Back Katalonië Afrikaans Katalonien ALS ካታሎኒያ Amharic Catalunya AN Catalonia ANG كتالونيا Arabic ܩܛܠܘܢܝܐ ARC كاتالونيا ARZ Cataluña AST Kataloniya Azerbaijani
Catalonia
| |
|---|---|
| Anthem: Els Segadors (Catalan) ("The Reapers") | |
.svg)  Map of Spain with Catalonia highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 41°51′N 1°34′E / 41.850°N 1.567°E | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Formation | 801 (County of Barcelona) 1137 (Dynastic union with Aragon) 1173 (Legal definition of Catalonia) 1516 (Dynastic union with Castile) 1716 (Nueva Planta) |
| Statute(s) of Autonomy | 1932 (First Statute) 1979 (Second Statute) 2006 (Third Statute – in force) |
| Capital (and largest city) | Barcelona |
| Province(s) | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Devolved government in a constitutional monarchy |
| • Body | Generalitat of Catalonia |
| • President | Salvador Illa (PSC) |
| Legislature | Parliament of Catalonia |
| General representation | Parliament of Spain |
| Congress seats | 48 of 350 (13.7%) |
| Senate seats | 24 of 265 (9.1%) |
| Area | |
• Total | 32,113.86 km2 (12,399.23 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 6th |
| 6.3% of Spain | |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2024[2]) |  8,067,454 |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| Demonyms | Catalan or Catalonian • català, -ana (ca) • catalan, -a (oc) • catalán, -ana (es) |
| Official language(s) | |
| GDP | |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| • Total (2023) | €281.845 billion |
| • Per capita | €35,325 (4th) |
| HDI | |
| • HDI (2021) | 0.916[8] (very high · 4th) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code prefixes | |
| ISO 3166 code | ES-CT |
| Telephone code(s) | +34 93 (Barcelona area) +34 97 (rest of Catalonia) |
| Currency | Euro (€) |
| Official holiday | September 11 |
| Patron saint(s) | Saint George Virgin of Montserrat |
| Website | gencat |
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Catalonia[d] is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy.[e][11] Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situated on the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, to the south of the Pyrenees mountain range. Catalonia is administratively divided into four provinces or eight vegueries (regions), which are in turn divided into 43 comarques. The capital and largest city, Barcelona, is the second-most populous municipality in Spain and the fifth-most populous urban area in the European Union.[12]
Modern-day Catalonia comprises most of the medieval and early modern Principality of Catalonia, with the remainder northern area now part of France's Pyrénées-Orientales. It is bordered by France (Occitanie) and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and the Spanish autonomous communities of Aragon to the west and Valencia to the south. In addition to about 580 km of coastline, Catalonia also has major high landforms such as the Pyrenees and the Pre-Pyrenees, the Transversal Range (Serralada Transversal) or the Central Depression.[13] The official languages are Catalan, Spanish and the Aranese dialect of Occitan.[5]
In the 10th century, the County of Barcelona and the other neighboring counties became independent from West Francia.[14] In 1137, Barcelona and the Kingdom of Aragon were united by marriage, resulting in a composite monarchy, the Crown of Aragon. Within the Crown, the Catalan counties merged in to a state,[15] the Principality of Catalonia, with its own distinct institutional system, such as Courts, Generalitat and constitutions, being the base and promoter for the Crown's Mediterranean trade and expansionism. In the later Middle Ages, Catalan literature flourished. In 1516, Charles V became monarch of both the crowns of Aragon and Castile, retaining their previous distinct institutions and legislation. Growing tensions led to the revolt of the Principality of Catalonia (1640–1652), briefly becoming a republic under French protection. By the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659), the northern parts of Catalonia were ceded to France. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714), the states of the Crown of Aragon sided against the Bourbon Philip V of Spain, but following Catalan capitulation on 11 September 1714 he imposed a unifying administration across Spain, enacting the Nueva Planta decrees which ended Catalonia's separate status, supressing its institutions and legal system. Catalan as a language of government and literature was eclipsed by Spanish.
In the 19th century, Napoleonic and Carlist Wars affected Catalonia. In the second third of the century, it experienced industrialisation, while saw a cultural renaissance coupled with incipient nationalism and several workers' movements. The Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939) granted self-governance to Catalonia, being restored the Generalitat as its government. After the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Francoist dictatorship enacted repressive measures, abolishing self-government and banning again the official use of the Catalan language. After a harsh autarky, from the late 1950s Catalonia saw rapid economic growth, drawing many workers from across Spain and making it one of Europe's largest industrial and touristic areas. During the Spanish transition to democracy (1975–1982), the Generalitat and Catalonia's self-government were reestablished, remaining one of the most economically dynamic communities in Spain.
In the 2010s, there was growing support for Catalan independence. On 27 October 2017, the Catalan Parliament unilaterally declared independence following a referendum that was deemed unconstitutional by the Spanish state. The Spanish Senate voted in favour of enforcing direct rule by removing the Catalan government and calling a snap regional election. The Spanish Supreme Court imprisoned seven former ministers of the Catalan government on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds, while several others—including then-President Carles Puigdemont—fled to other European countries. Those in prison[f] were pardoned by the Spanish government in 2021.
- ^ "Indicadors geogràfics. Superfície, densitat i entitats de població: Catalunya". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "Idescat. Annual indicators. Population on 1 January 2024. By sex" (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 22 December 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "The Spanish Constitution" (PDF). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. BOE. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ "Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia". Gencat.cat. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ^ a b "Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (2006), Articles 6, 50 – BOPC 224" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ^ "Llei de la llengua de signes catalana" (PDF). blogs.iec.cat (in Catalan). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "PIB de las Comunidades Autónomas 2020". www.datosmacro.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Vocabulari fonetic basic der aranés (PDF), Institut D'Estudis Aranesi, 2018, p. 8, ISBN 978-84-09-06340-6, archived (PDF) from the original on 5 July 2021, retrieved 5 January 2021
- ^ "Court to reject 'nation' in Catalonia statute". 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
- ^ "Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, article 1". Gencat.cat. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
Catalonia, as a nationality, exercises its self-government constituted as an autonomous community, in accordance with the Constitution and with this Statute, which is its basic institutional law.
- ^ Demographia: World Urban Areas Archived 5 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Demographia, April 2018
- ^ "Welcome to Catalonia". Ministry for Foreign Action and European Union. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Salrach, Josep Mª. Catalunya a la fi del primer mil·leni. Pagès Editors (Lleida, 2004), pp. 144–149.
- ^ Ryder, Alan (2007). The Wreck of Catalonia. Civil War in the Fifteenth Century. Oxford University Press. p. v. ISBN 978-0-19-920736-7.
This group of states comprised the kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, and Majorca, the principality of Catalonia, and the counties of Roussillon and Cerdagne; further afield it embraced the kingdoms of Sicily and Sardinia. These states had no common institutions or bonds save allegiance to a common sovereign
- ^ "EU court reinstates MEP immunity of Catalonia's Carles Puigdemont". euronews. 24 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
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