Why 70% of Spain is Empty
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- čas přidán 5. 05. 2022
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I live in that "empty void" and it's wonderful. Not overcrowded, quiet and relaxed and in touch with nature.
Absolutely!! I visited the Cantabria region and the shear beauty of these places were breath-taking and I gave serious thought of relocating there. Sparsely populated is a welcomed reprieve from the oppressive masses of some of the U.S. Were it not for social reasons, I'd have already been there.
Lucky you I live in a city but I love green areas, mountains, trees all the beauty is amazing.
The densely packed city looked awful - I will alway live in a rural area.
;;; 2Esdras2: 32 - 100 llllllll;;;;;;;;;;
En la meseta del hambre?
I live in Extremadura. One of the poorest, least inhabited parts of Spain. Heart wrenchingly beautiful, with the friendliest people I've ever met, anywhere in Europe, never mind Spain. In the 20 years I've lived here, I've noticed a steady increase in living standards and improved infrastructure. I have no desire to live anywhere else on Earth, thank you. Sometimes, a relatively low level of population, a natural, unpolluted environment and a stress free, slower pace of life is exactly what's needed to live long and happily.
Agree 🙂
I live next to NYC.
And I'd love to be where you are.
Enjoy, hermano. 💕🌿
Sounds pretty darned nice actually.
Tierra de conquistadores. Dejaron su tierra y fueron al nuevo mundo a fundar los actuales países. Saludos desde el sur de Chile
Extremadura es la mas bella y desconocida región española, nuestros muy corruptos y mediocres politicos ni tan siquiera se han tomado la molestia de conectarla decentemente al resto de España, no ya con trenes de alta velocidad que recorren toda la geografia española menos Extremadura, ni tan siquiera tiene una conexión medio decente de lineas ferreas convencionales, han aislado intencionadamente a Extremadura del resto de España, casi mejor, mas tranquilos viven los extremeños, gente amable, agradable y extremadamente hospitalaria donde las haya.
Last June, I drove 5 hours through the western province of Extramadura and only saw a handful of other vehicles. The small villages are untouched by commercialism. It’s a beautiful region and I hope it stays that way.
I hope it doesn't get spoiled by transitting drug dealers from the South coast, a significant problem
@@mikesmith8313 they are ruining the world.
It's "Extremadura"
Maybe it's a good thing, giving the Spanish Wildlife a place to live. I'm thankful that Spain leaves that beautiful landscape mostly untouched.
Dam I need to go there.😊
And mostly boring, without opportunities for young people , etc. Don't idealize Spain
Spain's landscape is ugly, barren and desolate. Small towns look like mousetraps. Almost no trees. Palpable drowsiness in the people's mood.
Big nope for me.
@@fabricliver dude, Spain has many different landscapes and biomes. Did you go to Galicia or Asturias? Is green as Scotland 😂 what you are referring to is the meseta, which is literally like Arizona, but not all Spain is like that...
@@AMDA_My family is part Spanish and I know that the people in Spain have a lot of problems with human rights and welfare. Even animal welfare there isn't ideal. Just one of the things I like about Spain, is all of the natural habitats left untouched.
As someone who was born in the empty part of Spain and now lives on another part of that emptiness I need to point out that countries doesn t belong to industries only. We are blessed to have protected areas for animals, birds, even bees are important. We also have protected our nightsky. Maybe province capitals might help people who wanna reseach, develop or promote an idea better, but the essence of life is hidden in here.
Never knew
Sounds nice.
Well said
Love your response! So, for the sake of the nature, animals, it is better that it stays the way it is. It is a hidden gem so to say, keep the high frequenties there and keep the cars, roads, industrie and (more) people out.
I think you are perfectly correct. These empty areas are treasures of Spain.
Me and a group of friends, Belgians, specifically went on vacation in the"Serrania Celtiberica" region because it IS so isolated. Fantastic medieval villages and festivals, barely anyone speaks English, no cellphone reception while hiking. Nature and the people were great. It's one of my most memorable trips.
@Are You Kidding Me You're right. It was late.
Sounds AMAZING!
Love to do that, sadly my legs aren't as strong as they used to be.
@@lemastre Late or not, your use of the English language was impeccable and your choice of the word 'isolation', in that context, was perfect. It sounds like a fabulous way to spend time with your friends. There are desolate places here too.
Belgium is pretty densely packed
@@2DRonaldo Too much kneeling before Zod?
Everybody from Spain respects and loves the empty part. We are educated and grateful on how lucky we are for having such a beautiful country
Well, at least someone's happy...
I live just outside a big town in Spain (only 3km away) and have very unreliable power supply (I had to buy UPS for nearly all my electrical devices), we have no running water (we have to rely on a well from which water is not l potable), and the only internet connection I can get is via radio signal and antenna with speeds worse than a dial up modem from the 90s....
It's only been 2 years and I can't stand it any longer.
Infrastructure outside towns is virtually non-existant. It feels like I live in a 3d world country 100 years ago....
As a Spanish, I agree with this.
@@rstanev951 - Internet: Get Starlink;
Power, add Solar & Energy Storage/ Inverters!
Water: that's the Tough one! Maybe a "New Well?"
@@robertweekley5926 Hello Robert, I haven't heard of Starlink before but now that you suggested it I checked it out and it does sound rather good. I'll have to investigate a little more. Thanks for that!
@@rstanev951 Are you in a legal habitable and buildabke area? A lot of people buy cheap big houses outside town and have this problem, water and power supply is not covered by regulations if the area is non-buildeable
I was born and raised in Barcelona (Spain's second most populated city, with around 3.5M inhabitants) and I now live in Madrid, the second most populated city within the EU. In Spain, job opportunities for those with a high level of studies are only possible in big cities, there's nothing else than fields and farms in the center of the country (like in most parts of the central US) but life there is muuuuuch better: healthier, more relaxed, easier and funnier. Most of the people living in big cities have second homes in other small villages and towns inside the so-called "empty Spain" because life there goes on another path. Time stops, there are no rushes, food is amazing, 0 crime or violence (Spain's not a violent country, but big cities always have their problems). Sometimes living in an unpopulated region have lots of perks!
yes this is a problem in the US Midwest/central states, so they try to lure businesses and factories to those areas, it's the usual bad cycle... no economic opportunities/investment, so people leave for cities, then rural areas fall behind over time, they say in the next 15 - 20 years, most people will be living in urban metro areas, the politicians always ignore and don't address the root problem
Not only in Barcelona and Madrid. You can find said jobs in Valencia, Seville or Bilbao
Pero que dices colgado, conoces muy poco tu país
"Underdeveloped" is a pretty negative way to describe pristine, untouched, and flourishing land. Leave some of it be for the other animals and plants too, we need it now more than ever
I agree, but you see, this is the language that started capitalism. It's how the English settlers/colonizers referred to Ireland when they invaded it and colonized it. It's the "best" justification for invading and colonizing countries. Same goes for Africa for instance. And it's the same concept behind terminology such as "real estate developer" or "international development" ;)
yeh but the government forgetting those places is the real hard part.
@@bahamabartokmajestikassbis5240 Split Europe into it's individual countries, then come back with an answer.
Many hundreds, if not thousands of years ago, England was a forest. It was only farming which destroyed the forests. One of the biggest areas was 'Sherwood Forest', which if around now, would engulf Derby and Nottingham and many small towns & villages north of the first two, and more than likely south too. The forested areas in England have been decimated. The best forests are in Scotland.
Many people forget, the forests (trees) are the lungs of planet Earth, which we need but 'development' is destroying.
@@bahamabartokmajestikassbis5240 You miss my point, forget it.
Nothing to compare with America. The empty space in Spain isn’t a natural process or a wonder, it’s the consequence of the disastrous territorial policies of a wrong-headed developmental model. Nobody is able to live there a long time without European subventions or without peoples in age to work, everything is missing.
The elderly population in Spain and the low birth rate aren’t a secret for nobody, all these empties countries without a population are expected to disappear. And it’s not only a Spanish phenomenon, in a near future older persons are expected to account for 35 per cent of the population in Europe, 28 per cent in Northern America, 25 per cent in Latin America. The residential care homes for the elderly in Europe and Spain are actually the best investments.
As an Australian, I hear "a 45 minute drive to reach the next City" and I think "wow that is so close" I'm used to it being a 15 hour drive to the nearest city
Ah, a trve wastelander comrade, indeed. Greetings from the Spanish barren lands fella
Ever since I traversed your beautifull country as a European, nothing here sounds "far" or "long" anymore compared to the days I drove in AUS without seeing a basic village ;'D
That’s more hours than it takes to drive to full length of the UK 😂 and that covers two countries England and Scotland lol
45 minutes drive is to the closest city in South Africa, average distance is 5 hours drive . Some city are 15 hours drives
And USA is so big, an hour drive just gets me from the north side of the city to the south side. Hell, it takes 16 hours to drive through my state
Im in the UK and have daydreamed about moving to Spain. This makes me want to go even more.❤ Clean, mountainous, beautiful, rugged and sparsely populated!
damn I am in Spain and want to move back to the UK! I miss the nature pathways around the country and the trains that connect every place. The video doesn't talk that if you live in the empty part, you'll not have decent electricty, water, even public transport. If you get out of cities, youll need a car, as trains or buses are barely unreliable. I guess we want what we don't have!!
