Galiciaregion, Spain

The terrain of Galicia is hilly and relatively uniform in elevation, with more than half its area lying between elevations of 1,300 and 2,000 feet (400 and 600 metres) and less than one-fifth at elevations lower than 650 feet (200 metres). Mountains ring the interior, isolating the region from the Spanish provinces of Asturias, León, and Zamora to the east and from Portugal to the south. The interior is dominated by strongly dissected mountains, which gradually give way to the coastal plains of the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay littorals. Numerous rivers and their tributaries drain seaward through Galicia, permitting the region to export hydroelectric power to the rest of Spain. Annual precipitation is moderately high, exceeding 40 inches (1,000 mm) in most places, but it is of only limited benefit, because the badly eroded soil retains little moisture.

Villages are ordinarily small and isolated, the parish being the common denominator among the widely dispersed villages of a locality. The terrain favours animal husbandry over cultivation, and the former is the premier agricultural activity; nonetheless, the farm population is large and fairly evenly dispersed, resulting in the subdivision of the countryside into small landholdings, or minifundios. Families generally own and cultivate the minifundios, and the inability of those farms to support a growing population has resulted in a higher-than-average emigration from Galicia since the 18th century. Overseas emigration was particularly high between 1920 and 1935. Emigration since World War II has been not only to the industrialized countries of Europe but also to the Spanish provinces of Madrid, Vizcaya, and Barcelona. Emigration has been especially high among men, resulting in serious demographic and economic imbalances, among them an aging population and declining economic productivity.

Primary production (agriculture, forestry, and fishing) dominates the region’s economy. Subsistence farming prevails among the minifundios, with potatoes and corn (maize) among the leading crops and cattle among the leading livestock. Underemployment plagues the agricultural sector, and large numbers of migrant labourers periodically leave Galicia in search of seasonal work elsewhere in Spain. The mountains of the region produce considerable quantities of timber (pine). The port of Vigo is one of Spain’s leading fishing ports.

Galicia’s manufacturing sector is not well developed, and much of it centres on the processing of primary commodities. Fish processing is of particular importance, and sawmills are widespread. The installation of a petroleum refinery in A Coruña has stimulated industrial development in that province, while Ferrol and Vigo have major shipbuilding works. Galicia’s economy remains underdeveloped, however, accounting for a disproportionately small percentage of Spain’s gross domestic product. Lignite deposits are used to produce thermoelectric power.

Galicia’s culture and language have developed in relative isolation, showing greater affinity for the Portuguese culture and language than for the culture and language of Spain until the final separation of the two countries in 1668. The literary use of Galician reached a high point in the 13th and 14th centuries, when its metre, drawing on that of Provençal, showed greater refinement and versatility than the then relatively underdeveloped Castilian metre. Other noteworthy literary periods include the Rexurdimento (“Resurgence” or “Revival”) of the late 19th century, as well as the 1920s and ’30s, when Xeración Nós (“The Generation Nós”; a journal dedicated to consolidating Galician culture) had a wide influence. The cultural and political predominance of Castile long submerged the literary uses of Galician, and most of the region’s writers of the 20th century wrote in Castilian. Since the end of the 20th century, however, there has been a gradual and continuing growth in the publication of Galician texts, as well as in the production of Galician-language films. Among the preeminent Galician scholars of the 20th century were Ramón Menéndez Pidal (1869–1968), whose works centred on Spanish philology and culture, and Ramón Otero Pedrayo (1888–1976), who published much about Galician culture and wrote almost exclusively in Galician.The cultural revival of Galician as a literary language in the mid-19th century pointed to a growing regional consciousness. The plebiscite of 1936 registered overwhelming support for Galician autonomy but was nullified by the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco.