Beceite
Encyclopedia
Beceite or Beseit (bəˈzɛjt, beˈzejt) is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel
, Aragon
, Spain
. According to the 2004 census
(INE
), the municipality has a population of 603 inhabitants. It is part of the Taula del Sénia
free association of municipalities.
This town gives its name to the Ports de Beseit
massive limestone
mountain range rising around it. It belongs to the Catalan-speaking strip in eastern Aragon known as La Franja
.
There are many derelict mills
in Beseit, reminders of what used to be an industrial town. One of the main products used to be playing cards. The former mills were powered by the water of the Matarranya River
and its tributaries. Some of them have been converted into hotels catering for rural tourism
.
The rocky Penyagalera
mountain rises 4 km east of the town.
Teruel (province)
Teruel is a province of Aragon, in the northeast of Spain. The capital is Teruel.It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia , Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Zaragoza....
, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. According to the 2004 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
(INE
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
), the municipality has a population of 603 inhabitants. It is part of the Taula del Sénia
Taula del Sénia
The Taula del Sénia or Mancomunitat de la Taula del Sénia is a mancomunitat or free association of municipalities made up of 22 towns, totalling up to 100,000 people, of some of the comarcas that make up the center of the historical region of Ilercavonia , Spain...
free association of municipalities.
This town gives its name to the Ports de Beseit
Ports de Tortosa-Beseit
Ports de Tortosa-Beseit , also known as Ports de Beseit, or simply as Els Ports or Lo Port by locals, is a limestone mountain massif located at the north-eastern end of the Sistema Ibérico, a complex system of mountain ranges and massifs in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Its highest point is...
massive limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
mountain range rising around it. It belongs to the Catalan-speaking strip in eastern Aragon known as La Franja
La Franja
La Franja is a term that refers to the Catalan-speaking territories of Aragon bordering Catalonia, in Spain. It literally means "the strip" and can also more properly be called Franja d'Aragó or Franja de Ponent in Catalan ....
.
There are many derelict mills
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in Beseit, reminders of what used to be an industrial town. One of the main products used to be playing cards. The former mills were powered by the water of the Matarranya River
Matarranya River
The Matarranya River is a river in the provinces of Teruel and Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It begins its course at 1,200 m nordeast of the Tossal d'Encanader, Ports de Beseit. limestone massif near La Pobla de Benifassà....
and its tributaries. Some of them have been converted into hotels catering for rural tourism
Rural tourism
Rural tourism focuses on participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Any village can be a tourist attraction, and many villagers are very hospitable. Agriculture is becoming highly mechanized and therefore requires less manual labor...
.
The rocky Penyagalera
Penyagalera
Penyagalera is a rocky mountain in the northern side of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, Aragon, Spain. Punta de Penyagalera, the highest summit, has an altitude of 1,034.4 metres above sea level....
mountain rises 4 km east of the town.