Understanding Population Distribution in Catalonia

Map of Population by Municipalities in Catalonia
This map shows the population of the municipalities of Catalonia for the year 2005. It reflects all the municipalities of Catalonia. The legend is in grayscale, with four different intervals ranging from a population of less than 2,000 to more than 50,000 inhabitants.
Municipalities with over 50,000 inhabitants are noted on the map with the darkest color (Lleida, Tarragona, Girona, Reus, Barcelona, Terrassa, Sabadell, etc.).

Population Categories


  • Towns and Rural Areas: Less than 2,000 inhabitants
  • Semi-Urban Towns: Between 2,000 and 10,000 inhabitants
  • Urban Municipalities: Over 10,000 inhabitants

In Catalonia, the rural population may be concentrated (clustered in a nucleus) or dispersed (isolated villages and scattered houses).

Text on the Municipalities of Catalonia
In the text, there are five fundamental ideas that students should specify:
1. The municipality is the basic level of territorial organization.
2. Municipalities must have the ability to manage and represent the interests of the community.
3. 21.5% of Catalan municipalities have fewer than 250 inhabitants.
4. This fragmentation creates a lack of resources and difficulty in providing effective services.
5. It is proposed that municipalities can only exist with a minimum of 250 inhabitants.

Challenges Faced by Small Municipalities


Public health, safety in public places, environmental protection, public lighting, cemeteries, garbage collection, sewage, drinking water supply, paving, and urban public transport are some of the basic services that small municipalities struggle to provide due to a lack of economic resources.
Groupings of municipalities are proposed to solve common problems, and the Association of Municipalities ensures the provision of some services.

Administration of Municipalities


– Municipalities are administered by local authorities through a mayor and a number of councilors, based on the population.
Their skills are recognized by the basic law on local and regional governance, focusing primarily on planning, safety in public places, urban transport, health, works and services, and environmental protection.
– Counties are administered by District Councils through the President of the County Council. Their powers are recognized by the Law on Regional Organization of Catalonia, consisting mainly of municipalities that voluntarily delegate authority.
– Provinces are administered by Provincial Councils, led by the President of the Provincial Council and elected members from municipal representatives. They are responsible for local tax collection and organizing services that municipalities cannot handle alone.

Data Table of Countries Recently Joining the EU
All countries in the table, except Croatia, have higher inflation than the EU. All countries have an unemployment rate higher than the EU average and an income lower than the EU average.
The population of Turkey is much larger than the rest, while Bulgaria and Croatia have very low populations.

Candidate countries joining the EU must be governed by democratic political systems and accept the principles of freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights.
– Economic criteria involve adopting a free market economy to compete effectively. To join the Eurozone, countries must converge on various economic indicators such as budget deficits, public debt, inflation, and currency stability.
– Romania and Bulgaria are the two countries that joined the EU on January 1, 2007.

Economic integration is articulated through a single market allowing the free movement of goods, services, people, and capital. Instruments such as the elimination of border controls, the introduction of the euro, and the creation of independent institutions like the European Central Bank direct EU financial policy. To reduce internal imbalances, the EU distributes structural funds and cohesion funds.
– Students should present an example of political integration, where EU states have transferred part of their sovereignty to European institutions. The European institutions adopt policies, rules, and laws that prevail over those adopted in each Member State.
Students should cite at least one of the following treaties: the Treaty of Rome (1957), the Single European Act (1986), the Treaty of Maastricht (1992), or the Treaty of the European Constitution (2004). They should also mention at least two EU institutions from the following: the European Council, the Council of Ministers, the European Commission, the European Parliament, or the Court of Justice.
– States from the list that are not part of the EU include Croatia, Norway, Iceland, Ukraine, and Switzerland.

Text on New Frontiers in Europe
– There is a diversity between the stability of various European states.
– Western European states have been more stable than Central and Eastern European states, which have experienced more compartmentalization processes.
– These developments have completely changed the map of Europe over time.

In federal states, territorial units enjoy real autonomy, guaranteed by the Constitution, in exercising certain legislative and administrative fields. Generally, social services are the responsibility of the Länder, while foreign affairs, defense, and economic management are the responsibility of the central government. Examples include the United States, Germany, and Mexico.
Unitary states are governed from a single centralized device, without political autonomy for the nations that comprise them, risking the loss of identity due to unifying policies. Examples include France, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland.
Decentralized unitary states have a certain degree of self-government through autonomous territorial institutions, sometimes coinciding with the nations that form the state. Examples include Spain, the UK, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Ireland.

The Israel-Palestine conflict is one of the most complex issues in the international arena and is a key factor in instability in the Middle East. The territory known as Palestine has been a point of dispute for over a century, rooted in the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and the failed establishment of a Palestinian Arab state.

Map of the State of Autonomies
This activity discusses a political map of the autonomous communities of Spain. Using a chromatic scale, three distinct groups are identified: communities that agreed to the Statute under Article 151 (historical communities, marked with a darker shade), regions assimilated to this article (marked with a medium gray), and those that do so through Article 143 (marked with a lighter shade).
The two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla are also spatially localized.

Extremadura and the Canary Islands are two autonomous provinces, while Valencia, Aragon, and the Basque Country/Euskadi are communities in three provinces.
In federal states, territorial units enjoy autonomy, guaranteed by the Constitution, in exercising certain legislative and administrative fields. Generally, social services are the responsibility of the Länder, while foreign affairs, defense, and economic management are the responsibility of the central government. Examples include the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Mexico.
– Decentralized unitary states have a degree of self-government through autonomous territorial entities that sometimes coincide with the nations that form the state. Examples include Spain, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Italy.

Students should mention the three different territorial levels in the organization based in Spain: the town, the province, and the autonomous region. For each entity, they must mention who administers it and its main functions:
– Municipalities are administered by local authorities through a mayor and a number of councilors, based on population. Their powers are recognized by the basic law on local governance, focusing on planning, safety in public places, transportation, health, works and services, and environmental protection.
– Provinces are administered by Provincial Councils through the President of the Provincial Council and elected members from among the provincial towns. They are responsible for local tax collection and organizing services that municipalities cannot handle alone.
– The offices and regional offices of various ministries and government bodies are part of the State Administration with a provincial framework for action.
– Autonomous communities are managed by self-government through a president and government elected by universal suffrage. Some communities have specific names, such as the Generalitat of Catalonia, while others have unique titles like lendakari in the Basque Country. Each community recognizes a certain capability for self-government and management in areas such as planning, environment, health, education, and economic development. Some communities, like the Basque and Catalan, have specific skills, including a regional police force, among others.