Xerta is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

of the ''

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, ...

'' of

Baix Ebre Baix Ebre (, "Lower Ebre") is a comarca (county), on the coast in southern Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by ...

. It is established in a sharp bend to the right of the river

Ebre , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

, about 12 km upstream from the city of

Tortosa Tortosa (; ) is the capital of the '' comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in Catalonia, Spain. Tortosa is located at above sea level, by the Ebro river, protected on its northern side by the mountains of the Cardó Massif, of which Buinaca, one of the hig ...

in the

province of Tarragona Tarragona (, ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Castellón, Teruel, Zaragoza, Lérida and Barcelona and by the Mediterranean Sea. The province's ...

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 no ...

, Spain.

Geographical context

The municipality covers 33.55 km ². The Ebre river is the dividing line with the municipalities of

Tivenys Tivenys is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Ebre in Tarragona province Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , ...

and

Benifallet Benifallet is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. This town is located by the Ebro River, below the Cardó Massif. It is popular among kayaker A kayak is a small, narrow watercra ...

to the east. To the west, the land is hilly, and there are recent eastern foothills of the

Iberian System Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...

. Tramontana noon, adjoins the "Coll del Musso" to

Paüls Paüls is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Baix Ebre, province of Tarragona Tarragona (, ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of Castellón, Teru ...

, and the "Colls d'en Gràcia" of the "Tossal de la Cova del Bou", which borders with

Alfara de Carles Alfara de Carles is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in the province of Tarragona Tarragona (, ) is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered by the provinces of C ...

in the west. In the south the border coincides with a stretch of the gorge "la Conca" and then curve towards the north diagonally to the right and near the gorge "del Llop", with

Aldover Aldover is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Baix Ebre, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. There was a RENFE railway line from Tortosa to Alcañiz Alcañiz () is a town and municipality of Teruel province in the autonomo ...

. Xerta has good communication with Mora d'Ebre,

and the A-7 autopista; through the regional road (C-12) known as the "Eix de l'Ebre". Zaragoza was formerly with the rail line from the "Val de Zafán", closed in September 1973 and now converted into a greenway (110 km from Bajo Aragon and even Tortosa).

The Assut of Xerta

The Assut of Xerta is an important monument of hydraulic engineering declared Cultural Asset of National Interest in the category of Historical Monuments by the Government of Catalonia in 2002. It is located three kilometers upstream from the town. It is a dam built diagonally from side to side along the

Ebre , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

River about 375 feet. Its function is to divert water to the irrigation canals of the Right and Left of the Ebre.

Popular festivals

;*Summer Festivities of St. James Summer festivals are dedicated to Saint James (July 25). Among the acts are the most traditional street bulls or paella at the riverside. A curiosity is the "White Night", a night on which people do not go to sleep. It starts with dancing in the outdoor courtyard of the school, culminating with a dance party accompanied by a brass band that runs through the village streets, arousing all xertolins after breakfast. It ends with chasing the bull in the streets which continues throughout the morning. ;*Festival of Saint Martin. Another festival of this town is dedicated to our Patron Saint Martin (November 11). Some acts are the most traditional street bull chasing, the popular dinner of beef stew, or dancing the Jota Xertolina on the day of Saint Martin. In the square, at about five o'clock, all xertolins big and small start to congregate wearing the traditional costumes of Xerta squares fills with color, ready to dance the Jota Xertolina, a traditional dance that is kept alive by the locals. These and many more acts are prepared, and they are all very much enjoyed by the local population.

References

External links

Official website

Government data pages
{{Authority control Municipalities in Baix Ebre Populated places in Baix Ebre