Catalonia

Capital

Шаблон:Main'Barcelona

Separatism

The reason for the sharp growth of separatist sentiments in Catalonia in 2012 was the problems in the economy, against the background of the financial and economic crisis in Spain. Supporters of the separation of Catalonia from Spain believe that the economically developed region, contributing up to 20% to the kingdom's GDP, contains the rest of Spain. Even the amount of overpayment was declared, that is, the difference between what Barcelona gives to Madrid and what it receives in the form of subsidies and payments - 16 billion euros per year, which is equivalent to 8% of regional GDP.

An attempt to secede from Spain in 2017 was unsuccessful. Then the Spanish authorities simply dispersed the Catalan government.

In October 2022 Barcelona , a projection appeared on the city hall against the background of ammunition: "Donbass has done this in eight years. Why has Catalonia failed in many years? "

Parliament of Catalonia

2012 election

The decision to hold early elections to the Catalan parliament on November 25, 2012 was announced in September 2012, after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy rejected Masa's proposal to grant the region tax independence.

On November 26, 2012, it became known that the Nationalist Coalition Convergence and Union won 30.55% of the vote and won 50 out of 135 seats in the Catalan parliament.

This is followed by the nationalist party "Republican Left of Catalonia" ERC-Cat Si (13.63% and 21 seats) and the Socialist Party of Catalonia (14.5% and 20 seats).

The ruling conservative People's Party is in fourth place (13.04% and 19 seats).

Created in 2003, the environmental coalition "Initiative for a Green Catalonia" ICV-EUiA won 9.92% (13 seats), advocating the priority of civil rights in society the center-left party "Citizens of Catalonia" C's - 7.62% (9 seats), the party CUP-Alternativa d'Esquerres - 3.47% (3 seats)^[1].

Voter turnout was 69.52%, an 11% increase from the previous election in 2010.

Thus, the leader of Catalonia, Arthur Mas, did not receive the absolute majority in parliament (68 seats) necessary to implement the idea of ​ ​ separating the region from Spain. Mas during the election campaign has repeatedly stated that if his supporters get an absolute majority in parliament, then in January 2013 he will introduce amendments to the regional legislation that will give official status to referendums initiated at the regional level. In the 2010 election, CiU received 62 mandates.

Commenting on the election results, the head of Catalonia said that this is not the best coalition result in recent years.

balance of power in parliament requires new approaches from us as Convergence and Union did not win an absolute majority to lead the government," Mas said. According to him, "the time has come when other political forces must share responsibility for the situation in Catalonia."

Economy

GDP

Countries with less GDP than Catalonia (early 2019 data)

Tourism

In 2014, 16.7 million tourists from other countries visited Catalonia, which is 7.2% more than in 2013. This growth was made possible mainly thanks to guests from nearby European states - the number of tourists from Russia and the United States decreased by 14.4% and 9.8%, respectively. This decrease affected the total number of nights spent by foreigners in Spain, as well as their expenses^[2].

The decline in the number of travelers from Russia affected mainly the coast of Costa Dorada (Tarragona), while the drop in the number of American tourists turned out to be the most noticeable in Barcelona. Representatives of both markets are characterized by a high level of expenses and length of stay, significantly exceeding the average.

In any case, thanks to the general increase in the number of foreign travelers by 7.2%, the balance of 2014 turned out to be "extremely positive and marked by a new record for the number of tourists arriving," said Felip Puig, adviser to the regional government on entrepreneurship.

"We have overcome the economic uncertainty in Europe and the fall in the number of Russian tourists," Puig said.

According to him, Catalonia will continue to diversify its markets, since the difficult situation of the Russian economy may continue in 2015.

The decrease in the number of guests from the United States is due to changes in the cruise market, said Javier Espasa, director of the Catalan Tourism Bureau.

"In 2014, the liners made fewer stops in the port of Barcelona. However, the total cost of American tourists in Catalonia decreased by only 2.7%, as we managed to attract travelers spending more money at the place of stay, "Espasa said

Power

Nuclear power plants:

• Vandellós II Nuclear Power Plant

Airport and seaport

Barcelona, ​ ​ the capital of Catalonia, is the second largest airport in Spain. In 2014, passenger traffic amounted to 37.6 million people.

Barcelona's port is the country's third largest, behind those of Algeciras and Valencia, according to the World Shipping Council for 2015.

Combatants

2022: Vigilantes return to the streets of five cities

In September 2022, it became known that clerics of Catalan cities will be patrolled at night.

The older generation of Catalan residents remembers the so-called serenos patrolling the night streets. In the beginning and middle of the XX, they were district police officers without weapons, whose duties included not only patrolling the streets, but also turning on/off street lights, preventing fire situations, opening/closing some public spaces. With the expansion of automation of many processes, their activities gradually came to naught. Now, however, almost half a century later, they appear on the streets of Catalonia's settlements again.

