▁and ▁having ▁ 8 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁population ▁was ▁a ▁rather ▁urban ised ▁country , ▁yet ▁with ▁a ▁w ides p read ▁distribution ▁of ▁cities . ▁Meanwhile , ▁the ▁urban ▁population ▁in ▁the ▁Crown ▁of ▁Arag on ▁was ▁highly ▁concentr ated ▁in ▁a ▁hand ful ▁of ▁cities : ▁Zar ago za ▁( K ing dom ▁of ▁Arag on ), ▁Barcelona ▁( Pr inci p ality ▁of ▁Catal onia ), ▁and , ▁to ▁a ▁less er ▁extent ▁in ▁the ▁Kingdom ▁of ▁Val encia , ▁in ▁Val encia , ▁A lic ante ▁and ▁Ori h uela . ▁The ▁case ▁of ▁Portugal ▁presented ▁an ▁hy pert roph ied ▁capital , ▁Lis bon ▁( which ▁greatly ▁increased ▁its ▁population ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁from ▁ 5 6 , 0 0 0 - 6 0 , 0 0 0 ▁inhabitants ▁by ▁ 1 5 2 7 , ▁to ▁roughly ▁ 1 2 0 , 0 0 0 ▁by ▁the ▁third ▁quarter ▁of ▁the ▁century ) ▁with ▁its ▁dem ographic ▁dynam ism ▁stim ulated ▁by ▁the ▁Asian ▁trade , ▁followed ▁at ▁great ▁distance ▁by ▁Porto ▁and ▁É v ora ▁( both ▁roughly ▁account ing ▁for ▁ 1 2 , 5 0 0 ▁inhabitants ). ▁ ▁The ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁has ▁been ▁largely ▁considered ▁as ▁a ▁very ▁negative ▁period ▁for ▁the ▁I ber ian ▁econom ies , ▁seen ▁as ▁a ▁time ▁of ▁re cess ion , ▁crisis ▁or ▁even ▁decl ine . ▁ ▁Geography ▁and ▁ge ology ▁ ▁The ▁I ber ian ▁Pen