Northern Catalonia
Encyclopedia
Northern Catalonia is a term that is sometimes used, particularly in Catalan
writings, to refer to the territory ceded to France
by Spain
through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees
in 1659. The area corresponds approximately to the modern French
département
of the Pyrénées-Orientales
.
The equivalent term in French
, Catalogne Nord, is used nowadays, although less often than the more politically neutral Roussillon
(in reference to the pre-Revolutionary
province
). Sometimes French Catalonia can also be used.
Northern Catalonia forms a triangle between the Pyrenees
to the south, the Corbières
to the north-west and the Mediterranean Sea
to the east. The Roussillon plain in the east, by far the most populated area, is formed by the flood plains of the Tech
, Têt
and Agly rivers . The districts of Vallespir
and Conflent
cover the upper valleys of the Tech and the Têt respectively. The
massif of the Canigou
, 2785 m, dominates much of the territory.
The climate is of the Mediterranean type
, with hot, dry summers and winters which are relatively mild, at least on the Roussillon plain where snow is rare.
The city of Perpignan
accounts for over a quarter of the population, over one-third of its urban area is taken into account, and is the only major administrative and service centre. Major road and rail links run north–south through Northern Catalonia between France and Spain, while a railway line also links Perpignan to Latour-de-Carol
(Catalan: La Tor de Querol) via Prades
(Catalan: Prada de Conflent or Prada).
in the upper valley of the Segre
. It is a mountainous and sparsely-populated district, even taking into account the town of Llívia
(pop.
1252 (2005)) which forms an enclave resting under Spanish sovereignty.
The district lies on the most direct route between Toulouse
and Barcelona
(via Foix
and Ripoll
), and a railway line still links the two cities via Latour-de-Carol
.
as a buffer territory against
the Moorish forces. As such, it was divided into feudal counties, Rosselló, Vallespir
,
Conflent
north of the Pyrenees and Cerdanya
to the south. By the end of the
ninth century, these counties had gained de facto independence from the Carolingian
kings and operated
as princely states (whose rulers nevertheless retained the title of count).
As the seigneury of the counties became hereditary, the total number of Catalan counts fell steadily. One individual often
had the charge of several counties, but these were not always transmitted on the basis of primogeniture
. Hence Count
Miró II the Young, third son of Wilfred I the Hairy, inherited the counties of Cerdanya and Conflent from his father in 897, and the counties of Besalú
and Vallespir from his elder brother Sunyer I when the latter became Count of Barcelona in 911.
The Counts of Rosselló, in alliance with their cousins the Counts of Empuriés,
tried to resist this dilution of their power. However the Counts of Barcelona steadily gained suzerainty over the
other Catalan counts, a process which was virtually complete by the twelfth century. The last Count of Rosselló, Girard II, left his title to the
Crown of Aragon
on his death in 1172 to prevent the territory passing to his illegitimate half-brothers.
was organised on the basis of vegueries
,
under the charge of a veguer appointed by the King of Aragon as Count of Barcelona. In Northern Catalonia, the vegueries
followed closely the boundaries of the old counties. The district of Capcir
was a sotsvegueria, based around
the castle of Puigbalador (French: Puyvalador) but subordinate to the vegueria of Conflent.
The Treaty of Corbeil
of 1258 confirmed the frontier between France and Aragon as the Cerbères,
leaving the Occitan
district of Fenolheda
to France.
On the death of King James I the Conqueror
in 1276, Northern Catalonia was combined with the Balearic Isles to form a new Kingdom of Majorca
, which passed to James II
while the rest of the
territory of the Crown of Aragon passed to his brother Peter III
. This division satisfied
neither branch of the family, and the Kingdom of Majorca was retaken militarily by the Crown of Aragon in 1344.
of 1659 ceded Northern Catalonia to France, where it became the province of Roussillon
. The French provinces were abolished at the Revolution
(Law of 1789-12-22), and Roussillon was joined with the district of Fenouillèdes
(Occitan: Fenolheda) to form the département of the Pyrénées-Orientales
, with Perpignan
(Perpinyà) as its administrative centre.
(Catalan: Ceret
), Perpignan
(Perpinyà) and Prades
(Prada de Conflent), which are further divided into cantons and communes. Perpignan and sixteen surrounding communes are also associated in the Communauté d'agglomération
Têt Méditerranée, created in 2001. Enclaved in the southwest of the département there is the Spanish (Catalonia
) exclave of Llívia
.
