Galicia (Spain)
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- For other uses, see Galicia.
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| Image:Localización de Galicia.png | |||||
| Capital | Santiago de Compostela | ||||
| Official language(s) | Spanish and Galician | ||||
| Area – Total – % of Spain | Ranked 7th 29,574 km² 5.8% | ||||
| Population – Total (2003) – % of Spain – Density | Ranked 5th 2,737,370 6.5% 92.36/km² | ||||
| Demonym – English – Spanish – Galician | Galician gallego galego | ||||
| Statute of Autonomy | April 28 1981 | ||||
| Parliamentary representation – Congress seats – Senate seats | 25 19 | ||||
| President | Emilio Pérez Touriño (PSdeG) | ||||
| ISO 3166-2 | GA | ||||
| Xunta de Galicia | |||||
Galicia (sometimes called Galiza in Galician) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain with Portugal to the South and the communities of Castile-Leon and Asturias to the East.
Contents |
[edit] History
| POPULATION OF GALICIA c.1900 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A Coruña Province | |||
| District | population | ||
| City of Corunna | 43,971 | ||
| City of El Ferrol (Civilian Population Only) | 25,281 | ||
| Santiago de Compostela | 24,120 | ||
| Towns, Vilages and Hamlets | 560,184 | ||
| All the Province (Total): | 653,556 | ||
| Lugo Province | |||
| District | population | ||
| City of Lugo | 26,959 | ||
| Chantada | 15,003 | ||
| Fonsagrada | 17,302 | ||
| City of Mondoñedo | 10,590 | ||
| Monforte | 12,912 | ||
| Panton | 12,988 | ||
| Villalba | 13,572 | ||
| Vivero | 12,843 | ||
| Towns, Vilages and Hamlets | 343,217 | ||
| All the Province (Total): | 465,386 | ||
| Orense Province | |||
| District | population | ||
| City of Orense | 15,194 | ||
| Towns, Vilages and Hamlets | 389,117 | ||
| All the Province (Total): | 404,311 | ||
| Pontevedra Province | |||
| District | population | ||
| City of Vigo | 23,259 | ||
| City of Pontevedra | 22,330 | ||
| Towns, Vilages and Hamlets | 411,673 | ||
| All the Province (Total): | 457,262 | ||
| THE FOUR PROVINCES TOGETHER (Total): | 1,980,515 | ||
| (Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911) [1] | |||
The name Galicia comes from the Latin name Gallaecia, associated with the name of the ancient Celtic tribe that resided above the Douro river, the Gallaeci or Callaeci in Latin, and Kallaikoi in Greek (these tribes were mentioned by Herodotus).
Before the Roman invasion, a series of tribes lived in the region, having — according to Strabo, Pliny, Herodotus and others — a similar culture and customs. These tribes appear to have had Celtic culture; there is evidence that the last Galician Celtic speaker died in the 15th century.
The region was first entered by the Roman legions under Decimus Junius Brutus in 137–136 BC. (Livy lv., lvi., Epitome); but the province was only superficially Romanized by the time of Augustus.
In the 5th century AD invasions, Galicia fell to the Suevi in 411, who formed a kingdom. In 584, the Visigothic King Leovigild invaded the Suebic kingdom of Galicia and defeated it, bringing it under Visigoth control. During the Moorish invasion of Spain (711-718), the Moors garrisoned Galicia, until driven out in 739 by Alfonso I of Asturias.
During the 9th and 10th centuries, the counts of Galicia gave fluctuating obedience to their nominal sovereign, and Normans/Vikings occasionally raided the coasts. The Towers of Catoira (see also Viking Festival) (Pontevedra) were built as a system of fortifications to stop Viking raids of Santiago de Compostela.
In 1063, Ferdinand I of Castile and León divided his kingdom among his sons. Galicia was allotted to Garcia II of Galicia. In 1072, it was forcibly reannexed by Garcia's brother Alphonso VI of Castile, and from that time Galicia remained part of the kingdom of Castile and Leon, although under differing degrees of self-government.
