A Geographical Study of Population Characteristics in the Province of Gipuzkoa, Spain

抄録

Faculty of International Studies, Kyoritsu Women's University, Hachioji 193-8501, Japan The objective of this paper is to analyze the spatial structure of population characteristics and its shift in the province of Gipuzkoa, Spain, which has a particularly high density of Basque speakers. By using data sets from the 1991 and 1996 State Census and applying factor analysis, several principal dimensions which regulate the spatial differentiation of population characteristics in Gipuzkoa were extracted. The spatial distribution and transition patterns of these dimensions were examined and certain processes of shift became obvious, such as major socio-economic change in the industrial and employment structures, rapid demographic change represented by aging and fertility decline, and an advance in reversing language shift. The dimension of social origin was the most important with regard to the spatial differentiation in Gipuzkoa. Furthermore, it is unique and noteworthy that, apart from with regard to social identity, the demo-linguistic dimensions were extracted independently at the 3rd and 4th dimensions which show relative stages of reversing language shift. As compared with the rural-urban contrast in the dimension of social identity, these demolinguistic dimensions can be found typically in areas with a relatively low density of Basque speakers, including some urban areas. This means that the reversing language shift is making a steady advance there.