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Aragón

Encyclopedia : A : AR : ARA : Aragón

 

Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón

Locator map of Aragon.png
Capital Zaragoza
Area
 – Total
 – % of Spain 		Ranked 4th
 47 719 km²
 9,4%
Population
 – Total (2005)
 – % of Spain
 – Density 		Ranked 11th
 1 269 027
 2,9%
 26,59/km²
Demonym
 – English
 – Spanish
 Aragonese
 aragonés
Statute of Autonomy August 16, 1982
ISO 3166-2 AR
Parliamentary
representation
 – Congress seats
 – Senate seats 		 13
 2
President Marcelino Iglesias Ricou (PSOE)
[Gobierno de Aragón]

Languages distribution in Aragon
Enlarge
Languages distribution in Aragon

For other meanings, see Aragon (disambiguation).
Aragon (Castillian and Aragonese: Aragón; Catalan: Aragó) is an autonomous community of north-eastern Spain. Its official name in Spanish is the "Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón." It has an area of 47,719 km² with a population of 1,217,514 (2003).

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: 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).

Contents

Language

In addition to Spanish, spoken by the entore population, there is 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.

History

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 Castilla. 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, also 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 until 1479 when Ferdinand the Catholic, married with Isabella I of Castile, making the Kingdom of Spain .. Aragón was also the name of the crown, because of the dynastic union of a Count of Barcelona (Ramon Berenguer IV) with a Queen of Aragón (Petronila of Aragon), their son inheriting all their respective territories. This Crown was effectively disbanded after the dynastic union with Castile (see below). The Kings of Aragón (called by some present-day historians "Kings of Aragón and Counts of Barcelona") ruled territories that consisted of not only the present administrative region of Aragón but also 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, only 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.

Landscape

Aragon has about around a million inhabitants, therefore it has a low population density and large almost deserted spaces. More than half the population live in Zaragoza.

The Pyrenees of Aragon include the greatest peaks and most secluded valleys, some of which are very difficult to access and have retained unspoiled beauty. Further North, the valleys and plains are full of churches, towns, and exciting landscapes with great views and in the South lies the forgotten Teruel which is almost inaccesible, and even so astoundingly beautiful.

Some medieval monuments of Teruel and Zaragoza are protected by the UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Site Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon.

List of See list of Kings of Aragón.

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.

See also

External links

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Administrative divisions of Spain

Autonomous communities: Andalusia | Aragon | Asturias | Balearic Islands | Basque Country | Canary Islands | Cantabria | Castile‑La Mancha | Castile‑Leon | Catalonia | Extremadura | Galicia | Madrid | Murcia | Navarre | La Rioja | Valencia
Autonomous cities: Ceuta | Melilla
Plazas de soberanía: Islas Chafarinas | Peñón de Alhucemas | Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera

 

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