The final episode of Galician independence, up to today, was the dynastic conflict between Isabella of Castile and Xoana, called "a beltranexa" ("Daughter of Beltrán", and not to be confused with Joan the Mad). Queen Isabella, during her reign as queen of Castilla, made (the historically unproven) accusations upon her niece (Xoana) of being a bastard of Beltrán and the former queen (hence the name Beltranexa). A political fight ensued, and the Xoana-supporting nobles (most of the Galician aristocracy) lost; thus giving Isabel a free ticket to initiate the process she called "Doma y Castración del Reino de Galicia", that is, the "Taming and Castration of the Kingdom of Galicia" (sic)(Court Historian, Zurita).
Galician nationalist and federalist movements arose in the nineteenth century, and after the second Spanish Republic was declared in 1931, Galicia became an autonomous region following a referendum. During the 1936–75 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco — himself a Galician from Ferrol — Galicia's autonomy statute was annulled (in common with those of Catalonia and the Basque provinces). Franco's regime also suppressed any official promotion of the Galician language, although its everyday use was never proscribed. During the last decade of Franco's rule, there was a renewal of nationalist feeling in Galicia.
Following the transition to democracy after Franco's death in 1975, Galicia regained its status as an autonomous region within Spain. Varying degrees of nationalist or separatist sentiment are evident at the political level. The only nationalist party of any electoral significance, the Bloque Nacionalista Galego or BNG, is a conglomerate of left-wing and radical left wing parties and individuals that advocate total independence from Spain. However, the nationalist parties such as those have hitherto obtained only minority electoral support at election times.
From 1990 to 2005, the region's government and parliament, the Xunta de Galicia, was presided over by the Partido Popular ('People's Party', Spain's main national conservative party) under Manuel Fraga, a former minister and ambassador under the Franco regime. In 2002, when The Prestige sank and covered the Galician coast in oil, Fraga is said to have been unwilling to react. However, in the 2005 Galician elections, the People's Party lost its overall majority, while just remaining the largest party in the parliament. As a result, power passed to a coalition between the Partido dos Socialistas de Galicia (PSdeG) ('Galician Socialists' Party'), a regional sister-party of Spain's main socialdemocratic party, the Partido Socialista Obrero Español ('Spanish Socialist Workers Party') and the BNG. As the senior partner in the new coalition, the PSdeG nominated its leader, Emilio Perez Touriño, to serve as Galicia's new president.
[edit] Language
The spoken languages are Galician (Galician: Galego or Gallego), the local language derived from Latin, closely related to Portuguese, both being Galician-Portuguese languages, and Spanish, the only official language for more than four centuries (XVI - XIX). Since the end of the 20th century, the Galician language also has an official status, and both languages are taught in Galician schools. There is a broad consensus of support within the region for efforts to preserve the Galician language.
The Galician and Portuguese languages are derived from the early Galician-Portuguese (Galego-Português) language spoken in Galicia and north-of-Douro regions in Portugal, and are still considered by some Galician people to be two dialects of the same Galician-Portuguese language. In the Middle Ages, the Galician and Portuguese languages began to diverge, a development hastened by political separation. There remain many similarities between Portuguese and Galician. Mutual intelligibility is good between Galicians and northern Portuguese, but poorer between Galicians and speakers from southern Portugal.
A distinct Galician Literature emerged after the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, important contributions were made to the romance canon in Galician-Portuguese. The most notable was by the troubadour Martín Codax and by King Alfonso X of Castile, called El Sabio (The Wise). During this period, Galician-Portuguese was considered the language of love poetry in the Iberian Romance linguistic culture.
[edit] Population
Galicia's inhabitants are called "Galicians" (in Portuguese & Galician galegos; in Spanish gallegos). .
| 1900 | 1930 | 1950 | 1981 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,230,281 | 2,604,200 | 2,753,836 | 2,762,198 | {{{11}}} |
Note: The population of the City of A Coruña in 1900 was 43,971 meanwhile the population of the rest of the province including the City and Naval Station of nearby El Ferrol as well as Santiago de Compostela was 653,556. It should be noted that A Coruña miraculous growth happened during aftermaths of the Spanish Civil War at the same speed as other major Galician cities, but it was the arrival of democracy in Spain after the death of Francisco Franco the moment when the City of Corunna left all the other Galician cities behind (i.e.: with the exception of Vigo of course).
