Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

HUESCA

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 855 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

HUESCA , a frontier See also:

province of See also:northern See also:Spain, formed in' 1833 of districts previously belonging to See also:Aragon; and bounded on the N. by See also:France, E. and S.E. by See also:Lerida, S.W. and W. by See also:Saragossa, and N.W. by See also:Navarre. Pop. (1900) 244,867; See also:area 5848 sq. m. The entire northern See also:half of Huesca belongs to the See also:mountain See also:system of the See also:Pyrenees, which here attain their greatest altitudes in Aneto, the highest point of the Maladetta See also:ridge (11,168 ft.), and in See also:Monte Perdido (10,997 ft.). The See also:southern half forms See also:part of the rugged and high-lying See also:plateau of Aragon. Its only conspicuous range of hills is the Sierra de Alcubierre on the See also:south-western border. The whole province is included in the See also:basin of the See also:Ebro, and is drained by four of its See also:principal tributaries—the Aragon in the See also:north-See also:west, the Gallego in the west, the Cinca in the centre, and the Noguera Ribagorzana along part of the eastern border. These See also:rivers rise among the Pyrenees, and take a southerly course; the two last-named unite with the Segre on their way to join the Ebro. The Cinca receives the combined See also:waters of the Alcanadre and Isuela on the right and the Esera on the See also:left. The See also:climate varies much according to the region; in the north, See also:cold winds from the See also:snow-capped Pyrenees prevail, while in the south, the warm summers are often unhealthy from the humidity of the See also:atmosphere. See also:Agriculture, the leading See also:industry of Huesca, is facilitated by a fairly See also:complete system of See also:irrigation, by means of which much See also:waste See also:land has been reclaimed, although large tracts remain barren. There is See also:good summer pasturage on the mountains, where See also:cattle, See also:sheep and See also:swine are reared.

The mountains are richly clothed with forests of See also:

pine, See also:beech, See also:oak and See also:fir; and the southern regions, wherever cultivation is possible, produce abundant crops of See also:wheat and other cereals, vines, mulberries and numerous other fruits and vegetables. The See also:mineral resources include argentiferous See also:lead, See also:copper, See also:iron and See also:cobalt, with See also:salt, See also:lignite, See also:limestone, millstone, See also:gypsum, See also:granite and See also:slate. None of these, however, occurs in large quantities; and in 1903 only salt, lignite and fluor-spar were worked, while the See also:total output was See also:worth less than £1500. Mineral springs are numerous, and the See also:mining industry was formerly much more important; but the difficulties of trans-See also:port hinder the development of this and other resources. See also:Trade is most active with France, whither are sent See also:timber, millstones, cattle, See also:leather, See also:brandy and See also:wine. Between 1882 and 1892 the wine trade throve greatly, owing to the demand for See also:common red wines, suitable for blending with finer See also:French vintages; but the exports subsequently declined, owing to the protective duties imposed by France. The manufactures, which are of little importance, include See also:soap, See also:spirits, leather, pottery and coarse See also:cloth. The Saragossa-Lerida-See also:Barcelona railway traverses the province, and gives See also:access, by two See also:branch lines, to See also:Jaca, by way of Huesca, the provincial See also:capital, and to Barbastro. Up to the beginning of the loth See also:century this was the only railway completed, although it was supplemented by many good roads. But by the Railway See also:Convention of 1904, ratified by the See also:Spanish See also:government in 1906, France and Spain agreed jointly to construct a Transpyrenean See also:line from Oloron, in the Basses Pyrenees, to Jaca, which should pass through the Port de Canfranc, and connect Saragossa with See also:Pau. Apart from the episcopal cities of Huesca (pop. r9oo, 12,626) and Jaca (4934), which are separately described, the only towns in the province with more than 5000 inhabitants are Barbastro (7033), an agricultural See also:market, and Fraga (6899), an See also:ancient See also:residence of the See also:kings of Aragon, with a See also:fine 12th century See also:parish See also:church and a ruined Moorish citadel. Monzon, See also:long celebrated as the See also:meeting-See also:place of the Aragonese and Catalonian parliaments, is a See also:town on the See also:lower Cinca, with the ruins of a See also:Roman fortification, and of a 12th century See also:castle, which was owned by the Knights Templar.

End of Article: HUESCA

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
HUELVA (the ancient Onuba, Onoba, or Onuba Aestuari... 		[next]
HUESCA (anc. Osca)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries