Galicia (Spain)

Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. Its component provinces are A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra. It borders Portugal to the south, the Spanish regions of Castile and León and Asturias to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west.

Geography

Geographically, a remarkable feature of Galicia is the presence of many fjord-like indentations on the coast, estuaries that were drowned with rising sea levels after the ice age. These are called rías and are divided into the Rías Altas, and the Rías Baixas. The rias are important for fishing, and make the coast an important fishing area. The spectacular landscapes and wildness of the coast attract great numbers of tourists.

Finisterre on the Atlantic coast of Galicia

The coast of this green corner of the Iberian Peninsula is also known as the "A Costa do Marisco" (i.e., "The Seafood Coast" in Galician).

Galicia has preserved few of its dense Atlantic forests where wildlife is commonly found. It is relatively unpolluted, and its landscape composed of green hills, cliffs and rias is very different from what is commonly understood as Spanish landscape.

Inland, the region is less-populated and suffers from migration to the coast and the major cities of Spain. There are few small cities (Ourense, Lugo, Verín, Monforte de Lemos, O Barco), and there are many small villages. The terrain is made up of several low mountain ranges crossed by many small rivers that are not navigable but have provided hydroelectric power from the many dams. Galicia has so many small rivers that it has been called the "land of the thousand rivers". The most important of the rivers are the Miño and the Sil, which has a spectacular canyon.

The mountains in Galicia are not high but have served to isolate the rural population and discourage development of the interior. There is a ski resort in Cabeza de Manzaneda (1778 m) in Ourense Province. The highest mountain is Trevinca (2127 m) on the Ourense eastern border with León and Zamora provinces (Castilla y León).

Galicia has no extensive natural areas and has had several environmental problems in the modern age. Deforestation is a problem in many areas, as is the continual spread of the invasive eucalyptus tree, imported for the paper industry. Fauna, most notably the European Wolf, have suffered because of the actions of livestock owners and farmers. The native deer species have declined because of hunting and development. Recently, oil spills have become a major issue, especially with the Mar Egeo disaster in A Coruña and the infamous Prestige oil spill in 2002, a crude oil spill larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. Other environmental issues include gas flushing by maritime traffic, pollution from fish hatcheries on the coast, overfishing, and the highest incidence of forest fires in Spain, in spite of the wetter Galician climate.

Administrative divisions

• Provinces of Galicia (location maps)
• 
  Province of A Coruña
• 
  Province of Lugo
• 
  Province of Ourense
• 
  Province of Pontevedra

Galicia was divided in seven administrative provinces until 1833:

• A Coruña
• Santiago
• Betanzos
• Mondoñedo
• Lugo
• Ourense
• Tui

From 1833 onwards, the seven original provinces of the 15th century have been limited to just four:

• A Coruña,
• Ourense,
• Pontevedra, and
• Lugo.

The main cities are Vigo, A Coruña, Pontevedra, Lugo, Ferrol, Ourense, and Santiago de Compostela, the capital and archiepiscopal seat, and home of the shrine which gave rise to medieval Europe's most famous pilgrimage route, The Way of St James.

Climate

The weather is dominated by the proximity of Galicia to the Atlantic, with mild temperatures throughout the year. Santiago de Compostela has an average of 100 days of rain a year. The interior, specifically the more mountainous parts of Ourense and Lugo, receive significant freezes and snowfall during the winter months.

In the summer the hot temperatures and dense forests lead to forest fires. The forest fires of summer 2006 were particularly bad, burning tens of thousands of hectares, blackening the skies with thick smoke that resulted in plumes extending for hundreds of kilometres over the Atlantic. Many believe that those responsible tend to be livestock farmers who want to clear the land for livestock grazing or others who wish to build on rural land. Some also suspect that some firefighters themselves, seeking to earn extra money, also play a significant part as arsonists.

History

Main article: History of Galicia

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

Illustration from a Cantigas de Santa Maria manuscript

The name Galicia comes from the Latin name Gallaecia, associated with the name of the ancient Celtic tribe that resided above the Douro river, the Gallaeci or Callaeci in Latin, and Kallaikoi in Greek (these tribes were mentioned by Herodotus).

Before the Roman invasion, a series of tribes lived in the region, and according to Strabo, Pliny, Herodotus and others, they shared similar Celtic customs. The Milesians, who in Irish legendary history were the final wave of invaders to settle Ireland, were Celts from Galicia.

