Comarques of Catalonia

This is a list of the 42 comarques (singular comarca, Catalan pronunciation: [kuˈmaɾkə]) into which Catalonia is divided. A comarca is a group of municipalities, roughly equivalent to a "county" in the U.S.A. or the U.K. However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, aside from the kings of Aragon, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona and of Urgell. Comarques have no particular relation to the "counties" that were ruled by counts.

Present-day division of Catalonia in comarques

Overview

Although today the comarques are officially recognized, for centuries they had existed unofficially, with citizens identifying with a particular comarca in the same way that people in other parts of the world might identify with a particular region.

In some cases, comarques consist of rural areas and many small villages centering on an important town, where the people of the region traditionally go to shop or to sell their goods. This is the case of comarques such as the Pla d'Estany, centered on the town of Banyoles, or the Ripollès, centered on the town of Ripoll. In other cases, comarques are larger areas with many important population centers that have traditionally been considered part of the same region, as in the case of the Empordà or Vallès.

The current official division of Catalonia into comarques originates in an order of the semi-autonomous Catalan government under the Spanish Republic in 1936. It was superseded after the 1939 victory of Francisco Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War, but restored in 1987 by the re-established Generalitat of Catalonia. Since the definition of comarques is traditionally a non-official and sometimes ambiguous, many new proposals have been made since the comarques were first officially designated as different towns attempt to adjust the official comarques with what they consider to be their traditional comarca. As a result, some revisions to the official division have been made periodically.

The comarca exists as a local government area, and has a representative comarcal council.

Borders of comarques generally do not cross those of provinces (Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona), but there are several exceptions, since the provinces are defined by the Spanish government, while comarques are defined by the Catalan government - notably in the case of Cerdanya which is split into two between the provinces of Lleida and Girona (most other cases involve only one or two municipalities).

Aran, which is included here, is officially not a comarca but a "unique territorial entity" with additional powers, but unofficially it is generally referred to as a comarca. Its current status was formalised in February 2015.[1]

List of comarques

ComarcaDate
created
CapitalNumber of
municipalities
Population
(2014)[2]
Area
(km²)[2]
DensityProvince(s)
Alt Camp1987Valls2344,578538.282.8Tarragona
Alt Empordà1987Figueres68140,2141,357.4103.3Girona
Alt Penedès1987Vilafranca del Penedès27106,262592.7179.3Barcelona
Alt Urgell1987La Seu d'Urgell1920,8781,447.514.4Lleida
Alta Ribagorça1988El Pont de Suert33,873426.89.1Lleida
Anoia1987Igualada33117,842866.3136.0Barcelona
Aran1987Vielha e Mijaran99,993633.515.8Lleida
Bages1987Manresa30175,527[3]1,092.2[3]160.7Barcelona
Baix Camp1987Reus28190,249697.3272.8Tarragona
Baix Ebre1987Tortosa1480,6371002.680.4Tarragona
Baix Empordà1987La Bisbal d'Empordà36132,886701.8189.4Girona
Baix Llobregat1987Sant Feliu de Llobregat30806,249486.21,658.3Barcelona
Baix Penedès1987El Vendrell14100,262296.4338.3Tarragona
Barcelonès1987Barcelona52,227,238145.815,276.0Barcelona
Berguedà1987Berga3140,0391,185.333.8Barcelona, Lleida
Cerdanya1987Puigcerdà1718,063546.633.0Girona, Lleida
Conca de Barberà1987Montblanc2220,723650.231.9Tarragona
Garraf1987Vilanova i la Geltrú6145,886185.1788.1Barcelona
Garrigues1987Les Borges Blanques2419,762797.724.8Lleida
Garrotxa1987Olot2156,036734.576.3Girona
Gironès1987Girona28185,085575.6321.6Girona
Maresme1987Mataró30437,919398.61,098.6Barcelona
Moianès2015Moià1013,056337.938.6Barcelona
Montsià1987Amposta1269,613735.594.6Tarragona
Noguera1987Balaguer3039,3761,784.122.1Lleida
Osona1987Vic50154,559[3]1,245.1[3]124.1Barcelona, Girona
Pallars Jussà1987Tremp1413,5301,343.210.1Lleida
Pallars Sobirà1987Sort157,2201,378.05.2Lleida
Pla de l'Estany1988Banyoles1131,554262.8120.1Girona
Pla d'Urgell1988Mollerussa1637,128305.2121.7Lleida
Priorat1987Falset239,550498.719.1Tarragona
Ribera d'Ebre1987Móra d'Ebre1422,925827.127.7Tarragona
Ripollès1987Ripoll1925,700956.626.9Girona
Segarra1987Cervera2122,713722.831.4Lleida
Segrià1987Lleida38209,7681,396.4150.2Lleida
Selva1987Santa Coloma de Farners26170,249994.9171.1Girona, Barcelona
Solsonès1987Solsona1513,4971001.113.5Lleida
Tarragonès1987Tarragona22250,306319.2784.2Tarragona
Terra Alta1987Gandesa1212,119743.016.3Tarragona
Urgell1987Tàrrega2036,526579.663.0Lleida
Vallès Occidental1987Sabadell, Terrassa23899,532583.11,542.7Barcelona
Vallès Oriental1987Granollers39399,781[3]734.5[3]544.3Barcelona
• Total: 429487,518,90332,108.0[4][5]234.2

