west and northeast.
The country has a population approximating 40 million, with a population growth rate slightly higher than that for most western European countries. Major ethnic groups include Spanish (Castillian, Valencians, Andalusians, and Asturians) 72.8 percent of the population, Catalans 16.4 percent, Galacians 8.2 percent, Basques 2.3 percent, and Navarrese, Aragonese, and Gypsies, which together constitute 0.3 percent of the population. Castillian Spanish is the official language; however, one quarter of the population has a different first language. The Spanish constitution permits other languages to be designated as co official within autonomous communities (Catalans, Galacians, Valencians, Basques (who speak the Euskera language), and the Baleric Islands (most of whose inhabitants speak the Majorcan language). Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, with 90
percent of the Spanish population identifying themselv
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