Provinces and autonomous communities of Spain: list, capitals, population and map

Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities, 2 autonomous cities — Ceuta and Melilla — and 50 provinces. A community is a region with its own statute, parliament and government, while a province is a unit within it, a grouping of municipalities. Seven communities consist of a single province; the most populous is Andalusia and the largest by area is Castile and León. Below you will find a map of the regions, tables of all communities and provinces with population and capitals, the official languages, where most foreigners live, common mix-ups and our articles on the cities of each region.

How Spain’s territorial division works

• Three levels. The State is organised into municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities, and each level has its own autonomy (Article 137 of the Constitution).
• A province is a grouping of municipalities and a district for the work of State bodies. It is run by a provincial council (Diputación), and provincial boundaries can only be changed by an organic law (Article 141).
• An autonomous community is formed by neighbouring provinces with shared historical, cultural and economic features, by islands, or by a province with a historical identity (Article 143). Each community has its own statute of autonomy, parliament and government.
• Single-province communities are Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Madrid, the Region of Murcia, Navarre and La Rioja: their territory coincides with the province.
• Islands. In the Canary Islands each island has a cabildo, and in the Balearic Islands an island council (Consell): they take over the functions of the provincial councils.
• The foral regime. The Basque Country and Navarre set and collect taxes themselves — under the Economic Agreement (Law 12/2002) and the Economic Convention (Law 28/1990).
• Ceuta and Melilla are autonomous cities in North Africa: they have their own statutes but are neither provinces nor autonomous communities.

17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities

Population is from the municipal register (padrón) at 1 January 2025 (INE, sum of provinces); area is from the National Geographic Institute (IGN).

About the capitals. The statutes of Galicia, the Basque Country, Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha do not name a capital: the seat of parliament and government is set by a separate law, and under those laws it is Santiago de Compostela, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Valladolid and Toledo. The Canary Islands have two capitals, and the regional assembly of the Region of Murcia sits not in Murcia but in Cartagena. The capital of the country is Madrid (Article 5 of the Constitution).

The largest and the smallest

• The most populous community is Andalusia (8.67 million), followed by Catalonia (8.15 million) and Madrid (7.14 million). The least populous is La Rioja (327,000).
• The largest by area is Castile and León (94,217 km²), followed by Andalusia and Castile-La Mancha. The smallest is the Balearic Islands (4,992 km²).
• The most densely populated is Madrid, with 889 people per km²; the most sparsely populated are Extremadura, Castile and León and Castile-La Mancha — about 25 people per km².
• The largest province by population is Madrid (7.14 million), followed by Barcelona (5.98 million), Valencia (2.76 million), Alicante (2.03 million) and Seville (1.98 million). The least populous is Soria (90,000, fewer than 9 people per km²).
• The largest province by area is Badajoz (21,769 km²), and the smallest is Gipuzkoa (1,981 km²).
• The fastest growth in 2024 was in the provinces of Guadalajara, Alicante and Madrid — almost 2%; the population fell in Zamora, Jaen and Badajoz.

The 50 provinces of Spain

Provinces are grouped by community. Population is from the INE municipal register at 1 January 2025.

Official languages by region

Spanish (Castilian) is the official language of the whole State, and other languages are official in their communities under their statutes (Article 3 of the Constitution):

• Catalan — in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands;
• Aranese (Occitan) — in Catalonia, in the Val d’Aran;
• Valencian — in the Valencian Community;
• Galician — in Galicia;
• Basque — in the Basque Country, and in Navarre only in the Basque-speaking areas.

Asturian (bable) and Leonese are protected by the statutes of Asturias and Castile and León, but not made official. Andalusia, Madrid, the Region of Murcia, the Canary Islands and the other communities have no second official language.

Where most foreigners live

According to the INE annual census at 1 January 2025, foreigners make up 14.1% of Spain’s residents. Their share is highest in the Balearic Islands (21.7%), the Valencian Community (19.5%), Catalonia (18.7%) and Madrid (16.6%), and lowest in Extremadura (4.4%), Galicia and Asturias.

The Valencian Community is home to almost a third of all Ukrainian citizens in Spain, and together with Catalonia to half of them.

