Preemptive apologies for the quality of the Infobox. The GDP (nominal) sections should read 'GNP' but I couldn't get Wikipedia to let me do that.
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Catalonia, officially the
Kingdom of Catalonia, is a country in Southwestern Europe situated on the Iberian Peninsula. The country is bordered to the west by Spain; to the north by France and Andorra; and to the east by the Mediterranean Sea. Catalonia’s capital and largest city is Barcelona and other major urban areas include Girona, Tarragona and Lleida. The country is officially bilingual, with Catalan and Spanish sharing status, although in recent decades Catalan has become dominant.
Communities in the area that is now Catalonia were initially established as feudal vassals of the Frankish Empire as a defensive barrier against Muslim invasions. They were subsequently united under the rule of the Count of Barcelona in the late 10th century and, in 1137, was united with the Kingdom of Aragon, which in turn united with the Kingdom of Castile in 1469. Catalonia remained united with the rest of Spain for the next four centuries (except for a brief period of independence under French protection in 1641), while Catalan literature flourished and the region developed its own institutional system, including its own courts, legislatures and constitutions.
Separatism grew as part of a long-term reaction against the rationalization of Spanish governance instituted by the Bourbon monarchs since they took the throne in 1714. Desiring to retain their local independence, Catalonia proved a fruitful site for Carlism in the aftermath of the First Carlist War. When a republic was declared in Madrid in 1866, the majority of Catalan elites sided with the relatively liberal Carlist claimant, the Count of Montizón, and declared independence which was accepted by Spain pursuant to the Treaty of Lisbon in September 1870.
In the first decades of independence, Catalonia experienced significant industrialization, which in turn stimulated a cultural renaissance and several workers’ movements in the expanding cities. Under pressure from various popular movements, the King granted a constitution in 1912 that instituted what was, in practice, a parliamentary democracy. Catalonia stayed neutral during the Great and World Wars, although it provided aid to the Allies during the latter conflict. Since 1945, the country has experienced rapid economic growth, drawing many workers from across Europe, but especially from France and Spain, making Barcelona one of the largest cities in Europe and the country a major tourist destination. A second constitution was instituted in 1975, stripping the monarch of most of his residual powers and disestablishing the Catholic Church.
Today, Catalonia is a secular (although predominantly Catholic) and democratic parliamentary monarchy, with King Carlos III as head of state. It is a major developed country and a high income country. It is a member of the United Nations (UN), the International Clearing Union (ICU), the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the World Bank Group (WBG) and many other international organizations. Catalonia also hosts nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, in addition to numerous other areas of artistic interest.