This area was first entered by the Roman legions under Decimus Junius Brutus in 137–136 BC. (Livy lv., lvi., Epitome); but the province was only superficially Romanized by the time of Augustus.

In the 5th century AD invasions, Galicia fell to the Suevi in 411, who formed the first medieval kingdom to be created in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. In 584, the Visigothic King Leovigild invaded the Suebic kingdom of Galicia and defeated it, bringing it under Visigoth control. During the Moorish invasion of Spain (711-718), the Moors garrisoned Galicia, until they were driven out in 739 by Alfonso I of Asturias.

During the 9th and 10th centuries, the counts of Galicia gave fluctuating obedience to their nominal sovereign, and Normans/Vikings occasionally raided the coasts. The Towers of Catoira (Pontevedra) were built as a system of fortifications to stop the Viking raids on Santiago de Compostela.

In 1063, Ferdinand I of Castile and León divided his kingdom among his sons. Galicia was allotted to Garcia II of Galicia. In 1072, it was forcibly reannexed by Garcia's brother Alfonso VI of Castile, and from that time Galicia remained part of the Kingdom of Castile and Leon, although under differing degrees of self-government.

Suebian kingdom in Gallaecia - notice that there were periods of control of territories south of the Tejo river as far as the Algarve.

The final episode of Galician independence was the dynastic conflict between Isabella of Castile and Xoana, called "a beltranexa" ("Daughter of Beltrán", and not to be confused with Joan the Mad). Queen Isabella, during her reign as queen of Castilla, made (the historically unproven) accusations that her niece Xoana was the bastard daughter of Beltrán and the former queen (hence the name Beltranexa). A political struggle ensued, and the Xoana-supporting nobles (most of the Galician aristocracy) lost. This gave Isabel free rein to initiate the process she called "Doma y Castración del Reino de Galicia", that is, the "Taming and Castration of the Kingdom of Galicia" (sic)(Court Historian, Zurita). Galician regionalist and federalist movements arose in the nineteenth century. From 1916 through the 1920s these developed into a full nationalist movement. After the second Spanish Republic was declared in 1931, Galicia became an autonomous region following a referendum. During the 1936–75 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco — himself a Galician from Ferrol — Galicia's statute of autonomy was annulled (as were those of Catalonia and the Basque provinces). Franco's regime also suppressed any official promotion of the Galician language, although its everyday use was never proscribed. During the last decade of Franco's rule, there was a renewal of nationalist feeling in Galicia.

Following the transition to democracy upon the death of Gen. Franco in 1975, Galicia regained its status as an autonomous region within Spain with the Statute of Autonomy of 1981, which starts: "Galicia, historical nationality, is constituted as an Autonomous Community to access to its self-government, in agreement with the Spanish Constitution and with the present Statute (...)". Varying degrees of nationalist or separatist sentiment are evident at the political level. The only nationalist party of any electoral significance, the Bloque Nacionalista Galego or BNG, is a conglomerate of left-wing parties and individuals that claims the Galician political status as a nation.

From 1990 to 2005, the region's government and parliament, the Xunta de Galicia, was presided over by the Partido Popular ('People's Party', Spain's main national conservative party) under Manuel Fraga, a former minister and ambassador in the Franco regime. In 2002, when the oil tanker Prestige sank and covered the Galician coast in oil, Fraga is said to have been unwilling to react. In the 2005 Galician elections, perhaps in response to this perceived lack of action, the 'People's Party' lost its overall majority, while just remaining the largest party in the parliament. As a result, power passed to a coalition of the Partido dos Socialistas de Galicia (PSdeG) ('Galician Socialists' Party'), a regional sister-party of Spain's main social-democratic party, the Partido Socialista Obrero Español ('Spanish Socialist Workers Party') and the Bloque Nacionalista Galego (BNG). As the senior partner in the new coalition, the PSdeG nominated its leader, Emilio Perez Touriño, to serve as Galicia's new president, with Anxo Quintana, the leader of BNG, as its vice-president.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Galicia

Galicia is a land of economic contrast. While the western coast, with its major population centers and its fishing and manufacturing industries, is prosperous and increasing in population, the rural hinterland—the provinces of Ourense and Lugo—are economically dependent on traditional agriculture, based on small landholdings called minifundios. However, the rise of tourism, sustainable forestry and organic and traditional agriculture are bringing other possibilities to the Galician economy without compromising the preservation of the natural resources and the local culture.

