La Franja - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

La Franja is a term that refers to the Catalan

Catalan language

Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...

-speaking territories of 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...

bordering Catalonia

Catalonia

Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...

, in 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...

. It literally means "the strip" and can also more properly be called Franja d'Aragó or Franja de Ponent ("Western Strip") in Catalan

Catalan language

( "Eastern Strip", "Aragonese Strip").

La Franja is usually considered to be comprised by a part of the municipalities of the following Aragonese administrative comarcas: la Ribagorza/Ribagorça, La Litera/La Llitera, Bajo Cinca/Baix Cinca, Bajo Aragón-Caspe/Baix Aragó-Casp

Bajo Aragón-Caspe/Baix Aragó-Casp

Bajo Aragón-Caspe or Baix Aragó-Casp is a comarca in eastern Aragon, bordering the Spanish Autonomous Community of Catalonia.It borders the Aragonese comarques of Matarranya, Monegros, Bajo Cinca, Bajo Martín and Ribera Baja del Ebro, and the Catalan comarques of Terra Alta, Baix Ebre, and Ribera...

, Bajo Aragón/Baix Aragó

Bajo Aragón

Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...

and Matarraña/Matarranya.

The thin strip of land is very diverse geographically, ranging from valleys in the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...

to the flat lands by the Ebro

Ebro

The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....

, all are included under this umbrella term. La Franja does not have any official political recognition within Aragon, nor is it a separate historical entity in and of itself; the territories only have in common being administratively and historically Aragonese and linguistically Catalan. The term is mostly used in neighbouring Catalonia, especially within Catalan nationalism

Catalan nationalism

Catalan nationalism or Catalanism , is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or full independence of Catalonia....

, though it has lately become common in Aragon too.

Origin of the names that refer to La Franja

The use of a term to refer to the eastern area of Aragon

Aragon

bordering Catalonia as based on linguistic criteria is recent. It was in 1929 —when he christened these as Marques de Ponent, "Western Marches

Marches

A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....

"— that Catalan geographer

Geographer

A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...

Pau Vila used for the first time a term designating jointly the Aragonese area where Catalan

Catalan language

is spoken.

This term was maintained in the second half of the 20th century by Catalan linguists such as Joan Coromines

Joan Coromines

Joan Coromines i Vigneaux was a linguist who made important contributions to the study of Catalan, Spanish and other Romance languages....

, along with other terms such as Marques d'Aragó (in Spanish, Marcas de Aragón, "Marches of Aragon"), Catalunya aragonesa (in Spanish, Cataluña aragonesa, "Aragonese Catalonia") or la ratlla d'Aragó (in Spanish, la raya de Aragón, "the Aragonese Strip").

Whichever term is used, they all refer to the eastern Catalan-speaking area of Aragon

Aragon

, which borders Catalonia to the west. These terms all originated in Catalonia

Catalonia

but later became popular in La Franja itself. They are therefore Catalonia-centered and hence the Ponent ("Western") reference in the term La Franja del Ponent, because these area lies to the west of Catalonia.

The term Franja de Ponent itself first appeared in the second half of the 1970s, during the Spanish transition to democracy

Spanish transition to democracy

The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...

:
At the Second International Congress of the Catalan Language (Segon Congrés Internacional de la Llengua Catalana) held in 1985, the normative authority on the Catalan language

Catalan language

, known as Institut d'Estudis Catalans
Institut d'Estudis Catalans
The Institut d'Estudis Catalans , also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture"....

, adopted Franja d'Aragó ("Aragonese Strip") as the denomination for the Catalan-speaking territories of Aragon for academic and linguistic purposes, while the denomination Franja de Ponent ("Western Strip") is used mainly in the political arena by some associations, groups and political parties associated with pancatalanism.

Later on, alternative denominations such as Aragón Oriental (in Catalan, Aragó Oriental), Franja Oriental or Franja de Levante (in Catalan, Franja de Llevant), all meaning roughly Eastern Aragon or Eastern Strip were created in Aragon

Aragon

Diverse meanings

While the term was created to designate a linguistic area, there are other issues in question:

The ecclesiastical sense
The linguistic sense
The political sense
The socio-economic sense

The ecclesiastical sense

Many parishes of what is now called la Franja had been historically part of the Diocese of Lleida

Lleida

Lleida is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida, as well as the largest city in the province and it had 137,387 inhabitants , including the contiguous municipalities of Raimat and Sucs. The metro area has about 250,000 inhabitants...

, along with other, non-Catalan-speaking Aragonese towns. In 1995, Catholic church authorities, through the Papal Nuncio

Nuncio

Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...

to Spain, informed the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference –Archbishop of Saragossa, Elías Yanes– of the decision of the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

to align the diocesan

Diocese

A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...

boundaries with the political and historical ones.

