Asturies

The Principauté of Asturies ( Principáu d' Asturies in Asturien, Principado de Asturias in Spanish) is a autonomous community uniprovinciale of Spain. It obtained the statute of Principauté to obtaining the heir to the crown of Spain of the title of Prince of Asturies. Its capital is the town of Oviedo ( Uviéu ).

Its territory counts a surface of ten thousand square kilometers and accommodates a population in regression which exceeds the million inhabitants slightly. The official language is the Spanish , even if the Asturien, also called bable , is used much. The latter does not enjoy an official statute, but profits from a protection of the Statute of Autonomy of Asturies.

The principal populations asturiennes concentrate in the central zone of the principality, from the coast inside while following the rock valleys. The most populated city is Gijón ( Xixón ), with 273.931 inhabitants, follow-up of the capital of the autonomous community, Oviedo, with 212.174 inhabitant and of Avilés, which counts 84.171 inhabitants. This last city has a metropolitan zone of 130.000 inhabitants and is at the head of an area cash nearly 200.000 inhabitants. The communes or “councils” whose population is approximately 50.000 inhabitants are Siero (48 991 hab.), Langreo (with Felguera and Sama) “Llangréu”, 46.558 hab. and Mieres (45 943 hab.). The data come from the National institute of the Statistics from Spain (INNATE) and go back to 2005.

Localization

Asturies are located on the Septentrionale coast of the Spain, delimited at the Western border by the Galicia, in the East by the Cantabrie, in the South by the Castille-and-León and in North by the Cantabric Mer.

After the death of the king Peeling (Peeling the conqueror or Gift Pelayo ) about the year 737, the territory asturien extends to its traditional border between the rivers Eo and Asón.

On the majority of the geographical maps made since the 16th century one can see of Asturies divided into two: The Asturies d' Oviedo and Asturies de Santillana . The territory of Asturies d' Oviedo extends from the river Eo, its Western border, until the common of Ribadesella, where begin Asturies de Santillana. Those would just a little further arrive that Santander, its Eastern borders being located at the Asón river. For the South Asturies limit to the Cantabrian Mountains.

On the geographical map published in 1700 per Charles Hubert (first geographer of king d' Espagne) one started to call “Principality of Asturies” both Asturies always divided.

Current contours take shape with the establishment in 1835 of provincial division copied on the French model, bringing to the same moment the disappearance of Asturies de Santillana, with the result that the territory on the basis of the river Deva is integrated into the province of Santander, current the Cantabrie.

Etymology

The Asturias term comes from the name of its ancient people, the Astures, primitive inhabitants of the river banks Astura (called today Esla) until the Roman domination. The name “Astures” did not include only the people of the plate (Cisalpins), but also those of North (the Transalpine ones).

“Astura”, which before said “Estura” or “Estula”), comes from the Celtic root “- stour ”, which means “river”. This same toponym appears in Brittany, or Pline speaks about the river “Stur”. There exist today three rivers in the name of “Stour” with Kent, Suffolk and Dorset. With the mouth of the Elba is another river, “Stör”, formerly called “Sturia”. In Piedmont was located a Celtic tribe of the “Esturi” as well as a river, the “Stura”. The same perdure root still in Gaelic and Breton in the words “ster” and “stour” which means “river”, “river”.

History

Occupied by groups of human since the Paleolithic inferior, Asturies are characterized during the Paléolithique superior by cave paintings in the east of the territory. With the Mesolithic one lives to develop a new culture, Asturiense; then was introduced the Bronze Age, characterized by the megaliths and the Tumulus. To the age of iron, the territory was subjected to the cultural influence Celtic. The Celtic people of Astures included/understood tribes like Lugons (in Spanish, Luggones), Pésicos, and others which populated all the territory asturien castros, former Celtic people. The Celtic influence perdure still today with the toponyms of rivers and mountains as well as names of people and certain first names.

The Roman conquest between 29 and 19 av. J-C inserted Asturies in the Histoire.

After several centuries without foreign presence, the Suèves and the Visigoths tried to occupy the territory at the 6th century, which would have finished at the beginning of the 8th century with the Moslem invasion . The territory, as that had arrived at Rome and with Tolède, was not easy to subject; the last partisans of wisigothic monarchy founded in 718 a Christian kingdom, being established in 722 like the Royaume independent of Asturies. The first king of Asturies, Peeling (Pelayo), was the initiator of the Christian Reconquista. He gained the Bataille of Covadonga in 722.

