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Comarques of Catalonia

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The comarques of Catalonia (singular comarca, Eastern Catalan: [kuˈmarkə], Western Catalan: [koˈmaɾka]), often referred to in English as counties,[1][2][3][a] are an administrative division of Catalonia. Each comarca comprises a number of municipalities, roughly equivalent to a county in the United States. Currently, Catalonia is divided into 42 comarques and Aran, considered a "unique territorial entity" and not a comarca.[4]

Each comarca has a representative county council (Catalan: consell comarcal), except for Barcelonès, which abolished it in 2019, and Aran, which instead has the Conselh Generau d'Aran.

Comarques form the second-level administrative division within Catalonia, being a subdivision of vegueries (or provinces at state level).

Comarques of Catalonia

Overview

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See also: Local government in Spain

Although today the comarques are officially defined under a Catalan parliamentary act,[5] 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 centring 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 de l'Estany, centred on the town of Banyoles, or the Ripollès, centred on the town of Ripoll. In other cases, comarques are larger areas with many important population centres 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 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 It was superseded after the 1939 victory of Francisco Franco's forces in the Spanish Civil War, but restored in 1987 by the re-established Generalitat of Catalonia.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 sometimes ambiguous, many new proposals have been made since the comarques were first officially designated as attempts to modify the official distribution with what some regions consider to be a traditional comarca. As a result, some revisions to the official division have been made, such as the additions of Moianès and Lluçanès to the map, in 2015 and 2023 respectively.

Comarques exist as a local government area, and have a representative county council. They are often known as counties in the English language, but this can be confused with the counties that were ruled by counts.

Borders of comarques generally do not cross those of the state-level provinces (Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona), 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. Its current status was formalised in February 2015.[4]

