Galicia irredenta [1] ("Unredeemed Galicia") or Galicia estremeira [2] ("Outer" or "External Galicia"), also spelled as Galiza irredenta [3] and Galiza estremeira [4] and also known as Faixa Leste [5] or Franxa Leste [6] ("Eastern Strip"), is a term used for all Galician-speaking territories located outside of Galicia. These are all located in Spain, in either Asturias or Castile and León. [7] [8] These territories are sometimes divided into three subregions: El Bierzo (O Bierzo in Galician), Eo-Navia (Eo-Navia in Galician) and As Portelas (or Upper Sanabria, As Portelas or Alta Seabra in Galician). [9]
There have been several attempts from these territories to join Galicia. An example is Porto de Sanabria, a small village where, in 2018, a vote was organized to join to the region due to the lack of response from the government of Castile and León to requests from locals to fix a road. 202 people voted in favor, 19 against and 6 did a blank vote. However, this vote did not intend any official change and was only made to know the inhabitants' opinion. [10]
Another example was El Bierzo, a comarca where more people prefer to join Galicia than stay in Castile and León. People have proposed turning it into a new province of Spain and joining it into Galicia. [11] This initiative became more serious when a request was sent in 2021 to the Xunta de Galicia, asking to recognize El Bierzo as a new province of Galicia. [12] This proposal was rejected by the Spanish prominent parties PP and PSOE. [13]