Administrative division of Spain (Twilight of a New Era)

On the proclamation of the Spanish Republic, Catalan nationalists also proclaim their autonomy has the Estat Català. Negotiations with the new government resulted in the compromise to give Catalonia a series of political rights and autonomy within Spain to be approved by the Constituent Assembly and a referendum in Catalonia. The Basque Country in a series of negotiations was also given a statue of autonomy.

For the rest of the provinces of Spain, they were joined in Provincial Boards (Juntas Provinciales) according to geographical and historical criteria. The President of a Provincial Board wass appointed by the government among the Governmental Provincial Delegates and shared the administration with an elected Diputación Provincial. The municipalities are assigned limited degrees of autonomy according to the Constitution and Statues of Autonomy.

Later, the provincial boards of Andalusia and Galicia prepared and had approved by the process dictated in the Constitution of their own statues of autonomy.

The growing demands of regionalism and nationalism and some form of self government for the African territories were addressed in the Pact of Autonomies that redraws the territorial administration of Spain. The Pact of Autonomies establishes that the remaining Provincial Boards or group of Provinces will be established as autonomies, but with limited powers in respect to the historical nationalities (Catalonia, Basque Country, Galicia) and will follow the model of Andalusia. For this kind of Autonomies a constitutional procedure is laid out.

The province Madrid, after a series of negotiations was established has an independent autonomy. For the cases of Ceuta and Melilla a limited form of autonomy is given under the form of autonomous city.

A special clause also specifies that in case Gibraltar rejoins Spain it would have the category of historical autonomous community and English has one of its co-official languages. After the enactment of the Constitutional reform, the new basic territorial organization is: autonomous community, province, autonomous city and municipality (municipio).

The municipalities enjoy, and are guaranteed by the Constitution, a large degree of autonomy in their local affairs. The autonomies can define and create below the level the provinces other territorial units such has comarca or mancomunidad and create or merge municipalities.

An autonomous community (Spanish: Comunidad Autónoma) is the first-level political division of the Spanish Republic, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. The Constitution recognizes the rights of "regions and nationalities" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".

The autonomous communities are:

The cities of Ceuta and Melilla have limited self government has ciudades autónomas (Autonomous cities). The four plazas de soberanía (Spanish sovereign territories) in Morocco are directly administered by the Central Government.

The Tangier International Zone is co-administered by France, UK and Spain. The northern half of the Morocco (Rif), was organized has the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco, until its independence as the Rif Republic.