Huesca ( an, Uesca, ca, Osca), officially Huesca/Uesca, is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of northeastern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, in northern

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

. The capital is

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, almo ...

. Positioned just south of the central

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

, Huesca borders

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the French Departments of

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's ...

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...

and Hautes-Pyrénées. Within Spain, Huesca's neighboring provinces are

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

and

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

Geography

Covering a primarily mountainous area of km², the province of Huesca has a total population of in 2018, with almost a quarter of its people living in the capital city of

. The low population density, 14.62/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

, the

Aneto Aneto (''pic d'Aneto'' in French language, French, formerly ''pic de Néthou'') is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees and in Aragon, and Spain's third-highest mountain, reaching a height of . It stands in the Spanish province of Huesca (provi ...

; 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 Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbin ...

spelunkers Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

paragliders Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness o ...

, and

white water Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and w ...

rafters it is also a popular snow

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

destination with notable resorts in

Candanchú Candanchú is a ski resort situated near the town of Canfranc in the High Aragon of the western Pyrenees (province of Huesca, Spain). The name of the area is an adaptation of French "Camp d'Anjou" as this was originally the site of a milit ...

Formigal Formigal, officially ''Aramón Formigal'', is a ski resort in the Aragon Pyrenees of northeastern Spain, near the town of Sallent de Gallego in the upper Tena Valley in the province of Huesca. The nearest international airports are in Zaragoza ...

Astún Astún is a ski resort situated near the town of Canfranc in the High Aragon of the western Pyrenees (province of Huesca, Spain). The source of the Aragon River is in the resort. Ibón de Truchas attracts anglers. It is connected to the ...

Panticosa Panticosa (in Aragonese: ''Pandicosa'') is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, it was a successful spa town, famous for its pure mountain waters, that supposedly cu ...

and

Cerler Cerler, officially called ''Aramón Cerler'', is a ski resort situated above the village of Cerler in the high Benasque Valley, near the town of Benasque in the central Pyrenees (province of Huesca, Spain). Near Cerler are the highest peaks ...

History

The Romans colonised the province of Huesca, which formed the northern part of

Hispania Tarraconensis Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania. It encompassed much of the northern, eastern and central territories of modern Spain along with modern northern Portugal. Southern Spain, the region now called Andalusia was the ...

, and continued to live there well into the 5th century until the arrival of the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

. As a mountainous frontier region, it was difficult to dominate. The northern counties had at one time belonged to the

Kingdom of Navarre The Kingdom of Navarre (; , , , ), originally the Kingdom of Pamplona (), was a Basque kingdom that occupied lands on both sides of the western Pyrenees, alongside the Atlantic Ocean between present-day Spain and France. The medieval state took ...

but split off and managed to stem early Moorish invasions in the Middle Ages by forming alliances between themselves and with the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

, to become Frankish

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a national "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diff ...

. The imperative of

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

, or independence, for the northern border counts, gave rise to the Kingdom of Aragon, which was the precursor to the Empire or

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of B ...

, and ultimately the

Kingdom of Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Administrative divisions

The modern day province comprises 10

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

s and 202 municipalities. The following comarcas having their capital in Huesca Province include municipal terms within

Zaragoza Province Zaragoza (), also called Saragossa in English,''Encyclopædia Britannica''Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)/ref> is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also t ...

: *

Bajo Cinca Bajo Cinca () or Baix Cinca (; an, Cinca Baxa, ) is a comarca in eastern Aragon, Spain. It is named after river Cinca. This comarca is located in the southeastern corner of the Huesca province. The administrative capital is Fraga, with 13,59 ...

Mequinenza Mequinenza (Aragonese and ) or Mequinensa () is a town and municipality of the province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It is located beside the river Segre, close to its confluence with the river Ebro between the Mequi ...

. *

Hoya de Huesca Hoya de Huesca/Plana de Uesca is a comarca (county) in the province of Huesca (Spain). * Capital city: Huesca, also the biggest of the 40 municipalities of the comarca. * Surface: 2,525.60 km². * Population: 60,525 (2002). It occupies the ...

: Murillo de Gállego and Santa Eulalia de Gállego. *

Jacetania La Jacetania ( an, A Chacetania; french: Jacétanie) is a comarca in northern Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northwestern corner of the Huesca and Zaragoza provinces. The administrative capital is Jaca, with 13,374 inhabitants the largest ...

Artieda Artieda (in Aragonese: ''Artieda'' or ''Artieda d'Aragón'' Consello Asesor de l'Aragonéstoponyms on the comarca of a Chazetania/ref>) is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE I ...

Mianos Mianos (in Aragonese: both ''Mians'') is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the mem ...

Salvatierra de Esca Salvatierra de Esca (in Aragonese: Salvatierra d'Esca) is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a G ...

and

Sigüés Sigüés is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacio ...

. *

Monegros Los Monegros is a comarca in Aragon, Spain. It is located within the provinces of Zaragoza and Huesca. The area is prone to chronic droughts, and much of the area is a natural region made up of badlands. Los Monegros borders seven comarcas: Hoy ...

: La Almolda,

Bujaraloz Bujaraloz is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,002 inhabitants. See also *Monegros *List of municipalities in Zaragoza This is a list ...

, Farlete, Leciñena,

Monegrillo Monegrillo is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2009 census (INE), the town has a population of 495 inhabitants. The Postal Code is 50164 The Sierra de Alcubierre Sierra de Alcubierre is a lon ...

and Perdiguera.

Population

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:30 PlotArea = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:280 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:10 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo PlotData= color:skyblue width:20 shift:(-50,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till bar:1877 from:0 till:256 text:256,425 bar:1887 from:0 till:261 text:260,585 bar:1900 from:0 till:255 text:255,100 bar:1910 from:0 till:265 text:264,984 bar:1920 from:0 till:266 text:265,603 bar:1930 from:0 till:258 text:257,777 bar:1940 from:0 till:247 text:247,135 bar:1950 from:0 till:238 text:237,681 bar:1960 from:0 till:234 text:234,014 bar:1970 from:0 till:222 text:221,761 bar:1980 from:0 till:215 text:214,907 bar:1990 from:0 till:208 text:207,810 bar:2000 from:0 till:207 text:206,502 bar:2010 from:0 till:226 text:225,962 bar:2020 from:0 till:223 text:222,687 TextData= pos:(35,20) fontsize:M text:"Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE"

Language

Spanish is the primary language in the province. However, the local linguistic varieties in the center and north of the province (often called fabla) belong to the

Aragonese language Aragonese ( ; in Aragonese) is a Romance language spoken in several dialects by about 12,000 people as of 2011, in the Pyrenees valleys of Aragon, Spain, primarily in the comarcas of Somontano de Barbastro, Jacetania, Alto Gállego, Sobrarbe, ...

, which now survives mainly in the northernmost

comarcas A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

, such as the Aragon Valley in

, the Alto Gallego,

Sobrarbe Sobrarbe is one of the comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is located in the northern part of the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragon in Spain. Many of its people speak the Aragonese language locally known as ''fabla''. Th ...

, and Ribagorza, where hitherto landlocked and isolated villages have helped the language to thrive into the 21st century. In the easternmost areas of the province, varieties of the

Catalan language Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern Spa ...

are spoken, with a few transitional dialects difficult to classify as Aragonese or Catalan.

Notes and references

External links

Diputación Provincial de Huesca
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huesca, Province of