The Spanish Constitution of 1978, in its second article, generically recognises contemporary entities—’nationalities and regions’—[k] within the context of the Spanish nation.

Spain has been described as a de facto plurinational state. The identity of Spain rather accrues of an overlap of different territorial and ethnolinguistic identities than of a sole Spanish identity. In some cases some of the territorial identities may conflict with the dominant Spanish culture. Distinct traditional identities within Spain include the Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Andalusians and Valencians, although to some extent all of the 17 autonomous communities may claim a distinct local identity.

It is this last feature of “shared identity” between the more local level or autonomous community and the Spanish level which makes the identity question in Spain complex and far from univocal.