Huesca (province)
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Huesca (Spanish: Huesca, Aragonese: Uesca) is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. Positioned in the middle of the Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées. Within Spain, Huesca's neighboring provinces are Navarre, Zaragoza and Lleida.
Huesca derives its name from the roman name of Osca, given to the Iberian tribes, or Oscians of the Vescetania region[1]. The term "Osca" may also be the etymological root of the word "Eus-kara", or Vasconi, who were Basque tribes that ran the northern mountain territories of Vasconia.
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[edit] Geography
The modern day province comprises 10 counties and 202 municipalities. See also list of municipalities in Huesca.
| Name | Capital City |
|---|---|
| Alto Gállego | Sabiñánigo |
| Bajo Cinca | Fraga |
| Cinca Medio | Monzón |
| Hoya de Huesca | Huesca |
| Jacetania | Jaca |
| La Litera | Tamarite de Litera |
| Monegros | Sariñena |
| Ribagorza | Graus, formerly Benabarre |
| Sobrarbe | Ainsa and Boltaña |
| Somontano de Barbastro | Barbastro |
Covering a primarily mountainous area of 15,636 km², the province of Huesca has a total population of 218,023, (in 2006), with almost a quarter of its people living in the capital city of Huesca, which goes by the same name. The low population density, 13.94/km², has meant that Huesca's lush valleys, rivers, and lofty mountain ranges have remained relatively pristine and unspoiled by progress.
Home to majestic scenery, the tallest mountain in the Pyrenees, the Aneto; eternal glaciers, such as at Monte Perdido; and the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, rich in flora and protected fauna. Popular with mountaineers, spelunkers, paragliders, and white water rafters it is also a popular snow skiing destination with notable resorts in Candanchú, Formigal, Astún, Panticosa and Cerler.
[edit] History
The romans colonized the province of Huesca, which formed the northern part of Hispania Tarraconensis, and continued to live there well into the 5th century until the arrival of the visigoths. As a challenging mountainous frontier region, it was difficult to dominate. The northern counties had at one time belonged to the Kingdom of Navarre but split off and managed to stem early moorish invasions in the middle ages by forming alliances between themselves and with the Franks, to become frankish feudal marches. The imperative of sovereignty, or independence, for the northern border counts, gave rise to the legendary Kingdom of Aragon, which was the precursor to the Empire or Crown of Aragon, and ultimately the Kingdom of Spain.
[edit] Language
Spanish is the primary language in the province, however the majority of local fabla or Aragonese language speakers are from the northern counties, such as the (Aragon river valley in Jacetania, the counties of Alto Gallego, Sobrarbe, and Ribagorza) where hitherto landlocked and isolated villages have helped the language to thrive into the 21st century.
[edit] References
- ^ Pliny, in the Third Book of Naturalis Historia. Translation at http://penelope.uchicago.edu/holland/pliny3.html.
[edit] External Links
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