do not represent the popular identitary and national sentiment (percentages of nationalist and regionalist votes are given in parentheses according to figures of the elections held at municipality level in May 2007). A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a City, Town, or Village, or

Note that the only two autonomous communities not mentioned in this article are Madrid (capital of the State, traditionally part of Castilla-la Nueva - New Castile in English -, most of its population identifies itself primarily just with Spain) and La Rioja (traditionally part of Castile, there are little supported cultural movements to bring it nearer to the Basque Country, see Laminiturri). An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain. A former kingdom, Castile (Castilla kasˈt̪iʎa or) gradually merged with its neighbors to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain

Note that part of the politicians were reluctant or opposed to the idea of decentralization at the beginning of the transition, but most political forces have reached power in some region and now there is no major question about decentralization itself but rather on its limits and future evolution.

Contents

Basque Country

Main articles: Basque Country (historical territory), Basque people, and Basque language

Basque nationalism runs the range from full independence to further devolution to the Basque government. Basque nationalism is a movement with roots in the Carlism and the loss by the laws of 1839 and 1876 of the Ancien Régime relationship between the Basque provinces

For instance, the PNV regularly wins elections at municipal, regional or Spanish levels in the Basque Country autonomous community, but the fact that it achieves a mere plurality and that electors of PNV do not unanimously support (full) independence, counters the belief that independence is generally supported by the Basque population. The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain.

According to recent studies (see Euskobarómetro [1], [2]), a plurality (38%) of the population in the Basque Country autonomous community would vote YES, 31% NO, 13% not voting in a hypothetic independence referendum, and 19% did not answer (Voter turnout would be 68-69%, when taking that figure as the whole 100%, 55% of the voters would answer YES and 45% NO). The Euskobarómetro ("Basque-barometer" is a sociological Statistical survey in the Basque Country ( País Vasco) an Autonomous Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a Ballot in an Election. Different results appear when the options are independence, further devolution or the current status. The option for a restoration of centralization is barely recorded.

The nationalists consider Navarre and the French Basque Country as part of the same nation, the Basque Country. The French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country (Pays basque français Iparralde constitutes the North-Eastern part of the Basque Country and the Western In the current Basque Statute of Autonomy it is stated that Navarre has the legal right to belong to the autonomous community of the Basque Country, and the Spanish Constitution has a transitory provision allowing it to join at any time, but Navarre chose not to enter the agreement and became an Autonomous Community on its own instead. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain.

The Basque Statute of Autonomy defines this region as a nationality. The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country is the legal document organizing the political system of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country ' (Basque Euskadiko Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty

The current President of the Basque Government proposed in 2003 a plan for changing the current status of the Basque Country as an autonomous community to a "status of free association" (see Associated State and Free State). Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (born March 15, 1957) is a Basque politician An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. An associated state is the minor partner in a formal free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a (usually larger nation for which no other specific Free state is a term occasionally used in the official titles of some states It was approved by a minority (39 votes against 35) of the Basque Parliament, but the Spanish Congress of Deputies rejected it in 2005 (313 NO, 29 YES, 2 not voting) and it will not reach its goal. The Basque Parliament ( Basque: Eusko Legebiltzarra &ndash Spanish: Parlamento Vasco) is the legislative body of the Basque Country The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain 's Legislative branch.

The President of the Spanish Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has stated that he will support any reform to the Statute of Autonomy which is supported by 2/3 of the Basque Parliament (a verbal condition not legally written anywhere, for the only condition needed for a statute to be approve is the half of the total plus one votes in the Basque Parliament), which given the distribution of seats means that if the Basque Socialist Party approves of the reformed text, then the PSOE will support it at the Spanish level. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current

On 29th September 2007 Juan José Ibarretxe declared that an autonomic referendum or a popular poll about the will of the population of the Basque Country on independence would be held on 25th October 2008, though, it is illegal following the Spanish Constitutional Law. Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (born March 15, 1957) is a Basque politician A two-question non-binding Referendum in the Spanish Basque Country loosely regarding Basque self-determination from Spain was scheduled for 25 October

Catalonia

Main articles: Principality of Catalonia, Land of Valencia, Balearic Islands, La Franja, El Carxe, L'Alguer, Catalan people, and Catalan language