This meant that 111 parishes and a population of 68,089 were transferred from the Diocese of Lleida

Diocese of Lleida

The Diocese of Lleida is located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Lleida, part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Tarragona, and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Tarragona.The diocese of Lleida was created in the 3rd...

to the enlarged Diocese of Barbastro, whose name was then changed to Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón

Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón is located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Huesca, part of the autonomous community of Aragón. The diocese forms part of the ecclesiastical province of Zaragoza , and is thus suffragan to the Archdiocese of Zaragoza.The city of Barbastro is...

As for the reasons of the transfer, some Catalan ecclesiastical ranks considered that it was a result of the opposition of these Aragonese parishes to a short-lived debate on the convenience of creating a distinct Catalan Episcopal Conference

Episcopal Conference

In the Roman Catholic Church, an Episcopal Conference, Conference of Bishops, or National Conference of Bishops is an official assembly of all the bishops of a given territory...

, which would have been detached from the Spanish one. Other sources claim that the diocese of Barbastro (birthplace of the founder of Opus Dei, St. José María Escrivá de Balaguer) was losing population and needed to acquire neighbouring parishes from another diocese to be able to continue to exist .

The transfer of the parishes, specifically the ownership of the medieval artistic objects or sacred art comprised, originated an intricated series of lawsuits involving both dioceses (Barbastro-Monzón and Lleida), both autonomous governments (Aragón and Catalonia) and both legal systems canon

Canon law (Catholic Church)

The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...

and administrative law

Administrative law

Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...

.

It was finally decided by the ecclesiastic canon judges in 2005 that the 113 works of art belong to the Barbastro-Monzón diocese. The Lleida diocese released a statement accepting this decision but, at the same time, announced that then the administrative process would be opened, later on, it stated that talks should be opened to reach an agreement, in the end effectively protracting the end of the dispute. In the meantime, the works of art remain located in the Diocese Museum of Lleida. The lawsuit is known as the conflicto del patrimonio eclesiástico de la Franja (the conflict of the ecclesiastical heritage of the Franja) or del Aragón Oriental (of Eastern Aragon), and though it began as a local debate, it has become in became a national press story, especially due to the confrontation between the political forces of Aragon

Aragon

and Catalonia

Catalonia

.

On July 1, 2008 an agreement between the two dioceses was announced, again stating that the art pieces would return to the Barbastro-Monzón diocese. However, the situation remained stalled due to the continued refusal of the Catalan administration to issue an exit permit, something which eventually led to the Aragonese region president to open a criminal procedure

Criminal procedure

Criminal procedure refers to the legal process for adjudicating claims that someone has violated criminal law.-Basic rights:Currently, in many countries with a democratic system and the rule of law, criminal procedure puts the burden of proof on the prosecution – that is, it is up to the...

in February 2009, thus effectively giving up on the resolved yet stalled civil procedure

Civil procedure

Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits...

. Then the Vatican

Holy See

itself urged for the return of the pieces to Aragon, to no avail.

The linguistic sense

The Catalan language

Catalan language

is spoken by a significant proportion of the population of La Franja (about 90 %, the highest proportion of all the territories where this language is spoken). This despite the fact that it is not an official language and that it has a very limited presence in education (where it is only possible to study it as an optional subject), in administration and or public acts, which amounts for severe deficiences in writing competences of this language.

Territorial basis

The exact territorial limits of the Franja de Aragón differ depending on the source, since there are some municipalities of Ribagorza where there are doubts over whether or not to include them as Catalan-speaking or as Aragonese-speaking. The proportion of speakers of the two languages varies over time and with immigration according to the municipality, something which leads to different sources drawing slightly different linguistic borders.

According to the draft of the Aragonese Language Law

During the fourth session of the Cortes de Aragón (the parliament of Aragon) (1995–1999) under the PP

People's Party (Spain)

The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...

-PAR

Aragonese Party

The Aragonese Party is a political party which advocates the interests of Aragon within Spain. The party was founded in 1978 under the name Aragonese Regionalist Party, but changed its name in 1990, keeping the initials PAR....

coalition government the Special Commission Report on the Language Policy of Aragon was published. The report would be the basis for the Draft of the Language Law of Aragon published the following session (1999–2003) under the PSOE

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...

-PAR

Aragonese Party

coalition, where for the first time from the Cortes de Aragón would detail those municipalities which formed part of a Catalan-speaking community, with the aim of recognising co-officiality and encouraging the use of Catalan in public life and especially in education.

