Facts About Aragon, The Historic Region In Spain

Aragon, a region in northeastern Spain that was formerly a medieval kingdom.In 1833 it was divided into the provinces of Huesca, Zaragoza (Saragossa), and Teruel.Its area of 18,400 square miles (47,670 sq km) is bounded on the north by the Pyrenees Mountains and on the south by the Iberian Mountains.The region is drained by the Ebro River and its tributaries.The climate is characterized by little rainfall, extremes in temperature, and high winds.Aragon has a population of 1,204,215 (2001 census).

Although sheep and some cattle are raised, farming is the main occupation, with wheat and sugar beets among the chief agricultural products.

Manufactures include textiles, machinery, chemicals, and cement; lignite mining and quarrying also contribute to Aragon's economy.The city of Zaragoza, long the commercial and manufacturing center of Aragon, has used the hydroelectric energy generated from the dams in the Aragonese Pyrenees to expand its industrial base.

Aragon formed part of the ancient Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis.It came under control of the Visigoths during the 5th century A.D.When the Moors conquered Aragon shortly after 711, many Christians fled to the northern portion of the area, where they maintained a small, somewhat independent state, which the Gothic counts later ruled.In 1035, under Ramiro I, Aragon established itself as an independent Christian kingdom.In 1076 it was linked with Navarre, but Navarre seceded from the union in 1134.

In constant conflict with the Moors, Aragon gradually expanded its territory, capturing Zaragoza in 1118.In 1137 it was joined to Catalonia.During the next two centuries, Aragon extended its rule to the Balearic Islands and at various times governed Sardinia, Sicily, and Naples.In 1479, ten years after the marriage of Isabella of Castile to Ferdinand of Aragon, the two crowns were united.When Charles I ascended the throne in 1516, the kingdom of Aragon became part of a unified Spain, but it preserved its fueros (regional systems of justice, taxation, military service, and currency) until the early 18th century.

Reff: “Aragon Region” Michael Hadi Win, 1987

Article Written by Farah


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