Historically Catalan nationalism has supported a federalization that respects a Catalan nation within Spain. The Principality of Catalonia ˈkætəˌloʊ̯nɪə (Principat de Catalunya Aranese: Principautat de Catalonha; Spanish: Principado de Cataluña 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 El Carche ( el Carxe in Valencian) is a mountainous sparsely populated area in Murcia, Spain, lying between the municipalities Jumilla Alghero ( l'Alguer in Catalan and S'Alighèra in Sardinian) is a town of about 42000 inhabitants (down from 54300 inhabitants since early The Catalans are the people from Catalonia, an Autonomous community of Spain, including people originating in that region but living elsewhere Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió CiU) 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 Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ERC) is a left-wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain campaigning for Initiative for Catalonia Greens ( Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds, ICV is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. Catalan Nationalism, or Catalanism (from Catalanisme in Catalan) is a political movement advocating for either further political Although most nationalist parties in Catalonia do not openly claim an independent state (only ERC and the Independence Party do), it is regarded as the wish of around 30% of the population (according to different surveys), and, in fact, it was, during a short period in the Spanish Civil War. The Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ERC) is a left-wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain campaigning for

The Catalan nationalists usually consider the Catalan-speaking regions (Catalonia, Valencian Community, Balearic Islands, the independent state of Andorra, Roussillion and some adjacent strips) as part of the same "nation", the Catalan Countries. Different meanings Països Catalans is a polysemic expression and so it has different meanings depending on the context

The inhabitants of the Aran Valley still speak their own dialect of the Occitan language in addition to Catalan and Spanish. The Aran Valley (Era Val d'Aran la Vall d'Aran El Valle de Arán is a small valley (620 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

Its Statute of Autonomy defines this region as a nationality. Nominally a Statute of Autonomy is a Law hierarchically located under the Constitution of a country and over any other form of legislation (including Organic Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty

In 2005, a draft of a new Statute of Autonomy, the 88. The Draft of New Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia of 2005 was a Reform proposal in Catalonian Politics, the Admission of which was approved 9% of the Catalan Parliament declared Catalonia a nation, but finally it was changed back to nationality (due to political pressure from both the Spanish Government and Opposition) and approved in a controversial referendum. 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 However, this statute mentions the word "nation", referring to Catalonia, in its preamble (with declaratory, but not legal value) [3].

Galicia

Main articles: Galiza, Galician people, Galician language, and Eonavian

Since 2005 Galicia is ruled by a coalition government between the PSdeG-PSOE and the nationalist BNG. The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( Bloque Nacionalista Galego, BNG) is a Galician nationalist coalition of political parties Terra Galega ( TeGa, in English: Galician Land) is a coalition of center-wing Galician nationalist political parties it was established in Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Socialist Party of Galicia ( Galician and Spanish: Partido Socialista de Galicia) is the federation of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( Bloque Nacionalista Galego, BNG) is a Galician nationalist coalition of political parties Unlike in other Spanish regions, the Galician Partido Popular, the major party, includes "galicianism" (regionalism) as one of its ideological principles. The Galician People's Party (in Galician: Partido Popular Galego) was a Galicianist political party of the first years of the Spanish democracy Galicianism is a Political ideology of nationalist character which objective is the defence of Galicia and its culture by the means of the establishment

The Bloque Nacionalista Galego is itself a coalition of parties, neither of which endorses independence. Other nationalist parties stand for further devolution or outright independence but they only have representatives in local councils.

Its present Statute of Autonomy (1981) defines this region as a nationality. Nominally a Statute of Autonomy is a Law hierarchically located under the Constitution of a country and over any other form of legislation (including Organic Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty The Galician Government is drafting a new Statute of Autonomy where Galicia will most probably be defined as a nation (with declaratory, but not legal value). 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

See also: Galician nationalism, Bloque Nacionalista Galego, Nós-Unidade Popular, Primeira Linha, and Celtic nations#The Iberian Peninsula

Asturias

Main articles: Asturias, Asturian nationalism, Asturian people, Asturian language, and Eonavian
The nationalist banner used by Andecha Astur
The nationalist banner used by Andecha Astur

Nationalist parties (e. Andecha Astur (AA is an Asturian nationalist Leftist Political party of Spain. g. Andecha Astur) do not get much support from population, but they have clearly an identity. Andecha Astur (AA is an Asturian nationalist Leftist Political party of Spain.

