Interesting Facts About Catalonia and the Catalan Language

Interesting Facts about Catalonia and its Language You Should Know 

Catalonia is an autonomous region of Spain and a historic principality that once extended into France. Currently, it is bordered to the south by Valencia, to the west by Aragon, and the Pyrenees to the north-east. 

Much has been said about Catalonia's desire to separate from Spain and seek independence. Entire articles could be written just about the political realities of Catalonia. But these reports paint the region in a sometimes negative tone. Catalonia is much more than politics. It is the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees, the hustle and bustle of Barcelona, and the appeal of its own unique and rich traditions. Let's take a dive into this area, and see what Catalonia has to offer.

 1. The total population of Catalonia is around 7.5 million, which is more than 16% of the total population of Spain. It occupies 6.3% (32,11 km²) of the territory of Spain. 

 2. Catalonia plays a bigger role in the Spanish economy than its size suggests. At  €215.6 billion (£191 billion), the economy of Catalonia is larger than most Eurozone countries, and represents more than a fifth of Spain's GDP, while its exports represent more than a quarter of Spain's total. 

3. Catalan is one of the three official languages ​​of Catalonia, the other two being Castilian and Occitan (Aranés). 

4. Catalonia received around 19 million tourists in 2019, a significant proportion of Spain's total of 83.5 million tourists. Spain is the second most visited country in the world. 

5. One of the strangest events in Catalonia is the traditional Catalan festival called correfoc, where performers dress up as devils, light fireworks, dance to the drum and make a play performance of a duel between good and evil. 

6. The famous architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), known as "God's architect", was born in Catalonia. He is the visionary responsible for the Sagrada Família, the most visited monument in Spain, which attracts around 2.8 million visitors annually. 

 7. Gaudí's Sagrada Família in Barcelona is still under construction. Construction began in 1882 and was halfway completed in 2010. It is expected to be completed between 2026 and 2028, more than 1040 years after construction started.

8. Between 1939 and 1975, the Franco dictatorship banned the use of Catalan in schools and  public administration. 

9. The Atlas of Catalonia was published in 1375. It became one of the most important cartographic works of the Middle Ages. The maps drawn by Catalan cartographers were centered on the Mediterranean, which meant that most of the inscriptions and details are inverted. 

10. One of our favorite facts  is that the famous British author George Orwell volunteered as a Republican soldier and fought against the Franco nationalists during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. He wrote about his experiences in his memoirs from 1938, titled Homage to Catalonia. 

11. One of the most famous artists of all time, Salvador Dalí, was from Catalonia. He was born in 1904 and died  in 1989 at the age of 84.

12. According to a tradition that goes back to the 18th century, the Catalans build human towers called Castells. The Castells was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. 

13. The Catalans celebrate Sant Jordi day on April 23. It is customary to exchange roses and books with loved ones, family and colleagues. The occasion is traditionally marked by the man giving the woman a rose and the woman giving the man a book. 

14. In 2010, bullfighting was banned in Catalonia, for the first time in mainland Spain. 

15. The sardana dance is a Catalan tradition. It rose to fame on an international scale at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Summer Olympics. 

16. One of the most surprising facts about Catalonia is that Catalan is not the dialect of Spain as many people think. Instead, the language evolved independently from Vulgar Latin, a non-standard form of Latin spoken in the Mediterranean region. 

The Catalan Language

So much of what defines a culture is its language, and Catalonia is no different. Catalonia is home to its own distinct language, which is one of Spain's 4 official languages. Catalan is a Romance language spoken by about 10 million people, primarily in Catalonia, but also spoken in the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and the eastern part of Aragon, as well as in the Roussillon region of France, Andorra, the city of Alghero in Sardinia, and the city of Valencia in Venezuela. Catalan has a rich history and culture, and it is an important part of the identity of the people who speak it.

One interesting aspect of Catalan is that it has a varied and unique vocabulary, with many words borrowed from other languages such as French, Italian, and Arabic. Catalan also has a distinctive sound and rhythm, with a rhythmic stress pattern and a variety of vowel and consonant sounds.

Let's Learn Catalan

There are numerous language schools and programs that offer courses in Catalan, both online and in person. There are also many language exchange groups and meetups where you can practice speaking Catalan with native speakers. Additionally, there are a wide variety of materials available to help you learn the language, such as textbooks, dictionaries, and online resources. 

If you'd like to have a bit of adventure, a great way to learn Catalan is by enrolling in a language school in Catalonia, where you can study the language in and out of class. Idiomatic USA is proud to partner with Catalan Lessons.com as well as Up! Idiomes, which are language schools located in the medieval Catalan city of Girona. Have we sparked your interest? If so, get in touch to start your Catalan language journey.