Under the reign of Alphonse II the Pure one (791 - 835), the kingdom néo-Visigoth of Asturies always rests on the laws of Receswinthe (653-672), the forum Judicum , and on a nobility the faithful ones and free men maintained by the king or paid by revocable gifts of ground. The king, always with court of soldiers, does not hesitate to give weapons to any free man and to integrate it in his gardingos' . He grants to these free men vacant grounds to clear, of which they become owners at the end thirty years of development (contract of pressed). The high valley of the Minho and the high valley of the Èbre are repopulated.

At the 10th century, monarchy asturienne left room to the Royaume of Leon.

The insulation whose Cantabric Cordillère was the object during the medieval centuries makes that the historical references remain thin.

It is following the rebellion of the son of Henri II of Trastamare that the Principality of Asturies was established. If it have several attempts at independence, most known were there those on behalf of the count Gonzalo Peláez or of the queen Urraca (Asturienne), who in spite of important victories, were put in failure by the troops Castilians.

At the 16th century, the population reaches for the first time 100.000 inhabitants, quantifies which multiplies with the arrival, the next century, of the American Maïs. The May 8th 1808, the General meeting of the Principality of Asturies declares the war with the France and is proclaimed sovereign while raising its own army and by sending ambassadors abroad, being made the first official Spanish organization take this step. January 1st 1820, Rafael de Riego is raised with Cadiz and proclaims the Constitution of 1812.

As of 1830 begins the extraction of coal, initiated by the Industrial revolution. Later the naval irons and steel industry and will be established.

Under the II {{E}} Spanish Republic, the October 6th 1934, a general strike to protest against the government of YIELDED degenerates into serious confrontations between the strikers and the army sent to repress the revolt, under the command of Francisco Franco Bahamonde.

The civil war involves the division of Asturie in two camps.

Very affected by the conversion of industry of the Years 1990, the Principality currently tries to emphasize its tourist and natural inheritance.

Language

Spanish is the official language of Asturies. The Asturien is also employed, even if this language is not officialized, it profits from a special protection with the agreement of the Statute of Autonomy of Asturies. The asturien is a language which derives directly from Latin. It finds its origin in the Romance Langue used in the kingdoms of Asturies and León.

The first text known in asturien is the Noticia de Kesos , which goes back to 974. The first document written in the rules in asturien is the “Fuero de Avilés” of 1085. The asturien has some alternatives inside the Principality. There exist also dialects of the same asturléonaise root in the old zones of domination of the Royaume of Asturies, for example in the provinces of León, of Zamora or of Trass-bone-Assemble to the Portugal.

Since the Transition there exists a social movement which tries to make revive the language and to reinstate it as an official language. In 1981 creates for itself the Académie of the Language Asturienne, institution of the Principality of Asturies of which the goal is the study, the promotion and the defense of the asturien. Today, the most used language is the Castillan, the only one which is official.

Territorial organization

According to the Statute of Autonomy of Asturies, for reason administrative, the Community is divided into 78 Communes which currently have the same legal value as a municipality. The organization smaller than the commune is the civil parish which inevitably does not have a relationship with the ecclesiastical parish. Inside these parishes are distinguished the various districts.

From the judicaire point of view, Asturies are divided into 18 legal districts, cash of the judges of first authority to the head of each one of them.

From the medical point of view, Asturies count 8 medical zones, 2 medical districts, 66 spaces of basic health and 15 spaces specialized (Sources: Institute of Medical Information, 2002).

Communes

Comarques

Economy

The economy of the Principality of Asturies , Spanish autonomous community, rests on a primary sector in lose speed which occupies nearly 6% of the active population with the bovine breeding, agriculture (corn, potato, apple) and fishes it.

The secondary industry use 30% of the active population, particularly in the fields of the iron and steel industry, agroalimentary, steel, the armament, chemistry, the etc, transport facilities Follows while being significant the extraction of coal although she does not enjoy paramount role formerly.

The tertiary sector relates to as-with him 65% of the active population and this share is increasing, symptomatic effect of the concentration of the population in the urban centres and the importance that to asset tourism in the areas these last years. In spite of the delocalization which struck the community these last decades, the income per capita increased beyond the national average to be established with 19.868 € in 2006.

Demography

The population asturienne has strongest death rate in Spain (12 per thousand) and low birth rate (6 per thousand), this is why the population decreases since 1987, whereas those of the cities do not decrease. The depopulation of the mining zones is significant. In 1900 the population was of 650.000 and in 1800 of 350.000 inhabitants.

External bonds

  • Government of the Principality of Tourist Asturies
  • Information
  • History of the asturies, traditional life, language asturienne (framed green on the right for French)

See too

Be-X-old: Астурыя

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