A wish for independence is stated sometimes by those parties, but as the independent and pre-Spanish Kingdom of Asturias was the initial core of the Reconquista, most of the people do not feel that there is any incompatibility in being Asturian and Spanish. The Kingdom of Asturias was the first Christian political entity to be established in the Iberian peninsula after the collapse of the Visigothic The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period Moreover, Asturian nationalist and regionalist claims are divided among independence, regionalism itself, conforming an autonomous community with Leon. Their sign of identity is the Asturian Language. Asturian (Asturian Asturianu or Bable) is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, Astur-Leonese Subgroup, spoken in the

Canary Islands

Main articles: Canary Islands, Canarian people, and Canarian dialect

Canarian nacionalism has its roots in a number of events in the XIX century. The Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria is a nationalist and liberal party in the Canary Isles of Spain. Latinamerica independence wars, self government during the Napoleonic invasions and crisis of 1898 were the catalyst for figures such as Nicolas Estevanez or Secundino Delgado. Nicolás Estévanez ( Las Palmas, Canary Islands, 1838 - Paris, France, 1914 was a Spanish military officer politician and poet After a pause of several decades, in recent times a nationalism movement has re-emerged here.

Its insularity requires several specific treatments. Over history the Canary Islands acquired special competences and privileges. In former times they even had the right to issue currency and their inhabitants were only obliged to perform military service milicias insulares within the Islands. The Islands were also governed by unique institutions called Cabildos insulares.

Franco's government continued this tradition and conceded several privileges to the islands to compensate for their remoteness.

Its Statute of Autonomy defines this region as a nationality. Nominally a Statute of Autonomy is a Law hierarchically located under the Constitution of a country and over any other form of legislation (including Organic Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty

The Canarian Government is drafting a new Statute of Autonomy where the Canary Islands will be defined as a nation. 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 However it must be noted that this nationalism is mild in its formulation; thus independence is not even in the nationalist agenda. Historically, the Canarian Coalition can be deemed more as a lobby in order to favour Canarian interests within Spain rather than a nationalist movement like the ones formulated in other areas.

Regionalism

In most of these following regions people do not sense a conflict between Spanish nationality and their own claimed national or regional identity.

There are two main political streams in regionalism: Nationalism-Regionalism, which supports the definition of the region as a nationality or nation but usually within Spain, and "Regionalism", which originally supported the creation of an autonomous community for its region, and now acts only as a promoter of its region but within Spain and respecting the current status of autonomous community, and these "regionalist" parties are commonly associated with PP in its region (or acting as its substitute or branch, as in Navarre UPN), see Federation of Regionalist Parties and Regionalist Party of Cantabria (that currently rules Cantabria supported by the PSOE). The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. Navarrese People's Union (in Spanish: Unión del Pueblo Navarro) is a conservative Political party active in the Navarre region of The Regionalist Party of Cantabria ( P artido R egionalista de C antabria PRC is the second oldest political party in the Spanish The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is

Castile

Main articles: Castile and León and Castilian people
Castile nationalist banner
Castile nationalist banner

Regionalists and nationalists in Castile (such as Tierra Comunera) usually want to unify the traditional provinces mentioned in the Castilian Federal Pact signed by the Partido Republicano Federal in 1869, and that would include the modern communities of Castile-Leon, Cantabria, La Rioja, Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid, and sometimes even some areas in the provinces of Valencia, Alicante and Murcia (since Tierra Comunera makes no mention of those once Castilian possessions in its ideological bases). Tierra Comunera (TC (in English Commoners' Land is a Nationalist Political party in the Spanish historical region of Castile. Tierra Comunera (TC (in English Commoners' Land is a Nationalist Political party in the Spanish historical region of Castile. A former kingdom, Castile (Castilla kasˈt̪iʎa or) gradually merged with its neighbors to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain Year 1869 ( MDCCCLXIX) is a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Castile and León (Castilla y León known formally as the Community of Castile and León is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. Cantabria is a Spanish province and Autonomous community with Santander as its capital city La Rioja is a province and autonomous community of northern Spain. Castile-La Mancha ( Spanish "Castilla-La Mancha" is an autonomous community of Spain. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. The territory claimed by Castilian regionalists or nationalists contains both areas from the Kingdom of Castile (both Old Castile and New Castile) and areas from the Kingdom of León. Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Old Castile ( Castilla la Vieja) is a historic region of Spain, which included territory that later corresponded to the provinces of politically Santander (now Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. Their claims are not usually based on the territory of the historical Crown of Castile, as it included the Basque or the Galician nations, they just hold a claim over the provinces that can be identified with Castilian identity according to them. 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 They don't usually hold any claim over Andalusia, Extremadura or Murcia. Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Murcia ( is the capital city of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, located at the river Segura in south-eastern Spain.