@@clare9008 then why brits love costa del sol if it was that bad?
Same 😊
Don’t Speak English only that’s my advice I hate how English people come to our country and start to speak their language we speak Spanish very dearly learn it before u live here
@@aymanla471because the Costa del Sol is the most intensely overdeveloped region of Spain. Brits don't go to the Costa del Sol for pristine nature or unspoilt landscapes, they go to get some sun and enjoy the cheap cost of living (read: they can get shitfaced drunk for half the price).
I used to travel to Spain as a kid during holidays with my parents and this video reminded me why I loved it so much, Spain is such a beautiful country
Same. This reminded me of 6 years living in Spain. I wish I could go back again to re-live my memories.
Shhhh. Don't tell too many about Spain. We don't want to be overrun when they find out it's the best place in the world to live.
Hilaria?
It is a very varied country, they have different climates and landscapes not far away and that is fun. People are relaxed and close, although it seems to foreigners that we are angry because we speak louder than in other places. Thank you for your very positive comment
@@Fran-xu9ic haha it is true that you guys tend to talk a bit louder than some other countries and fast too but I never found it to be an issue, at least where I traveled to, people were always really nice :)
As a Spaniard living in Barcelona since I was born, I'm quite sure that the creator of this video has studied better and sought more solutions to the problem of "empty Spain" than the government since this problem was known.
I still think that it is one of the best, if not the best, country to live in, but problems like these make me ashamed of my country.
Avergoncémonos de nuestros políticos y gobernantes, no de nuestro país.
As an American, I think it's interesting how this low population density is seen as unusual in Europe but not so much so in a lot of the US. What are some of the reasons you think Spain is the best country to live in btw?
I don't know what the problems with having your population in the place where there will actually make money.
@@zachfreeman2502 food, people, weather, economy, party, landscape, sport, transport, culture and diversity
@Abdulaziz Mohammed and Morocco is ancient Maurentania, belonging to Rome smh 🤦♂️
Yes, this is my country. For anyone curious, this here is called "la España vaciada" (the emptied Spain). In the Castillian regions you can find dozens of completly abandoned towns.
We have a similar situation here in Greece bro. I was studying in Sparta a few years ago and whenever i was on my way back home in Athens i was coming across many little villages completely abandoned especially while still in Laconia. So sad...
When Madrid became its own autonomous community it spelled the end of the Castillas. The population growth of Madrid has come at the expense of the regions around it.
Im from madrid and now i live in thr uk ughhhh
saludos hispanohablantes
urbex
I'm Spanish, and being honest, I find so interesting how others talk about these topics such as "España Vaciada". To be honest, I don't like all the people that get harmed by it (those who live in small towns) but I view that, in this way, we get our country to remain as green and natural as possible while being a huge thing out there
Hi hw r u.. I'm tour guid from Munnar, India... I would like to chat you
@@sachingeorge7681 what
Spaniard, you mean....
Spanish is the language, spaniard is the people.... Elementary non google-translator english.
@@MrSludov Well, as someone whos studying English everyday, I've seen Spanish people be used too. Most times, I never see Spaniard being used so. Most times when I google it, I see "Spaniards, or Spanish people, are an ethnic group native to Spain." as an answer too. No need to go "Elementary non google-translator english" to me as if I was stupid though! All of us can make mistakes
Comparing to other countries: I've been working as international consultant I live in Asia and Europe. I've worked in China, Singapore, Philippines, Netherlands, Germany and Spain. For 14 Years my perspective of wealth has change and its economy, In Spain more lands are empty but it is home to apples, oranges, dairy farms, jamon, and vegetables businesses, factories of cars and renewable energies. Though its a village and almost empty, clinics and healthcare are accesible and provide good quality services, and its included on the tax you've paid. In China their empty villages are also like Spain full of cultures and local bars and restaurants, but clinics are hard for expats, In Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia its the same almost but its home to touristic area and restaurants, heathcare and clinic is a slight okay but not compare to Spain and Netherlands villages that heathcare are seamless. So overall its just about the perspective and how accesible the place are its not about the more population the better, its about distribution of wealth and services and how safe the place is.
As someone who lives in the red "empty" area, it is wonderful in here. Natural environment, unpolluted air, caring people... The massive problem is the lack of interest that the government has regarding infrastructure and public services. It makes it difficult for the youth to find a job... Hence, people are forced to move to the heavily populated areas.
As a recent visitor I preferred the empty interior of Spain to the crowded coasts
Make sure you get high speed internet as well as some universities etc. that prepare people for home office jobs. No need for young people to leave if they do their high paying job from home.
Probably better than 98% of some countries in Southeast Asia.
As you're commenting on this, I take it your part of the empty area at least has fast enough internet to watch online videos? Are others the same?
Its comical how the Government, who claims to environmentalist, essentially forces people into cities, only adding to pollution. The only way to fix the problem is to spread out, and return to nature. No town should have more than 100k population.
I traveled to rural Spain with my parents, and while it was empty, the land was dramatic and lovely, it’s such a privilege to visit, and as an American I’d compare it to traveling New Mexico, but with a lot more culture in the rural hubs you do visit.
New Mexico (or Nuevo Mexico) is New Spain 😂😂
Cheers and Love from Spain to the USA🤝😊
@@joaquincimas1707 how do you know English if you're from Spain?
Well, we are where the history comes from after all.
@@sierra5713 How does anyone know a language?
As somebody who lives in Spain, I don’t appreciate the geography enough, yeah it’s hot, yeah sometimes it’s pretty barren, but it magnificent
A lot of the low population density areas of Spain contain some of the most pristine wild habitats, forests and mountains in Europe. Some of the wildflower meadows and alpine pastures in Spain are incredibly rich in flora and fauna. Long may they remain underpopulated.
I lived in Spain for two years in the early 80s, and still love the country. Those "empty areas" are beautiful, natural, and inhabited by families and communities that love them. I also grew up in rural, farmland Ohio where the closest "city" of any import was 45 minutes away, and I loved growing up there. Life is not all about infrastructure development and modernization.
I mean that is good for you that you don’t have to care about terrible infrastructure but most people today want access to things like higher/improved education and modernized medical care that isn’t an hours drive away.
so you import stuffs? would you mind if I contact you?
There are no cities of importance in Ohio, at one point Cleveland was one but no longer
Ah look a comment liar
@@poopshoes7579 Still cities... of course Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati are no New York or Chicago
The amount of high speed rail they have makes me very jealous as a Northern Brit
Pat you're everywhere
yeah man
Lol. The US only has like 1 or 2 per state. So Kinda same.
Heck and not even all states have one
Lol
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Spain ia such a good country it was the first country that i have traveled to and believe me u will definitely have a lot of fun and good memories when u visit it especially for summer vacations ✨
Greetings to spain from ur algerian neighbor
🇩🇿❣️🇪🇸
Guys the empty Spain is wonderful.
Toledo, Segovia, Cáceres, León, Burgos, and other cities are located here. These cities have lot of monuments (roman, arab, christian). If you ever come to Spain, most of them are as close as 2h by train from Madrid.
Ik Burgos cuz hoi4 fascist spain
Beautiful and much cheaper to visit than Madrid or Barcelona.
Tons of history there yeah totally would love to visit
I was in Toledo, but the area is so dry and kinda lifeless
Gems indeed they are
Basically: La España vaciada (the emptied Spain) , people moved to cities when the civil war started and then lots of villages lots lots of people, now mostly all villages are based in tourism and agriculture.
Thats a simple reduction that doesnt reflect all the thruth. Yes, what you say happened, but historically speaking many regions in Spain have been way more under populated than others. What happened is that, during a few decades/centuries, this underpopulated areas saw an spike in their populations.
No te falta razón, por culpa de la guerra civil y por una industrialización de la sociedad mucha gente que vivía en el campo fue forzada a vivir en la ciudad. Pero eso es algo que se sigue forzando, cortando el suministro a servicios necesarios para la vida como un colegio, medios de transporte, médico, banco o internet.
@@sergiom9958 a ver si desarrolamos España que es lo que falta. Que allí en Noruega tiene un sitio más vacío y están de putamadre
@@sydex_4507 Pero ellos no son tan vagos como nosotros ( No digo que tu ni yo seamos vagos ), ellos tienen una población dispuesta a progresar. En cambio cuando miras a los países del sur de Europa te encuentras con gente que no mueve ni un dedo y que cuando tenga la primera oportunidad se irá de su país a otro más desarrollado como Estados Unidos 🇺🇸 o se irá a evadir impuestos a Andorra 🇦🇩 si es que an logrado amasar un buen dinero 💰. Esa es la triste realidad y solo la nuevas generaciones pueden cambiar esta mentalidad dañina, pero no nos engañemos eso no va a pasar.
