When
consulting Spanish- or Portuguese-language sources, one is exposed to a
sometimes quite “foreign” vocabulary of designations for populated places.
Perhaps the most generic term one finds in a Spanish-English dictionary is población, which sometimes is a simple
cognate meaning “population,” but can also mean “village,” “town,” or “city.”
The dictionary also lists the term lugar
as meaning “place,” “site,” or “position” (a location or a job), but it can
also mean “village” or “hamlet.” Sometimes a place is just called a localidad (locality) or a núcleo (nucleus).
However,
there are several more specific terms, most with official definitions, for
certain types of population entities that are recognized as administrative
centers. Therefore, this appendix pulls together definitions and explanations
of some important terms that one will encounter in other parts of this blog.
ALDEA
An
aldea (village), also called a caserio (hamlet) in some regions of
Spain, is a human settlement commonly located in rural areas. It is generally
of smaller size and population than a pueblo
(village). In medieval times, aldeas
were centered around a castle or a parish church. In modern Spain, the aldea is one of the categories used in
the nomenclature of population entities. In the Order of Instruction of 1930,
for the elaboration of a gazetteer of that year, it was defined as: “the entity
with the smallest neighborhood and population, often more disseminated than a lugar (place), but whose buildings are
also sometimes firming streets and squares. The word aldea involves the dependence on another entity.” An aldea is a very small town that
administratively depends on a larger population center.
LUGAR
According
to the Diccionario de la lengua española,
edited by the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy), the term lugar (literally meaning place) refers
to a secondary agglomeration of a municipality smaller than a villa (village) and larger than an aldea (village). Aside from this
official Spanish definition, it also has a more general meaning, according to
which it denotes the situation of a population center of any size (ciudad [city], pueblo [town], villa
[town], or aldea), and even an
uninhabited paraje (place/spot, the
literal meaning of lugar). The Order
of Instruction for the Spanish gazetteer of 1930 defines lugar as “The population entity that, in the locality, is
designated with that title and has, in addition, distributed the buildings of
which it is composed in the form of streets and squares. As a general rule, the
word lugar indicates that the entity
to which it applies has or has had a jurisdictional boundary.”
PUEBLO
A
pueblo, from the Latin populus (people, as a political
community), is an ambiguous term that can designate the population (the set of
people of a place, region, or country); assimilate to the concept of a country
with an independent government; or can even be applied to designate any
locality, particularly in a rural population. Pueblo is usually translated as “town” or “village.”
VILLA
A
villa (town) is a population center
that has received throughout history certain explicit recognitions and
privileges on the part of the recognized authority (for example, to hold fairs
or markets) and for various reasons, although not always, has not been granted
the higher category, that of ciudad
(city). In other words, a villa is an
urban center larger than a pueblo
(town) but smaller than a ciudad
(city).
In
Portugal, a villa typically has between 1,000 and 10,000 inhabitants, although
historical reasons and population fluctuations have created several exceptions
to this rule. The status of a villa
in heraldry is represented by a crown with four towers in the coat of arms.
In
Spain, the major entities of
population correspond to the categories of villa
or ciudad; both categories correspond
mostly to urban entities and the distinction between then corresponds to
historical criteria. Currently in Spain, the differentiation between ciudad and villa has no relation to the size or importance of the entity, nor
is there a hierarchical difference between the two categories; for example, the
villa of Madrid is the capital of
Spain and outnumbers the ciudad of
Barcelona.
CIUDAD
A
ciudad (city) is a population center
with political-administrative and economic attributes and functions, unlike the
rural nuclei that lack them, totally or partially. A ciudad is an urban space with a high density of population, in
which commerce, industry, and services predominate. In the political
organization of the territory, in which different population centers had
different privileges, the title of ciudad
was given to some of them and gave them greater preferences than to the villas. In the same sense as villas, which used to obey the common
law granted by the king, but unlike anteiglesias
(towns organized around churches) or aldeas
(villages), which were under the jurisdiction of a lord, the status of ciudad was the recognition of some
singular fact in which the population had actively participated. The Diccionario
de la lengua española, edited by the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy)
defines a ciudad as a “set of
buildings and streets, governed by an ayuntamiento
(town hall), whose dense and numerous population is usually engaged in
non-agricultural activities.” In Spanish gazetteers, ciudad is a category for “qualification granted or traditionally
recognized” population entities.
FREGUESIA
A
freguesia is the name given in Portuguese-speaking countries to
administrative divisions into which a municipality (municipio or concello) is
divided. Depending on the case, it can be translated as parish, district, or
neighborhood.
The
junta de freguesia (parish board) is
the executive body of the freguesia.
In
Portuguese, freguesias are the civil
representatives of the old Catholic parroquias
that arose many times from the medieval ecclesiastical units. Since the
religious parishes still exist, it is best to translate freguesia as “civil parish.”