In the map shown above it is visible that Castilla has the so many times told shape of a wedge, the way the Castilian language spread to other parts of the peninsula (from the province of Burgos). Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.

See also: Castilian nationalism

Aragon

Main articles: Aragon, Aragonese people, and Aragonese language
Aragonese nationalist banner
Aragonese nationalist banner

In the past it was an independent kingdom that, along with others, created the Crown of Aragon, that later merged with the Crown of Castile to forge Spain. The Aragonese Party ( Spanish: Partido Aragonés, PAR) is a Political party which advocates the interests of Aragon within Spain 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. 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 While there is small pro-independence support, most of Aragon's population does not seek an independent state but to be fully recognized as a distinct and important region in Spain. There is also a claim for the Aragonese language, spoken in the northernmost area, to enjoy full official support. Its Statute of Autonomy defines this region as a nationality. Nominally a Statute of Autonomy is a Law hierarchically located under the Constitution of a country and over any other form of legislation (including Organic Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty

See also: Chunta Aragonesista and Partido Aragonesista

Andalusia

Main articles: Andalusia, Andalusian people, and Andalusian Spanish
See also: Andalusian nationalism

Andalusia first Statute of Autonomy could not be enacted during the Republican government because of the Spanish Civil War, and, although it is not considered an historical community in the literal sense, it reached a higher degree of autonomy after a referendum (1981). The Andalusian Party ( Partido Andalucista) is a nationalist centre-left political party from Andalusia ( Spain) with an important presence in provinces The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country

The Andalusians also speak a number of dialects of Spanish that collectively are the most different from the official newscaster Spanish in Spain. There is no dialectal discontinuity with neighbouring regions, though. In its extreme form this dialect is sometimes even difficult to understand by non Andalusians because of its differences from Castilian Spanish. Castilian Spanish (español septentrional is a term related to the Spanish language but whose exact meaning can vary even in that language Andalusian Spanish is mainly considered as a dialect of Spanish, though it is seen sometimes as a separate language, which supposedly evolved from Vulgar Latin. The Andalusian Dialect of Spanish (also called andaluz) is spoken in Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, and parts of southern Vulgar Latin (in Latin sermo vulgaris, "folk speech" is a Blanket term covering the popular Dialects and Sociolects of the Latin

Its old Statute of Autonomy defines this region as a nationality. Nominally a Statute of Autonomy is a Law hierarchically located under the Constitution of a country and over any other form of legislation (including Organic Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty In the new Statute of Autonomy, approved in referendum on February 18, 2007, Andalusia is defined as a national reality in the preamble ('Andalusian manifesto of Cordoba described Andalusia as a national reality in 1919. . . ') and as a historic nationality in its first section. However most of the Andalusian people feel as Spanish as they do Andalusian. They think of Spain as their country, their Homeland and Andalusia as the Region where they live.

León

Main article: Leonese language

Regionalists of León want to obtain an autonomous community including the provinces of León, Zamora and Salamanca, and Asturias eventually joining them, the territories of the former Kingdom of León. Leonese People's Union (in Spanish: Unión del Pueblo Leonés) is a regional Political party in Castilla y León, Spain. León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon. Salamanca is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. They reject their present unification with Old Castile. Old Castile ( Castilla la Vieja) is a historic region of Spain, which included territory that later corresponded to the provinces of politically Santander (now Their sign of identity is the Leonese language, which brings them near their Asturian neighbours. The Leonese language ( Llingua Llïonesa in Leonese was developed from Vulgar Latin with contributions from the pre-Roman languages which were spoken in the territory The western territory of El Bierzo, and its capital Ponferrada, is linked to their Galician neighbours, and there is a sentiment for a union with Galicia specially among the speakers of the local Galician dialect. El Bierzo is a region in the province of León, Spain. The Valley has the administrative status of Comarca (Shire and its capital Ponferrada (from the Latin Pons Ferrata, Iron Bridge is a town and Municipality the capital of the region