@@sydex_4507 si los políticos dejarán de robar, quizás habría esperanzas.
As an Español, I'm surprised at how correct and accurate the information was. It isn't that frequent to see such a well researched video. And yeah, many small villages scattered throughout inland Spain still see their numbers go into double and even single digits today, due to rural to urban migration. Biggest problem is the lost of culture and traditions, which make Spain a country with such a rich and diverse culture.
Thanks so much for the video!
Love rural Spain! .would be nice to have a home there. (wishful thinking) greetings from rural Canada .
As a portuguese i don´t see this as a problem at all, the region i come from in Portugal is also very empty in comparison to the big cities in coast areas. It has it´s own charme about it and it is nice to see untouched nature without a lot of human interaction wrecking everything. And i am happy that Spain and Portugal leave this areas alone at the most parts. I mean the Iberian Peninsula have a lot of beautiful cities so why go and try to destroy the also beautiful nature around it, if it isn´t really needed?
Obrigado fds
I am portuguese too and everytime I enter Spain more deeply I always feel amazed with the landscape, culture, preservation of the historical sites, antique city centers, arquitecture and the contagious joy of people.
Yep, Alentejo is essentially countryside and pure unmolested nature for what feels like 100s of square miles, and that's beautiful. In a world of constant modernization and city expansions, we need to do more to preserve natural infrastructure and actually let the planet breathe.
@@ZediBaptista The planet doesn't need to "breathe" you jabroni. There's plenty of undeveloped land. Too much actually. More cities are needed especially with technology advancing at an exponential rate.
@@AdamJensen_ shut up
Here in Spain, high speed train is not seen as a blessing, but as a curse on the population, because the high speed line replaces the conventional line, erasing all the stops in villages and provoking even more declining in population on said villages.
Recently the government closed the Madrid-Cuenca-Valencia line to replace it with the high speed line, and that made Cuenca the first province in Spain to not have any conventional rail line.
Also the Madrid-Extremadura line is not being repaired at all, having frequencies of around 4 trains a day, even traversing some middle-sized cities on its route, and still, they are constructing the high speed line at the side with almost no stop on that cities (that are already declining)
EDIT: I am watching comments on why is this a bad thing. Well, it's not good to have hypertrophic cities that cannot stand with their own flow, and abandoned towns around because said cities absorb all the economy
y de esos 4, 3 se rompen y el cuarto tarda por huelga 🤣
That is sad, here in the UK we have both local lines and high speed lines sharing the same lines, the high spped services do not stop at lesser important local village and small town stops and so only stop at main stations along the route, the local services will stop at all or most stations along the route.
We lost the majority of our lines and stations during what is called "The Beeching Cuts", to save me time typing and to save you the effort of researching the following is from Wikipedia.
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain.
The plan was outlined in two reports:- The Reshaping of British Railways (1963) and The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes (1965), written by Richard Beeching and published by the British Railways Board.
The first report identified 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of railway line for closure, amounting to 55% of stations, 30% of route miles, and 67,700 British Rail positions, with an objective of stemming the large losses being incurred during a period of increasing competition from road transport and reducing the rail subsidies necessary to keep the network running.
The second report identified a small number of major routes for significant investment.
The 1963 report also recommended some less well-publicised changes, including a switch to the now-standard practice of containerisation for rail freight.
Protests resulted in the saving of some stations and lines, but the majority were closed as planned; Beeching's name remains associated with the mass closure of railways and the loss of many local services in the period that followed.
A few of these routes have since reopened; some short sections have been preserved as heritage railways, while others have been incorporated into the National Cycle Network or used for road schemes; others have since been built over, have reverted to farmland, or remain derelict with no plans for any reuse or redevelopment.
Some, such as the bulk of the Midland Metro network around Birmingham and Wolverhampton, have since been incorporated into light rail lines.
I am spanish and don't agree since I live in barcelona the ave is a great way to get to Madrid.
@@danielj3338 Comprendo. Pero como valenciano te digo que nos ha hecho mierdas quedarnos sin "cercanías" para que cuatro trajeados puedan plantarse en Madrid (o en Barcelona) en un ratito. Ha sido un desastre. Muy español eso de izar aún más al privilegiado, pero muy triste.
True is your 1st paragraph
Last year we bougth an abandoned farm in Spain, and we kind knew this about Spain before buying the land. Turns our the area where our Finca is located is virtually empty, and because of that we were granted bulding permission to renovate our 300+ years our stone house. We are moving soon to live full time and start the restoration projects.
I absolutely love rural Spain.
From a perspective of a tourist I agree 100% But perspective of a Spanish people may be different. Living in undeveloped places with no oportunities, poor internet and poor conections with bigger cities may be challenging.
@@foxx9555 spaniard here; we call all these places "la España vaciada" which translates to "the emptied Spain". but actually since covid began and made practically everyone work online, a LOT of people went to these regions (whether it was to relax from the urban spaces or just because it's their actual hometown). this managed to raise awareness on the situation and we're working on better rural-urban connections (physical ones and also internet and infrastructures).
it's not an incredibly big deal, but everyone is pretty worried about the situation because the people that still live in these parts of Spain are mostly older folks whose children had to go to college or something, and if one of them ever needed medical assistance it would most likely take a while, depending on where they are.
and to all tourists: PLEASE visit rural Spain, i still have a lot to see while still being amazed when i see the vast fields in castilla-león or the yellow land in la-mancha. i can only truly recommend the place where im from, Galicia (the coast and countryside part), full of beautiful places and habitats to contemplate
@@foxx9555 You make a good point. @13part has already told you about the term "España vaciada", but until a few years ago, it was much more common to hear "España vacía" (empty Spain). There was a conscious choice to switch the term from "empty" to "emptied", the implication being that many of those places weren't just untouched natural parks, but areas which had been much more active in the past but people had left because of a lack of investment and opportunities.
I just came back from studying in Spain for a year, and after taking some trains, I can confirm that the country is indeed mostly uninhabited. The natural beauty being preserved by the low-population regions are quite nice though, and the people along the countryside are still happy living isolated with their own customs and festivals.
Spain will become the garden of Europe! Everyone wants to live there. Who needs buildings!!!!!!
@@mireillefarjon2737 i dont know? People ? We arent cavemen anymore lol
I wanna do a short term course in Spain any idea
I live in the "empty Spain"-"España vaciada" as we call it, and I am very happy to live here, wouldn't change it, it is peaceful, no traffic jams, no contamination, you can walk everywhere in town, you know a lot of people of the city, I have very beautiful lands around to go hiking... simple but happy life
@@elenavs8703 I study in Pamplona now. It’s definitely not as peaceful, but I’ve passed by a small town once and it was pretty sweet!
When I went to Spain, I did not know much about the interior region. I was jogging every day in a beautiful park in Zaragoza where I stayed for 10 days. The lush park started near downtown but when you reached the other side, it just kept going into wilderness. I asked the bartender later that night if I kept running how long till I saw another town. He said, 'Never. You'd die first". Later I checked it on Google Maps, and he was not joking. The park opened up onto hundreds of kilometers of barren desert. I loved Zaragoza, Nice chill atmosphere and nice people.
I’m from zaragoza. Love u ❤️💪🏼🔥
Did you visit the grave of Concepcion Zarzal?
agreed!! im from zaragoza and i love living there.
That was either a misunderstanding or a blatant lie (or a mixture of both) True, if you ask for the next “city” (“ciudad”) there is going to be hundreds of kilometers between Zaragoza and the next one. That’s because of how cities are catalogued in Spain (even some capitals are not considered cities). But you made it seem like there was hundreds of kilometers of nothing until the next populated area, and that was a lie. There are multiple villages very close to Zaragoza, most of them with thousands of people living there.
I’m guessing you were jogging in “el parque grande”, about 6km away you have “Cuarte de Huerva” which has a poputation over 10000 (in the census, but there is probably even more people living there) That’s more than doable.
porque hablan ingles estos npc
I loved living in Spain. I felt more at home there for those years than I do in my home country. One day, I hope to return.
Guapa !!!
Hopefully u speak Spanish and not like others who don’t
@@Nicola_evans I do! :) Spent ten years there, had a business, dealt with abogados, hacienda, police, hospital, worked with Spanish musicians and venues...back in UK since 2021 and wanting to go back to Spain someday, hopefully not too far in the distant future! I practice Spanish every day to stay fluent; my daughter not so much, but I just told her it's important when we go back, even for a visit, that we can still communicate with our friends and old neighbours :)
I found myself in that yellow area north east of Madrid, in 1987 for work. It was certainly behind the times, that's for sure. At the time, you could not even get a telephone line installed in the house unless someone in town died, then there was a lottery to see who would get that phone line. There just weren't enough telephone switching facilities. Anyways, long story short, after a few months I ended up loving it. So much so, that after my 6 month work gig was over, I ended up staying there for 11 years. The people there, the countryside and everything about it was just beautiful.
