Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Mapping Spanish Siberia


Molina de Aragón in Spain is one of the least populated areas of Europe. The region has a population density of 1.63 people per square kilometer, which is less than Lapland or Siberia.

El Mundo's Viaje a la España Despoblada explores some of the historical regions why this region has suffered decades of depopulation. The article is accompanied by a choropleth map showing the population density of the whole of Spain. The map reveals that the problems of depopulation faced by Molina de Aragón are also faced by many other rural communities in Spain.

In comparison to Molina de Aragón's 1.63 people per square kilometer the center of Madrid has over 5,000 people per square kilometer. Unfortunately the ageing populations in most of rural Spain means that rural areas are likely to become even more depopulated in the future. On the other hand urban centers such as Madrid are predicted to become even more densely populated in the next fifteen years.

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