The miraculous meteoric increase of population of the City of Corunna, the City of Vigo and to a lesser degree Santiago de Compostela and all the other mayor Galician Cities, during the years which follow the Spanish Civil War during the mid 20th century, can only be explained when we see the figures of the number of villages and hamlets of the four province which disappeared or nearly disappeared during the same period. We are talking here about an economic revolution and not so much to an explosion of births or a substantial increase in living standards which of course has happened too, but looking to the overall picture what has happened is that the fields have been abandon due to the introduction of new machinery and most of the population has moved to find jobs in the main cities increasing the number of people working in the Tertiary and Quaternary sectors.
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911). [2] [3]
[edit] Geography
From the 15th Century till 1833 Galicia was divided in seven administrative provinces:
From 1833 onwards, the seven original provinces of the 15th Century have been limited to just four:
- A Coruña,
- Ourense,
- Pontevedra, and
- Lugo.
The main cities are Vigo, A Coruña, Pontevedra, Lugo, Ferrol, Ourense, and Santiago de Compostela, the region's capital and archiepiscopal seat, and home of the shrine which gave rise to medieval Europe's most famous pilgrimage route, The Way of St James.
| Provinces of Galicia (location maps) | |||
Province of A Coruña |
Province of Lugo |
Province of Ourense |
Province of Pontevedra |
Geographically, an important feature of Galicia is the presence of many fjord-like indentations on the coast, estuaries that were drowned with rising sea levels after the ice age. These are called rías and are divided into the Rías Altas, the Rías Medias, and the Rías Baixas. Most of the population live near the Rías Baixas, where several large urban centers including Vigo and Pontevedra are located. The rias are important for fishing, and make the coast an important fishing area. The spectacular landscapes and wildness of the coast attract great numbers of tourists.
The coast of this green corner of the Iberian Peninsula is also known as the "A Costa do Marisco" (i.e.: "The Seafood Coast" in Galician).
Galicia has preserved much of its dense Atlantic forests where wildlife is commonly found. It is scarcely polluted, and its landscape composed of green hills, cliffs and rias is very different to what is commonly understood as Spanish landscape.
Inland, the region is less populated and suffers from migration to the coast and the major cities of Spain. There are few small cities (Ourense, Lugo, Verín, Monforte de Lemos, O Barco), and there are many small villages. The terrain is made up of several low mountain ranges crossed by many small rivers that are not navigable but have provided hydroelectric power from the many dams. Galicia has so many small rivers that it has been called the "land of the thousand rivers". The most important of the rivers are the Miño and the Sil, which has a spectacular canyon.
The mountains in Galicia are not high but have served to isolate the rural population and discourage development in the interior. There is a ski resort in Cabeza de Manzaneda (1700 m) in Ourense Province. The highest mountain is Trevinca (2 100 m) on the eastern border with León and Zamora provinces (Castilla y León).
Although the region is filled with extensive natural areas, Galicia has had environmental problems in the modern age. Deforestation is a problem in many areas, as is the continual spread of the invasive eucalyptus tree, imported for the paper industry, which is causing imbalances in the indigenous ecosystem. Fauna, most notably the European Wolf, have suffered from livestock owners and farmers. The native deer species have declined because of hunting and development. Recently, oil spills have become a major issue, especially with the Mar Egeo disaster in A Coruña and the infamous Prestige oil spill in 2002, a crude oil spill larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. Other environmental issues include gas flushing by maritime traffic, pollution from fish hatcheries on the coast, overfishing, and the highest incidence of forest fires in Spain, in spite of the wetter Galician climate.
| Galicia gallery | |||
Pórtico da Gloria, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela |
Roman wall of Lugo, Galicia |
River Sil, Galicia |
Torre de Hércules, A Coruña, Galicia |
[edit] Climate
The weather is Atlantic, with mild temperatures throughout the year. Santiago de Compostela has an average 100 days of rain a year. The interior, specifically the more mountainous parts of Ourense and Lugo, receive significant freezes and snowfall during the winter months.
In the summer the hot temperatures coupled with its geography of dense forests leads to forest fires. The forest fires of Summer 2006 were particularly bad, burning hundreds of acres. Those responsible tend to be livestock farmers who want to clear the land for livestock grazing or people who wish to develop property on the land. The law was changed by the PSOE government so that burnt land couldn't be reclassified as a brown-field site.
