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Map of the Catalan countries

The Catalan people are divided among four states:
STATE	REGION
Spain	Catalonia Land of Valencia Balearic Islands Aragon (in La Franja) Murcia (in El Carxe)
France	Northern Catalonia
Italy	The city of L'Alguer
Andorra	The Catalan the official language

The terms Catalan Countries (Catalan: Països Catalans) or Catalanofonia (quite similar, in the linguistic sense, to the French Francophonie, the Portuguese Lusofonia or the Spanish Hispanophone) includes all territories where the Catalan language is spoken. This concept first appeared at the end of the 19th century and later was popularized by the Valencian writer Joan Fuster, in his book Nosaltres els valencians (We, the Valencians), in 1962. The Catalan Countries are divided in the following parts:

• The former Principality of Catalonia, comprising:
  • The current Spanish Autonomous Community of Catalonia (Catalan: Catalunya)
  • The Northern Catalonia in southern France (Catalan: Catalunya Nord, often called Pays Catalan in French); it is more or less equivalent to the département of the Pyrénées-Orientales.
  • La Franja, a Catalan-speaking region in the border between the Autonomous Community of Aragon and Catalonia.
• The former Kingdom of Majorca : the Balearic Islands (Catalan: Illes Balears)
• The former Kingdom of Valencia: the Autonomous Community of Valencia (Valencian: País Valencià/Comunitat Valenciana).
• El Carxe, a Catalan-speaking region of the Autonomous Community of Murcia, in Spain.
• Andorra (geographically adjacent, linked by language, but also an apart co-principality since 13th century)
• The city of L'Alguer, in the Italian island of Sardinia, where Catalan is one of the official languages, along with Italian.

This territory does not coincide exactly with the places where Catalan is the native language. For example, in the north-western region of Catalonia known as Val d'Aran, a dialect of Occitan, Aranese, is spoken and considered the native language, although Spanish and Catalan are also spoken. In western and south-western areas of Valencia, the Spanish is mainly spoken.

Nowadays, the term is politically charged, and tends to be closely associated with Catalan nationalism and Catalan independentism. The idea of building this country is supported by political parties or coalitions such as ERC, ERPV and CUP.

Contents 1 Different meanings and controversy 2 History and evolution of the name. Alternate names 3 See also 4 References 5 Foot notes and External links

When the term is used in a strictly cultural/linguistic sense —analogously to La Francophonie— rather than in a nationalistic one, places such as L'Alguer are usually included within this definition. In this cultural sense, the non-Catalan-speaking areas of Valencia are excluded; the Val d'Aran may or may not be excluded.

The term is controversial because, on the one hand, some see the concept of the Catalan Countries as regional exceptionalism, counterposed to a centralizing Spanish and French national identity; and on the other hand, others see it as an attempt by a Catalonia proper centered nationalism to lay a hegemonic claim to Valencia, the Balearics, and the historically Catalan regions of France, whereas these three territories present a much less successful political Catalan nationalist sentiment than in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.

In large areas included in the territories designated by some as "Catalan Countries", Catalan nationalist sentiment is uncommon or nonexistent. In the case of the Valencian Autonomous Community, Esquerra Repúblicana del País Valencià (ERPV) is the more relevant party explicitly supportive of the idea and, despite participating in elections in a number of Valencian cities, its representation is limited to three city councilors in the Sueca municipality; in the regional level, its first and to date only run in the regional Parliament elections was in those of 2003, achieving 0.32% of the total votes^[1] (other minor political parties supportive of the concept have achieved so far lower results than ERPV). That is despite some of the major defenders or promoters of the "Catalan Countries" concept (such as Joan Fuster, Josep Guia or Vicent Partal) being born in the Valencian Autonomous Community (or any given Catalan speaking territory outside of the present Autonomous Community of Catalonia).

The subject became very hot during the politically agitated Spanish Transition in the VAC, specially in Valencia City. The idea of an Autonomous Community was just one more possible scenario in territories like the Land of Valencia and so its later evolution was under much political scrutiny and debate. By the late 70s and early 80s, fearing what was seen as an annexation attempt from Catalonia, various local right wing politicians (originally from Unión de Centro Democrático and others which later on would gather in Unió Valenciana) fueled a violent Anti-Catalanist campaign against the local supporters of the Catalan Countries idea, even including a handful of unsuccessful attacks with explosives against Joan Fuster and Manuel Sanchis i Guarner amongst others.

See also political issue surrounding Valencian

For some, in order to avoid an hypothetical federation of Catalan-speaking Autonomous Communities, a clause forbidding this kind of federation amongst Autonomous Communities ^[2] was added during the writing of the new Spanish Constitution of 1978; those sources also claim this was motivated after military pressures.

The Catalan Countries term was first documented in "Historia del Derecho en Cataluña, Mallorca y Valencia. Código de las Costumbres de Tortosa, I" (History of the Law in Catalonia, Mallorca and Valencia. Code of Tortosa costumes, I) written by the Valencian Law historian Bienvenido Oliver i Esteller. Soon, it became popular in Catalan Renaixença by the end of the 19th century as a synonym of "Catalan-speaking territories". This was actually spread inspired in the term "Occitan Countries" from the Oficina de Relacions Meridionals (Office of Southern relationships) in Barcelona by 1933.

Another proposal which enjoyed some popularity during the Renaixença was "Pàtria llemosina" (Llemosine Motherland), proposed by Victor Balaguer as a federation of Catalan-speaking provinces; that was based on the former popular but wrong assumption that Catalan originated from the Occitan dialect of Limoges.

Later on, Joan Fuster essays, "Nosaltres els valencians" (We, the Valencians) and "Qüestió de noms" (A matter of names), both published in 1962, helped to its popularization and previous unsuccessful proposals such as "Comunitat Catalànica" (Catalanic Community) or "Bacàvia" ^[3] (after Balearics-Catalonia-Valencia) faded away.

See also Catalan language history

• Muixeranga, proposed hymn for the Catalan Countries.
• Euskal Herria, a political-cultural concept covering the Basque areas of Spain and France.
• Nationalities in Spain

• Pere Grau, "El panoccitanisme dels anys trenta: l’intent de construir un projecte comú entre Catalans i occitans". El contemporani, 14 (gener-maig 1998), p. 29-35.
• Francesc Pérez Moragón, "El valencianisme i el fet dels Països Catalans (1930-1936)", L'Espill, núm. 18 (tardor 1983), p. 57-82.
• Jordi Ventura, "Sobre els precedents del terme Països Catalans", dins Debat sobre els Països Catalans, Barcelona: Curial…, 1977. p.347-359.
• Enric Prat de la Riba, Greater Catalonia. (Online in Catalan)
• Joan Fuster, Qüestió de noms. (Online in Catalan)
• Josep Guia, "És molt senzill, digueu-li Catalunya", Llibres del segle. Col·lecció "Què us diré", 22. ISBN 978-84-920952-8-5 (Online in Catalan - PDF)

1. ^ Results of elections to the Valencian regional Parliament 2003
2. ^ the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in English
3. ^ http://www.avl.gva.es/accessible/gabinet/premsa.asp?id=128

• "Catalan Countries" in the English version of the Catalan Hiperencyclopedia.
• Lletra. Catalan Literature Online
• The Spirit of Catalonia. 1946 book by Oxford Professor Dr. Josep Trueta