Catalonia - Art and Culture 2018

catalonia in A FEW DATA A general outline of the country, with some information for visitors to familiarise themselves with Catalonia at a glance.

© lluís carro

© imagen M.a.s.

C atalonia is a small country on the Mediterranean basin, in the north- eastern part of the Iberian Penin- sula. At a little over 32,000 square kilometres in size, it offers an impressive variety of tourist options. Are you ready to learn about some of its characteristics? Climate Catalonia has a Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters. The region’s varied geography gives the Cata- lan Pyrenees a cooler average tempera- ture, whilst it is hotter in July and August in the inland districts of Lleida. Rain mainly falls between May and June. Population 7,516,254 inhabitants Surface area 32,107 km 2

Official languages Catalan and Spanish. Occitan or Aranese is also an official language in the Val d’Aran. Economy Catalonia is a country with a long industrial tradition dating back to the 19th century. Today, industry, tourism, and services are the country’s main economic sectors, as are agriculture and livestock. A note on history Catalonia is a historic country formed from the Marca Hispánica, the border between Franks and Saracens in the Middle Ages. Early chronicles talk about the laborious process of joining Aragon and Catalonia under a single crown. Once achieved, bet- ween the 13th and 14th centuries it ex- panded over the Mediterranean. The Mod- ern Ages are marked by the War of the Reapers, Catalonia’s first attempt at se-

cession, and the Spanish War of Succes- sion, which ended with the abolition of the Catalan institutions and civil freedoms. In the 19th century, the feeling of Catalan identity resurged to culminate in the 20th century with the recovery of political au- tonomy. Tourist brands Catalonia is divided into nine distinct tourist brands, depending on the crite- ria of the Catalan Tourist Board mar- keting department. These tourist brands, which are distributed as shown on this map, are Barcelona, Costa Barcelona, Costa Brava, Cos- ta Daurada, Paisatges Barcelona, Pirineus, Terres de l’Ebre, Terres de Lleida, and Val d’Aran .

TOURIST BRANDS

Val d’aran

Andorra

France

Costa brava

pirineus

roses

GIRoNA

terres de lleida

paisatges barcelona

girona Costabrava

palamós

lleida alguaire

Costa barcelona

lleIDA

Costa Daurada

bARCeloNA

Greek and Roman ruins in empúries, Costa brava. Rooftop of La Pedrera or casa milá, by Antoni Gaudí, in Barcelona.

barcelona elprat

Campde tarragona

reus

9 brands or areas MAKE UP tourist map of Catalonia

tARRAGoNA

terres de l’ebre

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