[edit] Economy
Galicia is a land of economic contrast. While the western coast, with its major population centers and its fishing and manufacturing industries, is prosperous and increasing in population, the rural hinterland—the provinces of Ourense and Lugo—are economically dependent on traditional agriculture, based on small landholdings called minifundios. However, the rise of tourism, sustainable forestry and organic and traditional agriculture are bringing other possibilities to the Galician economy without compromising the preservation of the natural resources and the local culture.
[edit] Emigration
Like other Celtic regions, Galicia's history has been defined by mass emigration. There was significant Galician emigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries to other parts of Spain and to Latin America. In fact, the city with the second greatest number of Galician people is Buenos Aires, Argentina, where immigration from Galicia was so massive that all Spaniards are now known as gallegos. During the Franco years there was a new wave of emigration out of Galicia to other European countries, most notably to France, Switzerland, and Britain.
[edit] Cuisine
Galician cuisine often uses fish and shellfish. One of its dishes, empanadas, is a meat or fish pie. It has Celtic influence. Caldo Galego is a hearty soup whose main ingredients are potatoes and a local vegetable named grelo. Centolla is the equivalent of King Crab. It is prepared by being boiled alive, having its main body opened like a shell, and then having its innards mixed vigorously. Centolla is served in water. Another popular dish is octopus, which is boiled whole and then its tentacles are cut into small pieces and it is served in olive oil. Pimenton, a spanish variant of Paprika, is usually dashed on it for extra flavor. It has a regional type of cheese, too: tetilla. It is triangularly shaped and is white, and takes the name from the similarity in shape to a woman's breast.
[edit] Politics
The current government of Galacia was established in 16 March 1978 and is reinforced by the Galacian Statute of Autonomy, ratified 28 April 1981. It is run by the Xunta de Galicia, headed by a president and run by a parliament.
[edit] Presidents of Galicia
- 1977-1979 Antonio Rosón Pérez <ref>Anteriores Presidentes da Xunta de Galicia (Galician). Xunta de Galicia. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. “List of Presidents of Galicia on official website of the Galician government”</ref> (UCD)
- 1979-1981 José Quiroga Suárez (UCD)
- 1981-1987 Xerardo Fernández Albor (AP)
- 1987-1990 Fernando González Laxe (PSdeG-PSOE)
- 1990-2005 Manuel_Fraga_Iribarne (PP)
- 2005-today Emilio Pérez Touriño (PSdeG-PSOE)
[edit] Parliament of Galicia
The Parliament <ref>Parlamento de Galicia - By Party. Parlamento de Galicia. Retrieved on 2006-11-27. “Parliament of Galicia Composition”</ref> it is composed of 75 deputies or Members of Parliament. The election of 19 June 2005 resulted in the following distribution:
- Partido Popular de Galicia (PPdeG): 37 deputies (45,2%)
- Partido Socialista de Galicia (PSdeG-PSOE): 25 deputies (33,2%)
- Bloque Nacionalista Galego (BNG): 13 deputies (18,7%)
- Total: 75 deputies (100%)
[edit] Famous Galicians
In Galician:
In Castilian:
In both Castilian and Galician:
- Photography:
- Music:
- Film:
- Artist:
- Architecture:
- Design:
- Politics:
- Sports:
- Medicine:
[edit] Contemporary Music
- O Fiadeiro traditional dancing, singing and tunes, from Vigo
- SonDeSeu modern orchestra with traditional instruments (harps, hurdy-gurdies, tambourines, flutes, violins and bagpipes) and repertoire
- Mercedes Peón singer and musician who draws heavily upon tradition to produce very modern music
- Xosé Manuel Budiño bagpiper who plays modern music with a traditional stroke
- Xistra de Coruxo traditional group and association
- Xacarandaina traditional dancing, singing and tunes, from A Coruña
- Berrogüetto group which manages a perfect, balanced, virtuoso combination of tradition and modernity
- Os Cempés traditional quintet from Trasancos with spicy and joyful lyrics and rhythm
- Quempallou traditional music full of joy and energy from O Morrazo e O Incio
- Xiradela female singers and players of tambourine and traditional percussion from Arteixo
- Susana Seivane possible the best female bagpiper from Cambre
- Luar na Lubre wonderful traditional group
- Carlos Nuñez musician who plays the gaita, the regional version of the bagpipe
- [Milladoiro] traditional group from all parts of Galicia who plays traditional music
[edit] Football Teams
- Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña One of Spain's most successful football teams in recent years, from A Coruña
- Real Club Celta de Vigo Other team of Spain's most successful football teams in recent years, from Vigo
- Racing de Ferrol Play in Spain's Segunda División, from Ferrol
- Club Deportivo Lugo from Lugo
- Pontevedra Club de Fútbol from Pontevedra
- CD Ourense from Ourense
- SD Compostela from Santiago de Compostela
- Other teams
[edit] National Football Team
- Selección Galega in Galician; defeated Uruguay, 3-2 in late 2005.
