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TARRAGONA

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 431 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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TARRAGONA , a maritime See also:

province in the See also:north-See also:east of See also:Spain, formed in 1833 from the See also:southern See also:part of the province of See also:Catalonia, and bounded on the S.E. by the Mediterranean, N.E. by See also:Barcelona, N. by See also:Lerida, W. by See also:Saragossa and See also:Teruel, and S.W. by Castellon de la Plana. Pop. (1900) 337,964; See also:area, 2505 sq. m. The See also:Ebro flows through the southern portion of the province, and the other See also:chief streams are the Gaya and the Francoli. These three See also:rivers flow See also:south into the Mediterranean. Below See also:Tortosa, the Ebro forms a conspicuous marshy See also:delta jutting out into the See also:sea, but elsewhere the even south-westward See also:curve of the See also:coast-See also:line is unbroken by any noteworthy headland or indentation. The province, although mountainous, is naturally fertile. The hills are clothed with vineyards, which produce excellent wines, and in the valleys are cultivated all kinds of See also:grain, vegetables, See also:rice, See also:hemp, See also:flax and See also:silk. See also:Olive, See also:orange, filbert and See also:almond trees reach See also:great perfection, and the mountains yield See also:rich pastures and See also:timber trees of various kinds. The See also:climate is temperate on the coast and in the centre, See also:cold in the See also:highlands, very warm and See also:damp in the valleys and on the See also:banks of the rivers as they near the sea. Manufactures are well advanced, and comprise silk, See also:cotton, See also:linen and woollen fabrics, See also:velvet, See also:felt, See also:soap, See also:leather and See also:spirits. There are also many See also:potteries and cooperages, and See also:flour, See also:paper and oil See also:mills.

See also:

Silver, See also:copper, See also:lead and other minerals have been found, and quarries of See also:marble and See also:jasper are worked in the hills. The See also:fisheries produce more than £20,000 yearly. There are upwards of 250 M. of See also:railways, which See also:link together all the large towns, and include the important See also:main lines along the coast and up the Ebro valley. The cities of Tarragona (pop., 1900, 23,423) and Tortosa (24,452), which are the See also:principal seaports, and the towns of See also:Reus (26,681) and See also:Valls (12,625) are described in See also:separate articles. Mont-blanch (5243) is the only other See also:town with a See also:population exceeding 5000. The See also:people of Tarragona are, like almost all the inhabitants of Catalonia (q.v.), See also:hardy, enterprising and industrious. Although the See also:birth-See also:rate considerably exceeds the See also:death-rate, the population tends to decrease slightly, as many families emigrate.

End of Article: TARRAGONA

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