• European Fisheries Agency (Port of Vigo) Since March 14, 2005 to coordinate fishing controls in Community waters. European Union.

Language

Main article: Galician language

Linguistic map of the Galician language.

The spoken languages are Galician (Galician: Galego), the local language derived from Latin, closely related to Portuguese, both being Galician-Portuguese languages, and Spanish, the only official language for more than four centuries (XVI - XIX). Since the end of the 20th century, the Galician language also has an official status, and both languages are taught in Galician schools. There is a broad consensus of support within the region for efforts to preserve the Galician language.

The Galician and Portuguese languages are derived from the early Galician-Portuguese (Galego-Português or Middle Ages Portuguese) language spoken in Galicia and north-of-Douro regions in Portugal, and are still considered by some Galician people to be two dialects of the same language (Galician-Portuguese). For some Galician people, the Galician and Portuguese languages began to diverge in the Middle Ages, a development hastened by political separation. Furthermore, there remain many similarities between Portuguese and Galician. Mutual intelligibility is good between Galicians and Portuguese speakers. In fact there is a public debate in Galicia about their own language and its relationship with Portuguese language. Nowadays, some people hold that the Galician language is an autonomous and separate language, while others maintain that Galician is a variant of the Portuguese language, such as Brazilian Portuguese.

A distinct Galician Literature emerged after the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, important contributions were made to the romance canon in Galician-Portuguese. The most notable was by the troubadour Martín Codax, by King D. Denis of Portugal and by King Alfonso X of Castile, called O Sábio (The Wise). During this period, Galician-Portuguese was considered the language of love poetry in the Iberian Romance linguistic culture.

Population

Galicia's inhabitants are called "Galicians" (in Portuguese & Galician galegos; in Spanish gallegos).

Note: The population of the City of A Coruña in 1900 was 43,971. The population of the rest of the province including the City and Naval Station of nearby Ferrol and Santiago de Compostela was 653,556. A Coruña's growth occurred after the Spanish Civil War at the same speed as other major Galician cities, but it was the arrival of democracy in Spain after the death of Francisco Franco when A Coruña left all the other Galician cities behind.

The rapid increase of population of Vigo, A Coruña, and to a lesser degree Santiago de Compostela and other major Galician cities, during the years that followed the Spanish Civil War during the mid 20th century occurred as the rural population declined -- many villages and hamlets of the four provinces of Galicia disappeared or nearly disappeared during the same period. Economic development and mechanization of agriculture resulted in the fields being abandoned, and most of the population has moving to find jobs in the main cities. The number of people working in the Tertiary and Quaternary sectors of the economy has increased significantly. (Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911).

Migration

Like most of Western Europe, Galicia's history has been defined by mass emigration. There was significant Galician emigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries to other parts of Spain and to Latin America - specifically Argentina, Uruguay and Cuba. One example is Fidel Castro, who's father was Galician, and his mother is of Galician descent. The two cities with the greatest number of people of Galician descent outside of Galicia are Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay where immigration from Galicia was so massive that Spaniards are now known as gallegos (Galicians).

During the Franco years there was a new wave of emigration out of Galicia to other European countries, most notably to France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. There are many expatriate communities throughout the world, and many have their own groups or clubs. Galician immigration is so massive that websites such as Fillos de Galicia were created in order to organize and inform Galicians throughout the world.

Cuisine

Main article: Galician cuisine

Galician cuisine often employs fish and shellfish. The empanada is a meat or fish pie. It has Celtic influence. Caldo Galego is a hearty soup whose main ingredients are potatoes and a local vegetable named grelo (broccoli rabe). The latter is also employed in lacón con grelos, a typical Carnival dish, consisting of pork shoulder boiled with grelos, potatoes and chorizo (paprika sausage). Centolla is the equivalent of King Crab. It is prepared by being boiled alive, having its main body opened like a shell, and then having its innards mixed vigorously. Another popular dish is octopus, boiled (traditionally in a copper pot) and served in a wooden plate, cut into small pieces and laced with olive oil, sea salt and pimentón (Spanish pepper). There are several regional varieties of cheese. The best known one is the so-called tetilla cheese, named after its shape, similar to a woman's breast. Other highly regarded varieties include the San Simón cheese from Vilalba and the creamy cheese produced in the Arzúa-Curtis area. The latter area produces also high-quality beef. A classical dessert is filloas, crêpe-like pancakes made with flour, broth and eggs. When cooked at a pig slaughter festival, they may also contain the animal's blood. Famous almond cakes are produced in Santiago de Compostela.

