Provinces of Spain

A province in Spain[note 1] is a territorial division defined as a collection of municipalities.[1][2][3] The current provinces of Spain correspond by and large to the provinces created under the purview of the 1833 territorial re-organization of Spain, with a similar predecessor from 1822 (during the Trienio Liberal) and an earlier precedent in the 1810 Napoleonic division of Spain into 84 prefectures.[4] There are many other groupings of municipalities that comprise the local government of Spain.

Quick facts: Provinces of Spain, Category, Location, Found... ▼

Provinces of Spain
Category	Province
Location	Spain
Found in	Autonomous community
Created by	Royal Decree (30/11/1833)
Created	1833
Number	50
Populations	95,258–6,458,684
Areas	1,980–21,766 km²
Government	Provincial council
Subdivisions	Municipality

The boundaries of provinces can only be altered by the Spanish Parliament,[1] giving rise to the common view that the 17 autonomous communities are subdivided into 50 provinces. In reality the system is not hierarchical but defined according to jurisdiction (Spanish: competencias).[5]

The body charged with government and administration of a province is the Provincial council, but their existence is controversial. As the province is defined as a "local entity" in the Constitution, the Provincial council belongs to the sphere of local government.