Catalonia - Καταλωνία

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THE Catalonia (Catalan: Catalonia, Spanish: Catalonia, Occitan: Catalonia) [1] is an autonomous community in its northeast Spain. It borders with France and Andorra to the north along the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, the Valencia to the south and Aragon to the west. Its capital is its famous city Barcelona.

At a glance

Catalonia is now an autonomous region within it Spain, but historically was part of its Crown Αραγωνίας which in a way predates the history of Spain itself (the Crown of Aragon and the Crown of Castile-Leon merged to form Spain). The region received its current statute of autonomy initially during the Democratic period (1930s) and then after the death of dictator Franco in 1975, while continuing to push for further political and economic autonomy, mainly in terms of protecting its cultural and linguistic identity, as well as in the form of the right to collect taxes within its own territories and to dispose of the income from this activity where it deems it necessary. Catalonia has seen a large number of demonstrations in support of its independence from Spain, such as the March for Catalonia March 2013. A referendum on the region's independence is scheduled for 2014.

Languages

The main languages ​​of Catalonia are Catalan, τα Spanish and Occitan (Aranic), which are the official languages ​​of the Aran Valley.

Catalan (català) is the "special language" of Catalonia, along with Spanish (and since 2006 along with Aranic). Catalan is also spoken in Andorra, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, La Franja (the eastern strip of Aragon), L'Alger-Alghero (a small seaside town on the Italian island of Sardinia), and Roussillon ( in the south of France which is often called and Northern Catalonia, whose area corresponds approximately to their current prefecture Eastern Pyrenees). In daily use, 11.95% of the total population of the area claims to use Spanish and Catalan equally, while 45.92% use mainly Spanish and 35.54% use mainly Catalan. There is a big difference between the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona (and, to a lesser extent, the Tarragona region), where Spanish is spoken more than Catalan, and the rest of Catalonia, where Catalan is clearly a more spoken language than Spanish.

Tourists who speak Spanish should note that they are known in the area as castellano (Catalan castellà) and that while most Catalans are bilingual with knowledge of both Catalan and Spanish, as they are required to teach both languages ​​at school, some people are likely to refuse to speak Spanish because of the extreme nationalist Catalan ideology prevailing in the wider region. This is mainly due to historical reasons, as Catalan as a language was banned by Franco's fascist dictatorial regime as was the case with the rest of the non-Castilian dialects of Spanish. However, many locals are aware that Spanish is spoken more globally, which is why they may agree to speak Spanish with foreigners. Answering a question in Spanish in Catalan is the way to let your interlocutor know that the conversation between you can continue in Catalan if desired. If you do not know Catalan, you can just politely say that you do not understand, and in most cases there will be no problem. Spanish is the first language of 45.92% of the total population of Catalonia, while 99% of Catalans speak the language fluently.

Aranic, a subdivision of Gascon (Occitan), is a minority language and is spoken by only a few hundred people within the Val d'Aran in northwestern Catalonia. In 2006, it received an official language statute.

As in the rest of Spain, English is not spoken very well, although the working staff in large hotels as well as in the main tourist attractions have sufficient knowledge of the language to be able to communicate with you. The French particularly spoken in the areas near the border with France.

Provinces

Important cities

• Barcelona - worth as much as your whole visit ... it also has great food!
• Blanes - botanical gardens, beaches and modern buildings
• Figures - seat of the Dali Museum
• Ziron - a beautiful old town with an impressive Jewish quarter, a short distance from the Costa Brava
• Lady - entry point to the western Pyrenees, while it is worth a visit to its Cathedral
• Lorette de Mar. Millions of visitors come to this seaside resort every year
• Ματαρό - the birthplace of the Nussendist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalk, who designed a number of city buildings
• Flows - popular climbing center and birthplace and birthplace of architect Anthony Gaudτί
• Salou - another very popular seaside resort in Catalonia
• Tarragona - the capital of the region during the Roman period, while it has beaches, near the Costa Daurada

Additional destinations

Catalonia has a wide variety of different landscapes a short distance from each other, with mountains in the Pyrenees (along the border with France), green hills in the north of the country, rural plains in the west and beaches in the east.

• Costa Brava - rocky hill and a variety of beaches with sand and pebbles
• Costa Daurada - large numbers of sandy beaches, near Salou and Tarragona. You can also visit Port Aventura
• Girona Pyrenees Picturesque mountain towns and popular ski resorts
• Montserrat - an unusual mountain mass with a temple at the top, especially popular among Catalans
• Terres de l'Embre - with two national parks and the delta of a river, it is a quiet area where both nature and traditions have been preserved

How to get there

How to move

What to see

Entertainment

Local cuisine

Local drinks

Stay safe

Nearby destinations

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