Spain’s population is over 47 million (2022). That amount of people is split among 17 regions (15 on the mainland and 2 island regions) as well as two autonomous cities located on the northern coast of Africa. Do you know which of Spain’s regions have the largest and smallest populations? And which are the most densely and sparsely populated of these? Try our quiz to learn more.
You’ll find more information on this topic below the quiz.
Results
#1. Which region of Spain is the most populous?
Sorry, this is not the correct answer.
#2. Which is Spain’s least populated region?
Sorry, this is not the correct answer.
#3. Which Spanish region is the most densely populated?
Sorry, this is not the correct answer.
#4. Which Spanish region is the most sparsely populated?
Sorry, this is not the correct answer.
(Source: Image by Venita Oberholster, Pixabay)
Answers to question 1: Which region of Spain is the most populous?
a) Correct: Andalusia is the most populous of the Spanish regions with more than 8.5 million inhabitants.
b) Wrong: Valencia is one of the biggest regions in Spain but with just short of 5.1 million people it is only the fourth largest in terms of number of inhabitants.
c) Wrong: Catalonia is among the top regions in terms of population but is outranked by Andalusia.
Answers to question 2: Which is Spain’s least populated region?
a) Wrong: Asturias has about one million inhabitants but is more than three times larger than the smallest region.
b) Correct: You are right, with only about 315,000 people La Rioja is the region with the smallest population.
c) Wrong: At about 660,000 residents Navarre is the third smallest region. But, you will have to look elsewhere to find the smallest one.
Answers to question 3: Which is the most densely populated region in Spain?
a) Wrong: At about 240 people per square kilometer, Catalonia is only the fifth most densely populated region in Spain.
b) Wrong: With over 300 people per square kilometer, the region of the Canary Islands is the second most densely populated in Spain.
c) Correct: With almost 845 people per square kilometer Madrid is by far the most densely populated region in Spain.
Answers to question 4: Which is the most sparsely populated of Spain’s regions?
a) Wrong: A small coastal region in the north of the country and with less than 585,000 inhabitants does not make Cantabria the least densely populated region in Spain. With almost 110 people per square km it holds more than four times the people than the least populated region.
b) Correct: At just over 25 people per square kilometer, Castile and León is the most sparsely populated region in the country. However, two other regions are very close competitors for the top spot, namely Extremadura and Castile La Mancha. These regions are sometimes considered the core of “empty Spain”.
c) Wrong: La Rioja may have the fewest residents of all regions in Spain, but due to its small size it is not among the least densely populated ones. It has about two and a half times the population density of the winner in this category.
To learn more about the population of each region, please see the tables below:
Population by Region
Population Density by Region
You see from the tables that if Ceuta and Melilla were autonomous regions and not autonomous cities, they would be topping the Spanish population density rankings by a wide margin. Both cities have about 83,000 inhabitants but while Ceuta covers 18.5 square kilometers, Melilla is only spread out over 12.3 square kilometers. Hence, the population density is considerably higher in Melilla.
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