See also: Leonese People's Union and País LLïonés

Identity ambiguous regions in Spain

The following regions have belonged to different kingdoms, realms, states or regions for a time, and their population regularly consider themselves differently mostly depending on the part of the region. Leonese People's Union (in Spanish: Unión del Pueblo Leonés) is a regional Political party in Castilla y León, Spain. The País Llïonés ( Leonese for Leonese Country) according to some secessionist parties which call for its independence from Castile and León (Spain like the
Some of these want to be identified with their own regional identity (such as Navarre, Cantabria or Valencia), but in fact they are the outcome of different cultural and linguistical adjacent streams.

For instance, people in the South of Navarra have never felt Basque, and if some of them are thinking that way nowadays, it is because of cultural-political influence or immigration from adjacent Basque areas. The same goes for the people in the Spanish monolingual areas in Valencia (who have never felt Catalan in any way), and people in eastern or southern parts of Cantabria (who will never feel they are related to Astur-Leonese people).

So, generally speaking, these regions are constantly trying to forge its unitary identity (through "regionalist parties"), but in fact they are composed of opposing identities with more or less well established inner frontiers. Although mutual influence on both sides of those imaginary borders is common and may eventually lead to a common identity, it is highly unlikely to happen in regions like Navarre (where the vast majority of its northern population does not even want to be Spanish, but they only represent actually a minority when taking into account the whole population of Navarre). In Valencia it seems that their opposition to both Catalan and Castilian influences has managed to create a unique, distinct (and controversial) identity.

Navarre

Its people may feel to be either Basque or Spanish, and their culture is more akin to either Aragon or La Rioja in the southern and eastern parts, but in the northern part lies the original homeland of the Basque people, where Basque language is still spoken and is better preserved than in western and southern parts of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Navarre Yes or Nafarroa Bai ( Basque) is a Navarrese ( Spain) coalition of both left and rightwing Basque nationalist parties which was Aralar may refer to Aralar Range, a mountain range Aralar Party, a political party Eusko Alkartasuna is a Basque nationalist political party operating in Spain and France. The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community. Zutik ("Standing" is a Political party in Basque Country, Spain. Eusko Abertzale Ekintza - Acción Nacionalista Vasca (EAE-ANV (Basque Nationalist Action was the first Basque Nationalist Political party to exist that presented The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain.

Distribution of Basque speaking people in Navarre 2001 and the zones where the basque language is official

As stated by the Basque Statute of Autonomy, if approved by the Navarrese Parliament and popular referendum by majority, Navarre can join the autonomous community of the Basque Country at any time when its government and population so desires; no further actions are required. Navarre is not an Autonomous Community de iure (although it is de facto) because a Statute of Autonomy was not made nor approved by popular referendum (as happened in each Autonomous Community). Instead, it is ruled by a document called "Amejoramiento del Fuero" (Improvement of the Fuero) and the region is considered a "Foral Community". Fuero ( Spanish) is a Spanish legal term and conceptThe word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market tribunal

According to the Ley Foral del Vascuence ("Foral Law regarding Basque Language") of the Navarrese Parliament is divided in three linguistical areas (Basque speaking area, Bilingual area and Spanish speaking area). Fuero ( Spanish) is a Spanish legal term and conceptThe word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market tribunal See map.

See also: Nafarroa Bai and Navarrese People's Union

Valencia

Valencian is spoken in most of the territory of the Valencian autonomous community, however the nationalist sentiment is not widespread and most of the population consider themselves as much Valencian as Spanish. Unió Valenciana/Unión Valenciana, UV ("Valencian Union" in Valencian and Spanish language respectively is a regionalist Political Valencian ( valencià) is the historical traditional and official name used in the Valencian Community of Spain to refer to the region's native language The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to

The nationalist sentiment is not significantly higher in any province (electoral results show that just about 8% of the votes in Castellon, the closest province to Catalonia, are nationalist, higher in the provinces of Valencia with 10. 43% and Alicante with 9. 06%, according to municipal elections held in May 2007).