Spain is basically just an extremely successful urbanization effort, as it was the only way to develop extremely quickly out of the post-war period. As a side note, most new buildings in Spain during that period were flats and not suburban houses (even if space was clearly not an issue), since it was cost effective and allowed the masses coming from the countryside have their needs met with fewer services; and it's a trend that to this day keeps population densities incredibly high in the cities.
True. xd extremely successful urbanization effort with some good land for Electrying Solar Panels + Wind towers
Lifestyle is also a factor. Most Spaniards prefer to spend their leisure time doing hobbies, eating out, watching movies, and all of that with their friends and family. Sooooo.... They want a public park, a public swimming pool and a public cinema, not a private garden, a private pool and a private home cinema.
@@zackalcaina1896 Si nuestro gobierno no lo impuestaze (si es inventada la palabra) mucha mas gente usaria paneles solares, ie mi familia
Which is a good thing…
Good
I live in the mountains in a village of 8 population and that feels like a crowd sometimes...it's a peaceful and slow life that many would envy. I'm grateful for all living in the cities and leaving the wilderness to itself. It's perfect as it is.
Obviously this attitude is part of the problem.
@@Senkino5o Problem? WIth that thinking worldwide, it will be our demize.
@@Senkino5o ?? Part of what problem?
Should they have more suburbs? More sprawl? It's good to have large unpopulated lands, or large agricultural and nature areas. Healthy small towns and villages are important too. But overall spreading out the population is not wise, especially if we need to rewild many regions to help with climate change and maintaining eco-systems. This video is strange...
@@Senkino5o big cities are the tumors of our planet!
I envy you! But I'm happy for you.
Spain for me is the most beautiful place on earth. I'm British but I'm pretty sure I was Spanish in my former life ;) The people, the food, architecture etc etc
San Sebastian is my fvourite place and has the most amazing food. When I die I hope heaven has a bar with Pintxos!!!
I recommend you the autonomous community of Extremadura if you haven't visited! Absolutely stunning :)
The empty part of Spain is a bliss to Nature, animals and to people who want to have a stressless life or who enjoy awesome landscapes. It's not a bad thing to live in a paradise in Asturias, Cantabria or Galicia... where you can come across a wild eagle, a fox, or a deer... ;where you can walk inside big forests, drink water from the mountains or where you can sleep without car noises... The bad part of it are the means of transport, the old and slow trains, the lack of banks or doctors in kilometers. These are the things we ask our gobernors to improve, but inhabited regions are not bad themselves...
I really appreciated your work, thank you for these very instructive video.
Are we at a point where it's a "problem" to not have a density of people on every square unit of land? I lived in Spain and admire their vast open spaces as well as their dense urban cities. Beyond the rural regions not having adequate infrastructure, there doesn't seem to be any problem here
I agree with you but this issue also means a lot of historical villages and towns end up being abandoned and or in disrepair because everyone is leaving. I think that’s sad too. There needs to be a balance
RIGHT????!
I'm Spaniard, we don't want the empty Spain to become urban, we want empty Spain to become attractive to live in. Nowadays many young people move to big cities in order to have true opportunities, better jobs and a better life in a whole. Many towns are losing people every year and are beimg abandoned just to visit them in summer.
The idea is not to turn this towns into cities but instead preserve them
Definitely. These "high density" areas can become even more dense if "great society" type programs are used to shoot the absolute density of these small areas higher.
People think 10-20 story high rise condos are the peak achievement of population density. They're so laughably wrong.
Just think about it. [Before a certain war in eastern Europe] we had enough food to feed 9bil people. (Probably more, but I don't remember the source; I just remember reading it *somewhere.* ) However, the agricultural development required still takes up its own amount of land.
This is why environmental & creature conservation exists.
It's not a problem but there are groups that are pushing for more people per square mile. All of us living like rats in mega cities. Yuck.
I live outside of Madrid and driving to an “empty” area or the mountains takes 30 minutes. The country is easy to travel with well connected cities so it isn’t so necessary to develop all the dehesas, farmland, prairies and forests. Whenever people visit they’re stunned at how little sprawl there is, it’s beautiful.
30 minutes away doesn't seem like a long distance to an American.
Sean Clapis
Well said. Leave "well-enough" alone.
No no no, it all has to be "developed" in some way to make lot of money for someone, somewhere.
I lived there for just over 2 years.. this video sounds like nothing more than an infomercial for globalism.. Spain is a perfect place to live.. Apple shops? No!!! Can you get tobacco on a Sunday? Good luck... Real life? 100%
@@MrLuigiFercotti How close is this video to the reality? Knowledge is power.. what we're fed is as information is nought but an abomination.. I love that country with a passion this guy knows less about Spain than wiping his own arse
It is interesting that nobody realizes how big is Spain. It is close to double the square km of Germany. This is a very important factor to understand this problem that is not even mentioned in the video.
"Why 70% of Spain is Empty?"
-mountains.
"blah, blah, blah 15minutes. yes mountains."
yep, just another terrible video.
It's really interesting how many regions are not that populated while some are filled to the brim.The concept of population planning is simple yet very complicated
On purpose. It’s cultural but who decides culture more then government when they control corporations, Military industrial complex is something Ide advise researching
That something that happens all across western countries. It doesnt matter if we talk about Spain, France, Germany or even USA, Japan, Russia etc.
The Mathew principle at work….
Is this really that atypical?
My country, despite being small, it has many places that are abandoned now, and most of the people live in our capital and largest city.
I did a road trip through Spain in 2015. It’s an overwhelmingly beautiful country. I saw the most amazing landscapes that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world. Can’t wait to visit again.
I'm Spaniards but lived the last 15 years abroad and travelling the world. Now I'm back just to fall in love again with the diverse beauty of my country. Had to travel the planet to appreciate it.
What were your favourite landscapes? I'm curious to see if I've been there and if I can visit, too... living in Santander now.
@@ililnavehbenjamin You then should visit Cabárceno natural reserve
@@ililnavehbenjamin me too what a coincidence
when i went everybody went to stand in the water and the towns were left empty so i took advantage and filled my socks with spanish tangerines
I was born in Algeria and live in Spain, even tought I am living in the coast, I often go to the empty void and it is amazing, you feel alone and you can see the real Spain without big buildings and turistic things like Benidorm or Marbella, if you go there I recommend to visit Cuenca, really beautiful
Spaniard here. I'm blown away by how in depth and informative your video was, going as far as explaining Spain's history in the 20th century and its socioeconomic impact. I'm the grandchild of 4 rural immigrants who came to Barcelona from Asturias and Andalucía in the late 50s and mid 60s respectively, during the economic boom you mentioned. I'm not a patriotic person but dang, even I'm proud right now seeing how much we've advanced in the 50 years since the end of the regime.
Were you on Gladiator?
@@kriztoppa what
@@lollybowser Yo creo que respondió eso en forma de broma, resumidamente, porque el "Spaniard" puede significar guerrero español, por eso dijo "Gladiator", aun. así "Spaniard" se puede usar como español (gentilicio)
@@junjie1619 no lo sabia, vaya
@heartsnob Good point, I forgot Maximus, thanks!
I think the best way to attract people to these "empty" places is to promote remote working. Connect them to the high speed broadband, modernize the infrastructure allowing quick transport in and out, give very attractive housing prices and there would be a lot of people escaping the expensive cities. If there is no incentive of work, then people will not move out. That is why remote working is critical for attracting people back into these rural areas.
Well said. Infrastructure is the key as well as education
You are talking about free market solutions.
Spain is notoriously socialistic and favors centralized government programs to 'solve problems'. This means they are only going to spend money where most people are.
In a centralized government, you can just delete entire segments of the population and infrastructure from your budget with cheers from the people.
Sounds like Starlink's satellite internet could be the ideal solution in rural Spain.
@@SkepticalCaveman Except nobody in Spain can afford Starlink's prices!
This presumes that having empty space is a bad thing. Yes, the people living there should have good infrastructure and opportunities, but urbanisation is an essential and overall positive process of modernisation.
I am Rumanian and I lived in Spain for more then 10 years and I can say I’ve never seen a beautiful country like this !! It was the most beautiful experience of my life , beautiful people , the food it’s out of the normal , beautiful cities , I had the opportunity to visit Andalucía , part of Pais Vasco , Asturias , cualquiera que quiera visitar el país se va a enamorar a primera vista de su gente y una cultura como no hay otra en el mundo ! Respect for one of the most beautiful countries in the world ! I love Spain , I want to spend the rest of my days in Madrid with a good coffe and beautiful streets !
