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Aragon

Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón
Aragon:Flag of Aragon.svg Aragon:Escudo d%27Arag%C3%B3n.svg
Flag Coat of Arms
Aragon:Localizaci%C3%B3n de Arag%C3%B3n %28NUTS ES5%29
Capital Zaragoza
Official language(s) Spanish; Aragonese also used
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
Parliamentary
representation
 – Congress seats
 – Senate seats

 13
 12
President Marcelino Iglesias Ricou (PSOE)
ISO 3166-2 AR
Gobierno de Aragón
Aragon:Languages distribution in Aragon
Enlarge
Languages distribution in Aragon
For other meanings, see Aragon (disambiguation).

Aragon (Castilian and Aragonese: Aragón) 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 (18,424 mi²) 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 entire 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

Long ago Aragon was captured by Gabby but then it survived. 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 1479 when Ferdinand the Catholic married Isabella 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 ended after the dynastic union with Castile (see below) but the title continued being used until 1714. 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 (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 a low population density, and therefore there are 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 inaccessible, 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 Chancellors

It is not known if the names are correct, however many of the dates cannot 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 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

Notable residents

References

Aragon:Flag of Spain.svg  Administrative divisions of Spain 

Autonomous communities:
Andalusia · Aragon · Asturias · Balearic Islands · Basque Country · Canary Islands · Cantabria · Castile‑La Mancha · Castile and León · 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 


Pre-Spanish Rulers of Zaragoza
Banu Tujibi
Al-Mundhir I ibn Yahya al-Tujibi - Yahya ibn al-Mundhir - Al-Mundhir II ibn Yahya ibn al-Mundhir - Abd Allah ibn al-Hakam al-Tjibi
Banu Hud
Al-Mustain I, Sulayman ibn Hud al-Judhami - Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Muqtadir - Yusuf ibn Ahmad al-Mutamin - Al-Mustain II, Ahmad ibn Yusuf
Murabitun
Aragonese

Categories


Aragon | Autonomous communities of Spain | NUTS 2 Statistical Regions of Europe

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