Galicia.

Galiza and Galicia are the two officially recognized spellings of the name in Galician, both deriving from the Latin name Gallaecia. Galiza is the older form and is found in the earliest texts written in the Galician-Portuguese language, while Galicia gained currency after the region came under the control of the kingdoms of León and later Castile. For this reason, many Galician speakers consider "Galiza" to be the only correct form, and it is the only form used by some nationalist parties and other organizations nationwide (such as BNG).

Galician language

The spoken languages are Galician (Galician: Galego or Gallego), the local language derived from Latin, closely related to Portuguese, both being Galician-Portuguese languages, and Spanish, the only official language for more than four centuries. Since the end of the 20th century, the Galician language also has an official status, and both languages are taught in Galician schools. There is a broad consensus of support within the region for efforts to preserve the Galician language.

The Galician and Portuguese languages are derived from the early Galician-Portuguese (Galego-Português) language, and are still considered by some to be two dialects of the same Galician-Portuguese language. In the Middle Ages, Galician and Portuguese languages began to diverge, a development hastened by political separation. There remain many similarities between Portuguese and Galician. Orally, these differences are comparable in scope to those between Flemish - a type of Dutch spoken in Belgium - and standard Dutch.

A distinct Galician Literature emerged after the Middle Ages. In the 13th century, important contributions were made to the romance canon in Galician-Portuguese. The most notable was by the troubadour Martín Codax and by King Alfonso X of Castile, called El Sabio (The Wise). During this period, Galician-Portuguese was considered the language of love poetry in the Iberian Romance linguistic culture.

Geografy of Galicia

The main cities are Vigo, A Coruña (Corunna in English), Pontevedra, Lugo, Ferrol, Ourense, and Santiago de Compostela, the regions capital and archiepiscopal seat, and home of the shrine which gave rise to medieval Europes most famous pilgrimage route, The Way of St James.

Geographically, one of the most important features of Galicia is the presence of many fjord-like indentations on the coast, estuaries that were drowned with rising sea levels after the ice age. These are called rías and are divided into the Rías Altas, the Rías Medias, and the Rías Baixas. Most of the population live near the Rías Baixas, where several large urban centers including Vigo and Pontevedra are located. The rias are important for fishing, and make the coast of Galicia one of the most important fishing areas of the world. The spectacular landscapes and wildness of the coast attract great numbers of tourists.

The weather is Atlantic, with mild temperatures throughout the year. Santiago de Compostela has an average 100 days of rain a year. The interior, specifically the more mountainous parts of Ourense and Lugo, receive significant freezes and snowfall during the winter months.

Galicia has preserved much of its dense Atlantic forests where wildlife is commonly found. It is scarcely polluted, and its landscape composed of green hills, cliffs and rias is very different to what is commonly understood as Spanish landscape.

Inland, the region is less populated and suffers from migration to the coast and the major cities of Spain. There are few small cities (Ourense, Lugo, Verín, Monforte de Lemos, A Rua), and there are many small villages. The terrain is made up of several low mountain ranges crossed by many small rivers that are not navigable but have provided hydroelectric power from the many dams. Galicia has so many small rivers that it has been called the "land of the thousand rivers". The most important of the rivers are the Miño and the Sil, which has a spectacular canyon.

The mountains in Galicia are not high but have served to isolate the rural population and discourage development in the interior. There is a ski resort in Cabeza de Manzaneda (1700 m) in Ourense Province. The highest mountain is Trevinca (2 100 m) on the eastern border with León and Zamora provinces (Castilla y León).

Although the region is filled with extensive natural areas, Galicia has had environmental problems in the modern age. Deforestation is a problem in many areas, as is the continual spread of the invasive eucalyptus tree, imported for the paper industry, which is causing imbalances in the indigenous ecosystem. Fauna, most notably the European wolf, have suffered from livestock owners and farmers. The native deer species have declined because of hunting and development. Recently, oil spills have become a major issue, especially with the Mar Egeo disaster in A Coruña and the infamous Prestige oil spill in 2002, a crude oil spill larger than the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. Other environmental issues include gas flushing by maritime traffic, pollution from fish hatcheries on the coast, overfishing, and the highest incidence of forest fires in Spain, in spite of the wetter Galician climate.

Galician cuisine

Galician cuisine often uses fish and shellfish. One of its dishes, Empanadas, is a meat or fish pie. It has Celtic influence. Caldo Galego is a hearty soup whose main ingredients are potatoes and a local vegetable named Grelo. Centolla is the equivalent of King Crab. It is prepared by being boiled alive, having its main body opened like a shell, and then having its innards mixed vigorously. Centolla is served in water. It has a regional type of cheese, too: tetilla. It is triangularly shaped and is white, and takes the name from the similarity in shape to a womans breast.