The law was never approved due to protests and petitions in Aragon opposed to the co-officiality of Catalan, promoted in the main part by the Federación de Asociaciones Culturales del Aragón Oriental (FACAO), a conservative organisation which maintained that the local 'linguistic modalities' were languages and not dialects of Catalan, and the lack of consensus on the issue among the Aragonese political parties. There are other civic associations staunchly rejecting the Catalan filiation of the language

According to the list of municipalities which could be considered to be areas of predominant use of its own language or linguistic modality or areas of predominant use of normalised Catalan in the Second annex of the Second Final Disposition of the Avant-project of the Language Law, La Franja would be composed of:

Municipality	Area (km²)	Population (2006)	Comarca	Province
Aguaviva Aguaviva Aguaviva or Aiguaviva de Bergantes is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 670 inhabitants....	42.2	691	Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...	Teruel 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....
Albelda Albelda Albelda is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 877 inhabitants....	51.9	892	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Alcampell Alcampell Alcampell or El Campell is a municipality located in La Litera/La Llitera, province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 849 inhabitants.-References:...	58.0	827	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Altorricón Altorricón Altorricón or El Torricó is a municipality located in the comarca of La Litera/La Llitera in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. With an extension of 32.03 km², the municipal district of Altorricón lies on the southern part of La Llitera, limiting with El Segrià . The district is...	32.4	1,469	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Arén Arén Arén or Areny de Noguera is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 364 inhabitants.-Villages:These include uninhabited villages:...	119.3	337	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Arens de Lledó Arens de Lledó Arens de Lledó or Arenys de Lledó is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 226 inhabitants....	34.3	227	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Azanuy-Alins Azanuy-Alins Azanuy-Alins or Sanui i Alins is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 179 inhabitants....	51.2	173	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Baélls Baélls Baélls or Baells is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 134 inhabitants....	39.8	125	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Baldellou Baldellou Baldellou or Valldellou is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 129 inhabitants.It has two official names: Baldellou and Valldellou....	30.4	115	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Beceite Beceite Beceite or Beseit is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , 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...	96.7	598	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Belmonte de San José Belmonte de San José Belmonte de San José or Bellmunt de Mesquí is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 147 inhabitants....	34.0	144	Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...	Teruel 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....
Benabarre Benabarre Benabarre or Benavarri is a town in the Aragonese county of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain.Traditionally, Benabarre was the capital of the historic County of Ribagorza, which was more expansive in territory than today, and included the comarca of Alta Ribagorça, now in the province...	157.1	1,160	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Bonansa Bonansa Bonansa is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 102 inhabitants....	37.3	101	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Calaceite Calaceite -Gastronomy:The flaonets de Calaceit are small flaons made in Calaceite. They are small pastries filled with pumpkin jam and honey. The flaonets were one of the traditional pastries fondly remembered by painter Salvador Dalí....	81.3	1,143	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Camporrélls Camporrélls Camporrélls or Camporrells is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 231 inhabitants....	26.7	217	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Castigaleu Castigaleu Castigaleu is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 115 inhabitants....	26.5	118	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Castillonroy Castillonroy Castillonroy or Castellonroi is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 382 inhabitants.It has two official names: Castillonroy and Castellonroi....	37.6	391	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Cretas Cretas Cretas or Cretes is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 588 inhabitants. It belongs to the Catalan-speaking strip in eastern Aragon known as La Franja.- External links :*...	52.7	630	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Estopiñán del Castillo Estopiñán del Castillo Estopiñán del Castillo or Estopanyà is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 217 inhabitants....	88.7	199	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Fabara Fabara Fabara or Favara de Matarranya is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,195 inhabitants...	101.6	1,221	Bajo Aragón-Caspe	Zaragoza Zaragoza (province) Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
Fayón Fayón Fayón or Faió is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 395 inhabitants....	67.2	427	Bajo Aragón-Caspe	Zaragoza Zaragoza (province) Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
Fórnoles Fórnoles Fórnoles or Fórnols de Matarranya is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 103 inhabitants....	32.6	105	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Fraga Fraga Fraga is the major town of the comarca of Bajo Cinca in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is located by the river Cinca.King Alfonso I of Aragon died at its walls in 1134 while trying to conquer it...	437.6	13,191	Bajo Cinca	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Fuentespalda Fuentespalda Fuentespalda or Fontdespatla is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 368 inhabitants....	39.0	347	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Isábena Isábena Isábena or Isàvena is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 278 inhabitants.The town rises at the feet of the rocky Morrón de Güell mountain range....	118.5	302	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
La Cañada de Verich La Cañada de Verich La Cañada de Verich or La Canyada de Veric is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 103 inhabitants....	10.9	104	Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...	Teruel 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....
La Cerollera La Cerollera La Cerollera or La Sorollera is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 122 inhabitants....	33.7	121	Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...	Teruel 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....
La Codoñera La Codoñera La Codoñera or La Codonyera is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 340 inhabitants....	21.0	351	Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...	Teruel 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....
La Fresneda La Fresneda La Fresneda or La Freixneda is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 451 inhabitants....	39.5	462	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
