Spanish people

''This article is about the Spanish as an ethnic group. For information on residents or nationals of Spain, see demographics of Spain.

The Spanish people or Spaniards are the ethnic group or nation native to Spain, in the Iberian Peninsula of southwestern Europe.

Historical Background

Spaniards are a Southern European Mediterranean population. The earliest inhabitants of Spain are believed to have been the Iberians who arrived in the region between the 4th millennium BC and the 3rd millennium BC, initially settling along the Mediterranean coast. These early Iberians may have had some relationship with the Basques who are largely believed to have been an aboriginal population that may have existed in the region before the coming of peoples speaking Indo-European languages in the 1st millennium BCE. Most scholars believe the Iberians came from a region farther east in the Mediterranean although another theory links them possibly to the North African peoples from which the Canarian Guanches and modern-day Berbers descend. [http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?method=4&dsname=Wikipedia+Images&dekey=Neolithic+Expansion.gif&linktext=

Northern regions were inhabited by Indo-European tribes (Astures, Cantabri, Galicians), either Celtic or pre-Celtic.

Celtic tribes arrived in northern Spain between the 9th century BCE and the 6th century BCE. The Celts merged with the Iberians in central Spain, creating a local hybrid culture known as Celtiberian. In addition, a group known as the Tartessians and later Turdetanians inhabited southwestern Spain and who are believed to have developed a separate civilization of Phoenician influence. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries. The Second Punic War between the Carthaginians and Romans was fought mainly in what is now Spain. Map of pre-Roman peoples of Iberia

The Roman Republic annexed Spain during the 2nd century BCE and transformed most of the region into a series of Latin-speaking provinces. As a result of Roman colonization, the majority of local languages, with the exception of Basque, stem from a type of vulgarized Latin that was spoken in Roman Spain, which evolved into the modern languages of the Iberian peninsula, including Spanish. Spain emerged as an important part of the Roman Empire and produced notable historical figures such as Trajan, Hadrian and Seneca.

The Germanic Vandals and their subordinates the Iranic Alans arrived around 409 CE, but were displaced to North Africa by another Germanic tribe, the Visigoths who conquered the region around 415 CE and became the dominant power in Iberia for a time. Iberian-Roman culture eventually romanized the Visigoths and other tribes. Another Germanic tribe, the Suebi, who arrived at roughly the same time as the Vandals, became established in the old North western Roman province of Gallaecia a kingdom which survived until late 6th century when it too was destroyed by the Visigoths.

In 711, the Iberian Peninsula was invaded by Muslim Arab-Berbers, popularly known as the Moors, who conquered nearly all the peninsula and ruled part of the region as Al-Andalus, but were gradually driven south, for up to eight centuries, ending with their defeat in 1492. These Muslim invaders were mainly of Berber origin with prominent Arab tribal leaders mixed in and they converted many locals to Islam to the point that local Iberian Muslims most likely outnumbered those of North African and Middle Eastern origin. Other local Muslims included the so-called Muladis or Muwalladin, in Arabic, or those born of foreign parentage. Muslim Iberia was known as Al-Andalus. Ultimately, the vast majority of Muslims as well as local Sephardic Jews were either expelled after the Christian reconquest (Reconquista) or converted (many forcibly) to Catholicism (see conversos).

Modern Spaniards are linguistically Latin, while their ancestors are derived primarily from native Iberians as well as varied Basque, Phoenician, Greek, Celtic, Roman, Germanic, and Berber elements.

Spain is home to a large number of Spanish-Roma (Gitanos). Roma are a formerly-nomadic group, originating in Northern India, which spread across Western Asia, North Africa and Europe, reaching Spain in the 15th century. Gitanos, for a number of historical and cultural reasons are not considered a separate or "foreign" population in Spain, but a distinct sub-ethnicity which overlaps with the wider Spanish ethnicity. This is not generally the case in other European countries. There are no official statistics on the Gitano population in Spain. Estimates range from 600 000 to 800 000, making Spain, together with Romania and Bulgaria, home to one of the largest Roma communities in Europe. Over 40% of Gitanos live in the region of Andalusia, where they have traditionally enjoyed a higher degree of integration than in the rest of the country. A number of Spanish Gitanos also live in Southern France, especially in the region of Perpignan. Gitanos play an important role in Spanish folklore, music and culture as well as in aspects of Andalusian identity itself. In-spite of their cultural contributions, they also suffer from the mistrust and rejection by a large segment of the wider Spanish population.

Ancestry

Spaniards are a European and predominantly Mediterranean people originating in South-Western Europe. Genetically, they are similar to other Southern and Western European populations such as the Portuguese, Italians and French. 5 16,18.

