Twenty thousand years ago the planet was immersed in the last known glaciation. It was during this period when the inhabitants of Europe, fleeing the ice, moved to the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, finding a climatic refuge in today’s Galicia. Ten thousand years later, already in the Neolithic era, the Würm glaciation recedes and the population migrated from Galicia to Ireland and from Ireland to Britain, eventually returning back to continental Europe. This is the great epic of the Celts!
“The first country in Europe” – after the Galician Kingdom was established in 410 CE – has a very distinctive character, and She probably is one of the lesser known European nations.
Galicia (Galiza) has a strong Celtic background. Yet Galicia is unique in Herself, and has a vibrant culture, folklore and traditions. Galicia is, for instance, the cradle of modern Portuguese language.
At present, the stateless nation of Galicia is an autonomous territory within the framework of the Spanish State. Galicia is a member of the European Union (through Spanish representation).
Facts and Figures (as of 2008)
Local name: Galiza.
Other names: Galicia (English, Spanish), Galice (French), Galicien (German).
Population: 2,767,524
< 20 yrs old: 18%
20-64 yrs old: 60%
> 65 yrs old: 22%
Surface:
- Administrative Galicia: 29,575 km²
- Territories of Galician culture: 35,692 km² (approx. the size of Belgium or Taiwan).
Capital: Santiago de Compostela.
Location: North-West corner of the Iberian Peninsula (Southern Atlantic Europe), right above Portugal (map).
Currency: Euro (€).
Languages: Galician-Portuguese (48% monolinguals), Castilian-Spanish (15% monolinguals).
Ethnic groups: Galician (88%); Spanish (9%); Other (3%).
Main cities: Vigo (293,255), Corunha (243,320), Ourense (108,137), Compostela, (93,470), Lugo (93,450), Ponte Vedra (80,096), Ferrol (76,399).
National holiday: 25th of July.
National symbols: Flag, coat of arms and national anthem.
Date of formation: 410 CE (establishment of the Galician Kingdom).
Terrain: The territory is highly fragmented, with highlands in the east, central plateaus (chairas), ample estuaries (rias), and a myriad of rivers. Galicia has a climate of transition, from Oceanic to Mediterranean. Pockets of Continental climate are present inland. Weather is in general humid with moderate temperatures.
Territory: Administrative Galicia is divided into 53 comarcas or bisbarras (regions), 316 concelhos (municipalities), 3,781 paróquias (parishes). Galicia has more than 33,000 settlements. A number of territories with strong Galician cultural influence remain outside administrative Galicia, in the Spanish regions of Asturias and Castilla y León. Northern Portugal is also strongly akin to Galician culture.
Political organisation: Standard Western parliamentary system. Elections are held every four years.
Economy:
- GDP: 47,849,716 (in thousands of Euros)
- GDP per capita (PPP): €17,280 /year. Actual PPP (estimated): €15,500 /year
- Households below poverty line: 10%
- Occupation: 19.8% primary sector; 28.4% secondary sector; 51.8% tertiary sector. 12% unemployment
- International trade: Imports: 13,757,202 (in thousands of Euros). Exports: 12,162,714 (in thousands of Euros)
- Electricity production: 26,613,878 Megawatts
[In recent centuries, Galicia has been one of the poorest areas of Western Europe due to its colonization. Nonetheless, it has an enormous economic and human potential.]
Education and health:
- Literacy rate: 93.77%
- Households with Internet access: 30 %
- Education expenditure (from GDP): 4.10%
- Health expenditure (from GDP): 5.24%
- 310 doctors for each 100,000 inhabitants
- Life expectancy at birth: Men 77.19 yrs; Women 84.58 yrs. Average 80.93 yrs
International disputes: Full devolution by Spain. Controversies over eastern territories of Galician culture in Spanish territory (outside administrative Galicia).
Brief Chronology
120000 BCE: Humans appear in what today is Galicia (estimate).
8000-2000 BCE: Megalithic Culture. Maritime contacts with Atlantic Europe.
2000-1000 BCE: Bronze Age. Sea-trade with Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean.
1000 BCE: First arrival of Celtic peoples (estimate).
600-25 BCE: Cultura Castreja: A Celtic civilisation based in Galicia.
25 BCE: Establishment of the Roman Empire. Introduction of Latin language and Roman law. Weak level of Romanization: hybrid culture. Gallaecia province.
2ndC CE: Introduction of Christianity (mixes with Celtic religion).
4th – 5thC CE: Priscilianism, Galicia’s own Christian movement, strongly influenced by Druidry.
410 CE: Foundation of the Galician Swabian Kingdom, by means of a treaty (foedus) with Rome. Galicia becomes “the first country in Europe”. Period of territorial, cultural and economic growth
5thC CE: Last Celtic migration to Northern Galicia.
585-711 CE: End of Swabian Dynasty. Visigoth rule (Viceroys).
711 CE: Muslim occupation of Iberia: Visigoth Empire is dismantled. Re-establishment of the Galician Crown. Muslims never successfully conquer Galicia, yet they attack and temporarily occupy the southern part of the Kingdom.
813 CE: “Discovery” of the remains of St James the Apostle: ancient pilgrimage route is Christianised and reactivated (Way of St. James). Galicia progressively becomes the dominant force among Iberian Christian kingdoms. Growing stability.
846-1008 CE: Waves of Viking invasions.
1037: Vermudo III dies: end of the direct succession of the Galician Dynasty.