La Ginebrosa La Ginebrosa La Ginebrosa is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 240 inhabitants....	80.1	239	Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...	Teruel 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....
La Portellada La Portellada La Portellada is a municipality in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 277 inhabitants....	21.4	274	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Lascuarre Lascuarre Lascuarre or Lasquarri is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 146 inhabitants....	31.9	147	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Laspaúles Laspaúles Laspaúles or Les Paüls is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 277 inhabitants....	81.6	281	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Lledó Lledó Lledó \|province of Teruel]], Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 191 inhabitants....	15.6	181	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Maella Maella Maella is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,025 inhabitants. This town is located in La Franja, the local dialect is a variant of Catalan.-History:...	174.9	2,089	Bajo Aragón-Caspe	Zaragoza Zaragoza (province) Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
Mazaleón Mazaleón Mazaleón \|province of Teruel]], Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 587 inhabitants....	86.2	589	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Mequinenza Mequinenza Mequinenza or Mequinensa is a town and municipality of the province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It is located by the confluence of the rivers Segre and Ebro.-History & Features:...	307.2	2,533	Bajo Cinca	Zaragoza Zaragoza (province) Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
Monesma y Cajigar Monesma y Cajigar Monesma y Cajigar or Monesma i Queixigar is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 104 inhabitants....	62.6	111	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Monroyo Monroyo Monroyo or Mont-roig de Tastavins is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 324 inhabitants....	79.2	307	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Montanuy Montanuy Montanuy or Montanui is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 308 inhabitants....	174.1	311	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Nonaspe Nonaspe Nonaspe or Nonasp is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,042 inhabitants....	111.4	1,055	Bajo Aragón-Caspe	Zaragoza Zaragoza (province) Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
Peñarroya de Tastavins Peñarroya de Tastavins Peñarroya de Tastavins or Pena-roja is a municipality located in the Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 527 inhabitants...	83.3	488	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Peralta de Calasanz Peralta de Calasanz Peralta de Calasanz or Peralta de Calassanç is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 274 inhabitants....	114.9	261	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Puente de Montañana Puente de Montañana Puente de Montañana or El Pont de Montanyada is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 102 inhabitants....	48.6	88	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Ráfales Ráfales Ráfales or Ràfels is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 181 inhabitants....	35.6	156	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
San Esteban de Litera San Esteban de Litera San Esteban de Litera or Sant Esteve de Llitera is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 562 inhabitants....	71.9	512	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Sopeira Sopeira Sopeira is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 100 inhabitants....	44.1	102	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Tamarite de Litera Tamarite de Litera Tamarite de Litera or Tamarit de Llitera is the first major town of the comarca of La Litera/La Llitera in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain.It was reconquered from the Moors by Alfonso I of Aragon in 1107....	110.6	3,678	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Tolva Tolva Tolva or Tolba is a town in the province of Huesca, Spain. It is located 696 metres above sea level in the north-eastern part of Huesca, in the comarca of Ribagorza....	59.0	176	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Torre de Arcas Torre de Arcas Torre de Arcas or Torredarques is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 99 inhabitants....	34.3	93	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Torre del Compte Torre del Compte Torre del Compte or La Torre del Comte is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 169 inhabitants....	19.5	168	Matarraña	Teruel Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Torre la Ribera Torre la Ribera Torre la Ribera or Tor-la-ribera is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 117 inhabitants....	32.1	118	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Torrente de Cinca Torrente de Cinca Torrente de Cinca or Torrent de Cinca is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,002 inhabitants....	56.8	1,084	Bajo Cinca	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Torrevelilla Torrevelilla Torrevelilla or Torre de Vilella is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 199 inhabitants....	33.4	204	Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón Bajo Aragón or Baix Aragó is an administrative comarca in eastern central Aragon, Spain. It was first established in 1999. It has a population of 29,358 and an area of 1.304,2 km². The seat of the comarca is in Alcañiz...	Teruel 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....
Valdeltormo Valdeltormo Valdeltormo or La Vall de Tormo is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 354 inhabitants....	16.0	349	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Valderrobres Valderrobres Valderrobres or Vall-de-roures is a municipality and the major town of the comarca of Matarranya in the province of Teruel, Aragon . It is located in view of the landscape of the northwestern foothills of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, by the Matarranya River, a tributary to the right of the Ebro...	124.0	2,142	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Valjunquera Valjunquera Valjunquera or Valljunquera is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 420 inhabitants....	41.8	414	Matarraña	Teruel 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....
Velilla de Cinca Velilla de Cinca Velilla de Cinca or Vilella de Cinca is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 441 inhabitants.-See also:*Bajo Cinca/Baix Cinca...	16.5	469	Bajo Cinca	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Vencillón Vencillón Vencillón or Vensilló is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 446 inhabitants.It has two official names: Vencillón and Vensilló. -References:...	10.4	471	La Litera	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Veracruz Veracruz, Ribagorza Veracruz or Beranui is a municipality located in the Ribagorza comarca, province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 104 inhabitants....	63.8	111	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Viacamp y Litera Viacamp y Litera Viacamp y Litera or Viacamp i Lliterà is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 26 inhabitants....	107.7	25	Ribagorza	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
Zaidín Zaidín Zaidín or Saidí is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,721 inhabitants.-See also:*Bajo Cinca/Baix Cinca...	92.6	1,822	Bajo Cinca	Huesca Huesca (province) Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
62 municipalities of Aragon	4,442.8	47,236

