hoose the sentence in this excerpt that explains why Catalonia is such a close-knit ommunity. At one time an independent country,Catalonia is currently an autonomous community and region contained within Spain and under Spanish governance However, Catalonia has its own language and cultural tradition dating back to the 11th century,and Catalans are fiercely protective and proud of their distinct identity and rich culture.Yet Catalonia has been marked by centuries of strife and conflict. In the middle decades of the 20th century, Catalonia was subjected to a fierce and punitive regime under the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.