Genetic differences between Spanish regions do exist 4 5, particularly with regards to the Basque country1 2 3 but also with regards to Andalusia and Catalonia 5 7 8 9 as well as Galicia 4. However, these differences should not be exaggerated, particularly in the light of migrations which occurred during the period of the reconquest4.Mass migrations also occurred throughout the second half of the 20th century during the period of industrialization from poorer rural areas (fundamentally Andalusia and Extremadura) to industrial regions in Madrid, Catalonia and the Basque country. In any case all Iberians are genetically similar and fall into the cluster of European based genetic diversity.13 14 15 18.

Although a majority (but not all:11 14) of genetic studies point to a genetic relationship between Northern Africa and (particularly southern) Iberia due to the centuries of Islamic invasion 4 5 7 8 9 10 15, this genetic influx should be considered to be relatively minor (around 7% of male-mediated Y-chromosomes and 18% of female-mediated MtDNA) and not to have altered the basic ethnic makeup of the Spanish people. 10,16.This is not the case of the inhabitants of the Canary Islands, whose gene pool is halfway between its putative iberian and north african parents.6 Some studies also link (particularly Northern and Northwestern) Spaniards to the celtic-speaking people's of the Atlantic rim of Western Europe.4 12

It should be noted, that 68% of Y-chromosome lineages and 39.4% of MtDNA lineages in Spain can be traced to the earliest settlers of the Iberian Peninsula, carriers of the male R1b and the female H haplogroups, which are the most frequent haplogroups in Europe. The people with these genetic markers expanded into Western Europe from an Iberian refuge at the end of the Ice Age, 10,000 years ago. 18 ^*

Language

Languages spoken in Spain include Castilian (Castellano), Catalan/Valencian (Català/Valencià), Basque (Euskara), Asturian and Galician (Galego), each with their own various dialects. Although Castilian is but one of the many languages of Spain, it is this language which is commonly known as being the "Spanish language" since it is the official state language, although minority languages are co-official in a number of autonomous communities.

There are a number of dialects of Castilian Spanish of which perhaps the most distinct are the Andalusian and Canarian dialects. Linguistically, the Spanish language is a Romance language and therefore Spaniards are considered a Latin people. The strong Arabic influence on the language (nearly 4000 words are of Arabic origin) and the independent evolution of the language itself through history partially explain its difference from other Romance languages. The Basque language has also left a strong imprint on the language both linguistically and phonetically. Other changes in Spanish have come from borrowings from English and French, although English influence is stronger in Latin America than in Spain.

The number of speakers of Castilian Spanish, as a mother tongue, is roughly 35.6 million, while the vast majority of other groups in Spain such as the Catalans and Basques also speak Spanish as a second language, which boosts the number of Spanish speakers to the overwhelming majority of Spain's population of 45.9 million.

Spanish was also exported to the Americas and is spoken natively by tens of millions of Spanish descendants, and by many others who have adopted the language, and spans across into most countries of the Americas; from the Southwestern United States in North America down to Patagonia, the most southernly region of South America. A variety of the language, known as Judæo-Spanish or Ladino, is still spoken by descendants of Sephardim (Spanish and Portuguese Jews) who fled Spain following the Inquisition of 1492.

Religion

97% of Spaniards are Catholics, while Muslims and Jews and other religious groups are also found in Spain.

Other related peoples

Tens of millions of Spanish descendants can be found throughout the Hispanic countries of Latin America in the form of criollos (unmixed Spaniards born in the Americas), mestizos (mixed Spanish/Amerindian), mulattos (mixed Spanish/African) or triracial (Spanish/African/Amerindian). In the United States, the number of Mexican-Americans represent a significant portion of the Spanish descended population, as the majority -over 95% of the population of Mexico- have Spanish blood flowing through their veins throught most are also mixed with native or african people ^*.

Spain itself consists of various regional sub-nationalities and ethnicities including the Castilians (a large culturally-dominant minority ^* who most strongly identify with a Spanish identity), the Catalans, Valencians and Balearics (speakers of a distinct yet related Romance language in eastern Spain), the Basques (a distinct people inhabiting the Basque country), and the Galicians, who speak a language which is very close to Portuguese. Regional diversity is important to many Spaniards and some regions (other than the ones associated with the different nationalities) have strong local identities and dialects, such as Asturias, Aragon, the Canary Islands, and Andalusia.

On a smaller scale, in addition to approximately 17,000 Spanish citizens in the Philippines, there is also a small but important minority of Mistisong Espanyol (mixed Spanish/Filipino) constituting around 1.5% of the population — according to recent genetic studies, up to 3.6% of Filipinos have some European ancestry, most likely Spanish.