¡Claro que si! España es bonita y no solo por historia y gastronomía, si no por la madre naturaleza que se paso de belleza con España 😍
@@thecatlow2773 sin duda alguna !!! Sus paisajes son fuera de lo normal y junto con la gente que es amable siempre sonriente ya tenemos el plato completo
rumania tambien es hermosa, sus bosques en el norte son fantasticos y su legado historico muy interesante.....
Thats because u never go to portugal
@@cesarlima88 Portugal is such a great country, best country in Europe for surfing (i'm a surfer) and it matches very well with Spain as a brother country. And i love the accent from Portugal, it is so intense and poetic. I love the Iberian brotherhood and i bet for Spain and Portugal to host together the world cup in 2030.
Spain and Portugal brothers with Italy and Greece. We'll rule the world once more. The Roman Empire, the Greek Empire, the iberian Empire. Greetings from a Spaniard who loves Portugal, Italy and Greece
Very informative, entertaining and well made video.
Wow. The comments show so much appreciation for my country. Thank you all so much ❤️
As a Spaniard (albeit one who's lived abroad for many years), this was a very interesting perspective. Thank you! There are a couple more things I would perhaps have mentioned. A lot of land in Spain is dedicated to pastures and agriculture, and the country is far more self-reliant in terms of food production than most of the more densely-populated countries in Europe. There is also a lot of public land just dedicated to forestry, etc - something essential for biodiversity and to prevent further desertification. Extreme weather in some regions also makes it difficult to build larger settlements (access to water is a growing issue in Spain). Diverting rivers, etc. to support populations in these areas would not be viable, for a number of reasons. It's a difficult issue to tackle, with multiple pieces to balance, but I absolutely agree that more investment on rural, depopulated regions is essential.
Development is always a trade off.
dutch produce more export farm produkts than spain
@@adotholland22 Dutch exports mostly flower bulbs. Spain retains much of the foods produced for local use.
@@adotholland22 the percentage of food imports is also very similar for the Netherlands and Spain (12% vs 11%, respectively), which I also found interesting! The Netherlands are very efficient at producing their own food, especially considering the available land mass. I think in Spain food production is more extensive, rather than intensive. Spain also has lots of mountains, and some large areas are borderline deserts, so I imagine that doesn't help.
@@adotholland22 Not for long, when your farmers are being ruined by your government following the stupid, if not evil, WEF directives...
I'm Italian but I love Spain too, as most Italians do; I've been there many times and I really feel at home. Nevertheless, if there's something we Italians are a bit envious about Spain (and France too) is space. Italy is overcrowded, particularly the North, where I live. So, good on you, Spain, emptiness is a great added value. Furthermore, Sergio Leone used to shoot all of his Spaghetti-Western movies in Spain for a good reason...
Italia and Spain are close brothers. We are envious of your capacity for selling your great gastronomy outside, that's something we will never achieve. Love Italia!
Is Spain and Greece similar to Italy in terms of culture and traditions?
Overcrowded? Nah Great Britain is overcrowded not Italy, I'm Italian too!
@@lombingo I think it's because Italian food is instantly recognizable around the world, people love pasta, soups, breadsticks, etc.
Agree... we Spaniards love Italians!!
Only here to say thank you for all the education you give us, and then to say that people really really should visit Valencia, cause it’s one of the best European cities.
I’m French and I’ve spent a few months in Valencia, it was honestly one of the best experience I had.
The city is so beautiful, every building is worth being seen, people are very kind, the weather is great, you have parks (El Río, or Jardín del Turia) one of the most visited in Europe and the sea, mountains aren’t really far from the city.
It’s huge but still a human-sized city.
I keep telling people to go there, and they’re never disappointed!
I’ve always told myself I’d see Valencia first of I ever visited Spain. Been wanting to go for years.
@@Jibberish18 I've went there with my gf last summer, and its amazing tbh. The whole city is big, but everything is in reach with a bike (or escooter). The people are really nice and its a really safe city. Plenty of clubs but also plenty of sightseeing's. And a nice beach ofc
C'est noté
We have a Valencia here in Southern California. It’s the opposite of beautiful, with the only good thing about it being that Magic Mountain is there (a kickarse roller coaster park) lol.
@@anti-ethniccleansing465 no offense but with this description I’d probably prefer the one I know ahah hope you can visit Europe someday !
I went to Granada to visit a friend. Stayed in Albaicin. It was incredible. We went bike riding through what looked like a desert. It looked post apocalyptic. Abandoned buildings including a golf course. It was hard to believe I was still in Europe. Still was very beautiful.
The "empty" part of Spain looks exactly like the California mountains. I can see why the Spanish explorers must have felt at home there.
it was less empty than it is now ha
California has a lot of Mediterranean vibes
@@zarzaparrilla67 Except for the ocean temperature, which is way colder and lasts fewer months >20°C than the in Mediterranean.
The only Californian region with 'decent' water temperatures to enjoy the beach in the summer is pretty much limited to L.A. - San Diego coastline.
@@you2be839 Yeah I guess that makes sense since the Mediterranean is a small closed sea compared with the immensity of the Pacific Ocean
@@zarzaparrilla67 Actually, at first glance it doesn't make sense.
NYC and Boston on the US east cost, which is already Oregon state latitude and are bathed by an ocean too, do get ocean temps 20°C (and even above that) for a few weeks during summer... whereas the whole Californian coastline north of Santa Maria struggles to reach 17°C, with vast regions of the coast even closer to single digit temperature numbers throughout the summer!
Blame the wind direction, ocean currents and upwelling coastal phenomena for the chattering teeth that a dive into the Californian Pacific Ocean water brings.
As some of the comments say, this "underdeveloped" regions of Spain actually have a high quality of life, the only downside is that neighbors and public services are scarce
Wich kind of jobs do you have there tho ?
@@dimmacommunication you can either work in the provincial city in service sector or if u have some luck like in Valladolid, in industry. In the empty spain teachers and health workers are always needed.
@@davidgomez8742 Thank's :)
Well yeah health workers are appreciated everywhere
@@dimmacommunication Agriculture
And yet Spain has enough buying power to purchase USA TOLL ROADS
I flew into Madrid twice and each time took a bus to Grenada near the Albaicin. Definitely a long bus ride but it was a beautiful one. Olive trees as far as the eye can see and snow capped mountains.
😂 I’m from Canada, and this is hilarious! You can drive 18 hours and still be driving across one province! Oooooh a 45 minute drive 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yep. That's one of the reason that makes living in Spain so great. In one and a half hour you can be in a different region with different landscape, food and weather. From mountain to sea. From snow to beach. From coat to bikini. Magic!!! 😉
My parent's hometown in the andalusian mountains has seen a decline in population from 9k people in the 50s to 4k people nowadays. Meanwhile, the town they moved to in the balearic islands (my hometown) has seen an increase in population from 7k habitants to 40k in the same span of time.
Can compared with my grandmother town (5K in the 50s to 1200 in 2020) to Albacete capital (60K in the 50s to 170K in 2020)
And thats in a rural province, OFC Mallorca, Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid or other regions the growth was bigger.
Where in the Balearic Islands are you located? Mallorca has seen an increase in national and international population that exceeds the housing availability since the 90's.
En Cuenca nos mantenemos con 50k. In Cuenca we keep our population at 50k.
In Bulgaria we have faced the same problem. I can't believe in the similarities I see in this video and in Bulgaria. Many people, including myself left their small hometowns for the bigger cities or the capital. We even have the famous so called ghost villages with 0 population and many are facing the same. My hometown has declined its population from 98k to 60k in the span of 20 years
@@eliza9799 Zdrasti! In Spain, we have the same situation. If you travel around the countryside areas where the population has declined exponentially, you will find many many many towns and villages completely abandoned for decades. Some of them are being bought for 1 euro in order to bring some kind of life back to the areas. The same problem Bulgaria and Spain have is that many young people (18-35) left the countries for wealthier regions in the EU.
I don't even know how after 5+ years I still find every one of these documentaries interesting. You really do keep me engaged with topics I never thought I would care about.
Agreed, I learn a lot from him and appreciate the different facets of a topic he covers. Side note: never heard of European Russia before
I live in a small city which is in a forgotten-ish province in Spain (Jaén) and we have a nice mix of historic places and lovely nature around it, wouldn't change it for nothing although I love to travel ♥
It is Spanish tradition to complain about our own country, even hate it, but when you see it from a perspective other than your own, specially from a global point. Damn am I lucky to have been born here, damn am I lucky to be Spanish. The potential we hold, not only economically but also culturally is massive. We really are living in the best nation in the world, sure we have issues but yeah, quality of life and life/work balance here is amazing. You actually LIVE here.
I think Spain is actually on to something here. Not everyone wants and not every area needs to be modernized. Many people like to be away from the big cities and want no part of all of that. One of the good parts of living in these less populated areas like this is that you notice far less when bad things happen in the rest of the world because of self reliance. Hank Jr made the song A Country Boy Will Survive about people like them for a reason.
