TravelTips24 : Europe : Iberia : Spain : Catalonia and northeastern Spain : Aragon
Aragon
Aragon (Spanish: Aragón) is a region in the north of Spain.
Provinces
Aragon is divided into the three provinces below:
- Huesca (Osca on the map), main city is Huesca
- Zaragoza (Saragossa on the map), main city is Zaragoza
- Teruel (Terol on the map), main city is Teruel
Counties
Aragon is divided into the 33 counties below:
Cities
Other destinations
- Ainsa (Huesca)
- Albarracin (Teruel)
- Alcañiz (Teruel)
- Alquezar (Huesca)
- Canfranc (Huesca)
- Daroca (Zaragoza)
- Hecho (Huesco}
- Loarre (Huesca)
- National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido [1] (Huesca). Monte Perdido is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees, although Spain has higher ones in Tenerife and the Sierra Nevada.
- Sos del Rey Catolico (Zaragoza)
- Tarazona (Zaragoza)
- Torla
Culture and History
Aragon is the heart of what was in the Middle Ages the Crown of Aragon, which also included regions like Valencia, Murcia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Venice, the South of Italy, Sicily and some Greek colonies.
In the Fifteenth century its King Ferdinand married Isabel of Castile and formed the Kingdom of Spain.
Although it used to have its own language, Aragonese, and laws, over the centuries most of them were lost and it became more like Castile.
Nowadays, Aragon, despite its large size, has a population of only 1 million, making it largely uninhabited, with a capital, Zaragoza, that holds over half the population.
Nature
Some interesting plants even for a non-biologist are:
- Blackberry: can be found on the slopes of Guara and Pireneus mountains.
- Acorn: There are two types of non-oak acorn, at least one of them grows on bushes rather than on trees.
Talk
Spanish is spoken in Aragon by the whole population.
Aragonese (Aragonese or Castilian: aragonés, also known as fabla), is spoken in the north, but is not recognized as an official language. This language is similar to Catalan and Castilian with some Basque and Occitan influences. Catalan is also spoken in the East of the region (Catalan: 'Franja de Ponent, literally West Strip, being West of Catalunya) though, it has no official status.
Travel to Aragon & Visa Requirements
Aragon is connected to France by roads and tunnels (Somport) but not by train. It has no coast, so it's not accessible by boat.
There is an airport in Zaragoza (flights from Milán-Bergamo, Roma, London-Standsted, Frankfurt, París, Lisboa, Madrid, Malaga, Santigo de Compostela, Palma de Majorca).
Tours & Getting around Aragon
By car
Roads are really good in the region and its towns. Even if you go canyoning or other active sports, typically you don't need a 4x4, as you always leave car on a parking near starting point of activities.
By bike
Cycling is very popular sports in the region, and the roads are really good.
Aragon attractions and sightseeing
Aragon city tours
Whitewater rafting: Multiple operators and a kayaking school can be found in the town of Campo; some rafting can be found in Murillo de Gallego.
- Aguas Blancas, [2].
Destinations in Aragon:
Alquezar / Ansó / Barbastro / Campo / Echo / Huesca / Jaca / Murillo de Gallego / Teruel / Zaragoza /
This page was last edited at 17:08, on 28 October 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Jim Nicholson, Denis Yurkin, David, David Cross, Terence, Todd VerBeek and Evan Prodromou, Wikitravel user(s) Morph, Episteme and Huttite, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.
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