Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain located on the eastern extremity of the Iberian Peninsula. It is designated as a nationality by its Statute of Autonomy. Catalonia consists of four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Catalonia had existed for more than 250 years before it joined Spain during the country's formation in the 16th Century. As such, identity plays a large role in the debate surrounding independence. Under the military government of Francisco Franco, from 1939-1975, Catalan culture was suppressed. Symbols of Catalan identity such as the castells, or human towers, were prohibited and parents were forced to choose Spanish names for their children.
Because of the ongoing strife between the secessionist and the Spanish Central government, a referendum was held in Catalonia recently. However, the referendum has been declared illegal by Spain’s central government as it was marred by wide scale violence. The referendum has thrown the country into its worst constitutional crisis in decades. It has also deepened a century old rift between Madrid and Barcelona. More than 2.2 million people were reported to have voted, out of 5.3 million registered voters. Just under 90% of those who voted backed independence. The region has a population of 7.5 million people. It has an economy larger than that of Portugal.
