Catalan Countries

The term Catalan Countries (Catalan Països Catalans) refers to a national concept that includes all countries where Catalan language is spoken. It is similar to the phrase 'Catalan nation'. The term is primarily used by those who want independence for Catalan countries.

This concept first appeared in a book by Valencian intellectual Joan Fuster, Nosaltres els valencians (1962).

Catalan Countries include:

• Andorra
• Catalonia
• Balearic Islands
• Valencia
• a small part of Aragon, known in Catalan as la Franja
• Roussillon

This territory does not coincide exactly with the places where Catalan is spoken. For example, in the northwestern region of catalonia known as Val d'Aran a dialect of Occitan is spoken. And in some western and south-western places of Valencia, Spanish is spoken. On the other side, there are some catalan-speaking places outside the Catalan Countries, such as El Carxe in Murcia and the city of Alghero in the island of Sardinia.