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The regions of SpainBy virtue of its relief (average altitude of 600 m and one-sixth of its area above 1 000 m), the variety of its climate, the length of its coastline (more than 4 000 km, with many beaches) and its historical and cultural heritage, Spain is a micro-continent where virtually all types of crops can be found. All these factors, together with an intermediate level of economic development and an acceptable network of infrastructures and amenities, have turned the country into a prime destination for tourists (65 million in 1999). After going through a period of preeminence in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (unification of its kingdoms, discovery and colonization of America, and expansion in Europe), and a long process of decline and isolation, Spain has experienced considerable industrial development in certain areas and a high degree of urbanization (more than half the population lives in towns with over 50 000 inhabitants). Since the democratic system was restored by the 1978 Constitution, Spain has comprised 17 autonomous communities, plus the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa. In the Catalonian Pyrenees lies the Principality of Andorra, which is jointly governed by the President of the French Republic and the Bishop of the Catalan city of Seo de Urgel (Lérida) but has its own institutions. Also on the mainland is the Rock of Gibraltar, which comes under British sovereignty. The traditional communities (Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque country) together with Andalusia, the Canaries and the Community of Valencia quickly assumed fully all the wide powers devolved to them by the Spanish and their own constitutions, but the others have not yet followed suit. Catalan, Basque, Galician and Valencian are the official languages (alongside Castilian) in the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, the Basque country and the Community of Valencia. |
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