Catalonia
Catalonia (Catalunya) is a part of Spain placed on north-east, recognized as an "Autonomous Community". Over 7 million people live in the region. In Catalonia people speak their own language, Catalan, but also Spanish. The capital is Barcelona. This city is on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and is very popular with tourists. The Olympic Games were there in 1992. There are four regions in Catalonia (Barcelona, wich it has the capital, Tarragona, Girona and Lleida).
The people of Catalonia have autonomy in Spain. This means they have their own local government, their own police and some control over their own community. In September 2005, the Catalan Parliament decided to call Catalonia a 'nation' according to Spanish Constitution which says that Spain is a group of nationalities. But this term has no judicial valor and it's only a term to calm down a minority of separatists.
Catalonia is richer than many other Spanish regions, because industrialization began there earlier than in other Spanish areas. However, this relative richness is used by the Spanish state to subsidize other Spanish areas. There are a lot of factories and businesses in the cities. The region is also greener than southern Spain, and crops are grown here. The north of Catalonia is less hot than the rest of Spain, and has more hills and trees. In the north of the region is the border with France.
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