In rural Spain there are zones of people called comarcas, which are purely cultural and economic, holding no political alignment. Comarcas are a market community, but unlike most other market communities they share cultures and traditions (such as festivals.) Comarcas and Spaniards are proud of their vast cultural diversity. The cultural diversity of of the Basque and Catalans has forced the state to suppress rebellion hurting the state. These geographically separate interior cultures have developed separate languages. Castilian is the central power, and they specifically repressed the separatist movements of Cataluña. The Pyrenees Mountain Range separated Spain from the rest of Europe, which decreased foreign influence and helped heighten Spanish unity. Spain's geography helped the state by separating it from Europe and other nations. However the unity of Spain was hurt because of many internal separatist movements based on geographical separation.
Regional and Cultural Map of Spain