CATALONIA (Cataluna)  , a captaincy-general, and formerly a province of Spain, formerly also a principality of the crown of Aragon; bounded on the N. by the Pyrenees, W. by Aragon, S. by Valencia, and E. by the Mediterranean Sea . Pop . (190o) 1,966,382; area, 12,427 sq. m . . The triangular territory of Catalonia forms the north-eastern corner of the Iberian Peninsula . A full account of the physical features, and of the modern development of commerce, communications, &c., in this area is given in the articles on the four provinces Barcelona, Gerona, Lerida and Tarragona, into which Catalonia was divided in 1833 . The coast, which is partly sandy, partly rocky, extends about 240 m.; its chief harbours are those of the capital, Barcelona, of Matar6, of Rosas and of Tarragona . The surface is much broken by spurs of the Pyrenees, the direction of which is generally south . Running south-west to north-east, and united on the north with one of the offsets of the Pyrenees, is the range of the Sierra Llena, which bisects 'Catalonia, and forms its central watershed . The principal rivers are the Ter, the Llobregat, and the Ebro (q.v.), which all run into the Mediterranean . None of them is navigable . The climate, in spite of frequent mists and rains, sudden changes of temperature, and occasional great mid-day heat, is healthy and favourable to vegetation . The dwarf-palm, orange, lime, and olive grow in the warmer tracts; and on the higher grounds the thorn-apple, pomegranate, myrtle, esparto and heaths flourish .

These is much woodland, but meadows and pastures are rare .

Maize, millet, rye, flax, liquorice and fruits of all sorts—especially nuts, almonds, oranges, figs, walnuts and chestnuts—are produced . Wheat sufficient for one-fourth of the population is grown, and the vine is extensively cultivated . Few cattle, but numbers. of sheep, goats and swine are reared . Game is plentiful, and the fisheries on the coast are excellent . The wines are for the most part rough and strong, though some are very good, especially when matured . They are much used to adulterate those of Oporto, or, after undergoing the blending operation termed corn page, are passed off as Bordeaux wines in France . The best of them, priorato, is chiefly known in England, under the disguise of second or third-rate port; it was much used in the military hospitals of America during the Civil War . The Catalonians are a frugal, sharp-witted, and industrious 'people, having much national pride, and a strong revolutionary spirit . They are distinct in origin from the other inhabitants of Spain, from whom they differ in their dialect and costume . In their great energy and their love of enterprise they resemble the Basques . Irrigation, careful husbandry and railroad communications have much developed the resources of their country, in themselves excellent; and there are many manufacturing towns and industrial establishments .

Catalonia was one of the first of the

Roman possessions in Spain, and formed the north-eastern portion of Hispania Tarraconensis . About 470 it was occupied by the Alans and Goths . It was conquered by the Moors in 712, but these invaders were in turn dispossessed by the Spaniards and the troops of Charlemagne in 788 . Catalonia was subsequently ruled by French counts, who soon, however, made themselves independent of France . By the marriage of Count Raymond Berenger IV. of Barcelona with Petronilla of Aragon, Catalonia became annexed to Aragon; but this union was frequently severed . In 164o, when Philip IV. attempted to deprive Catalonia of its rights and privileges, it gave itself up to Louis XIII. of France . It was restored to Spain in 1659, and was once more occupied by the French from 1694 to 1697 . Under Philip V . Catalonia, in 1714, was deprived of its cortes and liberties . From 18o8 to 1813 it was held by France . It was the scene of civil war in 1823, and of important revolutionary operations in the Carlist wars . The history and literature of Catalonia have been closely studied, and in many cases the results of research are published in the Catalan language .

See Cataluna,

sus monumentos y artes, su naturaleza e historia (2 vols. of the illustrated series Espana), by P . Pifferrer, F . Pi Margall, and A . A . Pijoan (Barcelona, 1884) ; Historia de Cataluna, by V . Balaguer (11 vols., Madrid, 1886, &c.); Historia de Cataluna, by A . Bori y Fontesta (Barcelona, 1898) ; Origines historicos de Cataluna, by J . Balari y Jovany (Barcelona, 1899) Coleccio dels monografias de Catalunya, by J . Reig y Vilardell (Barcelona, 189o) ; Historia del derecho en Catalonia, Mallorca y Valencia, by B . Oliver (Madrid, 1876–188o); and Antigua marina catalana, by F. de Bofarull y Sans (Barcelona, 1898) . The Revista catalana (Catalan Review), published at Barcelona from 1889, contains many valuable papers on local affairs . See also SPAIN: sections Language, Literature and History, and BARCELONA .