Galicia produces a number of high-quality wines, including Albariño, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras. The grape varieties used are local and rarely found outside Galicia and Northern Portugal.

Politics

The current government of Galicia was established in 16 March 1978 and is reinforced by the Galician Statute of Autonomy, ratified 28 April 1981. It is run by the Xunta de Galicia, headed by a president and run by a parliament.

Presidents of Galicia

Castro of Baroña, Porto do Son, A Coruña

• 1977-1979 Antonio Rosón Pérez (UCD)
• 1979-1981 José Quiroga Suárez (UCD)
• 1981-1987 Xerardo Fernández Albor (AP)
• 1987-1990 Fernando González Laxe (PSdeG-PSOE)
• 1990-2005 Manuel Fraga Iribarne (PP)
• 2005-today Emilio Pérez Touriño (PSdeG-PSOE)

Parliament of Galicia

The Parliament it is composed of 75 deputies or Members of Parliament. The election of 19 June 2005 resulted in the following distribution:

• Partido Popular de Galicia (PPdeG): 37 deputies (45,2%)
• Partido Socialista de Galicia (PSdeG-PSOE): 25 deputies (33,2%)
• Bloque Nacionalista Galego (BNG): 13 deputies (18,7%)
• Total: 75 deputies (100%)

Image gallery

• Galicia gallery
• 
  Pórtico da Gloria, Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
• 
  Roman wall of Lugo
• 
  River Sil
• 
  Torre de Hércules, A Coruña

Famous Galicians

• Calculus:
  • Carlos Rodriguez
• Literature:
  • In Galician:
    • Martín Codax
    • Castelao
    • Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín
    • Rosalía de Castro
    • Curros Enríquez
    • Manuel Rivas
    • Celso Emilio Ferreiro
    • Xosé Neria Vilas
    • Valentín Lamas Carvaxal
    • Ramón Otero Pedrayo
    • Ricardo Carvalho Calero
  • In Spanish:
    • Camilo José Cela (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1989)
    • Emilia Pardo Bazán
    • Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
    • Ramón del Valle-Inclán
    • Concepción Arenal
    • Ramón Menéndez Pidal
    • Wenceslao Fernández Flórez
    • Ignacio Ramonet (In French and Spanish)
  • In both Spanish and Galician:
    • Rosalía de Castro
    • Eduardo Pondal
    • Manuel Curros Enríquez
    • Celso Emilio Ferreiro
    • Álvaro Cunqueiro
    • Manuel Rivas
• Photography:
  • Manuel Ferrol
  • Mariano Grueiro
  • Xurxo Lobato
  • Gerda Taro
• Music:
  • Luis Emilio Batallan
  • Carlos Núñez
  • Cristina Pato
  • Juan Pardo
  • Manuel Ramil
  • Luar na Lubre
  • Milladoiro
  • Siniestro Total
  • Los Piratas
  • Saraibas
  • Fuxan Os Ventos
• Film:
  • Chano Piñeiro
  • Natalia Oreiro
  • F. Calvelo
  • Mariano Grueiro
  • Javier Ozores Marchesi
• Artist:
  • Castelao
• Architecture:
  • Antonio Palacios
  • Mestre Mateo
  • Fernando Casas y Novoa
  • Cesar Portela
• Design:
  • Adolfo Domínguez
  • Antonio Pernas
  • Olgar Ríos
  • Purificación García
  • Roberto Verino
• Politics:
  • Mariano Rajoy
  • Ángel Castro y Argiz
  • Manuel Fraga
  • Pablo Iglesias
  • Xosé Manuel Beiras
  • Francisco Franco
  • Anxo Quintana
  • Jorge Loureda Anllo
  • Emilio Pérez Touriño
  • Santiago Casares Quiroga
  • Antoño Oyarzabal Marchesi
  • Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo
  • Bibiano Fernández Osorio y Tafall
• Sports:
  • Juan Lugris
  • Óscar Pereiro
  • Luis Suárez
  • Amancio
  • Manuel Agulla Gomez
  • Michel Salgado
  • Fran Vázquez
  • Paco Buyo
  • David Cal
  • Iván Raña
  • Nacho Novo
• Journalism:
  • Ramón Chao
• Medicine:
  • Gerardo Mendez-Picon
• Exploration:
  • Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa
  • Luis Váez de Torres
• Interpreting:
  • Sabela Melchor Couto

