Pallars is a historical and

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the nort ...

. Located in the

Pre-Pyrenees The Pre-Pyrenees are the foothills of the Pyrenees. Description As a mountainous system the Pre-Pyrenees are part of the Pyrenees. They run parallel to the main mountain range in a west to east direction. On the French side the Pyrenees's slop ...

and

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 ...

area, most of its territory is

mountainous A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

. The

Noguera Pallaresa The Noguera Pallaresa (; oc, Noguèra Palharesa, ) is a river in Catalonia, Spain. It is named after the Pallars region. Course Its source is at ''Era Font d'era Noguereta'' in the municipality of Naut Aran (Aran Valley) at an elevation of ab ...

river is named after this region.

Geography

The physiography of the Pallars natural region includes the

river basin with its tributaries. The region encompasses as well as the mountain ranges spanning the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees area that surround the basin until the Serra del Montsec which forms the limit of the Pallars at its southern end.

Municipalities

In present times the most important town of the Pallars is

Tremp Tremp () is a municipality in Catalonia, Spain, the capital of the ''comarca'' of the Pallars Jussà. It is the largest municipality in Catalonia in terms of area (),The municipality of Tortosa is historically larger than Tremp, but was subdivid ...

Pallars Jussà

Abella de la Conca, Castell de Mur, Conca de Dalt, Gavet de la Conca, Isona i Conca Dellà, Llimiana,

La Pobla de Segur La Pobla de Segur is a municipality located in the comarca of Pallars Jussà, province of Lleida, Catalonia, in northern Spain. According to the 2013 census ( INE), the town has a population of 3,073 inhabitants. It is situated at the confluence ...

, Salàs de Pallars, Sant Esteve de la Sarga, Sarroca de Bellera,

Senterada Senterada is a village in the province of Lleida and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. The municipality includes a small exclave to the north. History Remains from Prehistory include the dolmens of the Casa Encantada The Casa Encantada a ...

Talarn Talarn () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Pallars Jussà in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the centre of the Tremp basin, on the Noguera Pallaresa river below the Sant Antoni reservoir. It is the site of a hydroelectric power s ...

La Torre de Cabdella La Torre de Cabdella or La Torre de Capdella is a village in the province of Lleida and autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. See also *Cabdella Lakes Cabdella Lakes is a set of lakes in the Spanish Pyrenees. They are connected by tunnels at ...

and

Pallars Sobirà

Alins, Alt Àneu, Baix Pallars, Espot, Esterri d'Àneu, Esterri de Cardós, Farrera, La Guingueta d'Àneu,

Lladorre Lladorre is a village in the province of Lleida and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by ...

Llavorsí Llavorsí is a village and ''municipi'' (municipality) in the province of Lleida and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, desi ...

, Rialp, Soriguera, Sort, Tírvia and Vall de Cardós

History

The

County of Pallars The County of Pallars or Pallás ( ca, Comtat de Pallars, ; la, Comitatus Pallariensis) was a ''de facto'' independent petty state, nominally within the Carolingian Empire and then West Francia during the ninth and tenth centuries, perhaps one of ...

was a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

during the ninth and tenth centuries. Later both the

County of Pallars Jussà The County of Pallars Jussà or Lower Pallars was a county in the Hispanic March during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, long after the march had ceased to be effectively administered by the Kings of France. It was a division of the County of ...

(Lower Pallars) and the

County of Pallars Sobirà The County of Pallars Sobirà or (Pallás) Sobirá, meaning Upper Pallars, was a county in the Hispanic Marches during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, long after the march had ceased to be effectively administered by the Kings of France. It ...

(Upper Pallars) became counties of the Hispanic March during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. In 1936 the Pallars was split into the

Pallars Jussà Pallars Jussà () is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. It was established as a ''comarca'' in 1936, out of the old county of Pallars. The name means "Lower Pallars"; to the northeast and into the mountains is Pallars Sobirà. Its capital a ...

and

Pallars Sobirà Pallars Sobirà () is a comarca (comparable to a county or shire in much of the English-speaking world) in the mountainous northwest of Catalonia, Spain. The name means "Upper Pallars", distinguishing it from the more populous (and less mountain ...

present-day administrative divisions. The historical Ribagorça territories administered by the

Generalitat de Catalunya The Generalitat de Catalunya (; oc, label= Aranese, Generalitat de Catalonha; es, Generalidad de Cataluña), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia politically organizes its self-government. It is formed ...

were added to the newly created Pallars Jussà

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, ...

. In 1990 the Ribagorça area was segregated from the Pallars Jussà comarca and was established as the

Alta Ribagorça Alta Ribagorça () is one of the comarques of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Pont de Suert. The highest peak is the Comaloformo (3030 metres above sea level) in the massif of Bessiberri. Northeast of the region is the western part of the Ai ...

.''Reflexions sobre l'organització territorial de Catalunya'' by JO i Samitier - Raco.cat 2009

References

External links

*
Jesús Burgueño, ''Reflexions i propostes al voltant del sisteme electoral a Catalunya: consells comarcals, diputacions, Parlament i representació a Corts''
{{Coord, 42, 26, 48.36, N, 1, 11, 51.03, E, type:adm2nd_region:ES-CT, display=title