Crossword Dictionary

ARAGON 

Aragon, Spanish Aragón, comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) and historical region of northeastern Spain. It encompasses the provincias (provinces) of Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Aragon is bounded by France to the north and by the autonomous communities of Catalonia to the east, Valencia to the southeast, Castile–La Mancha to the southwest, and Castile-León, La Rioja, and Navarra to the west. Aragon was established as an autonomous community by the statute of autonomy of Aug. 10, 1982. The capital is Zaragoza. Area 18,411 square miles (47,697 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 1,296,655.

Mountains dominate the relief north and south of the east-west-trending Ebro River basin, which bisects Aragon into northern and southern portions. Administratively, Zaragoza province occupies the Ebro basin and is flanked by Huesca province to the north and Teruel province to the south. The Pyrenees rise to more than 9,840 feet (3,000 metres) and extend southward from France into Huesca. Their foothills, the pre-Pyrenees, decline in elevation southward to the Ebro basin. The Ebro River drains most of Aragon with the exception of its southernmost portion, which is linked to the Tagus River basin and the Mediterranean Sea. The Sierra de Gúdar occupies almost all of Teruel province as well as the southwestern corner of Zaragoza.

Most of the land is cultivated by dry farming, producing crops of wheat, barley, olives, and grapes. The irrigated land, however, is far more productive and accounts for the better part of Aragon’s agricultural output. The principal crops of the irrigated zones are corn (maize), fodder, and fruit.