According to the Institut d'Estudis Catalans

From the point of view of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans

Institut d'Estudis Catalans

The Institut d'Estudis Catalans , also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture"....

the territory is smaller, due to the fact the municipality of Torre la Ribera is not considered Catalan-speaking, and the municipalities of Azanuy-Alins, Isábena, Lascuarre and San Esteban de Litera are classified as transitional dialects. The Catalan-speaking lands are thus reduced to a total of 57 municipalities with an area of 4,137.2 km² with a population of 45,984.

According to the Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa

The situation is reversed according the Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa (GEA) with the Franja having an area of 5,370 km² and with a population of 70,000. It should be mentioned that the GEA does not recognise the denomination Franja but discusses its situation under Catalan in Aragon, nor does it specify in how many or which municipalities where Catalan is clearly spoken nor the date of the census on which its figures are based.

According to the Gran Geografia Comarcal of the GREC

| Total 70 municipalities y 3 nuclei according to the GREC>

Municipality/Urban nucleus	Area (km²)	Population (2006)
Benasque Benasque Benasque or Benasc is a town in the comarca of Ribagorza, province of Huesca, . It is the main town in the Benasque Valley, located in the heart of the Pyrenees and surrounded by the highest peaks in that range.-Language:...	233.6	2,045
Bisaurri Bisaurri Bisaurri or Bissaürri is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 248 inhabitants....	62.9	247
Castejón de Sos Castejón de Sos Castejón de Sos or Castilló de Sos is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 731 inhabitants....	31.8	733
Chía	26.1	113
Güell Güell The Güell is a river in Catalonia, Spain. It has a length of 1.5 kilometers, and passes through the city of Girona.... (1)	28.0	29
Laguarres (2)	33.0	71
Sahún Sahún Sahún or Saünc is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 241 inhabitants....	72.9	331
Sesué Sesué Sesué or Sessué is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 130 inhabitants....	5.2	125
Torres del Obispo (3)	32.0	163
Valle de Lierp Valle de Lierp Valle de Lierp or La Vall de Lierp is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 49 inhabitants....	32.8	47
Villanova Villanova Villanova may refer to:In botany:Villanova, a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae, an invalid name replaced by Flueggea, or bushweedVillanova , a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae.In education:*St...	6,9	154
8 municipalities and 3 nuclei	565.2	4,058
Franja de Aragon according to the Commission report	4.442,8	47,236
5.008,0	51,294

The Gran Geografia Comarcal of the Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana (GREC) classes the territorial area of the Franja de Aragon as larger than that defined by the Commission report although not as large as the GEA definition. All the municipalities which it adds to those of the Avant-project and of Ribagorza and therefore belong to the Province of Huesca. It adds a total of 8 municipalities and 3 population nuclei; Güell, Laguarres y Torres del Obispo, which form part of two municipalities; Graus in the case of the first and the third, and Capella the case of the second. The table to the right details the population nuclei and official area and population figures.

(1) Population centres belonging to the municipality of Graus
Graus
Graus is a village in the Spanish province of Huesca, located in the Pyrenees at the confluence of rivers Esera and Isabena. It is the administrative capital of the region. It is one of the areas of Aragon in which is still preserved the Aragonese language....

. Population figures according to Ayuntamiento (no date given), area according to GREC.net.
(2) Population centres belonging to the municipality of Capella
Capella, Aragon
Capella is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2009 census , the municipality has a population of 382 inhabitants.-Villages:*Capella, 312*Llaguarres, 75*Pociello, 17...

. Population 2004, area according to GREC.net.
(3) Population centres belonging to the municipality of Graus
Graus
Graus is a village in the Spanish province of Huesca, located in the Pyrenees at the confluence of rivers Esera and Isabena. It is the administrative capital of the region. It is one of the areas of Aragon in which is still preserved the Aragonese language....

. Population according to Ayuntamiento (no date given), area according to GREC.net.