As is common, the present-day arrondissements do not correspond to pre-Revolutionary
boundaries. The arrondissement of Prades
(Prada) covers the whole of Haute-Cerdagne (Alta Cerdanya) and Conflent
(including
Capcir
), as well as about a third of Fenolheda
(not part of the province of Roussillon).
The arrondissement of Céret
covers the whole of Vallespir
but also the Côte Vermeille
(Costa Vermella), which was historically under the control of the counts and veguers of Rosselló at Perpinyà (Perpignan).
Catalan writers sometimes speak of the "comarques
of Northern Catalonia".
Unlike the autonomous community of Catalonia, these comarques have no administrative significance, although
they usually correspond to a certain historical and geographical unity. A commonly used division is that of Joan Becat in his
1977 work Atles de Catalunya Nord, which follows closely the boundaries of the former vegueries except insofar as
it promotes the former sotsvegueria of Capcir (177 km²,
pop.
1532 (1990)) to a full comarca.
French
is the official language
in these municipalities. Catalan
, in its Northern Catalan
variety, is estimated to be spoken by a quarter of the population, but understood by a higher percentage.
In 1700, the government of Louis XIV prohibited the use of the Catalan language in official documents. In the 1950s, after centuries of being forbidden in education, Catalan language could be taken 1 hour per week in secondary school. In the 1970s, the Arrels Association and la Bressola
network of private schools started to offer complete bilingual French/Catalan classes from nursery up to secondary education.
On December 10, 2007, the General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales
proclaimed Catalan as one of the languages of the department, alongside French and Occitan language (in Fenouillèdes), with the goal to further promote it in public life and education.
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
writings, to refer to the territory ceded to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees
Treaty of the Pyrenees
The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed to end the 1635 to 1659 war between France and Spain, a war that was initially a part of the wider Thirty Years' War. It was signed on Pheasant Island, a river island on the border between the two countries...
in 1659. The area corresponds approximately to the modern French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
département
Départements of France
The departments of France are French administrative divisions. The 101 departments form one of the three levels of local government, together with the 22 metropolitan and 5 overseas regions above them and more than 36 000 communes beneath them...
of the Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
.
The equivalent term in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Catalogne Nord, is used nowadays, although less often than the more politically neutral Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
(in reference to the pre-Revolutionary
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
province
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
). Sometimes French Catalonia can also be used.
Geography
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
to the south, the Corbières
Corbières (mountains)
The Corbières is a mountain range in the Pre-Pyrenees.-Geography:The Corbières are a mountain region in the Languedoc-Roussillon in southwestern France, located in the departements of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales....
to the north-west and the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to the east. The Roussillon plain in the east, by far the most populated area, is formed by the flood plains of the Tech
Tech River
The Tech is a river in southern France, very close to the French-Spanish border. It runs through a valley in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in the former Roussillon, and is 84 km long. Its source is the Parcigoule Valley and it feeds the Mediterranean Sea...
, Têt
Têt River
The Têt is the largest river in Roussillon, southeastern France. It is 116 km long. The Têt has its source at the foot of the Pic Carlit in the Pyrenees...
and Agly rivers . The districts of Vallespir
Vallespir
Vallespir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà, Garrotxa and Ripollès...
and Conflent
Conflent
Conflent is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. In the Middle Ages it comprised the County of Conflent....
cover the upper valleys of the Tech and the Têt respectively. The
massif of the Canigou
Canigou
The Canigou is a mountain located in the Catalan Pyrenees of southern France.Due to its sharp flanks and its dramatic location close to the coast, until the 18th century the Canigou was believed to be the highest mountain in the Pyrenees.-Trekking and sightseeing:Spectacular jeep tracks on the...
, 2785 m, dominates much of the territory.
The climate is of the Mediterranean type
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
, with hot, dry summers and winters which are relatively mild, at least on the Roussillon plain where snow is rare.
The city of Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
accounts for over a quarter of the population, over one-third of its urban area is taken into account, and is the only major administrative and service centre. Major road and rail links run north–south through Northern Catalonia between France and Spain, while a railway line also links Perpignan to Latour-de-Carol
Latour-de-Carol
Latour-de-Carol is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-Transport:The village's main claim to fame is as the site of the international railway station, Gare de Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg...
(Catalan: La Tor de Querol) via Prades
Prades
-Places:* Prades, Ardèche, in the Ardèche département, France* Prades, Ariège, in the Ariège département, France* Prades, Haute-Loire, in the Haute-Loire département, France...
(Catalan: Prada de Conflent or Prada).
