Essential Spain
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Catalonia
Make the most of your time in Catalonia, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links to plan your visit.
Catalonia is a land of vast coastal beaches, rugged mountain terrain and buzzing and historical cities such as the ever popular Barcelona. It is intensely protective over its right to self-rule and even describes itself as a nation thanks to the autonomy given to it in the 1978 Spanish constitution. The region features well-known destinations like the Costa Dorada and the Costa Brava, as well as other cities like Tarragona and Montserrat. It is thought to be Spain’s first tourist destination and today proves one of Europe’s top weekend breaks.
The autonomous community is to be found in the north east corner of Spain where the country borders France and the tiny principality of Andorra. To the east Catalonia boasts almost 600 kilometres of Mediterranean coastline, while to its south is the community of Valencia (please link to when online) and to its west is Aragon with which it has much historical (please link to history) unity. The region itself is made up of four smaller provinces, namely Barcelona, Tarragona, Lerida and Gerona, while it also plays host to a section of the Pyrenees Mountains which provide further attraction to visitors to the area. Catalonia has approximately seven million people living within its borders, 12 per cent of whom are immigrants, while 12 million are thought to visit as tourists throughout the year. The region’s capital is somewhat unsurprisingly Spain’s second city Barcelona and due to the community’s privileged autonomy, rivalled only by Andalucia (please link when online), the Basque Country and Galicia, it speaks its own language – Catalans – which is a variant of Spanish. Catalonia is the country’s second most populous region while with 32,000 square kilometres of land it is the sixth largest in terms of area.
Aside from the cliffs and caves of the northern beaches, the vast sands of the southern beaches and the 10 ski resorts of the Pyrenees, 33 per cent of Catalonia is made up of agricultural land. This sees the likes of Catalonian maize and potatoes reaching the shelves of the nation’s shops. Meanwhile, the region was one of Spain’s major industrial centres during the 19th century and it still retains this tag today. Catalonia’s climate is Mediterranean, meaning it has warm summers with sea breezes and temperatures reaching a maximum of 30 degrees, while during the winter it is cool with some rain.
As already suggested Catalonia has suffered the loss of its autonomy on several occasions in years gone by, no more humiliatingly so than during Franco’s rule when all political power and use of the language was stripped of the region. In addition to its political power on issues such as the environment, culture and transport, it has its own unique symbols. There is the Catalan flag – four red stripes on a gold background, Els Segadors – the national anthem, and on September 11 the National Day of Catalonia is celebrated. There are also various customs and traditions that mark out Catalonia as different from other regions. During festivals Catalonians compete to make the most impressive human tower, known as Castellers. There is also a popular circle dance called the Sardana which has been popular since the 16th century and is accompanied by a band.