Comparative table and map according to sources

Source	Nº munici- palities	% of Aragon	Area (km²)	% of Aragon	Population (2006)	% of Aragon
Avant-project of the Language Law	62	8.5	4,442.8	9.3	47,236	3.7
Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC)	57	7.8	4,137.2	8.3	45,984	3.6
Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa (GEA)	?	-	5,370.0	11.3	70,000	5.5
Grupo Enciclopedia Catalana (GREC)	70	9.6	5,008.0	10.5	51,294	4.0
Total Aragon	730	100.0	47,719.2	100.0	1,277,471	100.0

Toponymy

There is no unitary policy on official toponymy in the Franja leading to great variations between the local comarcalización laws in comparrison with those proposed by the IEC. The following table details the translation of the toponymy in Spanish to the official version in the local vernacular and that proposed by the IEC. At the bottom are the municipalities which the GREC includes in its definition of the Franja and the poposed names which it offers opposed to the official names:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"; border="5"}
! Spanish (1)
! Local variety or
linguistic vernacular
according to the
comarcalización law (1)
! Catalan
according to the IEC (2)
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" |Aguaviva

Aguaviva

Aguaviva or Aiguaviva de Bergantes is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 670 inhabitants....

Albelda

Albelda is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 877 inhabitants....

Alcampell

Alcampell or El Campell is a municipality located in La Litera/La Llitera, province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 849 inhabitants.-References:...

Altorricón

Altorricón or El Torricó is a municipality located in the comarca of La Litera/La Llitera in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. With an extension of 32.03 km², the municipal district of Altorricón lies on the southern part of La Llitera, limiting with El Segrià . The district is...

Arén

Arén or Areny de Noguera is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 364 inhabitants.-Villages:These include uninhabited villages:...

Arens de Lledó

Arens de Lledó or Arenys de Lledó is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 226 inhabitants....

Azanuy-Alins

Azanuy-Alins or Sanui i Alins is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 179 inhabitants....

Baélls

Baélls or Baells is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 134 inhabitants....

Baldellou

Baldellou or Valldellou is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 129 inhabitants.It has two official names: Baldellou and Valldellou....

Beceite

Beceite or Beseit is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , 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...

Belmonte de San José

Belmonte de San José or Bellmunt de Mesquí is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 147 inhabitants....

Benabarre

Benabarre or Benavarri is a town in the Aragonese county of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain.Traditionally, Benabarre was the capital of the historic County of Ribagorza, which was more expansive in territory than today, and included the comarca of Alta Ribagorça, now in the province...

Bonansa

Bonansa is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 102 inhabitants....

Calaceite

-Gastronomy:The flaonets de Calaceit are small flaons made in Calaceite. They are small pastries filled with pumpkin jam and honey. The flaonets were one of the traditional pastries fondly remembered by painter Salvador Dalí....

Camporrélls

Camporrélls or Camporrells is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 231 inhabitants....

Castigaleu

Castigaleu is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 115 inhabitants....

Castillonroy

Castillonroy or Castellonroi is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 382 inhabitants.It has two official names: Castillonroy and Castellonroi....

Cretas

Cretas or Cretes is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 588 inhabitants. It belongs to the Catalan-speaking strip in eastern Aragon known as La Franja.- External links :*...

Estopiñán del Castillo

Estopiñán del Castillo or Estopanyà is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 217 inhabitants....

Fabara

Fabara or Favara de Matarranya is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,195 inhabitants...

Fayón

Fayón or Faió is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 395 inhabitants....

Fórnoles

Fórnoles or Fórnols de Matarranya is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 103 inhabitants....

Fraga

Fraga is the major town of the comarca of Bajo Cinca in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is located by the river Cinca.King Alfonso I of Aragon died at its walls in 1134 while trying to conquer it...

Fuentespalda

Fuentespalda or Fontdespatla is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 368 inhabitants....

Isábena

Isábena or Isàvena is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 278 inhabitants.The town rises at the feet of the rocky Morrón de Güell mountain range....

La Cañada de Verich

La Cañada de Verich or La Canyada de Veric is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 103 inhabitants....

La Cerollera

La Cerollera or La Sorollera is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 122 inhabitants....

La Codoñera

La Codoñera or La Codonyera is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 340 inhabitants....

La Fresneda

La Fresneda or La Freixneda is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 451 inhabitants....

La Ginebrosa

La Ginebrosa is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 240 inhabitants....

La Portellada

La Portellada is a municipality in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 277 inhabitants....

Lascuarre

Lascuarre or Lasquarri is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 146 inhabitants....

Laspaúles

Laspaúles or Les Paüls is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 277 inhabitants....

Lledó

Lledó |province of Teruel]], Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 191 inhabitants....

Maella

Maella is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,025 inhabitants. This town is located in La Franja, the local dialect is a variant of Catalan.-History:...

Mazaleón

Mazaleón |province of Teruel]], Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 587 inhabitants....

Mequinenza

Mequinenza or Mequinensa is a town and municipality of the province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It is located by the confluence of the rivers Segre and Ebro.-History & Features:...

