What are the Catalan Countries?
If you look at a map you will not find the Catalan Countries. But, for example, if you look for the Celtic countries you will not find them either. This doesn’t mean that they don’t exist (you can recognize them by their music, symbols, etc.) Also, 25 years ago you wouldn’t have found Lithuania or Slovenia in a map, just to give an example. Catalan Countries is a modern term to describe the lands where Catalan is the original language. Catalan is a romance language spoken by 8-10 million people. The Catalan Countries were part of the Aragon Crown, which in the 15th century included the Principality of Catalonia, the Kingdom of Majorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands, the Kingdoms of Valencia, Aragon and Naples, the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, and the Greek dukedoms of Athens and Neopatria. Unlike most people believe, the marriage of the King Ferdinand II of Aragon and the Queen Isabella of Castile in 1479 (the Catholic Monarchs) did not unified all these kingdoms (as an exampl