Cerdagne
Haute-Cerdagne is geographically distinct from the rest of Northern Catalonia, lying to the south of the Pyrenean watershedWater divide
A drainage divide, water divide, divide or watershed is the line separating neighbouring drainage basins...
in the upper valley of the Segre
Segre
Segre may be* Beniamino Segre , Italian geometer* Corrado Segre , Italian geometer distantly related to Beniamino* Emilio Segrè , Italian American physicist* Segre River, a river in Catalonia...
. It is a mountainous and sparsely-populated district, even taking into account the town of Llívia
Llívia
Llívia is a town of Cerdanya, province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is a Spanish exclave within the French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
(pop.
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
1252 (2005)) which forms an enclave resting under Spanish sovereignty.
The district lies on the most direct route between Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
(via Foix
Foix
Foix is a commune, the capital of the Ariège department in southwestern France. It is the least populous administrative centre of a department in all of France, although it is only very slightly smaller than Privas...
and Ripoll
Ripoll
Ripoll is the capital of the comarca of Ripollès, in the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on confluence of the Ter River and its tributary Freser, next to the Pyrenees near the French border...
), and a railway line still links the two cities via Latour-de-Carol
Latour-de-Carol
Latour-de-Carol is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-Transport:The village's main claim to fame is as the site of the international railway station, Gare de Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg...
.
Eighth to twelfth centuries
Northern Catalonia formed part of the Spanish Marches, established by CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
as a buffer territory against
the Moorish forces. As such, it was divided into feudal counties, Rosselló, Vallespir
Vallespir
Vallespir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà, Garrotxa and Ripollès...
,
Conflent
Conflent
Conflent is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. In the Middle Ages it comprised the County of Conflent....
north of the Pyrenees and Cerdanya
Cerdanya
Cerdanya is a natural comarca and historical region of the eastern Pyrenees divided between France and Spain. Historically it has been one of the counties of Catalonia....
to the south. By the end of the
ninth century, these counties had gained de facto independence from the Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
kings and operated
as princely states (whose rulers nevertheless retained the title of count).
As the seigneury of the counties became hereditary, the total number of Catalan counts fell steadily. One individual often
had the charge of several counties, but these were not always transmitted on the basis of primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
. Hence Count
Miró II the Young, third son of Wilfred I the Hairy, inherited the counties of Cerdanya and Conflent from his father in 897, and the counties of Besalú
County of Besalú
The County of Besalú was one of the landlocked medieval Catalan counties near the Mediterranean coastline. It was roughly coterminous with the modern comarca of Garrotxa and at various times extended as far north as Corbières, Aude, now in France. Its capital was the village of Besalú...
and Vallespir from his elder brother Sunyer I when the latter became Count of Barcelona in 911.
The Counts of Rosselló, in alliance with their cousins the Counts of Empuriés,
tried to resist this dilution of their power. However the Counts of Barcelona steadily gained suzerainty over the
other Catalan counts, a process which was virtually complete by the twelfth century. The last Count of Rosselló, Girard II, left his title to the
Crown of Aragon
Crown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
on his death in 1172 to prevent the territory passing to his illegitimate half-brothers.
Under the Crown of Aragon
Royal administration in Catalonia under the Crown of AragonCrown of Aragon
The Crown of Aragon Corona d'Aragón Corona d'Aragó Corona Aragonum controlling a large portion of the present-day eastern Spain and southeastern France, as well as some of the major islands and mainland possessions stretching across the Mediterranean as far as Greece...
was organised on the basis of vegueries
Vegueria
The vegueria was the feudal administrative territorial jurisdiction of the Principality of Catalonia during the Middle Ages and into the Modern Era until the Nueva Planta decrees of 1716...
,
under the charge of a veguer appointed by the King of Aragon as Count of Barcelona. In Northern Catalonia, the vegueries
followed closely the boundaries of the old counties. The district of Capcir
Capcir
Capcir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca was Formiguera, and it borders the historical comarques of Conflent and Alta Cerdanya...
was a sotsvegueria, based around
the castle of Puigbalador (French: Puyvalador) but subordinate to the vegueria of Conflent.
The Treaty of Corbeil
Treaty of Corbeil (1258)
The Treaty of Corbeil was an agreement signed on 11 May 1258, in Corbeil between Louis IX of France and James I of Aragon....
of 1258 confirmed the frontier between France and Aragon as the Cerbères,
leaving the Occitan
Occitania
Occitania , also sometimes lo País d'Òc, "the Oc Country"), is the region in southern Europe where Occitan was historically the main language spoken, and where it is sometimes still used, for the most part as a second language...
district of Fenolheda
Fenolheda
Fenouillèdes , is a French comarca and a traditional Occitan-speaking area in the département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet .Fenolheda has been part of France since the Treaty of Corbeil of 1258...
to France.
On the death of King James I the Conqueror
James I of Aragon
James I the Conqueror was the King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276...
in 1276, Northern Catalonia was combined with the Balearic Isles to form a new Kingdom of Majorca
Kingdom of Majorca
The Kingdom of Majorca was founded by James I of Aragon, also known as James The Conqueror. After the death of his first-born son Alfonso, a will was written in 1262 which created the kingdom in order to cede it to his son James...
, which passed to James II
James II of Majorca
James II was King of Majorca and Lord of Montpellier from 1276 until his death. He was the second son of James I of Aragon and his wife Violant, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary...
while the rest of the
territory of the Crown of Aragon passed to his brother Peter III
Peter III of Aragon
Peter the Great was the King of Aragon of Valencia , and Count of Barcelona from 1276 to his death. He conquered Sicily and became its king in 1282. He was one of the greatest of medieval Aragonese monarchs.-Youth and succession:Peter was the eldest son of James I of Aragon and his second wife...
. This division satisfied
neither branch of the family, and the Kingdom of Majorca was retaken militarily by the Crown of Aragon in 1344.
After the Treaty of the Pyrenees
The Treaty of the PyreneesTreaty of the Pyrenees
The Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed to end the 1635 to 1659 war between France and Spain, a war that was initially a part of the wider Thirty Years' War. It was signed on Pheasant Island, a river island on the border between the two countries...
of 1659 ceded Northern Catalonia to France, where it became the province of Roussillon
Roussillon
Roussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
. The French provinces were abolished at the Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
(Law of 1789-12-22), and Roussillon was joined with the district of Fenouillèdes
(Occitan: Fenolheda) to form the département of the Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
, with Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
(Perpinyà) as its administrative centre.
Present day
The département of the Pyrénées-Orientales is divided into the arrondissements of CéretCéret
Céret is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It is the capital of Vallespir historical Catalan comarca.-Geography:...
(Catalan: Ceret
Céret
Céret is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It is the capital of Vallespir historical Catalan comarca.-Geography:...
), Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
(Perpinyà) and Prades
Prades
-Places:* Prades, Ardèche, in the Ardèche département, France* Prades, Ariège, in the Ariège département, France* Prades, Haute-Loire, in the Haute-Loire département, France...
(Prada de Conflent), which are further divided into cantons and communes. Perpignan and sixteen surrounding communes are also associated in the Communauté d'agglomération
Communauté d'agglomération
An agglomeration community is a metropolitan government structure in France, created by the Chevènement Law of 1999. It is one of three forms of intercommunality, less integrated than an urban community but more integrated than a community of communes...
Têt Méditerranée, created in 2001. Enclaved in the southwest of the département there is the Spanish (Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
) exclave of Llívia
Llívia
Llívia is a town of Cerdanya, province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. It is a Spanish exclave within the French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
.
| Arondissement | Cantons | Communes | Population Population A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals... (1999) |
Area Area Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat... |
Population density Population density Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans... (1999) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Céret Arrondissement of Céret The arrondissement of Céret is an arrondissement of France, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales département , in the Languedoc-Roussillon région... (Ceret) |
5 | 40 | 66,624 | 954 km² | 69.8 /km² |
| Perpignan Arrondissement of Perpignan The arrondissement of Perpignan is an arrondissement of France, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales département , in the Languedoc-Roussillon région... (Perpinyà) |
20 | 86 | 287,272 | 1317 km² | 218 /km² |
| Prades Arrondissement of Prades The arrondissement of Prades is an arrondissement of France, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales département , in the Languedoc-Roussillon région... (Prada) |
6 | 100 | 38,907 | 1845 km² | 21.1 /km² |
| TOTAL | 31 | 226 | 392,803 | 4116 km² | 95.4 /km² |
| All figures include the district of Fenouillèdes. | |||||
As is common, the present-day arrondissements do not correspond to pre-Revolutionary
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
boundaries. The arrondissement of Prades
Arrondissement of Prades
The arrondissement of Prades is an arrondissement of France, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales département , in the Languedoc-Roussillon région...