List of comarques

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Comarca Date
created		 Capital Number of
municipalities
[needs update]		 Population
(2014)[6]		 Area
(km2)[6]		 Density Region (vegueria) Province(s)
Alt Camp 1987 Valls 23 44,578 538.2 82.8 Camp de Tarragona Tarragona
Alt Empordà 1987 Figueres 68 140,214 1,357.4 103.3 Comarques Gironines Girona
Alt Penedès 1987 Vilafranca del Penedès 27 106,262 592.7 179.3 Penedès Barcelona
Alt Urgell 1987 La Seu d'Urgell 19 20,878 1,447.5 14.4 Alt Pirineu Lleida
Alta Ribagorça 1988 El Pont de Suert 3 3,873 426.8 9.1 Alt Pirineu Lleida
Anoia 1987 Igualada 33 117,842 866.3 136.0 Penedès, Central Catalonia Barcelona
Aran 1987 Vielha e Mijaran 9 9,993 633.5 15.8 Aran Lleida
Bages 1987 Manresa 30 175,527[b] 1,092.2[b] 160.7 Central Catalonia Barcelona
Baix Camp 1987 Reus 28 190,249 697.3 272.8 Camp de Tarragona Tarragona
Baix Ebre 1987 Tortosa 14 80,637 1002.6 80.4 Terres de l'Ebre Tarragona
Baix Empordà 1987 La Bisbal d'Empordà 36 132,886 701.8 189.4 Comarques Gironines Girona
Baix Llobregat 1987 Sant Feliu de Llobregat 30 806,249 486.2 1,658.3 Barcelona Barcelona
Baix Penedès 1987 El Vendrell 14 100,262 296.4 338.3 Penedès Tarragona
Barcelonès 1987 Barcelona 5 2,227,238 145.8 15,276.0 Barcelona Barcelona
Berguedà 1987 Berga 31 40,039 1,185.3 33.8 Central Catalonia Barcelona, Lleida
Cerdanya 1987 Puigcerdà 17 18,063 546.6 33.0 Alt Pirineu Girona, Lleida
Conca de Barberà 1987 Montblanc 22 20,723 650.2 31.9 Camp de Tarragona Tarragona
Garraf 1987 Vilanova i la Geltrú 6 145,886 185.1 788.1 Penedès Barcelona
Garrigues 1987 Les Borges Blanques 24 19,762 797.7 24.8 Ponent Lleida
Garrotxa 1987 Olot 21 56,036 734.5 76.3 Comarques Gironines Girona
Gironès 1987 Girona 28 185,085 575.6 321.6 Comarques Gironines Girona
Lluçanès 2023 Prats de Lluçanès n/a n/a n/a n/a Central Catalonia Barcelona
Maresme 1987 Mataró 30 437,919 398.6 1,098.6 Barcelona Barcelona
Moianès 2015 Moià 10 13,056 337.9 38.6 Central Catalonia Barcelona
Montsià 1987 Amposta 12 69,613 735.5 94.6 Terres de l'Ebre Tarragona
Noguera 1987 Balaguer 30 39,376 1,784.1 22.1 Ponent Lleida
Osona 1987 Vic 50 154,559[b] 1,245.1[b] 124.1 Central Catalonia Barcelona, Girona
Pallars Jussà 1987 Tremp 14 13,530 1,343.2 10.1 Alt Pirineu Lleida
Pallars Sobirà 1987 Sort 15 7,220 1,378.0 5.2 Alt Pirineu Lleida
Pla de l'Estany 1988 Banyoles 11 31,554 262.8 120.1 Comarques Gironines Girona
Pla d'Urgell 1988 Mollerussa 16 37,128 305.2 121.7 Ponent Lleida
Priorat 1987 Falset 23 9,550 498.7 19.1 Camp de Tarragona Tarragona
Ribera d'Ebre 1987 Móra d'Ebre 14 22,925 827.1 27.7 Terres de l'Ebre Tarragona
Ripollès 1987 Ripoll 19 25,700 956.6 26.9 Comarques Gironines Girona
Segarra 1987 Cervera 21 22,713 722.8 31.4 Ponent Lleida
Segrià 1987 Lleida 38 209,768 1,396.4 150.2 Ponent Lleida
Selva 1987 Santa Coloma de Farners 26 170,249 994.9 171.1 Comarques Gironines Girona, Barcelona
Solsonès 1987 Solsona 15 13,497 1001.1 13.5 Central Catalonia Lleida
Tarragonès 1987 Tarragona 22 250,306 319.2 784.2 Camp de Tarragona Tarragona
Terra Alta 1987 Gandesa 12 12,119 743.0 16.3 Terres de l'Ebre Tarragona
Urgell 1987 Tàrrega 20 36,526 579.6 63.0 Ponent Lleida
Vallès Occidental 1987 Sabadell, Terrassa 23 899,532 583.1 1,542.7 Barcelona Barcelona
Vallès Oriental 1987 Granollers 39 399,781[b] 734.5[b] 544.3 Barcelona Barcelona
Total comarques–43 Barcelona 948 7,518,903 32,108.0[7][c] 234.2

Comarca revisions

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Revisions to the comarques took place in 1988 (creation of Pla d'Estany, Pla d'Urgell, and Alta Ribagorça),[8] 1990 (various adjustments),[9] and May 2015 (creation of Moianès).[10] The Catalan government's "Report on the revision of Catalonia's territorial organisation model" (the Roca Report [ca]), published in 2000, recommends many more changes to comarques, which have not yet been adopted except for the 2015 creation of Moianès.[11] The other proposed new comarques are: Vall de Camprodon [ca] (capital at Camprodon), Selva Marítima [ca] (capital at Blanes), Alta Segarra [ca] (capital at Calaf), Segre Mitjà [ca] (capital at Ponts), and Baix Llobregat Nord [ca] (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. It was finally added to the list of Comarques on the 3rd of May 2023. [12]