1065-1072: Garcia II King of Galicia: attempts to restructure and revitalise the Kingdom.
1072-1110: Political instability: dynastic wars.
1093: Era Compostelã: cultural splendour that lasts for more than a century.
1121: Independence of the county of Portugal. The Kingdom splits in two halves.
1175: First known official document written in Galician-Portuguese language.
1230: Afonso VIII dies: Castile arises as a new force in Iberia. Galician culture will yet flourish, but Galicia’s political influence gradually diminishes.
1366-1387: Attempts made in the search of an union/alliance with Portugal.
1431-1469: Revoltas Irmandinhas: major popular uprisings against nobility.
1474: Dynastic conflicts in Castile: sectors of Galician nobility seek to recover former supremacy and an alliance with Portugal.
1483: End of armed resistance to Castilian forces.
1486: Spanish ‘Catholic Monarchs’ initiate their policy of «taming and castration of the Kingdom of Galicia». Galicia becomes a colony.
Late 15thC to 18thC: ‘The Dark Centuries’: Cultural, political, administrative and economic activity is controlled by Spain. Rurality and isolation: backwardness. Emigration.
1st half 19thC: Mass emigration to South America.
1808-1813: War of Independence against France (Napoleonic occupation). Spanish troops retreat. Autonomy. Establishment of the Xunta (Galician Government).
1812: Xunta proclaims Galicia’s self-rule, but soon Galicia is reoccupied by Spain.
1833: Galicia formally loses its condition of kingdom: Spain moves towards the creation of a centralised nation-state (imitating the French model).
1840-1846: Provincialism: reactivation of the Galician self-consciousness.
1846: Military uprising: claim for self-rule. The Martyrs of Carral.
2nd half 19th C: Regionalism and Federalism. Intense cultural revival: the Rexurdimento (‘Renaissance’).
1st half 20th C: Emigration to the Americas. Xeración Nós (‘Generation Us’): Nationalism.
1921: Failed attempt to proclaim a Republic of Galicia.
1931: Yet another failed attempt to proclaim a Republic of Galicia.
1933: Galicia joins the League of Nations (predecessor of the UN) as a stateless nation.
1936: Galician Statute of Autonomy: partial recovery of self-government within the framework of the Spanish II Republic. Debates on the prospect of a Galician Free State (following the Irish example).
1936-1939: Spanish Civil War: victory of Spanish nationalists led by General Franco. The Republic is put to an end. Political refugees. Exile
1939-1975: Francoist Dictatorship («Long Night of Stone»): Autonomy is revoked. Cultural, political and ideological repression until mid 1950s.
1960s: Partial relaxation of Francoist regime: gradual reactivation of the Galician resistance and culture. Emigration towards Western Europe and Spain.
1975: Franco dies: restoration of Spanish monarchy and start of a new political regime. Emigration stops.
1981: New Statute of Autonomy is passed: Galicia recovers partial self-government and national status is implicitly recognised. Yet, Galicia is curtailed from international representation.
1990s: Spanish nationalism and centralism: fears over Galicia’s autonomy. Emigration resumes.
2002: Coastal oil-spill: environmental catastrophe. Activation of major civil/grassroots and political movements.
2004: Galician culture is considered «endangered» by UNESCO.
2005-2009: Debates on the reform of the Galician government laws.
Trivia - What is Galicia famous for?
Art: the capital city of Compostela was declared by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Galician fine arts and craftsmanship have traditionally been among the best in the world.
Cuisine: with specialities such as polvo (octopus), empada (pie), caldo (broth), marisco (seafood), filhoas (crepes), lacão com grelos (stew), alvarinho and ribeiro wines, queijos (cheese), etc.
Landscape: with famed breath-taking scenery.
Literature: Galicia has produced fine literature since 13thC, from Medieval Cantigas to modern authors such as Rosalia de Castro, Castelao, Otero Pedrayo, Novoneyra, Cunqueiro, Avilés de Taramancos, Ferrín, Celso Emilio Ferreiro, Montero Santalha, Cáccamo, Alcalá, Rivas, etc.
Music and dance: from traditional melodies to rock. Someone once said: “We’re at the end of the world, but we make the best music in the universe”. Some also say that there is a party in Galicia for every day of the year!
International projection: “Galicians are everywhere”. Thanks to millions of emigrants throughout history, and the outstanding expansion of the Galician fleet, the name of Galicia has been spread all over the globe. The significance of the Way of Saint James (pilgrimage route) has also been crucial in the making of Europe.
Sports: football clubs such as Deportivo and Celta Vigo have helped to put Galicia on the map. Galician rowing, roller hockey, cycling, basketball, handball, indoor football and sailing are also renowned.
DID YOU KNOW? … Galicia is a fishing world power, for example, She produces almost half the mussels in the world … The Galician Diaspora has been labelled as “the greatest Diaspora in times of peace” … Galicia is the cradle of Portuguese language … Galicia is considered to be “the first country in the history of Europe” … There’s a Galician living in almost every country of the Planet … Irish people are of Galician origin, according to the legends and recent discoveries … Buenos Aires (Argentina) was the “biggest Galician city ever” and it was even called the “fifth province” … In the old times, Galicia was considered “the end of the World – Finisterrae” … Galicia is often called “The Land of the Witches”, as many say strange magical beings still inhabit Her forests … Table football was invented by a Galician … Galicia and North Portugal formed the first ever “Euroregion” within the EU, and they submitted a joint candidature to the UNESCO … Galicia is also called “The Land of the One Thousand Rivers”
