Spain is one of the most decentralised states in Europe. The 1978 Constitution, after decades of Francoist centralism, recognised the country's different "nationalities and regions" and allowed the creation of autonomous communities, each with its own statute, elected parliament, government and president.
The autonomous communities
There are 17 autonomous communities, plus the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the African coast:
Andalusia, Aragon, Principality of Asturias, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castile and León, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Extremadura, Galicia, Community of Madrid, Region of Murcia, Chartered Community of Navarre, Basque Country and La Rioja.
The most populous is Andalusia, with over eight and a half million people, followed by Catalonia and Madrid; the largest is Castile and León, bigger than Portugal; the smallest is La Rioja. Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia are considered "historic nationalities" for their language and history, and were the first to gain autonomy.
Powers
The state keeps exclusive powers over defence, foreign policy, justice, currency and some major sectors, and sets basic laws in many fields; the communities directly run healthcare, education, social services, regional transport, tourism, culture and planning, and can have their own police, such as the Mossos d'Esquadra in Catalonia and the Ertzaintza in the Basque Country. Each community has a High Court of Justice.
A special case is the Basque Country and Navarre, which, thanks to their ancient fueros (medieval charters), collect almost all taxes themselves and pay the state an agreed quota, the cupo: this gives them great financial autonomy. Relations between the state and the communities, especially Catalonia, are among the most heated issues in Spanish politics (see politics in Spain).
Provinces and municipalities
The communities are divided into 50 provinces, created in 1833 on the model of French departments and still the basis of electoral districts, old number plates and postcodes. Seven communities consist of a single province (Asturias, the Balearics, Cantabria, Madrid, Murcia, Navarre and La Rioja). The provinces contain over 8,100 municipalities (municipios), of very different sizes: from the capital with 3.5 million inhabitants to villages of a few dozen people. The islands also have cabildos (Canaries) and consells insulars (Balearics), which govern each island. Our pages on Spanish municipalities list all those with at least 5,000 inhabitants, province by province.
Flags and languages
Each community has its own flag, which by constitutional rule is flown alongside the national one (see the Spanish flag), and six communities have a second official language alongside Castilian: Catalonia, the Balearics and the Valencian Community (Catalan/Valencian), Galicia (Galician), the Basque Country and part of Navarre (Basque). In Catalonia, Aranese, a variety of Occitan spoken in the Val d'Aran, is also official.