Geography of Catalonia
Catalonia, a region in northeastern Spain. It extends from the Pyrenees southward along the Mediterranean and includes the provinces of Barcelona, Gerona, Tarragona, and Lerida. Barcelona is the leading city.
Charlemagne conquered the region from the Moors and called it the Spanish March. In the ninth century, the counts of Barcelona established Catalonia as an independent principality. In 1137 the count of Barcelona became king of Aragon by marriage, and Catalonia became federated with Aragon.
Catalonia fought against imposition of Bourbon rule in Spain in the 18th century but was defeated. The Catalans did not like outside rule, and revolts were frequent before Catalonia was made an autonomous region within Spain in 1932. It lost autonomy when Francisco Franco came to power in 1939. Limited self-rule was granted in 1977, and in 1980 Catalonia regained autonomy.