Population Geography of Spain: Sources and Distribution
Demographic Sources in Population Geography
Population Geography studies the relationships between population and space. It relies on various sources:
Key Demographic Sources
Census: An individualized count of a country’s population at a specific time. It collects demographic, economic, and social data (total population de facto and de jure, gender, age, marital status, etc.). The census has been conducted every 10 years since 1981 (in years ending in 1).
Municipal Register (Padrón Municipal): A register of residents in a municipality at a specific date. It also collects demographic, economic, and social data, but less detailed than the census. It is updated on January 1st each year and is a dynamic document constantly changing with births, deaths, and residential movements (highs and lows).
Civil Registry: Records births, marriages, and deaths.
Other Sources
Statistics and surveys.
Definitions
Population in Fact (De Facto): All people present in each municipality at the time of a census or municipal register count. Therefore, it does not include residents absent at that time.
Population of Law (De Jure): All people registered or legally resident in a municipality at the time of a census or municipal register count. Therefore, it includes all residents, both absent and present.
Population Distribution in Spain
Characteristics of Distribution
Spain’s population in 2008 was 46.0 million people. Its distribution is analyzed by population density, which relates population to surface area in square kilometers (Density = Population / Area in km²). Spain’s density has increased to 91.1 inhabitants/km², a moderate value lower than the European average. It exhibits significant imbalances: concentration in some areas and depopulation in others.
High-Density Areas
Madrid, the periphery of Spain, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla.
Low-Density Areas
The interior of the peninsula.
Factors Explaining Population Distribution
A) The Pre-industrial Era
The economy was basically agrarian, so natural factors held more weight. Density was higher in coastal plains with mild winters and lower in the interior with harsher winters. The discovery of America in the 16th century brought great economic prosperity to Castile, making it the most populated area. In the 17th-century crisis, economic and demographic movements shifted towards the periphery. By the 18th century, density was highest in coastal and island regions (due to maritime trade) and lowest in the interior.
B) The Industrial Era
Between the late 19th century and the 1975 crisis, natural factors lost importance, and contrasts in distribution became established and sharpened. Madrid gained weight, as did regions with high growth due to natural factors (Galicia, Andalusia, Murcia), industry (Asturias, Basque Country, Catalonia, and the Ebro axis), and tourism (Mediterranean coast and islands). The interior lost demographic weight.
C) The Post-industrial Era (from 1975)
From 1975 onwards, the contrasts have been mitigated. The crisis reduced the attraction of industrialized areas and decreased emigration from interior areas. Following the crisis, growth factors such as the primacy of services and the spatial dissemination of industry reinforced the consolidation of Madrid, the Mediterranean coast, and the Ebro axis. These factors also favored demographic and economic deconcentration.
Demographic Regimes
The Old Demographic Regime
Until the early 20th century, this regime was characterized by high birth rates, high mortality rates, and low natural growth.
A) Birth Rate
Presented high values due to two main causes:
- The dominance of an agrarian economy and rural society.
- The lack of effective birth control systems.
B) Overall Mortality
Was high and fluctuating. Its causes included low living standards and poor medical and sanitary conditions:
- Poor and unbalanced diet.
- Diseases: Catastrophic mortality caused by epidemics, wars, and bad harvests.
- High infant mortality.
- Low life expectancy.
Consequence
Low natural growth.