[edit] Holidays
- Día de San José (st. Joseph's Day) on March 19
- Día das Letras Galegas (Galician Literature Day) on May 17
- Día da Pátria Galega (Galicia Day) also known as St. James the Apostle Day on July 25
[edit] Political Parties
- Partido Popular Galego (PPdeG) - Galician People's Party
- Partido dos Socialistas de Galicia-PSOE (PSdeG-PSOE) - Socialist Party of Galicia-Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
- Bloque Nacionalista Galego (BNG) - Galician Nationalist Bloc
- Partido Galeguista (PG) - The Galician Party
- Esquerda Unida-Izquierda Unida (EU-IU) - United Left
- Frente Popular Galega (FPG) - Galician Popular Front
- Nós-Unidade Popular (Nós-UP) - People United (Galician Independist Party)
[edit] See also
- Way of St. James (Camiño de Santiago)
- Galician music
- Nationalities in Spain
- Galicia Guide The biggest English language guide to Galicia with over 400 pages about its towns, cities and places of interest.
- Walking the Camino de Santiago, A Guide The end of the Camino at Santiago and also Finisterra
- Useful information about Galicia: history, sightseeing, St James' Way and lodgings
- FAQ about Galicia with information on lodgings and property information
[edit] Notes
<references/>
| edit | Roman Catholic Church - The five Dioceses of Galicia [4] | Image:Cross Santiago.svg | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Diocese of Ourense | Diocese of Tui-Vigo | Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela | Diocese of Ferrol-Mondoñedo | Diocese of Lugo | ||||||||||||
| edit | Galician Regions | Image:Flag of Galicia.svg |
|---|---|---|
|
Allariz - Maceda | Los Ancares | Arzúa | La Baja Limia | El Bajo Miño | El Barbanza | La Barcala | Bergantiños | Betanzos | Caldas | El Carballiño | Chantada | El Condado | A Coruña | El Deza | El Eume | Ferrol | Finisterre | La Fonsagrada | La Limia | Lugo | La Mariña Central | La Mariña Occidental | La Mariña Oriental | Meira | El Morrazo | Muros | Noya | Órdenes | Ourense | Ortegal | La Paradanta | Pontevedra | Quiroga | El Ribero | El Salnés | Santiago | El Sar | Sarria | Tabeirós - Tierra de Montes | La Terra Chá | La Tierra de Caldelas | La Tierra de Celanova | La Tierra de Lemos | La Tierra de Mellid | La Tierra de Soneira | La Tierra de Trives | La Ulloa | Valdeorras | Verín | Viana | Vigo | El Xallas | ||
| Galician cities | Image:Flag of Galicia.svg |
|---|---|
| Santiago de Compostela | A Coruña | Vigo | |
| Pontevedra | Ferrol | Lugo | Ourense | |
|
Autonomous communities: Autonomous cities:
Ceuta · Melilla Plazas de soberanía: Islas Chafarinas · Peñón de Alhucemas · Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera |
![[2]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/scans/EB1911_png/VOL24%20SAINTE-CLAIRE%20DEVILLE-SHUTTLE/ED4A203.png){kind=link}
![[3]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/scans/EB1911_png/VOL24%20SAINTE-CLAIRE%20DEVILLE-SHUTTLE/ED4A204.png){kind=link}
