Aragón, in
Spanish and
Aragonese:
Aragón, in
Catalan:
Aragó, is an
autonomous community in the centre of north-eastern
Spain. Its official name in Spanish is the "Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón." It has an area of
47,719 km² (18,424 mi²) with a population of 1,277,471 (2006).
Aragon is bounded on the north by
France, on the east by
Catalonia, on the south by
Valencia, and on the west by
Castile-La Mancha,
Castile-Leon,
La Rioja, and
Navarre. It comprises the
provinces of
Zaragoza (English and Catalan:
Saragossa),
Huesca, and
Teruel. It is traversed by the
Ebro, mountainous in the north; with beautiful fertile valleys, rather barren in the south.
Its capital is
Zaragoza.
In addition to its three provinces, Aragon is subdivided into 33
comarcas (counties).
Population
As of 2006 the population of Aragon is 1,277,471 and 50,8% of them live in the capital
Zaragoza. The only other city over 50,000 is
Huesca located in the pre-
Pyrenees. The percentage of the total national population is steadily declining since the 19th century.
The Zaragoza Province contains 71,8% of the inhabitants of Aragon followed by the Provinces of Huesca and Teruel with 17,1% and 11,1% respectively. The population density of the region is the second lowest in Spain: only 26,8 km²; the lowest being the neighbouring
Castilla La Mancha. The most densely populated areas are the valley of the
Ebro river especially around Zaragoza and the pre-Pyrenees while the areas the fewest inhabitants per km² are the Pyrenees themselves and the southern parts of Aragon in the Teruеl Province.
Demographic evolution of Aragon and
percentage of the total national population |
| |
1857 |
1900 |
1910 |
1920 |
1930 |
1940 |
1950 |
| Population |
880.643 |
912.711 |
952.743 |
997.154 |
1.031.559 |
1.058.806 |
1.094.002 |
| Percentage |
5,69% |
4,90% |
4,77% |
4,66% |
4,36% |
4,07% |
3,89% |
| |
1960 |
1970 |
1981 |
1991 |
1996 |
2001 |
2006 |
| Population |
1.105.498 |
1.152.708 |
1.213.099 |
1.221.546 |
1.187.546 |
1.199.753 |
1.277.471
|
| Percentagee |
3,61% |
3,39% |
3,21% |
3,10% |
2,99% |
2,92% |
2,86% |
There are 12 towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants only 4 of which are larger than 20,000: Zaragoza 650,000; Huesca 50,000;
Teruel 33,700 and
Calatayud 20,000. The number of towns with more than 2,000 inhabitants is 45.
Language
In addition to
Spanish, spoken by the entire population, there's an original
Aragonese language, still spoken in some valleys of the
Pyrenees.
Catalan is spoken as well in some
comarques (counties) adjacent to
Catalonia, known, as a whole, as
La Franja; in particular: the Ribagorzan dialect in
Ribagorza and
La Litera, and a dialect similar to that of
Terra Alta in
Matarraña and
Bajo Cinca.
Geography
Aragon has a low population density, and therefore large areas remain wild and relatively untouched. It is also a land of natural contrasts, from the green valleys and snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees to the dry plains and lonely hilly areas of the south. More than half the population live in
Zaragoza.
Relief
The
Pyrenees of Aragon include splendid and varied landscapes with rugged peaks, wild canyons with vultures and eagles roaming the skies, dense woodlands and spectacular waterfalls. The peaks include
Pico de Aneto (3,404 m), the highest in the range, the misty
Monte Perdido (3,355), Perdiguero (3,221 m), Cotiella (2,912 m) and many others. In the Maladeta Massif the only glacier in the Pyrenees can be observed.
Ordesa National Park near the border with France boasts some of the most spectacular scenes in Europe with its canyons, caves with frozen lakes, numerous waterfalls and varied wildlife with many Pyrenean endemic species presented. The park is also one of the last sanctuaries of birds of prey in the range. Many beautiful mountain butterflies and flowers can be seen in the summer, while during winter the region is a paradise for skiers. The green valleys hide pretty villages with nice
Romanesque churches and typical Pyrenean houses with flowers on the balconies. Ancient castles nestle on lonely hills, the most famous being the magnificent
Loarre Castle. The oldest Romanesque cathedral in Spain is located in the medieval town of
Jaca in the very northern part of Huesca Province. The principal valleys in the mountain include those of
Hecho,
Canfranc,
Tena,
Benasque and others.