(Prada) covers the whole of Haute-Cerdagne (Alta Cerdanya) and Conflent
Conflent
Conflent is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. In the Middle Ages it comprised the County of Conflent....
(including
Capcir
Capcir
Capcir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca was Formiguera, and it borders the historical comarques of Conflent and Alta Cerdanya...
), as well as about a third of Fenolheda
Fenolheda
Fenouillèdes , is a French comarca and a traditional Occitan-speaking area in the département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet .Fenolheda has been part of France since the Treaty of Corbeil of 1258...
(not part of the province of Roussillon).
The arrondissement of Céret
Arrondissement of Céret
The arrondissement of Céret is an arrondissement of France, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales département , in the Languedoc-Roussillon région...
covers the whole of Vallespir
Vallespir
Vallespir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà, Garrotxa and Ripollès...
but also the Côte Vermeille
Côte Vermeille
The Côte Vermeille is a region in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales, near the border with Spain. The Côte Vermeille stretches from Argelès-sur-Mer to the border village of Cerbère, quaint and relatively quiet seaside hideaway in the valley of Cervera...
(Costa Vermella), which was historically under the control of the counts and veguers of Rosselló at Perpinyà (Perpignan).
Catalan writers sometimes speak of the "comarques
Comarques of Catalonia
This is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
of Northern Catalonia".
Unlike the autonomous community of Catalonia, these comarques have no administrative significance, although
they usually correspond to a certain historical and geographical unity. A commonly used division is that of Joan Becat in his
1977 work Atles de Catalunya Nord, which follows closely the boundaries of the former vegueries except insofar as
it promotes the former sotsvegueria of Capcir (177 km²,
pop.
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
1532 (1990)) to a full comarca.
Languages
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is the official language
Official language
An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
in these municipalities. Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
, in its Northern Catalan
Northern Catalan
Northern Catalan is a Catalan dialect mostly spoken in Northern Catalonia, but also extending in the northeast part of Southern Catalonia in a transition zone with Central Catalan....
variety, is estimated to be spoken by a quarter of the population, but understood by a higher percentage.
In 1700, the government of Louis XIV prohibited the use of the Catalan language in official documents. In the 1950s, after centuries of being forbidden in education, Catalan language could be taken 1 hour per week in secondary school. In the 1970s, the Arrels Association and la Bressola
La Bressola
La Bressola is a cultural association founded in Perpignan, France in 1976 to promote a network of community-run schools engaged in Catalan language immersion programs in France, particularly in the comarques of so-called North Catalonia. The first center was opened in Sant Galdric in September...
network of private schools started to offer complete bilingual French/Catalan classes from nursery up to secondary education.
On December 10, 2007, the General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales
General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales
The General Council of the Pyrénées-Orientales is the assembly elected for 6 years by the 31 Cantons of the Pyrénées-Orientales and its executive...
proclaimed Catalan as one of the languages of the department, alongside French and Occitan language (in Fenouillèdes), with the goal to further promote it in public life and education.
See also
- Albera MassifAlbera MassifThe Albera Massif is a mountain range in the north of Catalonia, between France and Spain. It is the main easternmost prolongation of the Pyrenees. Its highest peak is the Puig Neulós, with an altitude of 1,256 metres....
- Language policy in FranceLanguage policy in FranceFrance has one official language, the French language. The French government does not regulate the choice of language in publications by individuals but the use of French is required by law in commercial and workplace communications...
- RoussillonRoussillonRoussillon is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales...
(historical county) - Sport in CataloniaSport in CataloniaSport has an important incidence in Catalan life since the beginning of the 20th Century. The main sports in Catalonia are football, basketball, handball, rink hockey, tennis and motorsport....
- Northern Basque CountryNorthern Basque CountryThe French Basque Country or Northern Basque Country situated within the western part of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques constitutes the north-eastern part of the Basque Country....
External links
- "Catalunya del Nord" from the Enciclopèdia catalana
Media
- Flaix FM radio station
- Ràdio Arrels radio station
- Catalunya Info radio station
- La Clau magazine in Catalan & French
- Mil Dimonis magazine
- Editorial del Trabucaire publishing house
- Llibreria Catalana Catalan bookstore in Perpinyà (Perpignan)
- Mirmanda Cultural Journal in Catalan & French
Associations
- La Bressola – organises primary education in Catalan
- La Porta dels Països Catalans
- Aire Nou de Bao
Essays
- Qui som els catalans del nord? (Who are we Northern Catalans?)
- Catalan, Occitan and French toponomy in Northern Catalonia