Guide to Aragon Spain
The beautiful province of Aragon, is situated in the North East corner of Spain and with a surface area of over 47000km square, it is larger than the European countries of Denmark, Holland & Switzerland. Strategically placed, Aragon shares a 135 kilometre border with France and throughout history has been known as a doorway linking Spain & Portugal with France. Aragon is an entirely autonomous region of Spain and has a population of approximately 1.2 million. It is flanked by France in the North, by Catalonia on the east and on the south by Valencia, to the east it borders, Castile La Mancha, Castile-Leon, La Rioja and Navarre. The capital city of Aragon is Zaragoza. Although the main language of Aragon is Spanish, a local dialect Aragonerse is still spoken in some of the mountain areas. Historically, Aragon was a feudal county before proclaiming itself a kingdom in it’s own right in 925 Over the years via many conquests it expanded and in 1118 conquered the city of Zaragoza. Aragon existed until the 15th century as a Kingdom in it’s own right until by marriage it helped form the Kingdom of Spain.
The area enjoys a Mediterranean climate in the south of the province which can turn more continental and dry towards the North where sometimes extreme temperatures can be experienced. These temperatures though do result in so very strong wine being produced from this area.
Aragon is one of the richest regions of Spain, with GDP per capita well above the national average. Although traditionally the local economy relied on agriculture, the past few years have seen this supplemented by the service and industrial sectors. The Ebro river feeds a fertile valley and a highly developed irrigation system has helped develop a very productive agricultural industry. The main crops are wheat, barley & rye and also fruit.. The vast meadows of the North provide ideal conditions for raising cattle
Zaragosa is the main industrial area of the province as well as being the capital city there are many industries including a car plant that provides employment for in excess of 8000 people. Other industries abound in the area and are producing all manner of household goods.
Road and rail links to other parts of the country have been greatly improved in recent years and there are over 1000kms of motorways that now run to every part of the country
It has no coastline and thus has remained relatively untouched by the tourist industry although it does contain 5 ski resorts and the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido Un like the Spanish costas, this province is relatively unknown and many people would have difficulty locating it on a map of Spain. The area is familiar to most Brits only as it shares the name with one of the ill fated wives of Henry V111. But for those travellers’ who discover this exciting area, it will seem like heaven on earth, if you want to say away from tourist areas but like the great outdoors, then this is the place for you. This province has a low density population so there are vast spaces that are uninhabited, the bulk of people live in the capital Zaragosa. The Pyrenees of Aragon offer spectacular peaks and many peaceful valleys; some are very difficult to reach and thus have managed to retain a completely unspoilt charm. Towards the north, the valleys and plains of Aragon contain many beautiful villages & churches. The medieval monuments of Teruel and Zaragoza are afforded protection from UNESCO and deemed to be World Heritage sites.
The Pyrenees are home to Spain’s oldest Nature reserve, The Ordesa National Park. The wonderful area was founded in 1918 and boasts over 50000 acres of valleys waterfalls and wild flowers. wild life abounds and there are there are many species of bird that can be spotted.
If you like skiing then the 5 ski resorts, will interest you, they are relatively uncrowned as compared with the Sierra Nevada and the scenery is outstanding.
Holiday Home ownership is fairly limited with most persons preferring to buy on the more popular Spanish Costa, but if you like beauty, the outdoors and a bit of peace and quite, then Aragon could be for you.
Spanish Holiday Home Insurance from Assetsure