The pre-Pyrenees span to the south of the mountain range. The highest point being 2,077 m located in Sierra de Guara. Very famous natural landmarks are the Mallos de Riglos situated near the small town of
Ayerbe. That is a group of steep redish rocks with remarkable silhouette very popular among climber and nature-lovers.
The blue waters of
Ebro wind through the valley of the same name in the middle of the region. This is a fertile agricultural region with large areas covered with wheat, barley and other crops. There are many beautiful and little-known settlements in the area as well as castles and
Roman ruins. Some of the most notable towns in the Zaragoza province are
Calatayud-
Daroca,
Sos del Rey Catolico,
Caspe and others.
Further to the south the elevation raises again in the
Sistema Iberico a mountain range that separates the Ebro valley from the
Meseta and the plains of Castilla La Mancha. The highest mountain in the system is Moncayo (2,313 m). Although it receives lower snow flow than the Pyrenees there are several ski resorts in the area.
Climate
The Aragonese climate is determined by the altitude. In the center of Aragón, to less than 200 m the annual thermal average is around 14-15ºC. Over the 500 meters, to the north and south of the Ebro valley, there's already a reduction of up to two degrees, whereas the average temperatures are between 11ºC and 12ºC in mountains, between the 600 and 1000 meters. Over that height the isotherm doesn't happen of 10º. Five Aragonese climate zones can be observed: very cold climate of the Pyreneens, cold Stop of the Pyrenean interior and
Albarracín, tempering of the rest of Pyrenean and the Iberian mountainous areas, subwarm of the central depression, and very warm of the depression of the confluence of the Martín-Ebro rivers, Sariñena and the average Matarraña.
History
Long ago Aragón was a
Frankish feudal county
Jaca before becoming a self-proclaimed kingdom, which was united with the kingdom of
Pamplona (later Navarre) in 925. The kingdom of Pamplona included the counties of Aragon, Sobrarbe, and Ribagorza, and the duchy of Castile. After King Sancho's death, the kingdom was divided between his sons.
Ramiro I was initially named king of Aragon; later, after his brother Gonzalo's death, he was also named king of Sobrarbe and Ribagorza. The new kingdom grew quickly, and incorporated
Navarra. This kingdom conquered the city of
Zaragoza in
1118. Split from the
kingdom of Navarre, the kingdom of Aragón was re-established in
1035 and lasted as a separate kingdom until
1469 when
Ferdinand the Catholic married
Isabella of Castile, making the Kingdom of Spain.
Aragon was also the name of the crown, because of the dynastic union of a
Count of Barcelona (
Ramon Berenguer IV) with a Queen of Aragon (
Petronila of Aragon), their son inheriting all their respective territories. This Crown was effectively ended after the dynastic union with Castile (see below) but the title continued being used until 1714. The dynasty of the Kings of Aragon (called by some present-day historians "Kings of Aragon and Counts of Barcelona") ruled the present administrative region of Aragón,
Catalonia, and later the
Balearic Islands,
Valencia,
Sicily,
Naples and
Sardinia (see
Aragonese Empire).
The
King of Aragón was the direct King of the Aragonese region, and held also the title of
King of Valencia,
King of Mallorca (for a time),
Count of Barcelona, Lord of
Montpellier, and (temporarily)
Duke of Athens and Neopatria. Each of these titles gave him sovereignty over a certain region, and these titles changed as he lost and won territories.
During the
War of the Spanish Succession the advancing army of German, British and Dutch troops defeated the Spanish Army in the
battle of Saragossa in 1710. As a result of the battle
Felipe V was forced to abandon
Madrid and retreat to
Valladolid.
During the
Peninsular War the Aragonese capital was a site of two fierce sieges. During the
siege in 1808 the Spanish under
General Palafox defeated a superior French force. In 1809 during a particularly bloody
siege the Spaniards were overwhelmed by superior enemy forces. In the course of the siege almost 30,000 of the garrison and citizens of Saragossa (from a total of 32,000) perished instead of surrendering the city. Two weeks after they breached the walls the French were forced to fight for separate houses, squares, churches, convents. In Aragon as well as in the rest of the country the Spaniards showed great bravery, courage and determination to defend their country against the French invasion.