Comarcal revisions

Comarcal revisions have taken place in 1988 (creation of Pla d'Estany, Pla d'Urgell, and Alta Ribagorça),[6] 1990 (various adjustments),[7] and May 2015 (creation of Moianès).[8] The Catalan government's "Report on the revision of Catalonia's territorial organisation model" (the Roca Report), published in 2000, recommends many more changes to comarques, which have not yet been adopted except for the 2015 creation of Moianès.[9] The other proposed new comarcas are: Vall de Camprodon (capital at Camprodon), Selva Marítima (capital at Blanes), Alta Segarra (capital at Calaf), Segre Mitjà (capital at Ponts), and Baix Llobregat Nord (capital at Martorell).

In a non-binding referendum in July 2015, a majority of municipalities of the Lluçanès region of Osona voted to join a proposed new comarca of that name. The partial approval was seen as insufficient and the plan had not been put to parliament by the end of 2015.[10]

DateFrom comarcaTo comarcaMunicipalities
1988GironèsPla de l'EstanyBanyoles, Camós, Cornellà del Terri, Crespià, Esponellà, Fontcoberta, Palol de Revardit, Porqueres, Sant Miquel de Campmajor, Serinyà, Vilademuls
1988UrgellPla d'UrgellBarbens, Castellnou de Seana, Ivars d'Urgell, Vilanova de Bellpuig, Vila-sana
1988SegriàPla d'UrgellBell-lloc d'Urgell, Fondarella, Golmés, Miralcamp, Mollerussa, El Palau d'Anglesola, Sidamon
1988NogueraPla d'UrgellBellvís, Linyola, El Poal
1988GarriguesPla d'UrgellTorregrossa
1988Pallars JussàAlta RibagorçaBarruera (La Vall de Boí), El Pont de Suert, Vilaller
1990NogueraSegriàAlfarràs, La Portella
1990PrioratBaix CampArbolí
1990TarragonèsBaix PenedèsBonastre
1990Vallès OccidentalVallès OrientalCaldes de Montbui
1990GarrafAlt PenedèsCastellet i la Gornal, Olesa de Bonesvalls
1990BarcelonèsBaix LlobregatEsplugues de Llobregat, Sant Just Desvern
1990TarragonèsAlt CampEls Garidells
1990Alt CampBaix PenedèsMasllorenç
1990AnoiaSolsonèsLa Molsosa
1990RipollèsOsonaMontesquiu, Santa Maria de Besora, Sant Quirze de Besora, Vidrà
1990UrgellSegarraMontornès de Segarra
1990Baix EbreMontsiàSant Jaume d'Enveja
1990SegarraConca de BarberàVallfogona de Riucorb
1994-Vallès OccidentalBadia del Vallès
2015BagesMoianèsCalders, L'Estany, Moià, Monistrol de Calders, Santa Maria d'Oló
2015Vallès OrientalMoianèsCastellcir, Castellterçol, Granera, Sant Quirze Safaja
2015OsonaMoianèsCollsuspina
2015-GironèsMedinyà
2017Gironès-Medinyà

Historical comarques

There are some other comarques which are often referred as historical comarques of Catalonia, because their present territory was part of the former Principality of Catalonia, but they are now in Northern Catalonia, part of France.

ComarcaCapital
Rosselló (Roussillon)Perpinyà (Perpignan)
Alta CerdanyaFont-romeu (Font-Romeu-Odeillo-Via)
CapcirEls Angles (Les Angles)
VallespirCeret (Céret)
ConflentPrada de Conflent (Prades)

See also

References

  1. "LLEI 1/2015, del 5 de febrer, del règim especial d'Aran" (PDF) (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  2. "El municipi en xifres". Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  3. Adjusted following creation of Moianès
  4. "Indicadors geogràfics. Superfície, densitat i entitats de població: Catalunya". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  5. The total of the figures above is 32,107.1. The difference may be due to rounding.
  6. "Llei 5/1988, de 28 de març, de creació de les comarques del Pla de l'Estany, del Pla d'Urgell i de l'Alta Ribagorça" (in Catalan). Generalitat de Catalunya. 1988-03-28. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  7. "Llei 3/1990, de 8 de gener, de modificació de la divisió comarcal de Catalunya" (in Catalan). Generalitat de Catalunya. 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  8. "El Parlament aprova la llei de creació del Moianès amb els vots en contra de Ciutadans i l'abstenció del PP". La Vanguardia (in Catalan). 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  9. Miquel Roca i Junyent; et al. (December 2000). "Informe sobre la revisió del Model d'organització territorial de Catalunya" (PDF) (in Catalan). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-29.
  10. "El Lluçanès serà la comarca número 43 de Catalunya: el 'sí' guanya en vuit dels 13 municipis". Ara. 2015-07-26. Retrieved 2015-07-27.
  • (in Catalan) The Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya is an excellent source of statistical information for Catalonia, down to the level of individual municipalities. It is also our source for which municipalities are in which comarca. Parts of the site are in English and Spanish, although most of it is in Catalan.
  • (in Catalan) History of present comarcal division. Catalonia, La Franja and Northern Catalonia.
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