PARROQUIA (RELIGIÓN)
The
term parroquia comes from the Latin parochia and Greek παροικία paroikía (to
live nearby). It is a territorial division of Christian churches. In the
Catholic Church, the parish is the community of Catholic faithful belonging to
a particular church that is under the spiritual direction of a priest, who is
under the authority of the bishop of a diocese. Originally, the parishes were
created by the Catholic Church and were formed by a small territory (several
towns or villages) that were assigned to a priest. The parish would normally
take the name of the one church principal church in that territory. This term
for a religious parish is used in both Spain and Portugal. In Spain, this may
cause some confusion, since parroquia
is also the Spanish term for a civil parish, which might not have the same name
or boundaries as the religious parish with which it shares territory.
PARROQUIA
(CIVIL)
In
some countries, including Spain, parroquia
is also the designation of some political administrative divisions. In the
Spanish autonomous communities of Asturias and Galicia, the parroquia (best translated as civil
parish) is the category traditionally recognized for certain collective
entities of population. As such, they have no legal power whatsoever and their
delimitation, in terms of area, has no legal validity, since it is not carried
out by any competent body. In Galicia, there are 3,781 parroquias that range from three or four villages to fifteen or
more. The Statute of Autonomy of Galicia provides for the legal recognition of
rural parroquias as legal entities.
In Asturias, the parroquia is a
traditional form of administrative, religious, and agrarian organization.
MUNICIPIO
A municipio is an administrative entity
that can encompass a single or several localities. The term comes from the
Latin municipium, which in ancient
Rome was a free city that was governed by its own laws. A municipio is governed
by a collegiate body called ayuntamiento
(town hall), municipalidad
(municipality), alcaldía (town hall),
or concejo (council) headed by the alcalde (mayor). In the Old Regime in
Spain, there was an alcalde (mayor)
for the estado noble (noble estate)
and another for the estado llano
(simple/plain estate); for major cities, there was a corregidor (magistrate) appointed by the king. In some Spanish
municipalities, the medieval system of government, management, and decision for
assembly participation, called concejo abierto
(open council), still functions. In the Basque language, udalerri translates into Spanish as municipio.
CONCELLO
Concello or concejo (literally meaning council) is
another name given to a municipality, particularly in Galicia, Asturias and the
mountains of León, as well as in Portugal. The term comes from the Latin concilium (assembly, council), but also
applies to the territory of a municipality. In some places, such as in Santiago
de Compostela, capital of Galicia, the building that houses the alcaldía (mayorship) is called the casa do concello.
Administratively,
Portugal is divided into 308
municipalities (Portuguese: municípios
or concelhos), which since the reform
of 2013 are subdivided into civil parishes (Portuguese: freguesias). Operationally, the municipality and civil parish,
along with the national government, are the only legally identifiable local
administrative units; for example, cities, towns, or villages have no standing
in law.
DISTRITO
For
statistical purposes, Portugal informally identifies a system of distritos (districts), although these
are being phased out by the national government. Continental Portugal is
divided into 18 districts, each taking the name of the district capital: Aveiro,
Beja,
Braga,
Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra,
Évora, Faro,
Guarda,
Leiria,
Lisbon,
Portalegre,
Porto,
Santarém, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, and Viseu.
PROVINCIA
The
term provincia (province) was introduced
by the Romans, who divided the Roman Empire into provinces. They also used the
term for conquered territories outside the Italic peninsula. In Latin, the term
provincia is formed from “pro” (for)
and “vincia” (victory). In Romance-speaking countries, such as Spain, the word provincia was applied to important
administrative units only inferior to the kingdoms. In the Spanish Empire, it
corresponded to territorial divisions under the jurisdiction of a corregidor (magistrate). In modern
Spain, under the Constitution of 1978, there are 50 provincias, as a secondary administrative level below comunidad autónoma (autonomous
community). The main administrative organ of the provincia is the Diputación
Provincial (Provincial Council). Since 1978, however, the provincias are given much less
importance, with most of the territorial competencies in the hands of the comunidad autónoma (autonomous
community) of which the province is a part and, failing that, of the municipios (municipalities) within the
province.
COMUNIDAD
AUTÓNOMA
In
Spain a comunidad autónoma (C.A.,
autonomous community) is the highest or first-order administrative division of
the country. Spain is the only country that has this territorial division. It is
an administrative territorial entity that, within the State constitutional
legal system, is endowed with certain legislative autonomy with its own
representatives and certain executive and administrative powers. The division
of Spain into autonomous communities is included in the Spanish Constitution of
1978. That constitution provided for a territorial organization of the country,
called “State of Autonomies,” that is based on decentralization and groups
adjacent provinces with common historical, cultural, and economical traits. Except
for Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, Madrid, and Murcia, the autonomous
communities are broken down into provincias
(provinces), which in turn are broken down into municipalities (municipios or concellos).