Monesma y Cajigar

Monesma y Cajigar or Monesma i Queixigar is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 104 inhabitants....

Monroyo

Monroyo or Mont-roig de Tastavins is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 324 inhabitants....

Montanuy

Montanuy or Montanui is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 308 inhabitants....

Nonaspe

Nonaspe or Nonasp is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,042 inhabitants....

Peñarroya de Tastavins

Peñarroya de Tastavins or Pena-roja is a municipality located in the Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 527 inhabitants...

Peralta de Calasanz

Peralta de Calasanz or Peralta de Calassanç is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 274 inhabitants....

Puente de Montañana

Puente de Montañana or El Pont de Montanyada is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 102 inhabitants....

Ráfales

Ráfales or Ràfels is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 181 inhabitants....

San Esteban de Litera

San Esteban de Litera or Sant Esteve de Llitera is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 562 inhabitants....

Sopeira

Sopeira is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 100 inhabitants....

Tamarite de Litera

Tamarite de Litera or Tamarit de Llitera is the first major town of the comarca of La Litera/La Llitera in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain.It was reconquered from the Moors by Alfonso I of Aragon in 1107....

Tolva

Tolva or Tolba is a town in the province of Huesca, Spain. It is located 696 metres above sea level in the north-eastern part of Huesca, in the comarca of Ribagorza....

Torre de Arcas

Torre de Arcas or Torredarques is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 99 inhabitants....

Torre del Compte

Torre del Compte or La Torre del Comte is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 169 inhabitants....

Torre la Ribera

Torre la Ribera or Tor-la-ribera is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 117 inhabitants....

Torrente de Cinca

Torrente de Cinca or Torrent de Cinca is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,002 inhabitants....

Torrevelilla

Torrevelilla or Torre de Vilella is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 199 inhabitants....

Valdeltormo

Valdeltormo or La Vall de Tormo is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 354 inhabitants....

Valderrobres

Valderrobres or Vall-de-roures is a municipality and the major town of the comarca of Matarranya in the province of Teruel, Aragon . It is located in view of the landscape of the northwestern foothills of the Ports de Tortosa-Beseit, by the Matarranya River, a tributary to the right of the Ebro...

Valjunquera

Valjunquera or Valljunquera is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 420 inhabitants....

Velilla de Cinca

Velilla de Cinca or Vilella de Cinca is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 441 inhabitants.-See also:*Bajo Cinca/Baix Cinca...

Vencillón

Vencillón or Vensilló is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 446 inhabitants.It has two official names: Vencillón and Vensilló. -References:...

Veracruz, Ribagorza

Veracruz or Beranui is a municipality located in the Ribagorza comarca, province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 104 inhabitants....

Viacamp y Litera

Viacamp y Litera or Viacamp i Lliterà is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 26 inhabitants....

Zaidín

Zaidín or Saidí is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,721 inhabitants.-See also:*Bajo Cinca/Baix Cinca...

| align="left" | Saidí
| align="left" | Saidí
|-
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"; border="5"}
!
!
! Catalan
according to the GREC (3)
|-
| style="font-size: 90%;" |Benasque

Benasque

Benasque or Benasc is a town in the comarca of Ribagorza, province of Huesca, . It is the main town in the Benasque Valley, located in the heart of the Pyrenees and surrounded by the highest peaks in that range.-Language:...

Bisaurri

Bisaurri or Bissaürri is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 248 inhabitants....

Castejón de Sos

Castejón de Sos or Castilló de Sos is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 731 inhabitants....

Sahún

Sahún or Saünc is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 241 inhabitants....

Sesué

Sesué or Sessué is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 130 inhabitants....

Valle de Lierp

Valle de Lierp or La Vall de Lierp is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 49 inhabitants....

Villanova

Villanova may refer to:In botany:*Villanova, a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae, an invalid name replaced by Flueggea, or bushweed*Villanova , a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae.In education:*St...

| align="left" | Billanoba
| align="left" | Vilanova d'Éssera
|-
|}

(1) Sources of the official denominations in Spanish and local vernacular:

Boletín Oficial de Aragón (BOA): Ley 10/2002, de 03 de mayo, de creación de la comarca del Bajo Aragón / Ley 12/2003, de 24 de marzo, de creación de la comarca del Bajo Aragón-Caspe /
Ley 20/2002, de 07 de octubre, de creación de la comarca del Bajo Cinca / Ley 25/2002, de 12 de noviembre, de creación de la comarca de La Litera / Ley 07/2002, de 15 de abril, de creación de la comarca del Matarraña / Ley 12/2002, de 28 de mayo, de creación de la comarca de la Ribagorza.

(2) Source of the denominations in Catalan according to the Institut d'Estudis Catalans
Institut d'Estudis Catalans
The Institut d'Estudis Catalans , also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture"....

