name | Aragon |
---|---|
native name | |
official name | |
settlement type | Autonomous Community |
flag size | 150px |
flag alt | Flag of Aragon |
image shield | Escudo d'Aragón.svg |
shield size | 90px |
shield alt | Coat-of-arms of Aragon |
map caption | Map of Aragon |
coordinates type | region:ES-AR_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki |
coordinates display | inline,title |
coordinates region | ES |
subdivision type | Country |
subdivision name | Spain |
seat type | Capital |
seat | Zaragoza |
area total km2 | 47719 |
area footnotes | (9.4% of Spain; Ranked 4th) |
population as of | 2006 |
population total | 1277471 |
population blank1 title | Pop. rank |
population blank1 | 11th |
population blank2 title | Percent |
population blank2 | 2.9% of Spain |
population density km2 | auto |
demographics1 name1 | Ethnic groups |
demographics type2 | Demonym |
demographics2 name1 | English |
demographics2 info1 | Aragonese |
demographics2 name2 | Spanish |
demographics2 info2 | Aragonés |
blank name sec1 | Anthem |
blank info sec1 | Himno de Aragón |
blank1 name sec1 | Official languages |
blank1 info sec1 | SpanishRecognized minority languages:Aragonese, Catalan |
blank2 name sec1 | Statute of Autonomy |
blank2 info sec1 | August 16, 1982 |
blank name sec2 | Parliament |
blank info sec2 | Cortes Generales |
blank1 name sec2 | Congress seats |
blank1 info sec2 | 13 (of 350) |
blank2 name sec2 | Senate seats |
blank2 info sec2 | 14 (of 264) |
postal code type | ISO 3166-2 |
postal code | AR |
leader title | President |
leader name | Luisa Fernanda Rudi (Partido Popular) |
website | Gobierno de Aragón |
footnotes | }} |
Aragon (Spanish and , ; , or ) is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the region comprises three provinces from north to south: Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza (also called Saragossa in English).
Aragon's northern province of Huesca borders France and is positioned in the middle of the Pyrenees. Within Spain, the region is flanked by Catalonia on the east, Valencia and Castile-La Mancha to the south, and Castile and León, La Rioja, and Navarre to the west.
Covering an area of , the region's terrain ranges diversely from permanent glaciers to verdant valleys, rich pasture lands and orchards, through to the arid steppe plains of the central lowlands. Aragon is home to many rivers —most notably, the river Ebro, Spain's largest river in volume, which runs west-east across the entire region through the province of Zaragoza. It is also home to the Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyrenees.
As of 2006, the population was 1,277,471—with half of the region's people living in Zaragoza, its capital city.
In addition to its three provinces, Aragon is subdivided into 33 comarcas or counties; all with a rich geopolitical and cultural history from its pre-Roman and Roman days; and from the four centuries of Islamic period as Marca Superior of Al-Andalus or kingdom (or taifa) of Saraqustah, and as lands that once belonged to the Frankish Spanish March or Marca Hispanica; and counties that later formed the Kingdom of Aragon and eventually the empire or Crown of Aragon.
The majority of Aragonese citizens, 71.8%, live in the province of Zaragoza; 17.1% in Huesca and 11.1% in Teruel. The population density of the region is the second lowest in Spain: only 26,8/km2; after Castilla La Mancha. The most densely populated areas are around the valley of the river Ebro, particularly around Zaragoza, and in the Pyrenean foothills, while the areas with the fewest inhabitants tend to be those that are higher up in the Pyrenean mountains, and in most of the southern province of Teruеl.
colspan="20" style="background:white; color:background;" | Demographic evolution of Aragon and percentage of the total national population | ||||||
! !! 1857 !! 1900 !! 1910 !! 1920 !! 1930 !! 1940 !! 1950 | |||||||
Population | 880,643 | align=center912,711|| | 952,743 | 997,154 | 1,031,559 | 1,058,806 | 1,094,002 |
Percentage | align=center5.69%|| | 4.90% | 4.77% | 4.66% | 4.36% | 4.07% | 3.89% |
!! 1960 !! 1970 !! 1981 !! 1991 !! 1996 !! 2001 !! 2006 | |||||||
Population | 1,105,498 | align=center1,152,708|| | 1,213,099 | 1,221,546 | 1,187,546 | 1,199,753 | 1,277,471 |
Percentage | align=center3.61%|| | 3.39% | 3.21% | 3.10% | 2.99% | 2.92% | 2.86% |
Only four cities have more than 20,000 inhabitants: Zaragoza 700,000; Huesca 50,000; Teruel 35,000 and Calatayud 20,000.
