Autonomous region of NE Spain; area 31,900 sq
km/12,313 sq mi; population (1986) 5,977,000.
It includes Barcelona (the capital), Gerona,
Lerida, and Tarragona. Industries include
wool and cotton textiles; hydroelectric power
is produced. The N is mountainous, and the
Ebro basin breaks through the Castellon
mountains in the S. The soil is fertile, but
the climate in the interior is arid.
Catalonia leads Spain in industrial
development. Tourist resorts have developed
along the Costa Brava. history The region has
a long tradition of independence. It enjoyed
autonomy 1932-39 but lost its privileges for
supporting the Republican cause in the
Spanish Civil War. Autonomy and official use
of the Catalan language were restored 1980.
French Catalonia is the adjacent departement
of Pyrenees-Orientales.