(IEC):

Lista de denominaciones en catalán aprobada por la Sección Filológica del IEC en reunión del día 15 de diciembre de de 1995, en la reunión de la Sección Filológica de 15 de enero de 1999 se decidió incluir en la lista el topónimo "Vensilló" al ser un municipio de nueva creación. En la primera reunión los municipios de Azanuy-Alins, Isábena, Lascuarre y San Esteban de Litera se excluyeron de la lista oficial de municipios de lengua catalana de la Franja de Aragón, listándose a parte como municipios pertenecientes a un área de transición lingüística.

(3) Source of the denominations in Catalan according to the Grupo Enciclopedia Catalana: http://www.grec.cat

Political sense

The Political significance of La Franja goes hand in hand with the Catalanist political movement, which has always considered this part of Aragon as historical Catalonia, which through history has ended up detached from its cultural community, a community which is fundamental to the pan-Catalanic nation.

This new interpretation as part of the political connotation ascribed to the Catalan Countries

Catalan Countries

The Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...

emerged throughout the 20th Century—and especially after the 1960s—encouraged in the main part by the Valencian Joan Fuster

Joan Fuster

Joan Fuster i Ortells was a Valencian writer, who published mostly in Catalan.- Life and works :He was born in the village of Sueca near Valencia, Spain, in a relatively prosperous middle class family. Both his parents were pious Roman Catholics and Carlists. His father was a renowned local...

. Pan-Catalanism demands the creation of a nation-state for the Catalan Countries in which the cultural unity is based on the Catalan linguistic community.

There has never been a political movement from the Franja promoting union with Catalonia, and separation from Aragon, in order to form a new political entity. In the same way, Catalanist political parties do not participate in municipal or regional elections.

Socioeconomic sense

The socioeconomic meaning of the Franja relates to the economic region surrounding the Catalan city of Lleida

Lleida

, which encompasses Catalan-speaking Huescan and Zaragozan municipalities and excludes those in the region of Teruel and includes Spanish-speaking municipalities such as Alcolea de Cinca

Alcolea de Cinca

Alcolea de Cinca is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,245 inhabitants.-See also:*List of municipalities in Huesca...

, Binéfar

Binéfar

Binéfar or Binèfar is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2008 census , the municipality has a population of 9,288 inhabitants....

, Monzón

Monzón

Monzón is a small town in the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It has a population of 17,050. It is located in the northeast and adjoins the rivers Cinca and Sosa.-Historical overview:...

, etc... The area of influence of Lleida is especially reflected in editions of the local Lleida press for example La Mañana-Franja de Ponent and also of Aragon as shown by the digital publication Franja Digital.

External links

Ecclesiastic meaning

The ecclesiastical heritage in eastern Aragon, special issue of "Heraldo de Aragón"
The ecclesiastical heritage in La Franja, special issue of "El Periódico de Aragón"
The ecclesiastical heritage in La Franja, Observatory of the Spanish Historical Heritage
Image gallery and map with the dioceses borders

Cultural meaning

ASCUMA Associació Cultural del Matarranya. Promotes Catalan language and culture in Matarraña.
CERIb Centro de Estudios Ribagorzanos. Studies and promotes Catalan language in Ribagorza.
Institut d'Estudis del Baix Cinca Promotes Catalan culture in La Franja.
Catalan in Aragon - News and resources about Catalan in La Franja
Map of Language distribution in Aragon, by Francho Nagore
The Western Strip Cultural Institution. Promotes Catalan culture in La Franja.
Acció Cultural del País Valencià - Its "Casal Jaume I" promotes Catalan culture in Fraga. Delegations on Fraga
Fraga
Fraga is the major town of the comarca of Bajo Cinca in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. It is located by the river Cinca.King Alfonso I of Aragon died at its walls in 1134 while trying to conquer it...

and Castillonroy
Castillonroy
Castillonroy or Castellonroi is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 382 inhabitants.It has two official names: Castillonroy and Castellonroi....
FACAO Federación de Asociaciones Culturales del Aragón Oriental. Analogously to blaverists
Blaverism
Blaverism is a body of ideas in the Valencian Community, Spain that emerged with the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of Francisco Franco, and characterised by its opposition to Joan Fuster's book Nosaltres, els valencians , which revived the concept of Països Catalans which...

in Valencia
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...

, they affirm that no Catalan is spoken in La Franja, but "Eastern Aragonese".

Others

Cinca river as frontier in History About the frontier changes between Aragon and Catalonia in la Franja.
Franja de Ponent, entry on the Great Catalan Encyclopedia
Great Catalan Encyclopedia
The Great Catalan Encyclopedia is a Catalan-language encyclopedia, started by fascicles, and published in 1968 by Edicions 62. The soul of the work was written by Max Cahner, and the first director was Jordi Carbonell i Ballester...

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