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Administratively, Spain is divided into 50 provinces, grouped into 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities with high degree of autonomy.
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Spain consists of 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas) and 2 autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas; Ceuta and Melilla). Andalusia (Andalucía) Aragon (Aragón) Principality of Asturias (Principáu d'Asturies in Asturian/Principado de Asturias in Spanish) Balearic Islands (Illes Balears in Catalan / Islas Baleares in Spanish) Basque Country (Euskadi in Basque/País Vasco in Spanish) Canary Islands (Islas Canarias) Cantabria Castile-La Mancha (Castilla-La Mancha) Castile and Leon (Castilla y León'' in Spanish) Catalonia (Catalunya in Catalan/Cataluña in Spanish/ Catalunha in Aranese) Extremadura(Ehtremaura in Castúo/ Galicia (Galicia in Galician/Galicia in Spanish) La Rioja Madrid Murcia (Región de Murcia) Navarre (Nafarroa in Basque/Navarra in Spanish) Land of Valencia (Comunitat Valenciana in Valencian /Comunidad Valenciana in Spanish, as official denominations). |
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The Spanish kingdom also has a provincial structure. Spain is divided into 50 provinces (provincias). This structure is prior to that of the autonomous communities (dates back to 1833). Therefore, autonomous communities group provinces (for instance, Extremadura is made of two provinces: Cáceres and Badajoz). The autonomous communities of Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, La Rioja, Navarre, Murcia, and Madrid (the nation's capital) are each composed of a single province. Traditionally, provinces are usually subdivided into historic regions or comarcas.
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There are also five exclave's (plazas de soberanía) on and off the African coast: the cities of Ceuta and Melilla are administered as autonomous cities, an intermediate status between cities and communities; the islands of the Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera are under direct Spanish administration. The Canary islands, Ceuta and Melilla, although not officially historic communities, enjoy a special status.
Spain Information: Inside |