Notwithstanding, their electoral stronghold yielding most favourable results is an area split in two provinces: the southernmost end of the Valencia province and the northernmost end of Alicante province. The fact that this area is split between two provinces reduces relative percentages in both provinces.

It is in the local elections that the nationalists obtain their best results; thus they hold several town councils and significant representation - mostly in the areas mentioned above. Conversely, it is in the general elections to the Spanish Parliament where they score worst (approximately 2% of the votes). In the regional elections to the Autonomous Parliament, the main nationalist party BNV usually gets around 4% of the votes, not having yet achieved the 5% threshold which grants representation in the regional Parliament. The Valencian Nationalist Bloc ( Bloc Nacionalista Valencià, BLOC or BNV) is a nationalist party in the Valencian Community, Spain

There are territories in the Valencian autonomous community which are solely Spanish-speaking areas, where Valencian either was never spoken (roughly the inner 1/3 of the territory) or was historically sparsely spoken and finally disappeared (the southermost part of the autonomous community, around the city of Orihuela). For the town in the province of Teruel Spain see Orihuela del Tremedal Orihuela in Spanish or Oriola in Valencian These territories comprise approximately 25% of the whole autonomous community. Since Valencian nationalism is primarily built around the Valencian language, this political option is virtually non-existent in these areas. Valencian ( valencià) is the historical traditional and official name used in the Valencian Community of Spain to refer to the region's native language

In contrast to Unió Valenciana, the BNV and its forebears favour cooperation and ties with the other Catalan speaking territories and greater autonomy - if not independence itself - from Spain. Unió Valenciana/Unión Valenciana, UV ("Valencian Union" in Valencian and Spanish language respectively is a regionalist Political The Valencian Nationalist Bloc ( Bloc Nacionalista Valencià, BLOC or BNV) is a nationalist party in the Valencian Community, Spain

Esquerra Valenciana is a party "of national, republican and transforming left of the Valencian Country; that fights for the political sovereignty and defends the free confederation of this territory with Catalonia and the Balearic Islands". Valencian Left (in Valencian: Esquerra Valenciana) a nationalist Valencian leftist party founded in the Valencian Community, founded in April It has not so far achieved electoral representation of any kind.

Its Statute of Autonomy defines this region as a nationality. Nominally a Statute of Autonomy is a Law hierarchically located under the Constitution of a country and over any other form of legislation (including Organic Nationality is a relationship between a Person and their State of Origin, Culture, association Affiliation and/or Loyalty

See also: Politics of Valencia, Valencian Left, and Valencian Nationalist Bloc

Balearic Islands

They also speak some dialects of Catalan (mallorquí, menorquí, eivissenc, formenterer), but they sympathize with Catalonian nationalistic claims more often than Valencian people do. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official

Anyway, Majorca has been right-winged and much more pro-Spanish historically, than other Autonomous Communities. There are some centre parties, such as Unió Mallorquina that have Majorcan interests over the others', being a kind of regionalism, because they don't argue with the unity of Spain.

Cantabria

Main article: Cantabrian language

This region founded the Kingdom of Asturias and later formed part of the Kingdom of Castile. The Regionalist Party of Cantabria ( P artido R egionalista de C antabria PRC is the second oldest political party in the Spanish The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is However Cantabria kept its old culture due to its geographic peculiarities and isolation from Castile, being always its natural relations with the northern peoples of Asturias and Biscay. Note that the Eastern coast (Castro Urdiales, Laredo) is a residential area for Basques of Biscay. Castro Urdiales, a seaport of northern Spain, in the Autonomous community of Cantabria, situated on the Bay of Biscay. Laredo is a town in the Northern Spanish province and autonomous community of Cantabria. In its Statute of Autonomy, Cantabria is stated as a 'Historic Community'.

See also: Cantabrian Nationalist Council and Cantabrian Regionalist Party

Extremadura

Main article: Extremaduran language

This region was conquered partly by the Kingdom of Castile, partly by the Kingdom of León and partly by the whole Crown of Castile united (historically, Extremadura grew to become what it is now when some Extremaduran towns united to buy the right to vote in the Cortes for 80. The Reconquista (a Spanish and Portuguese word for "Reconquest" Arabic: الاسترداد, "Recapturing" was a period Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. 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 Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. 000 ducats), but it was repopulated by many Leonese people as well as by people from other places. The ducat (ˈdʌkət is a Gold coin that was used as a trade currency throughout Europe before World War I.