In the Spanish Civil War, Aragón saw the establishment of various anarchist communes.
Culture
Further to the south lies
Teruel, famous for its Mudejar architecture, which can be easily spotted in its magnificent cathedral and churches. Other notable towns to the south include
Albarracin,
Alcañiz,
Valderrobres and many others.
Some mediaeval monuments of Teruel and Zaragoza are protected by
UNESCO as part of the
World Heritage Sites
Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon.
The traditional dance is known as
Jota (music) and is one of the faster and more beautiful dances of Spain.
Economy
Aragon is among the richest autonomous regions in Spain, with GDP per capita above the nation's average. The traditional agriculture-based economy from the mid 20th century has been greatly transformed in the past several decades and now service and industrial sectors are the backbone of the economy in the region.
The well-developed irrigation system around the Ebro has greatly supported the productive agriculture. The most important crops include
wheat,
barley,
rye, fruit and
grapes. Livestock-breeding is essential especially in the northern areas, where the lush meadows provide excellent conditions for sheep and cattle. The main livestock are
cattle - 334,600;
sheep - 2,862,100;
pigs - 3,670,000;
goats - 78,000 and
poultry - 20,545,000.
The chief industrial centre is the capital Zaragoza, where the largest factories are located. The largest plant is the
Opel automotive plant with 8,730 employees and production of 200,000 per year. It supports many related industries in the area. Other large plants in the city include factories for trains and household appliances. Mining of
iron ore and
coal is developed to the south, near Ojos Negros. Electricity production is concentrated to the north where numerous hydro power plants are located along the Pyrenean rivers and in the 1,150 MW
Teruel Power Plant. The is an aluminium refinery in the town of Sabiñánigo. The main centres of electronics industry are Zaragoza,
Huesca and
Benabarre. Chemical industry is developed in Zaragoza, Sabiñánigo, Teruel, Ojos Negros,
Fraga, Benabarre and others.
The transport infrastructure has been greatly improved. There more than 1,000 km of
motorways which run from Zaragoza to
Madrid, Teruel, Basque country, Huesca and
Barcelona. The condition of the other roads is also good. As of 2005 there are 520,000 cars in Aragon. Through the territory of the province runs the new high-speed railway between Mardid and Barcelona with siding from Zaragoza to Huesca, which is going to be continued to the
French border. There is an International Airport at Zaragoza, as well as several smaller airports at Huesca, Caude, Santa Cilia de Jaca and Villanueva de Gállego.
Government and Politics
As an autonomous community of Spain, Aragon has an elected regional parliament or
cortes, which sits at the
Aljafería, a Moorish palace in the capital Zaragoza.
List of Chancellors
It isn't known if the names are correct, however many of the dates can't be correct, as Aragon merged with Castile in 1479 when Isabella married Ferdinand. After that date the two countries were one called Spain.
See list of
Lieutenants of the Kingdom of Aragón
The dynastic union of
Castile and Aragon in
1479, when
Ferdinand II of Aragon wed
Isabella I of Castile, led to the formal creation of Spain as a single entity in
1516. See
List of Spanish monarchs and
Kings of Spain family tree.
Cuisine
With its lush pyrenean pastures, lamb, beef and dairy by-products are, not surprisingly, predominant in Aragonese cuisine. Also of note is its ham from Teruel; olive oil from Empeltre and Arbequina;
longaniza from Graus; rainbow trout and salmon, boar,
truffles and wild mushrooms from the upper river valleys of the Jacetania, Gallego, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza regions; and wines from Cariñena,
Somontano, Calatayud and Campo de Borja; and fruit, especially peaches, from its fertile lower valleys. The region also features a unique local haggis, known as
chireta, and several interesting seafood dishes, including various crab pastes, which developed from an old superstition that crabs help prevent illness.
Notable or famous people from Aragon
Francisco Garcés, (1738-1781), born in Aragon, was a missionary priest to North America who founded two pueblo missions.
Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Nobel Prize for his research on the human brain and nervous system.
Francisco de Goya, eighteenth-century painter.
Miguel Servet, burnt at the stake during the sixteenth century for numerous charges of heresy by both Catholics and Protestants.
St. Jose Maria Escriva, Spanish catholic priest, founder of Opus Dei.
Pablo Gargallo, sculptor and painter.
Luis Buñuel, films maker
External results
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