Common mix-ups

• Catalonia is not a country but an autonomous community of Spain. Its statute (Organic Law 6/2006) calls Catalonia a nationality that exercises self-government as an autonomous community, and the Constitution establishes the unity of Spain (Article 2). The Constitutional Court struck down the 2017 referendum and secession laws.
• Valencia is not Catalonia. The Valencian Community is a separate region with its own statute, and its own language is called Valencian (Article 6 of the statute).
• There are two Castiles, and both are autonomous communities: Castile and León (nine provinces, government in Valladolid) and Castile-La Mancha (five provinces, Toledo). There is no separate region or country called Castile: it is a historical kingdom that became the core of Spain.
• The Canary Islands are two provinces, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife: the archipelago was split in 1927.
• The Balearic Islands are one province with its capital in Palma, and each island has its own island council.
• The Valencian Community is three provinces: Alicante, Castellón and Valencia. The city of Valencia, the province of Valencia and the community are three different levels.
• Andorra is not Spain but a separate state, a principality with its capital in Andorra la Vella.
• Gibraltar is not part of Spain’s territorial division: the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls it a colony ceded to the British Crown under the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713.
• Ceuta and Melilla are neither autonomous communities nor provinces, but autonomous cities of Spain.

Cities and regions on our site

City guides and moving guides, grouped by community. How to choose a region to suit your income and lifestyle is covered in the articles where to live in Spain and ranking of Spanish cities.

Andalusia

Andalusia and the Costa del Sol, Malaga, moving to Malaga, Marbella, moving to Marbella, Seville, Granada, Adamuz.

Catalonia

Barcelona, how to move to Barcelona, Barcelona neighbourhoods.

Madrid

the capital of Spain, moving to Madrid, Madrid neighbourhoods.

Valencian Community

Valencia, moving to Valencia, Valencia neighbourhoods, Costa Blanca, Alicante, moving to Alicante, Calpe, Elche, Castellón de la Plana, Montanejos.

Balearic Islands

Mallorca, moving to Mallorca, Ibiza, moving to Ibiza.

Canary Islands

Canary Islands, moving to Tenerife.

Basque Country

Bilbao and the Basque Country, moving to Bilbao, San Sebastián, business support in the Basque Country.

Asturias, La Rioja, Castile-La Mancha

moving to Oviedo, Logroño, Toledo.

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Frequently asked questions about Spain’s provinces and regions

How many autonomous communities does Spain have?

17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities — Ceuta and Melilla. Each of the 19 has its own statute of autonomy.

How many provinces does Spain have?

50. The largest by population is Madrid (7.14 million), the least populous is Soria (90,000), the largest by area is Badajoz and the smallest is Gipuzkoa.

What is the difference between a province and an autonomous community?

A community is a region with its own statute, parliament and government, while a province is a grouping of municipalities within it, run by a provincial council. A community can have from one to nine provinces.

Is Catalonia a country?

No. Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain with its own statute, parliament and government. The Constitutional Court struck down the 2017 referendum and secession laws, and in Spain’s territorial division Catalonia remains one of the 17 communities.

Which is the largest region of Spain?

By population, Andalusia, with 8.67 million residents. By area, Castile and León, with 94,217 km².

Which languages are official in Spain’s regions?

Spanish everywhere. In addition, Catalan is official in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, Valencian in the Valencian Community, Galician in Galicia, Basque in the Basque Country and the Basque-speaking areas of Navarre, and Aranese in Catalonia.

Are the Canary Islands one province?

No, two: Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. At the same time the Canary Islands are one autonomous community with two capitals.

Are Ceuta and Melilla part of Spain?

Yes. They are autonomous cities of Spain in North Africa with their own statutes, but they are neither provinces nor autonomous communities.

Does Spain have states?

No. Spain is not a federation and has no states. The Constitution organises the country into municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities (Article 137): 17 communities and 2 autonomous cities at the top level, 50 provinces below them. The communities are the closest equivalent of states, each with its own parliament and government.

Does Spain have counties?

Not under that name. The Constitution allows groupings of municipalities other than the province (Article 141.3), and some communities use this to create comarcas, the closest thing to counties: in Catalonia and Aragon, for example, comarcas have their own councils. Elsewhere a comarca is often just a historical or geographical name.

Is Madrid a province?

Yes, and at the same time an autonomous community. The Community of Madrid is one of the seven single-province communities: under its statute, its territory is the province of Madrid (Article 2). The city of Madrid is the capital of the province, the community and the country.