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, near the border with France, boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in Europe with its canyons, frozen lake caverns, numerous waterfalls and varied wildlife many species of which are endemic to the Pyrenees. 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 principal valleys in the mountains include those of Hecho, Canfranc, Tena, Benasque and others. The green valleys hide pretty villages with nice Romanesque churches and typical Pyrenean houses with flowers on the balconies. The oldest Romanesque cathedral in Spain is located in the medieval town of Jaca in the very northern part of Huesca Province.
In the Pyrenean foothills, or pre-Pyrenees, the Mallos de Riglos are a famous natural rock formation. Ancient castles nestle on lonely hills, the most famous being the magnificent Loarre Castle.
Further south, the Ebro valley, irrigated by the river Ebro, is a rich and fertile agricultural area covered with vast fields of wheat, barley and other fruit and vegetable crops. Many beautiful and little-known settlements, castles and Roman ruins dot the landscape here. Some of the most notable towns here include Calatayud, Daroca, Sos del Rey Catolico, Caspe and others.
South of Zaragoza and the Ebro valley, the elevation rises again into the Sistema Ibérico, a complex system of mountain ranges that separates the Ebro valley from the Meseta Central and plains of Castile-La Mancha. The highest massif in this range is the Moncayo (2,313 m) and, despite getting less snow than in the Pyrenees, it has several ski resorts.
Aragon's climate can be defined as continental moderate. Temperatures are determined mainly by altitude, ranging from cold or very cold in winter and cool in summer in the mountains to the north (Pyrenees) and to the south and west (Iberian range), to mild in winter and hot in summer in the central lowlands. Rainfall is also very variable, with very low mean values in the central areas and increasingly higher values in mountain areas, especially in the high Pyrenees.
In the middle of Aragon, which is only above sea level, the annual average temperature is around . To the north and south of the Ebro valley, where the elevation rises to above sea level, the temperature drops by two degrees. In the mountains, between and observed temperatures are between .
In the Crown of Aragon, the king was the direct king of the Aragonese region but also held the title of King of Valencia, King of Majorca (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 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 Zaragoza (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 1982 Aragon became an autonomous community within the new Spanish democracy.
Some medieval 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 and is one of the faster dances of Spain.
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. There 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, Monzón, Teruel, Ojos Negros, Fraga, Benabarre and others.
The transport infrastructure has been greatly improved. There are more than 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 Madrid 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, Caudé, Santa Cilia de Jaca and Villanueva de Gállego.
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.
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, several interesting seafood dishes, including various crab pastes, which developed from an old superstition that crabs help prevent illness and sweets such as "Adoquines del Pilar" and "Frutas de Aragón".
Category:Autonomous communities of Spain Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union Category:States and territories established in 1982
ar:منطقة أراغون ذاتية الحكم an:Aragón frp:Comunôtât ôtonoma d’Aragon ast:Aragón az:Araqon zh-min-nan:Aragón be:Арагон be-x-old:Арагон (аўтаномная супольнасьць) bs:Aragon br:Aragon bg:Арагон ca:Aragó cs:Aragonie cy:Aragón da:Aragonien de:Aragonien et:Aragón el:Αραγονία es:Aragón eo:Aragono ext:Aragón eu:Aragoi fa:آراگون fr:Aragon (communauté autonome) fy:Arragon ga:An Aragóin gv:Aragón gd:Aragón gl:Aragón ko:아라곤 지방 hy:Արագոն hr:Aragonija io:Aragono id:Aragon ia:Aragón os:Арагон it:Aragona he:אראגון jv:Aragon pam:Aragon krc:Арагон ka:არაგონი kw:Aragon lad:Aragon la:Aragonia lv:Aragona lb:Aragonien lt:Aragonas lmo:Aragona hu:Aragónia mk:Арагон (автономна покраина) mi:Aragon mr:आरागोन arz:اراجون ms:Aragon mwl:Aragon nah:Aragón nl:Aragón (regio) ja:アラゴン州 pih:Aragon no:Aragón nn:Aragón nov:Aragón oc:Aragon pnb:اراغون pms:Aragon-a pl:Aragonia pt:Aragão kbd:Арагон ro:Aragon qu:Aragun ru:Арагон stq:Aragonien scn:Araùna (Spagna) simple:Aragon sk:Aragónsko sr:Арагон sh:Aragon fi:Aragonia sv:Aragonien tl:Aragón ta:ஆராகோன் roa-tara:Aragona tet:Aragaun th:แคว้นอารากอง tr:Aragon uk:Арагон vi:Aragon war:Aragón zh:阿拉贡自治区This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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