Repent to Jesus Christ
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”
John 15:2 NIV
J
@@getonthecrossanddontlookba5004 “get on the cross”, what a horrible, wrongly chosen nickname… what about “get crucified, is nice”, or “get your hands perforated by a huge nail, is priceless” or what about, “come and suffer, we know you like it” at least two of my choices rhyme lol…
Your beloved bible makes reference to people like you, which pray in the wrong places just to show off… go elsewhere.
You are right. I like my Spain just like that, where you can go from a modern bibrant city into a nature solitude and History fullness in just 1h driving
agree, this guiris only want industrlization at the expense of everithing.
the only thing you get out of that are empty towns and villages that wont last another 50 years
With the current recession and financial crises world wide i think getting just only a job isn't the best solution to attaining financial freedom
my family lives in the empty space. Its beautyful. i hope it stays quite empty
I came from one small city in those 10%, with a lot of rural area included in "serrania celtiberica". Of course I did not thought it was something kind of extraordinary to have such immense landscapes with only really small villages here and there, and living far away from big cities. But now I live in Germany in NRW which is the other extreme, with a lot of really big cities placed almost without any space between, and the villages... well those are not villages in my book XD.
So now I can really notice such peculiarities of where i came from
Go to the actual countryside of NRW, west and north - I grew up there and the transport connections and services in rural Spain and Portugal are so much better than that even today...
I really don't understand why you framed having areas of less density in a country as a bad thing. Spanish urbanism is great. Their cities are increasingly becoming dense, walkable and transit friendly. It is why their inter-city train system works well and is so great too. Centralizing amenities in fewer but larger cities with higher standards of living is more efficient, and the economies of the rural areas shift back to agriculture or nature preservation which actually serves a need.
He's not framing the low density bad, he's pointing out the worse living conditions, that was the point of the video.
40% of people in the empty bit don't have internet connection, my guy.
well, the train system it's a s...t, the governments form 1990 until now have spent lots of milions to create the largest high velocity train grid in Europe and even top of the world, but even the most busied line (BCN-MAD) it's not economically profitable. Instead of that, they should have strengthened the regular trains because they are not good, they have lots of problems and people have to buy a car to go from a near town to the center of the nearest city without needing it, only if the regular trains would be a bit more better financed it would be so gread for milions of people with less money inverted. Sorry for any grammar mistake...
@@sillycritic9649 Why exactly is no internet connection such a nightmare? Is it really hard to believe some people can manage living without it when they've done it for thousands of years
@@starman3778 Repeat this debate with Automobiles as the subject. Then debate the domestication of electricity. Then surgery. Then debate cooking meat before ingesting.
The supportive statement that humans managed without these things for thousands of years may still be employed to make your point in any of these arguments.
To a Canadian or an Australian (I've lived in both countries), this is highly amusing...
As a pilgrim who's walked through Northern Spain from western France to Santiago, I greatly appreciated the (relative) emptiness of that part of the country. Even with the minimal number of urban centres along the way, I was never at a loss for cafés and decent food, however. There's absolutely no way you could do a thousand-kilometre walk anywhere in Canada or Australia and say the same thing...
vast expanses of open land, as god intended, remains only in the the Americas and Australia
I live in Pamplona, in the northern Spain. In fact the Santiago route goes through my city so you probably have been here.
People usually don't consider how different is Spain from North to South, not only climate but culture are totally different. So maybe you can find more villages and towns through the Northern part than you probably will if you went to the unpopulated areas on the south, which are bigger, hotter and more arid.
@@ijanices ¡Seguro que sí! Y he visitado el sul también (las regiones andaluces de Almería, Cabo de Gata, las Alpujarras y Granada). Me gustaron mucho sus montañas áridas y gran paisajes ensoleados, pero por eso no habría sido possible caminar gran distancias (entre sus pueblos y ciudades) tan fácilmente que en el norte...
A thousand kilometer walk you say? Well Melbourne to Sydney is approximately 878kms, (by road) so I am sure you'd come across a few cafes somewhere along the way lol. Plus probably a few poisonous snakes, poisonous spiders, poisonous plants, poisonous anything else, and anything else that is out for a stroll including but not limited to, crazy people. However, Australia is a BIG place compared to Spain, so the population density scope may differ slightly. Haha ;) (
@@oceania68 Sure... But in Europe you come across towns (or at least villages) every 5 to 10 km. I've driven both highways and backroads between Sydney and Melbourne (I lived in Canberra for a time) and between major centres in the most densely populated corridor here in Canada (the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor that's roughly the same distance). Even if you're super fit, you can only walk 30km or so a day in practice and once you leave suburbia, you're lucky to find food or drink (let alone a place to stay - unless you're equipped for heavy wilderness camping) every 50km in most parts of either country...
I was born and raised on the Prairies in Western Canada: there it's a lot more like walking from town to town in SA or WA!
Love Spain from Bulgaria 🇧🇬♥️🇪🇸
He mentions 45 min between towns. I just spent the last hour and a half driving 46miles (74km) to take my kids to school; like I do every morning. This Spain agriculture ring is right to my alley and sounds like an awesome place to live.
My goodness! Where do you live?
@@nadinemclean1671 I live in South Texas. There’s also no public transit systems like that high speed train. Spain sounds like pretty awesome place.
@@sethlarson9433 Oh, you live in Texas, Seth? Well, I live in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and we've got wide open spaces, too, outside the cities. I agree with you about that quiet, peaceful part of Spain. I would move there in an instant.
American problems.
@@molenini What do you mean?
I love these vast empty areas in Spain.
For someone who lives in densely populated Central Europe It gives you the feeling of riding through South America or Mexico or Arizona etc
Quite thrilling and atmospheric. 🌵🦅
Well, we don't. Tu comentario es tan frívolo que voy a ahorrarme el insulto.
@@RufianEmbozado no nos pongamos agresivos por un comentario de un guiri
@@RufianEmbozado Well, we do. Muchos españoles estamos a favor de las ciudades densas y renaturalizar amplias áreas del país. No necesitamos vivir al lado de los campos como en la edad media ni colonizar y arrasar cada metro cuadrado del planeta.
But way safer without cartels, crime and narcos. You might have to deal with gypsies or other minorities, but they're not as bad...
@@fergp6585 lo siento, pero no estoy a favor de olvidarnos de la historia de miles de pueblos preciosos. Tenemos una tradición cultural que ya me gustaría a muchos países del mundo. Hay que conservarlo cueste lo que cueste, sin interferir con la naturaleza, tal y como se ha hecho hasta ahora. Si se quiere renaturalizar entonces quitad latifundios a las gentes
Hey, just an observation -- you begin the video by saying the population spread of Spain has catastrophic consequences. Then later you call it a "problem" but nowhere in the video is it actually explained why any of this is a problem. As farming technology advanced, you would expect that there would be less and less people needed in rural areas and that more people would move to big cities. Especially since the Spanish cities aren't as dense as others around the world, it seems they still have quite a ways to go before anything actually becomes a problem.
Just a note on that as someone from Barcelona. The density of population does not reflect the reality. Barcelona is a very touristic city that has visitors throughout the year, especially in summer, when its population almost doubles. Curiously, the local population decreases in summer since many people have second homes or they stay at houses from relatives (or just take a vacation somewhere). Barcelona is a relatively small city that can't expand any more because all the metropolitan area have been occupied with other cities and there's no more land available. For this reason, in addition to tourism and being one of the biggest cities in the country, the cost of living, especially the cost of a home is really expensive and a lot of people can't afford it. In recent years, the city council has been restricting the creation of new hotels and other types of places for tourist to stay because of this (something that has been really controversial because a lot of people think that more tourist equals more money to the city, but tourism is making local people to move away). So I'm not sure (at least in Barcelona) that the population can increase any further actually.
Agree - there is no reason why concentration of people in cities is any kind of catastrophe.. it's precisely the opposite both for those people and for the nature outside the cities
Exactly. Some of the reasons people moved to cities from these regions - as they have done all around the world in all countries that go through industrialization - was for economic opportunity which many of them received and was largely a good thing. The video is more of a history lesson with a tone that everything that happened over that history was bad or unique, which not all of it was, but then never explains what is actually bad / different about the status quo in Spain. There are also some natural reasons why those areas are underpopulated as compared to the (A) Capitol or (B) coast where people flock to in every country. I assume there are some real problems though, such as possible underinvestment in these more rural areas / risk to the country's food supply, but these aren't mentioned.
Yeah.... "Oh my god! We have land without people or high speed trains or WiFi!! This is a disaster!" Umm.... Why? That's called nature?
@@malthus101 I mean the lack of broadband kind of sucks but otherwise yeah I don't really see what the problem is that the country has nice empty areas.
Really good video! Good job
I lived in the Donut, in a college town in the Region of Extremadura. But I was born in New York City. After I overcame the "culture shock" it really stole my heart. The "España vaciada" is so worth seeing. I dream of returning all the time.
my abuela was from extremadura and my abuelo was from castilla la mancha, both some of the most beautiful places i've been and where i feel most at home :)
What was the culture shock like?
