GLICOM - Grup de Lingüística Computacional

Located on the north-western Mediterranean coast, Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, today an autonomous region of Spain and one of the oldest national communities in Europe. Fabulous architecture, world class museums, history, culture, fine foods and wines, fashionable shopping -- Barcelona has it all. About four million people live in and around the city. Ever since it was founded over two thousand years ago, Barcelona has been the traditional European gateway into Spain. Three historical periods in particular have moulded Barcelona's distinctive cityscape: the Roman period, extensive remains of which are present beneath the medieval town center; the Medieval age, during which the old Gothic-style town around the Cathedral was developed; and the late nineteenth century, when pioneering industrial activity resulted in economic prosperity and prompted the speedy construction of a planned new town.

Since Barcelona managed to avoid both world wars, and the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) did not cause irreparable damage, Barcelona has survived well architecturally, making it easy for the visitor to reconstruct its history from the urban landscape. The city is today at the center of an important industrial zone. Metal industry, textiles, machinery and car-making are at the top of the list. The port is among the most active in the Mediterranean. Even so, trade, both wholesale and retail, outweighs manufacturing as an economic sector, and in recent decades the services sector has become a huge contributor to the economy. The Barcelona of today is a renewed Barcelona, a vibrant and captivating European capital shaped by the '92 Olympic Games and the urban renewal brought about by the 2004 Forum of Cultures.

Catalonia (Catalunya, in Catalan) covers approximately 32,000 km² on the north-east of the Iberian peninsula with a population of approximately seven million people. Although fertile (grain, fruit, wine, olives, etc...), Catalonia's economy is primarily based on trade, manufacturing, and the services sector, tourism being an important source of income.

Although relatively small, Catalonia's landscape and geography is very diverse: the peaks and slopes of the Pyrenees, the rugged coast north of Barcelona, the huge drier but fertile plains around Lleida, the unspoilt forests along the several mountain ranges that line Catalonia from north to south, the popular beaches south of Barcelona, and the endless rice-growing flatlands of the Ebro River Delta.

Catalonia offers many attractions to the tourist: mountain walking and mountaneering, skiing, white water rafting, beaches, boating, nature, and history (castles, monasteries, old towns and city centers). All within close range of one of southern Europe's most dynamic cities, Barcelona.

Catalonia has two official languages --Catalan and Spanish-- both evolved directly from Latin but quite different from one another, especially when spoken (written Catalan is easier to understand if one reads Spanish and/or French). Catalan is spoken by some 10 million people in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, eastern Aragon, Northern Catalonia (in France), Andorra, and the town of Alghero in Sardinia. Road signs and other informative text may appear sometimes only in Catalan, but in general Spanish will get you everywhere.