Footnotes

Including those of mixed Spanish and other European ancestry, mestizos and/or mulattos.
Including mestizos and/or mulattos.
Including other Hispanics of direct Spanish descent, and Spanish-descended mestizos and mulattos.
Including Brazilians of mixed Spanish and other European ancestry, and Spanish-descended mestizos and/or mulattos.
Including mistisong espanyol.

References

Offline references

Castro, Americo. The Spaniards: An Introduction to Their History (Univ. of Calif. Press 1980).
Chapman, Robert. Emerging Complexity: The Later Pre-History of South-East Spain, Iberia, and the West Mediterranean (Cambridge 1990).
Goodwin, Godfrey. Islamic Spain (Chronicle Books 1990).
Harrison, Richard. Spain at the Dawn of History (Thames & Hudson 1988).
James, Edward. Visigothic Spain (Oxford 1980).

Online references: Genetic studies cited in Ancestry section

Study "proving" that Basques with basque surnames are genetically distinct from other Spaniards from university of Bilbao.^*
Basques different from Europeans, North Africans and Western Asians. Universidad del Pais Vasco.^*
Basques different from other Iberians. University of Santiago de Compostela. ^*
Genetic analysis of Spain: NW populations close to European Atlantic populations, Central Spain populations lend support to Castilian repopulation of La Mancha, South-East populations' genetic record of Middle Eastern Populations is still present. University of Santiago de Compostela ^*
Comparison of lineage diversity with Italian (Tuscan) and Algerian populations. Spaniards closer to European pops although a small number of lineages traced to North Africa. Basques genetically distinct and there are genetic subdivisions in Catalonia and Andalusia. University of Oxford. ^*
Canarian gene pool halfway between its putative iberian and north african parents with minor sub saharan african imput.University Hospital of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. ^*
Decreasing frequency of haploype 5 from South to North: 68% Morroco,40% Andalusia, 36% Portugal, 12% Catalonia, 11% Basque country. Such a cline clearly establishes a gene flow from North Africa towards Iberia. International Institute of Anthropology, Paris, France. ^*
Analysis of 14 Alu insertions in Iberian and N Arican populations show Southern Spaniards closer genetically to Morrocans than other Spanish populations. Supports major genetic influx across the straights of Gibraltar, consistent with most (but not all)previous genetic studies. University of Barcelona. ^*
Alpujarra population (South East Spain) has particular affinities to North African populations with regards to other European Groups. The study used eight erythrocyte genetic markers. Universite Chouaib Doukkali, El Jadida, Morocco. ^*
Approximately 78% of contemporary Iberian Y chromosomes originated in an Upper Paleolithic expansion from western Asia, along the northern rim of the Mediterranean basin. NW African populations may have contributed 7% of Iberian Y chromosomes.Am J Hum Genet. 2001 Universitat Pompeu Fabra. ^*
Analysis of CD4 STR/Alu variation fails to indicate any particular relationship between South Spaniards and North Africans. University of Barcelona. ^*
Multiple genetic marker systems indicate a shared ancestry throughout the Atlantic zone, from Northern Iberia to Western Scandinavia, that dates back to the last Ice Age. Am. J. of H. Genetics. University of Leeds. ^*
An analysis of 11 I Alu insertion polymorphisms. Iberian samples show a substantial degree of homogeneity and fall within the cluster of European-based genetic diversity. Universitat Pompeu Fabra. ^*
Analysis of 26 Y-chromosome biallelic markers from 11 Iberian population groups compared to published data on Basques and Catalans. Study shows a limited heterogeneity between regions. The focal distribution of y-chromosome haplogroups indicates that population expansion from Middle East has not influenced current Iberian Y chromosome diversity. ^*
Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) performed in Western Mediterranean populations. the presence of haplogroup U6 in Iberia may signal gene flow from NW Africa, and those of the subhaplogroup U6b1 recent gene flow from the Canary Islands. Haplogroup U6 is present at frequencies ranging from 0 to 7% in the various Iberian populations, with an average of 1.8%. Given that the frequency of U6 in NW Africa is 10%, the mtDNA contribution of NW Africa to Iberia can be estimated at 18%, with a 95% confidence interval of 8%-26% (estimated by sampling with replacement 10,000 times in populations having the same sample sizes and U6 frequencies as Iberia and NW Africa). This is larger than the contribution estimated with Y-chromosomal lineages (7%, 95% confidence interval 1%-14%, Bosch et al. 2001). Universitat Pompeu Fabra. ^*
Full version of previous study of Mediterranean populations. In pages 9, 13 and 14 Italians and Iberians are shown to be extremely similar. ^*
HLA genetic distances and their respective dendrogram together with the results on complete HLA haplotypes place Basques and Spaniards closer to paleo-North African populations than to other Europeans. Universidad Complutense, Madrid ^*
World Haplotype distributions ^*

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