Contemporary music

Folk

• O Fiadeiro traditional dancing, singing, and tunes, from Vigo
• SonDeSeu modern orchestra with traditional instruments (harps, hurdy-gurdies, tambourines, flutes, violins and bagpipes) and repertoire
• Mercedes Peón singer and musician who draws heavily upon tradition to produce very modern music
• Xosé Manuel Budiño bagpiper who plays modern music with a traditional stroke
• Xistra de Coruxo traditional group and association
• Xacarandaina traditional dancing, singing and tunes, from A Coruña
• Berrogüetto group which manages a perfect, balanced, virtuoso combination of tradition and modernity
• Os Cempés traditional quintet from Trasancos with spicy and joyful lyrics and rhythm
• Quempallou traditional music full of joy and energy from O Morrazo and O Incio
• Xiradela female singers, tambourine players, and traditional percussion from Arteixo
• Susana Seivane possibly the best female bagpiper, from Cambre
• Luar na Lubre wonderful traditional group
• Carlos Nuñez musician who plays the gaita, the regional version of the bagpipe
• Milladoiro traditional group from all parts of Galicia who play traditional music

Pop/rock

• Los Suaves: hard rock/heavy metal band active since the early 80s.
• Deluxe: pop/rock band from A Coruña led by Xoel López.
• Los Limones del Caribe: indie rock/indie pop/post-rock group from El Ferrol led by Ferrol born Santi Santos active since the early 80s.
• Siniestro Total: one of the most well-known punk bands ever appeared in Spain.
• Los Piratas: pop/rock band from Vigo led by Iván Ferreiro, who started a successful solo career in 2003.
• Os Resentidos: one of the most popular Galician bands of the 80s, leaded by Antón Reixa.

Football

Club teams

• Deportivo de La Coruña One of Spain's most successful football teams in recent years, from A Coruña
• Celta de Vigo Plays in Spain's Segunda División, from Vigo
• Racing de Ferrol Plays in Spain's Segunda División B, from Ferrol
• CD Lugo from Lugo
• Pontevedra CF Plays in Spain's Segunda Division B. It was a very successful football team in Spain in the 60's, from Pontevedra
• CD Ourense from Ourense
• SD Compostela from Santiago de Compostela
• Other teams

Holidays

• Día de San Xosé (St. Joseph's Day) on March 19 (strictly religious)
• Día do Traballo (May Day) on May 1
• Día das Letras Galegas (Galician Literature Day) on May 17
• Día da Patria Galega (Galicia's National Day) also known as St. James the Apostle Day on July 25
• Día da Nosa Señora (Day of Our Lady) on August 15 (strictly religious)
• Día da Galiza Mártir (Celebrating those who died for Galicia) on August 17

Political parties

• Partido Popular Galego (PPdeG) - Galician People's Party
• Partido dos Socialistas de Galicia-PSOE (PSdeG-PSOE) - Socialist Party of Galicia-Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
• Bloque Nacionalista Galego (BNG) - Galician Nationalist Bloc (Galician Independentist Party)
• Partido Galeguista (PG) - The Galician Party
• Esquerda Unida-Izquierda Unida (EU-IU) - United Left
• Frente Popular Galega (FPG) - Galician Popular Front
• Nós-Unidade Popular (Nós-UP) - People United (Galician Independentist Party)

See also

• Galician music
• Galician people
• Galician wine
• Nationalities in Spain
• Galician nationalism
• Timeline of Galician History
• Way of St. James (Camiño de Santiago)

External links

• Petroglyphs from Galicia
• Irish genes from Galicia
• Walking the Camino de Santiago, A Guide The end of the Camino at Santiago and also Cape Finisterre
• Useful information about Galicia: history, sightseeing, St James' Way and lodgings
• Sobre a origem e significado das palavras Portugal e Galiza. On the origin and meaning of the names 'Portugal' and 'Galiza'.
• Photographs of Galicia