Referendum: What's at stake?

A guide to the vote, and to the events that led up to it

What is Catalonia?

One of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, situated in the country’s northeast and home to 7.5 million. 

What are the origins of the secessionist conflict?

In 1975, a new Constitution gave Catalans a significant degree of political autonomy — but not enough, according to the region’s current political leadership. At one point, Spain’s national lawmakers came close to appeasing Catalan’s nationalist sentiment by allowing the region special autonomy. But when that statute was partially struck down by the Constitutional Court in 2010, tensions came to the fore.

Do most Catalans support independence?

In June 2012, 51.1% of respondents in a survey said they