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Catalan people
catalans (Catalan)
catalanes (Spanish)
Total population
c. 5.5 million
Regions with significant populations
Spain Spain 4,800,000 [1]
France France 110,000 [1]
Argentina Argentina 188,000 [1][2]
Languages

'Native:Catalan
L2: Spanish, French (within France)

Religion

Roman Catholicism

Related ethnic groups

Other Latin people

The Catalans (Catalan: catalans, Spanish: catalanes, French: catalans) are an indigenous ethnic group originary from Roussillon (nowadays Southern France) who inhabits the Spanish regions of Catalonia, Balearic Islands and the Valencian Country (while most of them don't consider themselves as catalans, but Valencians, Aragonese or only Spanish). Few live in the South East of France in the region of Occitanie. Catalans number approximately 13 million worldwide (mostly in Europe but some refugees live in Soth America). Their native language is Catalan but most of the nowadays catalans speak Spanish or French. Their national flag is the "senyera".

History[]

Early History[]

The are now inhabited by the Catalan people were inhabited by Celtic tribes circa 1500 BCE. These tribes were assimilated with the Iberian people.

Roman Rule[]

Ancient Catalonia became an important Roman stronghold. Under Roman rule, the Catalans were part of the province of Hispania. During the Second Punic Wars, Cornelius Scipio Calvus, a Roman general, arrived at the port of Empúries to try to cut off Hannibal's Carthiginian forces from getting their necessaties. The Roman invasion and conquest of ancient Catalonia was completed around 195 BCE, this, the native Catalonians would absorb and adopt Roman culture. The Romans brought with them their engineering, in which the Catalonians built structures such as roads, and eventually, cities.

In 197 BCE, Catalonia was part of Hispania Citerior. Under the rule of Augustus, Hispania Citerior was absorbed into the larger province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The capital of this province was in Tarraco, which the modern-day city of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain.

The city of Tarraco was visited by Augustus for his winter vacations, as he often praised the city. The Cataloanians at this time worshipped Egyptian dieties, as well as Greek, Roman and Carthaginian dieties. Gold, iron, tine, wine, lead and olive oil  were among the many staples of this province's economy, being exported and contributing to its wealth.

During the collapse of the Roman Empire, ancient Catalonia was heavily devastated, with entire towns (or villas) being abandoned.

Visigoth & Moorish Rule[]

The Visigoths, one of the many Germanic tribes that pounded the Roman Empire via invasions (and contributed to its demise), established themselves Tarraconensis. They were led by Athaulf. In 475 BCE, King Euric of the Visigoths established the Kingdom of Tolosa, centered in modern-day French city of Toulouse. Euric included Catalonia as part of his kingdom.

In the 8th century, the Visigoths were invaded and conquered by the Moors, the Muslim armies of North Africa (hence, as a result of the Muslim conquest of Iberia, the term Moors would extent to include Iberian Muslims). 


Religion[]

The Catalan people are predominantly non religious, with a large Roman Catholic minority, as well as muslims (7,3%), evangelicals (2,5%), buddhists (1,3%) and Christian Orthodox (1,2%).

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