Date From comarca To comarca Municipalities
1988 Gironès Pla de l'Estany Banyoles, Camós, Cornellà del Terri, Crespià, Esponellà, Fontcoberta, Palol de Revardit, Porqueres, Sant Miquel de Campmajor, Serinyà, Vilademuls
1988 Urgell Pla d'Urgell Barbens, Castellnou de Seana, Ivars d'Urgell, Vilanova de Bellpuig, Vila-sana
1988 Segrià Pla d'Urgell Bell-lloc d'Urgell, Fondarella, Golmés, Miralcamp, Mollerussa, El Palau d'Anglesola, Sidamon
1988 Noguera Pla d'Urgell Bellvís, Linyola, El Poal
1988 Garrigues Pla d'Urgell Torregrossa
1988 Pallars Jussà Alta Ribagorça Barruera (La Vall de Boí), El Pont de Suert, Vilaller
1990 Noguera Segrià Alfarràs, La Portella
1990 Priorat Baix Camp Arbolí
1990 Tarragonès Baix Penedès Bonastre
1990 Vallès Occidental Vallès Oriental Caldes de Montbui
1990 Garraf Alt Penedès Castellet i la Gornal, Olesa de Bonesvalls
1990 Barcelonès Baix Llobregat Esplugues de Llobregat, Sant Just Desvern
1990 Tarragonès Alt Camp Els Garidells
1990 Alt Camp Baix Penedès Masllorenç
1990 Anoia Solsonès La Molsosa
1990 Ripollès Osona Montesquiu, Santa Maria de Besora, Sant Quirze de Besora, Vidrà
1990 Urgell Segarra Montornès de Segarra
1990 Baix Ebre Montsià Sant Jaume d'Enveja
1990 Segarra Conca de Barberà Vallfogona de Riucorb
1994 - Vallès Occidental Badia del Vallès
2015 Bages Moianès Calders, L'Estany, Moià, Monistrol de Calders, Santa Maria d'Oló
2015 Vallès Oriental Moianès Castellcir, Castellterçol, Granera, Sant Quirze Safaja
2015 Osona Moianès Collsuspina
2015 - Gironès Medinyà
2017 Gironès - Medinyà†
2023 Segarra Solsonès Torà, Biosca
2023 Osona Lluçanès Alpens, Lluçà, Olost, Oristà, Perafita, Prats de Lluçanès, Sant Martí d'Albars, Sobremunt
2023 Bages Lluçanès Sant Feliu Sasserra
2023 Lluçanès Bages Sant Feliu Sasserra

Northern Catalan comarques

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Main article: Comarques of Northern Catalonia

There are six comarques which are often referred to as the historical comarques of Catalonia, because their present-day territory was a part of the former Principality of Catalonia, but nowadays they lie in Northern Catalonia, administered by France.

Comarca Capital
Alta Cerdanya Font-romeu
Capcir Els Angles
Conflent Prada de Conflent
Rosselló Perpinyà
Vallespir Ceret

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Not to be confused with the historical Catalan counties.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Adjusted following creation of Moianès
  3. ^ The total of the figures above is 32,107.1. The difference may be due to rounding.

References

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  1. ^ "Idescat. Statistical Yearbook of Catalonia. County councils. Councillors. Counties". www.idescat.cat. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  2. ^ "Festivals in southern Terres de l'Ebre counties form new group to increase visibility". www.catalannews.com. 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  3. ^ "Coronavirus: Spain puts 200,000 people in Catalonia back into lockdown as cases rise". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  4. ^ a b "LLEI 1/2015, del 5 de febrer, del règim especial d'Aran" [Administration of Aran Act] (PDF) (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
  5. ^ "The comarcal organisation of Catalonia (Act 6/1987)" (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. 1987. pp. 12192–12201. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  6. ^ a b "El municipi en xifres". Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
  7. ^ "Indicadors geogràfics. Superfície, densitat i entitats de població: Catalunya". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Osona.com. "La llei del Lluçanès fa un pas endavant al Parlament de Catalunya". www.naciodigital.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2023-05-17.
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