21st century Serenos no longer carry the keys to public spaces or light street lights, now their mission is only to patrol the streets at night to improve safety. Already five cities of Catalonia have restored this position: Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Prima de Dalt, Cornella, Figueres, Mataro. On their streets, people in bright orange vests can now be seen walking through the most dangerous zones every night.

Beaches

Predatory fish

Bluefish

On September 6, 2014, a young man was bitten by a fish on a beach in Salou (Tarragona, Catalonia). Later it became known that it was not a shark, but a lufar from a perch-like order - one of the largest predatory fish in the Mediterranean^[3].

Lufar usually ignores people, but often appears on the surface and on sand spits to satisfy hunger. The search for food is the most plausible cause of the incident in Salou. When the Salow incident occurred, the young man was swimming on an inflatable mattress face down a short distance from the coastline, putting his hands in the water. The resulting injuries are explained by the thickness of the jaws of this fish and a large number of teeth, including in the sky. The wound had to be sutured.

Lufar prefers shallow muddy waters, which are often found on the Catalan coast, in particular, between the mosquitoes of Maresme and the delta of the Ebro River in Tarragona. As the biologist from the University of Barcelona, ​ ​ Louis Cardona, explained, lufar occupies a higher step in the food chain than a blue shark. "This means that he is more aggressive and less selective: if it seems to him that something is moving and can be food, he attacks," the researcher notes.

Marine biologist Manel Gaso notes that lufar is "a natural predator and a very aggressive and voracious fish." Lufar "bites and breaks his prey in half, but if she resists, releases it," says Cardona. Biologists consider this case to be isolated and not requiring preventive measures.

Despite the fact that lufar is a fairly common species, little is known about it: it is not under protection and is not particularly interested in fishermen, because its meat is not of high value.

History

2022: Catalan chief Aragonés announces intention to hold new independence referendum

Catalonia insists that the Spanish government conclude a new agreement to hold a mandatory referendum on the potential independence of the autonomous community, which will be recognized by both Madrid and the international community, Catalan Prime Minister Pere Aragonez said in September 2022.

"I am making an inclusive proposal because it is addressed to all democrats - whether they are in favour of independence (of Catalonia) or not. And a proposal that meets international requirements, "he said during a speech in the parliament of the autonomous community.

Aragonés explained that Catalonia needed to apply the "law on the clarity of the referendum," thereby citing the political experience of Canada and Quebec. At the same time, he added that, given the experience of 2017, this time Catalonia cannot make a decision without the approval of Madrid.

"Even if someone does not like it, the reality is this - and today the overwhelming majority of Catalans want to decide the future of the country by voting in a referendum," the head of the Catalan government said.

2019: Sentences of 12 Catalan politicians and their pardons after 2 years

The Supreme Spain Court in 2019 sentenced 12 Catalan politicians who remained in Spain. Nine people were found guilty of rebellion and received sentences ranging from 9 to 13 years in prison. Three were found guilty of insubordination, they received fines. Convictions in addition to prison terms also included disqualification from public office. The sentencing triggered riots in the autonomous community. The Spanish government announced the pardon of prisoners at the end of June 2021.

2017: Spain introduces direct governance in region after independence referendum

In Catalonia, where a historically strong separatist movement has developed, a referendum on independence was held on October 1, 2017 at the initiative of the generality led by Carles Puigdemont and contrary to the position of the Spanish authorities and the decision of the Constitutional Court. Based on the results of the vote (turnout was 43%, 90% voted in favor), the Catalan parliament declared independence. After that, the Spanish government imposed direct rule in the autonomous community and dissolved the parliament, and a number of members of the generality, including Puigdemont, left the country.

1714: After the siege of Barcelona by the Bourbon troops, Catalonia became part of Spain

In September 1714, Barcelona, after a long siege, fell under the onslaught of troops of supporters of the Bourbon dynasty and Catalonia finally became part of Spain.

XIV century: As part of Aragon

Culture

Kaganers

Caganer (meaning "pooping" in Catalan) is a small clay figurine that is made in the form of a defecating person. These are remnants of a pagan cult that eventually became intertwined with Christian traditions.

Kaganer is one of the obligatory attributes of the Christmas nativity scene, as it symbolizes fertility: his pose demonstrates that he kind of "fertilizes" the soil. The figure is depicted with pants lowered from behind and the result of vital activity nearby, on a stand. Also, kaganer is one of the main national Catalan souvenirs, approximately like a matryoshka in Russia, so tourists often bring them from vacation. In addition, it is believed that the figure brings financial well-being.

Figurines are often made in the form of famous football players, musicians, characters of famous films or political figures. In 2022, the most popular variation of the kaganer was a figure in the form of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Among the souvenirs at this time, you can find images of defecating Osama bin Laden, Salvador Dali, ex-US President Ronald Reagan, Prime Minister Britain Rishi Sunak, a guard from the Game of Squid, a number of Game of Thrones characters and more. In 2022, the competition for Zelensky, whose figurines with the face are depicted in military uniform, was the popularity of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, who died in September, and the ex-president, USA Donald Trump who has repeatedly stated that he plans to run for a new presidential term.

Notes