The
political and administrative division of Spain takes the form of 16 autonomous
communities and the comunidad foral (regional
community) of Navarra, as well as Cueta and Melilla (in Africa), whose statuses
of autonomy grant them the rank of ciudades
autónomas (autonomous cities).
The
administration of autonomous communities is based on decentralization of the
state. The level of competencies delegated is not always the same, but is
regulated by a Statute of Autonomy for each autonomous community. Each
autonomous community has its own legislative body, and the autonomous
administration must respect the rules issued by its autonomous Parlamento (Parliament).
The
autonomous community of Catalonia has two additional divisions that have
administrative powers: the comarques
(sing. comarca), which are
aggregations of municipalities, and vegueries
(sing. vegueira), which are
aggregations of comarques. The
concept of comarca exists in all autonomous communities; however, unlike in
Catalonia, these are merely historical or geographical subdivisions.
COMARCA
A
comarca (in Spanish, Portuguese, and
Galego) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Spain
and Portugal. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning “march, mark, or brand,” plus the prefix co-, meaning “together, jointly.” The
original definition of marca (mark)
referred to “a sign or limit of a border.” Thus, in its beginnings, the word comarca referred to “a space that is in
the limit between two territories.” The comarca
is known in Aragonese as redondala,
and in Basque as eskualde. In Galego,
comarcas are also called bisbarras.
The
term comarca is usually translated as
“region.” It denotes a set of population centers that, by sharing certain
characteristics, form a separate cultural, economic, or administrative
territory. The adjective pertaining to a comarca
is comarcal (pl. comarcales). A comarca is
a region that differs from others because of its historical, social, cultural,
or geographical characteristics.
Portugal
Until
the 16th century, Portugal was
divided into comarcas, large
administrative regions. There were six traditional comarcas: Entre-Douro-e-Minho, Trás-os-Montes, Beira,
Estremadura, Alentejo,
and Algarve,
of which the last had the honorary title of “kingdom.” Since the 16th century,
the comarcas gradually became referred
to as “provinces.”
The
name “comarca” was applied to the administrative and judicial subdivisions of
the provinces, a use introduced in the 17th century. Each comarca corresponded to the territorial area of jurisdiction of a corregidor,
a high-ranking administrative and judicial officer who represented the Crown in
the district.
In
the 19th century, the comarcas were
replaced by separate administrative and judicial divisions, reflecting the
implementation of the separation of executive and judicial powers. The new
administrative divisions became the administrative districts (distritos) and the new judicial
divisions kept the name comarca.
Nowadays,
in Portugal, Brazil, and some other countries of the Community of Portuguese Language
Countries, the comarca is
the basic territorial division in the judicial
system. It corresponds to the territorial area of jurisdiction of a court of first instance.
The
comarca may correspond to a municipality
or group several small municipalities together. A judiciary organization reform
implemented in Portugal in 2014 reduced the number of comarcas from 231 to 23.
Spain
The
term comarca is used in several
regions in Spain. The comarcas are territorial divisions that
only have legal status in some autonomous communities.
·
In Asturias, the historic division is the conceyu (pl. conceyos), concejo, or municipio in
Spanish). Currently, several comarcas exist, but they are contemporary
creations related to tourism promotions, without administrative or government
powers.
·
In Cantabria, the comarca
is a traditional or historical division, usually identified with the greatest
rivers of the region.
·
In Catalonia and Aragon, the comarca is
a local government area, represented by a member on the comarcal council.
·
In the Valencian Community, the comarca exists as a traditional region with no administrative powers.
They are legally referred as “homologated territorial demarcations” instead of
as comarques.
·
In Galicia the comarcas
or bisbarras are traditional
divisions of the land that have limited official recognition, but have no
administrative relevance. However, the Galician
government is attempting to transform the bisbarras into territorial administrative tiers, to create a new
regional network proposed to be more balanced and efficient. Galician comarcas also have a comarcal council.
In
other places, such as Extremadura, the comarca may simply refer to a loosely defined region.
Because
of its long-standing use, the term
comarca is sometimes used as the basis for the promotion of tourism,
with emphasis on local cultural tradition and history.
PRIMARY SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain#Administrative_divisions
Spain: Administrative divisions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal#Administrative_divisions
Portugal: Administrative Divisions.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freguesia
Freguesia.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parroquia_(religi%C3%B3n)
Parroguia (religión).
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parroquia_(civil)
Parroquia (civil).
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comunidad_aut%C3%B3noma
Comunidad autónoma.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipio
Municipio.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_(poblaci%C3%B3n)
Villa (población).
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincia
Provincia.
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