@@maevemallin Maeve, is the other half of your family Irish? I am guessing by your name. My father is from Sligo.
@@X-Prime123 Thank you for asking! It was the normal culture shock one might expect when travelling to another country and culture. For me, it was on many levels. First off is the weather, which is much drier and warmer because Extremadura is inland, whereas NYC is at sea level and further north, with more pronounced and colorful seasonal changes throughout the year.
The landscape and the dehesa were like nothing I had ever seen before, coming from a VERY urban environment with millions of people living in close proximity. It took time to get used to sticking out everywhere I went (people did not resist the urge to point or to comment). In NYC I was anonymous and as someone who is naturally shy, I prefer that feeling that I can "hide" in the crowds. That completely disappeared when I was in Spain because I look very much like a "guiri" and felt quite vulnerable as a result.
I arrived speaking fairly fluent Spanish, but was consistently corrected until it was closer to European Spanish than the Caribbean/South American Spanish I grew up hearing.
And finally, Spanish people are not known for holding back on their opinions. Being an American, it was sometimes quite difficult to be made into a repository for people's political frustrations and resentments. There were many times where I felt like they couldn't see my humanity and instead I was merely a symbol.
However, that is not to say that I didn't have a wonderful time overall. The quality of life, the food, the weather and the warmth and incredible resilience of the Spanish people are something that will stay with me forever. It is truly a special place.
@@susanmcmasterson956 yeah from dublin :)
I think you have forgotten the weather factor: in some of those areas it can reach -20 in winter and 40 in summer. In the Spanish coastal areas the climate is much more pleasant.
...and many coastal areas are concrete wastelands and very polluted but apparently that's less of a problem than so called " empty areas" for the author.
Muy importante porque la historia demostró que los españoles o ibéricos no les gusta el clima frío por eso no retuvieron el sur de Estados Unidos; bueno es mi teoría pero tiene sentido de acuerdo a las temperaturas
@@yzkehelabrahams creo que se confundió, el sur de Estados Unidos goza de altas 🌡, los españoles no les intereso esas zonas porque todos los que colonizaron era por iniciativa propia producto de su enriquecimiento en minas de lugares como Chihuahua o Zacatecas, caso conocido la expedición de Oñate en Nuevo México..
My great grand parent built a stone house without heating systems. That problem was solve by animals that would live inside the bottom floor. These house with 1 m thick walls are termally super stable. In winter times, heat from animals would provide the warmth, in summer times animals out, no need of aircon, perfect 22C degrees inside with 37C outside. We need to understand how life was and then judge. Nowadays with other standards such as the “Código técnico de la edificacion” insulation is not an issue in newly built properties
I wouldn't call that a bad climate, maybe not a perfect one. But where I live in the US (Ohio) is basically same give or take a few degrees and it is an absolutely acceptable climate IMO.
Amazing and informative video👍👍
Enlightening video. Thanks.
Living in Spain but without the S😔🇪🇸
Get well soon 🥺😞
U live in bread
@@bobtheflyingdonkey not pán, pain, lmao
Básicamente vivir en Latinoamérica
Same
"Spain's economy is only slightly smaller than Russia's"
Not for long.
ooof
Now with comrade Putin, we dig holes to live in. Shopping is easy because we carry so little. We have dogs pull us now on roller skates because of the Special Operations.
@@danbrownellfuzzy3010 well, look forward to may 9th when putin will either give a total war speech like goebells or retreat from ukraine, illegally occupying it
Spain economy is in worse state than Russia one.
@@Emperoroleary I see the guy shying away from spending more money on a war while his economy is twittering down to nothing
Climate also plays a part, if you drive through some of those areas is like traveling through a desert. Large dry fields with some sparse trees in extreme heat. I wouldn’t be surprised if in some decades we start seeing sand and dunes.
Your video inspired me to visit the empty part of spain and explore it. In fact I am sitzing in the amazing town of Teruel right at this moment.😁
When I visited Asturias in the northern Spain, I was greeted with towns and villages nearly completely empty save for old people. Completely empty houses, towns with more wolves than children. All of the young people go to Madrid or Barcelona, leaving only the elderly in the towns. It’s sad, seeing such a beautiful place abandoned.
It is sad, but living here I enjoy all áreas with very few People. So blessing to me but I understand your point
My experience is the opposite. When I went to Asturias a few months ago, I found surprising the amount of small towns with people we came across whilst making our way through mountains. And as for young people, most of them, if anything, go to cities nearby, not necessarily Madrid or Barcelona. Specifically in Asturias, where there's coast, there's many industrial areas.
You can take in peaceful refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Myanmar. Just some Sharia law, but those old folks will get some company.
@@nikhilpanikkar The issue here is local Spanish culture fading. I fail to see how importing refugees from completly different societies and religions will help revive traditional Asturian culture.
@@wormius7350 it’s quite sad but this is Western Europe now, we have low birth rates and now we are reliant on immigrants/people from different cultures. Slowly our cultures are fading and we are becoming the multicultural centers of the old world
Those scenes of the countryside just left my heart souring and eyes wide. I know very little about Spain, so this was an unexpected surprise. I for sure now want to visit those beautiful lands, learn their history, and experience their beauty .
You would love our country, almost every place has something unique. If you come, you will come back, I'm pretty sure of that.
@@Charok1 i thought that was Italy?
@@ktrimbach5771 Spain has the only desert of Europe, the desert of Almeria. Tons of spaghetti westerns and other types of movies were filmed there, like _Indiana Jones and the last crusade,_ for example.
Spain has amazing history!!! Like the time they went to this funny looking place and ended up gathering new resources and gold 🤓 not only that but they destroyed a underdeveloped society 🤓 and making mixed children 🤪
Now Spain has to live with a huge Latin side near America 🥺😥😢😭
9:41 ooooooh you have no idea how much I have walked that street, my heart was broken twice there
Fun Fact: If not for King Philip II of Spain, and his decision in the 1560s to finally put down permanent roots for the royal court in Madrid, the hole in the "population donut" would not have formed. Madrid would've remained a small town, or even a tiny village, stuck in the isolated middle, high up on that dry plateau that defines central Spain. That 6 to 7 million people would've settled elsewhere, likely in the south in Andalusia or in Catalonia, where Barcelona is located.
I love rural places, but its sad how they become abandoned. All my grandparents live in villages and both of them are increasingly empty, with most of the residents being older people. Its incredibly sad for old people to see how abandoned the houses and lands of people they once knew very well become, only to know thats goint to happen to their house and land, orchads and gardens, the very place in which they grew up in and in which their own parents grew up in.
Its incredibly sad, especially since these places are so beautiful.
My grandma is from Ciudad Real, and I see this there too whenever I go to visit - the population is very very old and of the few working age people living there, a lot of them travel to Madrid or Puertollano to work.
They're beautiful because they're not overrun by people.
I wish I could move into these quiet rural places to be honest. I don't like big cities and towns. Pollution, crime, and other unpleasant things. Being far away from other people would be divine.
You should go there and raise a family ❤ big cities make few happy
It’s a bit romantic and vestigial of our old ways which will likely die off much like their inhabitants only to be revisited in videos like this and books. Clearly we aren’t doing much to revitalize them as the new generation are geared towards urbanization.
I've spent a few weeks in Spain on a couple different trips and visited a quite a few different areas of the country; the cities I visited were wonderful (Barcelona, Zaragoza, Madrid, Pamplona, Bilbao, San Sebastian), but the sparsely populated rural areas are the ones that I enjoyed the most. Those areas might not be densely populated, but they are anything but "Empty". The best thing I did was to make a few days time during a work trip to ride off-road motorcycles around the dirt roads of some of the mountains and countryside areas you highlighted as least populated and see some of the land and the wildlife. I thoroughly enjoyed getting meals in the little family operated restaurants of small towns and trying to engage with local people there in conversation. If I were to ever want to move to Europe, rural Spain would be near the top of my list of places to settle; as an American who speaks only a very limited amount of Spanish that is saying something, but it is a beautiful country full of beautiful, genuinely nice people. The pace of life there and the way the people live was refreshing to me at the time. I'm sure all is not perfect, and spending a couple weeks somewhere on vacation or a work assignment certainly is not going to make someone perfectly informed on all the issues there, but I loved the brief time I spent exploring around Spain and would jump at the chance to visit again if the opportunity arises.
Spending money in Spain is like giving to charity cause the economy does not support or reach the people living there.
We would love to have you here again, we are one of the most visited countries in the world for a reason. I'm from Zaragoza and from time to time I need to go to those " sparsely populated rural areas " to get my mind of the Big City. Spain is a lovely country and in my humble opinion one of the best in the world, it could do much better if it weren't for the politicians, but I guess thats pretty dificult to change. Now with "working from home " a lot of people from Europe are currently working in the mediterranean coast of Spain because its so lovely. Maybe you could try that =) . Hope you come again !!