The way people from all over Extremadura speak has some features in common with the Andalusian dialect of Spanish. The Andalusian Dialect of Spanish (also called andaluz) is spoken in Andalusia, Ceuta, Melilla, and parts of southern In northern Extremadura these southern features merge with some Astur-Leonese features, forming the Extremaduran language. Astur-Leonese is a Dialect continuum included in the West Iberian branch of the Romance languages. Extremaduran ( estremeñu) is a Romance Language, spoken by several thousands of people in Spain, most of them in the Autonomous community In the rest of Extremadura there are just a few remains of Astur-Leonese influence in the southern Spanish dialect which is spoken. Astur-Leonese is a Dialect continuum included in the West Iberian branch of the Romance languages.

There are some parts where Portuguese is also spoken near Olivenza, over which the Portuguese Republic holds a claim. Olivenza ( Spanish) or Olivença ( Portuguese) is a town and seat of a municipality on a disputed section Foreign relations of Portugal are linked with its historical role as a major player in the Age of Discovery and the holder of the now defunct Portuguese Empire

Regionalist movements also exist here.

La Mancha

Main article: Mancheguian regionalism

Mancheguian regionalism proposes that La Mancha is a region with its own identity, in the territories of the four provinces; Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, and Toledo. The Mancheguian Regionalism () is a minoritarian political current in Spain that proposes the existence of a differentiated historical region Albacete is a province of central Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Ciudad Real is a province of central Spain, in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Cuenca is a province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Toledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It has his its origins Mancheguismo that opposed the pan-Castilian thesis manifested foremost in Castilian nationalism.

Murcia

Main article: Murcian Spanish

This Mediterranean region has belonged to several taifa kingdoms of Al-Andalus, Aragon and Castilla, therefore it shares many similarities with Andalusia, Valencia (a dialect of Valencian-Catalan is spoken in El Carxe) and Castile-La Mancha. Murciano, more popularly known as panocho, is a variant of the Spanish language spoken mainly in the Spanish autonomous region of Murcia and adjacent A taifa (from طائفة ṭā'ifa, plural طوائف ṭawā'if) in the history of Iberia was an independent Muslim -ruled principality Al-Andalus (الأندلس was the Arabic name given to those parts of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslims or The Crown of Aragon was a permanent union of multiple titles and states in the hands of the King of Aragon. Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. El Carche ( el Carxe in Valencian) is a mountainous sparsely populated area in Murcia, Spain, lying between the municipalities Jumilla

There have been and there are some regionalist movements too. Their goal is to restore the traditional region of Murcia (including Albacete and maybe Almería, and creating the province of Cartagena). Albacete is a city and Municipality in southeastern Spain, 278 km southeast of Madrid the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous Cartagena ( is a Spanish Mediterranean city and naval station in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula in the autonomous community of Region of Murcia

The haven of Cartagena declared itself an independent canton in 1868. A canton is an Administrative division of a country eg a region or state

Ceuta and Melilla

Main articles: Plazas de Soberanía, Ceuta, and Melilla

There are two identities in these African cities. The plazas de soberanía ("places of sovereignty" formerly referred as "África Septentrional Española" (Spanish North Africa or simply "África Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast The Spanish-speaking Christians feel similar to Andalusians, a minority of Christians (around 25% in Ceuta) also having Catalan roots.

The bilingual Muslims speak Arabic or Berber besides Spanish and have familiar, commercial and cultural relations with neighbour Morocco, although they generally maintain their political allegiance to Spain, despite the Moroccan claim on the two cities.

Sephardic minorities evidently feel more strongly Spanish and many have emigrated to other towns in Southern Spain, especially Malaga. Nevertheless, they too have strong cultural ties with Morocco.

