History of Catalonia
Catalonia has developed its own culture since it was a part of the Roman Empire; however, it was united with the rest of the Iberian Peninsula in 1469 upon the marriage of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Since then, there has always been a movement for Catalan independence, which has only become formal in the last century. This push for secession from Spain intensified in 2017, and could hold serious economic effects for both Spain and Catalonia.
Catalonia is distinct from Spain for many reasons. Firstly, Catalan people speak their own language. The Catalan language developed more than one thousand years ago and is currently spoken by more than nine million people in the region. Outside of Barcelona, the Catalan people use Catalan as a daily language. Additionally, there are many cultural differences. Due to its proximity to the Mediterranean and the influence of French culture, traditional Catalan foods differ greatly from Spanish foods. There are also holidays that are exclusively celebrated in Catalonia and are not known in other parts of Spain. For example, Catalans celebrate Sant Joan on July 24th and La Diada on September 11th in addition to Spanish national holidays.
Catalonia is very economically important to Spain, which is covered in more depth in my essay. Although making up only 16% of Spain's population, Catalonia comprises more than a fifth of its total economy. Tourism, business, and taxes are the main sources of income for Catalonia. The money made from these sources flows out of this region and goes to benefit the rest of the country. The Catalan people all want independence from Spain for their own reasons, but money and culture are the main motivations for secession. Overall, Catalonia itself is like a small country being ruled by a larger country, and its people have been pushing for self-governance more and more intensely.