Rightly said! Well, I am also here to learn how to invest after listening to a lady on tv talk about the importance of investing and how she made 7 figure in 3 month, somehow the video taught me nothing and left me even more confused, I'm a newbie and I'm open to ideas on how to invest for retirement
Rightly said! Well, I am also here to learn more smart and genuine way on short term investment. I'm a newbie and I'm open to ideas on how to invest for retirement
@@ericalorraine7943
I'll suggest you lookup Priscilla Dearmin-Turner, she's now our real investment prodigy since the crash and have also help me and others recovered our loses.
For anyone to see how serious the situation of Teruel is, there is a political party called "Teruel Existe"
Teruel exists
This is the same everywhere, with small variations between how strongly it applies to each country or region. It's the common 90/10-rule: 90% of anything tends to represent 10% of something it should intuitively be fully correlated with. 90% of stock market value is likely to be in the top 10% most valuable companies with the other 10% being in the other 90%.
I'm an american but my dad is from Spain and my grandma specifically is from Serrania Celtiberica so I found this video a bit surprising. Having taken high speed rail and driven across spain I can confirm that huge swaths of land in the country are completely uninhabited apart from scattered small dense towns.
Where is she fron specifically?
Your last name (Llorens) is the same last name of the late Puerto Rican poet Luis Llorens Torres. Probably, you are distant relatives because that last name is not common neither in Spain or Puerto Rico.
@@LarsVonTrier2007 it's a catalán name
@@miguelbautistaperez7903 alfamen, Zaragoza
@@Marquipuchi I knew that just by looking at Ll.
I live in one of the largest cities of the emty part of Spain and I can tell you it's wonderful to have the countryside 20mins away and most of the important services like hospitals, schools or leisure... BUT it's very very difficult to find a job and progress, not only survive. My city is known for the high amount of "funcionarios" (public workers) we have. Sadly, it's the only way to secure a ceiling on your head in this area and it's not easy to access to it since it's really hard and competitive. As for other type of jobs, self employment is severely punished with high taxes - the autónomo taxes - (the highest from EU), so it's high-risk / low reward... The obvious result is migrating to Madrid or BCN. Those of us who stay here have it very difficult to form a family or buy a house.
Una de las mayores razones de porque España tiene un problema grave de despoblación es que no puedes hacer absolutamente ninguna actividad económica en el centro del país.
Si se descentralizara lo suficiente como para poder abrir la puerta a la competitividad fiscal (tal y como sucede en Suiza), se podría facilitar a las provincias enormes entradas de inversiones.
Y sobretodo a la hora de considerar que en las ciudades los precios del inmueble están disparados y en los pueblecitos de la España Vacía se regalan.
Self employment taxes in Spain are nowhere near the highest in Europe. Not helped by the fact that the sentence is extremely vague. Tax varies a lot depending on income, location..
@@xabierpozopozo9653 podemos ser el motor energetico de europa. con la cantidad de trabajo que necesitaria le daria otro color al "campo" español.
cambia olivos por placas solares , plantas eolicas, presas. españa tiene potencial para eso y para mas...
@@baltasarmelchor935 Entonces, prueba por comprar tierras, fabricar placas solares, importarlas en la UE, montarlas en España y ser más competitivo que el resto sin considerar que el Estado Español tiene la mitad del proceso prohibido y la otra mitad cargada de impuestos y regulaciones de las cuales te fuerzan a pagar muchos permisos.
España no tiene futuro porque el sistema judicial y el fiscal es una puta basura.
@@baltasarmelchor935 Es más, llego a sacar más rentabilidad vender energía a mis vecinos en Irlanda (con la falta de sol que hay) con unas placas solares que he diseñado y fabricado, que comprando placas solares y vendiendo la electricidad a un sistema jodidamente controlado por el Estado y por sus putillas baratas de las eléctricas.
The larger point is valid. The Serranía Celtibérica seems to be a case where borders and definitions of "region" are doing a lot of work. If you look at the map of this "region", it shows few obvious lines and seems to have been drawn (dare I say gerrymandered?) just to make this point. If you were to draw a line around major mountain ranges in North America, I expect you could get similarly seemingly impressive figures.
The video's author obviously didn't create the notion of this so-called region, but it bears mentioning just the same.
It’s just a geological region and we study it like so in Spain. On this video it gives the idea it is a geographical region and it is not. It won’t appear on a map unless you are studying geology.
I've only been to Barcelona (twice) but omg I fell in love immediately! Beautiful architecture everywhere. A real walking city. I had planned on renting a car to travel inland as I heard about the peaceful beauty but that will have to be another visit. I had also planned on retiring there but alas, I met a beautiful sweet woman from eastern europe and I now live there. No regrets, but will still make an effort to visit the rest of Spain. At least I can now drive there LOL 😇😍
As an Australian, I think Spain's population density disparity is rookie numbers.
lmao
Been to Australia couple times on projects. If you want less people, just start driving inland, gets very rural very quick.
Yah… I was gonna say spains uninhabited land is totally rookie compared to Australia 😂😂😂
I think the video was meant to be negative on purpose. To put them in a bad light.
Canada has entered the chat
As an American who fell in love with Spain in 1966 and who has lived there and returned there some twenty times since, I've seen enormous changes in both rural and urban areas. Yet the culture of traditional life in the remote areas still holds extraordinary charm and power for me. I don't see what "the problem" mentioned here is -- if you want to know the heart of Spain, drive into the countryside. It's beyond beautiful. PS: I wish the computer generated voice had been trained to pronounce the names of Spanish towns. Also beautiful.
Because you are a niche tourist. There are literally 0 opportunities for work, and if there is, you earn a quarter of the wage youd get in a city. "But stuff is cheaper" it isnt.
@@abcdefsas7107 I'm not a tourist, I've lived in Spain for a year at a time several times. But neither am I a native Spaniard. I wasn't talking as someone who needs to make a living in these areas. It's hard for anyone in a small town, in an unpopulated area, to find work, whether it's Spain or the US or Lithuania.
@@abcdefsas7107 But stuff IS cheaper. You can rent 2 a bedroom house with a backyard in my small rural town in Galicia or pay the same money and get single bedroom tiny apartment in Barcelona. I know it cause I've done both. Even the water bill is cheaper. Does that mean it's worth it? Depends on your situation I guess. If you already have an income I would say yes, but I understand that that is the problem in the first place.
Eso si encuentras trabajo, y creo que Barcelona tiene un salario promedio mas alto que galicia
As a Spaniard who worked in health services near a rural region I can clarify.
No industry = no jobs.
No cities = having a 3 hour trip to the nearest hospital in case of emergency.
I love our rural areas but there's a good reason they are DEPOPULATING. They're literally becoming unlivable, and while we've done much to paliate this through infrastructure development lately, there's still a LONG way to go.
I am so bleeping tired of seeing emergencies from the "nearby" towns that are in fact not near at all, and arrive dead or dying due to the length of the trip, and that's if they come because I am also so bleepimg tired of seeing EMTs come back with mumiffied corpses because the ageing population becomes invisible to their children who went to Seville or Madrid until months later we receive a call and know well before hand what awaits.
Low density can be good. DEPOPULATED is not.
I'm a Spanish woman. I live in Sevilla. I knew there were areas way less populated than others in my country, but I didn't know the difference was that much... Actually, now that I think of it... It makes sense... That's why when I travel to Madrid from Sevilla or vice versa, precisely in one of the high speed train connections that you mentioned, all I see through the window is the field XD.
I think its good people are more cluttered together, this way nature can thrive in the remote and rural areas. Also i like the idea that i might not see anything but nature, here in the Netherlands its rare to find silence and no contact with other people.
Very cool insight from an outsider, but you missed a key thing: ever since the 60s a very large part of the economy has been devoted to tourism, which takes place on the coast and on the major cities. It is also a low added-value activity, and so workers cannot easily support families. This has led us away from industry (to some extent), key to a resilient economy. As we say in Spain, bread for today, hunger for tomorrow.
Cuando dices gran parte de la economía se ha dedicado al turismo te refieres al 14% como mucho.
Hay que estudiar más.....el plan de convertir a España y otros países en países de servicios.....léase turismo, agricultura, etc etc. empezo hace más de 50 años.....y ahora ya está funcionando a tope.....lo que pasa que la pandemia por ejemplo nos ha arruinado.....2 años sin turismo....única fuente de ingresos.....porque en la agricultura nos han engañado totalmente.....los italianos venden nuestro aceite en USA....etc etc en fin
Si, y tambien decimos...."Pueblo pequeño infierno grande", y si hay algo en España eso es pueblos pequeños. De hecho nunca han sido fueron ni tan pequeños ni tan infierno. Que es una de las razones fundamentales por las que la gente se ha ido y se va....
Eso! Aquí solo playa y camareros 12 horas por 500€ al mes! Para qué fomentar la vida en los pueblos...
@@josemargar5285 si sumas hostelería, hoteleria, restauración, proveedores, etc. suma un 41%.