Spanish Faster

Spain's identity consists more of an overlap of different regional identities than of a sole Spanish identity. Distinct traditional regional identities within Spain include the Balearics, Basques, Castilians, Catalans, Galicians and Valencians, among others.

This autonomous community stay on the Balearic islands (Islas Baleares) consisting of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. They speak Catalan and Spanish.

The Basques (Vascos) are an ethnic group that lives in the Basque Country. Important cities include Bilbao (in Biscay), San Sebastian (in Gipuzkoa) and Vitoria-Gasteiz (in Alava). The Basque people speak Basque and Spanish.

They live mainly in Castile-La Mancha, Madrid, and the major part of Castile and Leon. They speak Castilian (castellano). Outside Spain, Castilian is usually referred as Spanish, alongside espagnol.

The vast majority of Catalans reside in the autonomous community of Catalonia, one of the richest and most well-developed regions in Southern Europe. The Catalans are known for their pragmatic attitude towards life. Catalan language has common features with French and Portuguese.

The Galicians are an ethnic group, a nationality whose historical homeland is Galicia, which is located in the north-west of Spain. Galicians have a rich cultural heritage that is shared by their neighbors from Portugal. Most Galicians are bilingual, speaking both their historic language, Galician, as well as Castilian.

The Valencians are an ethnic group or nationality whose homeland is the Valencian Community (Comunidad Valenciana), a historical region in eastern Spain. Comunidad Valenciana is divided into 3 provinces: Alicante, Valencia and Castellon. Paella originated in this community and is considered by Valencians as their main national dish.