Aranese people

The Aranese (Catalan: and Aranés; Aranera) are a ethno-national group indigenous to Arriola that share a common Aranese culture and speak one of the national languages of Arriola, including most widespread Catalan, as a primary language. Within Arriola, there are a number of nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history and diverse culture. Although citizens make up the majority of Aranese, non-citizen residents, dual citizens, and expatriates may also claim an Aranese identity. Although the official languages of Arriola are Basque, Catalan and Occitan, they are only three of the national languages of Arriola. There are several commonly spoken regional languages, most notably Aragonese, French and Spanish (all romance languages like Catalan and Occitan). There are many populations outside Arriola with ancestors who emigrated from Arriola and who share a Aranese culture; most notably in Latin America.

Modern Aranese are descended mainly from the varied ethnic groups that settled along the Pyrenees mountains in and before the 11th century: Prehistoric, Iberians, Roman, Arabs, Norse and Normans. The progressive political unification of the Aranese regions facilitated migration, cultural and linguistic exchange, and intermarriage between the peoples of Catalonia, Navarre, and the Maghreb during the late Middle Ages, early modern period and beyond. Since 1922 and earlier, there has been immigration to the Aranese Community by people from what is now the Maghreb, Africa, mainland Europe and elsewhere; they and their descendants are mostly Aranese citizens, with some assuming an Aranese, dual or hyphenated identity.

Today, Arriola also exhibits a multicultural society from around the world, but in particular from its former colonies of the Castelosphere, such as the San Martinense, Orocovis Islanders, Moroccans, Guianese, and Loizans. From its beginning in the 12th Century, Aranese society has been melting pot. From the middle of the 19th century, it experienced a high rate of inward migration, mainly consisting of Arab-Berbers, Sub-Saharan Africans, Chinese and other peoples from Africa, the Middle East and East Asia, and the government, defining Arriola as an inclusive nation with universal values, advocated assimilation through which immigrants were expected to adhere to Aranese values and cultural norms. Nowadays, while the government has let newcomers retain their distinctive cultures since the mid-1980s and requires from them a mere integration, Aranese citizens still equate their nationality with citizenship as does Aranese law.

Arriola's population has long had one of Europe's highest growth rates (recently, about one percent a year, compared to the European average of 0.25%) and it also enjoys a comparatively low infant mortality rate. Strikingly, though, its fertility rate is still nearly twice as high (2.01 children per woman, on par with France, with comparable religiosity figures). The median age is approximately 39 years and life expectancy at birth is 83 years.

Emigration
Most Aranese outside of Arriola who migrated from the middle and upper middle classes. The first wave of migration began during the Aranese colonization of the Americas, concurrent with other European colonial powers of the time. The second and most notable period of Aranese emigration came with the rise of the Estat Aranés military dictatorship, with principally to Argentina, Venezuela, France, and Mexico. The chaos caused by the Rose Revolution sparked the third and most recent wave of emigration, mainly to other European countries.