Garrigues

Garrigues

Country: Spain
Autonomous community: Catalonia
Province: Lleida
Capital: Les Borges Blanques

Municipalities: L'Albagés, L'Albi, Arbeca, Bellaguarda, Les Borges Blanques, Bovera, Castelldans, Cervià de les Garrigues, El Cogul, L'Espluga Calba, La Floresta, Fulleda, La Granadella, Granyena de les Garrigues, Juncosa, Juneda, Els Omellons, La Pobla de Cérvoles, Puiggròs, El Soleràs, Tarrés, Els Torms, El Vilosell, Vinaixa
Area: Total 799.7 km2 (308.8 sq mi)
Population: Total 18,999
Density: 23.8/km2 (61.5/sq mi)
Time zone: CET (UTC+1)
Largest municipality: Les Borges Blanques

Les Garrigues is a comarca (county) in Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Les Borges Blanques. Its symbol (on the flag and shield in the right panel) is an olive branch, Les Garrigues being the center of olive cultivation (most of it without the necessity of irrigation) in all of Catalonia.

History

The cave paintings at Roca des Moros del Cogul are the most important vestiges of prehistoric settlement in Les Garrigues. A Neolithic tomb has been found at Les Borges Blanques. During the Iberian era, the comarca was settled by the Ilergetians. There is documentation also for Roman summer residences and country villas, particularly in the north, but the Roman influence died out soon after.

The Web site Catalunya en Linia gives the following history of later times:
The territory of Les Garrigues was included in the vegueria, later corregiment (territorial divisions in force before and after 1716, respectively) of Lleida, with the exceptions of L'Albi, Cervià, and L'Espluga Calba, which belonged to the vegueria of Montblanc (after 1716, to the corregiment of Tarragona).

Ecclesiastically it was divided into the dioceses of Tarragona (Cervià, La Pobla de Cèrvoles, El Vilosell, L'Albi, Vinaixa, Tarrès, Fulleda, Els Omellons, L'Espluga Calba and Arbeca) and of Lleida. In 1833 the county was included in the administrative area of Lleida, in the province of the same name.

However, in 1808 the administrative area of Les Borges Blanques was created (recently annexed again to Lleida), and this area essentially served as the basis (with the inclusion of Granyena and the exclusion of Belianes) for a new county called Les Garrigues, created in 1936 by the Government of Catalonia.

The name given to the county also traditionally included the farming communities of the Segrià, especially Maials, Llardecans and Almatret. On the other hand, the inhabitants of the lower part of the county (from Les Borges Blanques and Castelldans to the north) have been considered as traditionally belonging to El Pla d'Urgell; and Vinaixa to the east, as belonging to La Segarra.
In the new territorial divisions drawn up at the end of the 1980s, the municipality of Torregrossa previously pertaining to Les Garrigues was incorporated into the county of El Pla d'Urgell.

Municipalities

L'Albagés - population: 512
L'Albi - population: 826
Arbeca - population: 2,295
Bellaguarda - population: 351
Les Borges Blanques - population: 5,365
Bovera - population: 378
Castelldans - population: 962
Cervià de les Garrigues - population: 842
El Cogul - population: 224
L'Espluga Calba - population: 429
La Floresta - population: 186
Fulleda - population: 113
La Granadella - population: 777
Granyena de les Garrigues - population: 165
Juncosa - population: 589
Juneda - population: 2,992
Els Omellons - population: 253
La Pobla de Cérvoles - population: 233
Puiggròs - population: 259
El Soleràs - population: 428
Tarrés - population: 115
Els Torms - population: 188
El Vilosell - population: 233
Vinaixa - population: 600

In the southern sector of the central Catalan depression, near the zone watered by the Urgell canal —which includes some of the towns on the north side —, hilly in the south with the reliefs of the Llena, Corregó and Tallat ranges. The high plateaux are covered by olive groves as thick as forests. Les Borges Blanques is the capital, and there are towns of great character in the area. During the Muslim period, it was divided between Lleida and Siurana, and during the Reconquest between the dioceses of Tarragona and Lleida. Lordly jurisdiction was in the hands of various nobles and monastic orders: remains of their castles are still to be seen. The economy is agricultural, specialising in the cultivation of olives, since the trees are well adapted to local climatic conditions. The variety known as arbequina produces a highly-prized oil. The cooperative movement has strong roots in the area. There is little or no tourist infrastructure.