Conflicts with "nationality" and "nation" and related controversy in Spain

This map shows the regions in whose Statutes of Autonomy it is stated that they are nationalities.The rest of the autonomous communities (Asturias, Cantabria, Castile y Leon, La Rioja, Navarre, Madrid, Extremadura, Castile La Mancha, Murcia and Balearic Islands) are defined as regions.Aragon, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia were part of the same state-kingdom under the Crown of Aragon before the Spanish unification.
This map shows the regions in whose Statutes of Autonomy it is stated that they are nationalities.
The rest of the autonomous communities (Asturias, Cantabria, Castile y Leon, La Rioja, Navarre, Madrid, Extremadura, Castile La Mancha, Murcia and Balearic Islands) are defined as regions.
Aragon, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia were part of the same state-kingdom under the Crown of Aragon before the Spanish unification.

See also

Spanish peoples

Main article: Spanish people

Languages of Spain

Main article: Languages of Spain

Official languages

Unofficial languages

Others

References

  1. ^ In those elections the leftist nationalist-independentist party of Batasuna had been declared illegal and could not be voted. The Andalusians are an Ethnic group or Nation in Spain centered in Andalusia. The Asturians are one of the regional nationalities of Spain, issuing from the historical country of the Principality of Asturias, and also from the provinces The Aragonese are an Ethnic group or Nation living in the historical region of Aragon, between the center and the north-east of Spain The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. The Canarians are an Ethnic group or Nation living in the Archipelago of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of The Cantabrians are a People living in the north of Spain. The Castilian people are the inhabitants of those regions in Spain where most people identify themselves as Castilian The Catalans are the people from Catalonia, an Autonomous community of Spain, including people originating in that region but living elsewhere The Galicians ( Galician: Galegos) are an Ethnic group or Nationality whose homeland is Galicia, which is a historical region The Languages of Spain are the languages spoken or once spoken in Spain. Spanish dialects and varieties are the regional variants of the Spanish language, some of which are quite divergent from each other especially in pronunciation and vocabulary Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Basque ( native name: euskara) is the Language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan Aranese (aranés is a standardized form of the Pyrenean Gascon variety of the Occitan language spoken in the Aran Valley, in northwestern Catalonia Astur-Leonese is a Dialect continuum included in the West Iberian branch of the Romance languages. Asturian (Asturian Asturianu or Bable) is a Romance language of the West Iberian group, Astur-Leonese Subgroup, spoken in the The Leonese language ( Llingua Llïonesa in Leonese was developed from Vulgar Latin with contributions from the pre-Roman languages which were spoken in the territory Cantabrian language or Mountain language is the name received the language used in the West of Cantabria and some zones of the Valley of Pas and the Extremaduran ( estremeñu) is a Romance Language, spoken by several thousands of people in Spain, most of them in the Autonomous community Eonavian or Eonaviego is a term used to refer a set of dialects or falas whose linguistic dominion extends in the zone of Asturias between the Eo Fala ("Talk" is a Romance language from the Portuguese-Galician subgroup spoken in Spain by about 10500 people of which 5500 live in An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. This is a list of currently active autonomist and Secessionist movements around the world Politics of Spain takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Coconstitutionalism is where two institutional cultures exist in a complex semi-automous relationship to each other Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Iberian languages is a generic term for the languages currently or formerly spoken in the Iberian peninsula. Fuero ( Spanish) is a Spanish legal term and conceptThe word comes from Latin forum, an open space used as market tribunal Spain has 46063000 inhabitants according to 2008 census Its population density at 91 Batasuna ("Unity" in Basque language) is a Basque nationalist political organization based mainly in Spain, declared illegal but with EAE-ANV appeared as its substitute, but plenty of these electoral lists were declared illegal too because people that had represented Batasuna before were in them. In 2007 elections its votes went to invalid (spoilt) votes where EAE-ANV could not be voted. So a percentage of 8. 28% should probably be added to the nationalist figure of 54. 38%, making a total of 62. 66%
  2. ^ Adding 5.2% (spoilt votes) to 23.6% = 28.8%
  3. ^ "Montilla asegura que España es una 'nación de naciones' y la reforma constitucional debe recoger la 'singularidad'", Europa Press, August 8, 2004. Europa Press (news agency is also a Spanish news agency ----The Europa Press was a publishing house founded and run by the Irish However, compare José Bono: "más como nación de ciudadanos iguales en derechos y obligaciones que como nación de naciones o Estado de pueblos", Ministry of Defence, November 8, 2005. José Bono Martínez ( December 14, 1950) is a Spanish politician born in Salobre, Albacete.

Further reading

External links

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