Information about Zaragoza
| Zaragoza | |||||
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| Location | |||||
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| Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Native name | Zaragoza (Spanish) | ||||
| Spanish name | Zaragoza | ||||
| Founded | 24 BC | ||||
| Postal code | 50001 - 50018 | ||||
| Website | http://www.zaragoza.es/ | ||||
| Administration | |||||
| Country | Spain | ||||
| Autonomous Community | Aragon | ||||
| Province | Zaragoza | ||||
| Comarca | Zaragoza | ||||
| Administrative Divisions | 13 | ||||
| Mayor | Juan Alberto Belloch (PSOE) | ||||
| Geography | |||||
| Land Area | 1062,64 km | ||||
| Altitude | 199 m AMSL | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 660,895 (2006) | ||||
| - rank in Spain: | 5 | ||||
| Density | 601.14 hab./km () | ||||
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Zaragoza, sometimes called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the autonomous region and former Kingdom of Aragon in Spain. It is situated on the river Ebro and its tributaries, the Huerva and Gállego, near the centre of the region, in a valley with a variety of landscapes, ranging from desert (Los Monegros) to thick forest, meadows and mountains.
According to 2006 data from the Zaragoza council [1], the population of the city of Zaragoza was 660,895, ranking fifth in Spain. The population of the metropolitan area was estimated in 2006 at 702,662 inhabitants. The municipality is home to more than 50% of the Aragon population. The city lies at an altitude of 199 metres above sea level, and constitutes a crossroads between Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao—all of which are located about 300 kilometres (200 miles) from Zaragoza.
History
Early history
The city used to have the name Salduba, a Punic name of a Carthaginian military post built on the remains of a Celtiberian village, when the Romans invaded the area it fell under colonia of Caesaraugusta, founded under Augustus in Hispania Citerior.Arab Saraqusta
In 714 The Arabs took control of the city, naming it Saraqusta (سرقسطة). It later became part of the Emirate of Cordoba, It grew to become the biggest Arab city of Northern Spain. In 777 Charlemagne attempted to take the city but he was forced to withdraw when faced by the organized defense of the city and the Basque attacks in the rear (Chanson de Roland).From 1018 to 1118 Zaragoza was one of the taifa kingdoms, independent Muslim states which emerged in the 11th century following the destruction of the Cordoban Caliphate. During the first three decades of this period, 1018–1038, the city was ruled by the Banu Tujib. In 1038 they were replaced by the Banu Hud, who had to deal with a complicated alliance with El Cid of Valencia and his Castillian Masters against the Almoravids who managed to bring the Taifas Emirates under their control. After the death of El Cid his kingdom was overrun by Almoravids and by 1100 Almoravids had managed to cross the Ebro into Barbastro, which brought Aragon into direct contact with Almoravids, The Banu Hud stubbornly resisted Almoravids and ruled until they were eventually defeated by the Almoravids in May 1110. The last sultan of the Banu Hud, Abd-al-Malik Imad ad-Dawla, the last king of Zaragoza, forced to abandon his capital, allied himself with the Christian Aragonese under Alfonso I el Batallador and from the time the Muslims of Zaragoza became military regulars within the Aragonese forces.
Aragonese era
In 1118 the Aragonese conquered the city from the Almoravids and made it the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon. At his death without heirs in 1137, Zaragoza was swiftly occupied by Alfonso VII of León-Castile, who vacated it in 1137 only on condition it be held by Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona as a fief of Castile.Zaragoza was the scene of two controversial martyrdoms related with the Spanish Inquisition: those of Saint Dominguito del Val, a choirboy in the basilica, and Pedro de Arbués, head official of the inquisition.
It suffered two famous sieges during the Peninsular War against Napoleonic army: a first from June to August 1808; and a second from December 1808 to February 1809 (see Agustina de Aragón).
During the Spanish Civil War it was aimed to be taken by the Durruti Column, led by Buenaventura Durruti.
Climate
Zaragoza has a mediterranean continental desert climate as it is surrounded by mountains. The average rainfall is a scanty 310 mm with abundant sunny days, and the rainfalls centers in spring. There is drought in summer. The temperatures are high in summer reaching up to 40°C (102°F). In Winter the temperatures are low (usually 0 to 10 °C) either because of the fog (about 20 days from November to January) or a cold and dry wind blowing from the NW, the Cierzo (related to other northerly winds such as the Mistral in the SE of France and the Tramontana in Cataluña) in the clear days.Economy
In addition to the advantageous geographic situation, a General Motors Opel factory was opened in 1982 in Figueruelas, a small village nearby. The progressive decline of the agrarian economy turned Opel into one of the main pillars of the regional economy, along with: Balay, which manufactures household appliances; CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles S.A.) which builds railway engines for both the national and international markets; SAICA and Torraspapel in the stationery sector; and various more local companies, such as Pikolin and Lacasa, that are gradually making their ways into the international market.As of 2006, the city's economy is benefitting from projects like Expo 2008 (the next official World's Fair, with the theme of water and sustainable development, to be held between June 14 and September 13, 2008), [2], Plataforma Logística de Zaragoza (PLAZA), Parque Tecnológico de Reciclado (PTR), as well as being on the route of the AVE high-speed rail route since December 2003, which consolidates the city role as a communications hub.
Zaragoza is home to a Spanish Air Force base, which was (until September 1992) shared with the U.S. Air Force. In English, the base was known as Zaragoza Air Base. The Spanish Air Force maintained an F/A-18 Hornet wing at the base. No American flying wings (with the exception of a few KC-135's) were permanently based here, but it served as a training base for American fighter squadrons across Europe. It is the main headquarters for the Spanish Land Army, hosting the Academia General Militar, a number of brigades at San Gregorio, and other garrisons.
Culture
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View of Zaragoza by Juan Bautista Martinez del Mazo.
The event, called "Las Fiestas del Pilar", is celebrated on October 12, which is a major festival day in Zaragoza. Since it coincided in 1492 with the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, that day is also celebrated as El Día de la Hispanidad (Columbus Day, literally Hispanic Day) by Spanish-speaking people worldwide.
"El Pilar" lasts for nine days, with all kinds of acts: from the massively attended Pregon (opening speech) to the final fireworks display over the Ebro, there are bands, dances, procession of gigantes y cabezudos (carnival figures made of papier mache), concerts, exhibitions, the famous "vaquillas" bulls and the bull festival. Some of the most important features are the Ofrenda de Flores (Flower offering) to the virgin on the 12th, when an enormous cloak is made of the flowers
Sport
Zaragoza was strongly associated with Jaca in its failed bid for the 2014 Winter Olympics. It would have hosted the Opening and Closing ceremonies (at La Romareda stadium), as well as most of the ice events venues.Zaragoza's football team, Real Zaragoza, plays in the Primera división. One of the most remarkable events in the team's recent history is the winning of the former UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1995. The team has also won the Spanish National Cup "Copa del Rey" six times: 1965, 1966, 1986, 1994, 2001 and 2004 and a Fairs Cup (1965).
Zaragoza's handball team, CAI BM Aragón, plays in the Liga ASOBAL.
Their local basketball team, CAI Zaragoza, is now on the LEB league.
Places of interest
Near the basilica on the banks of the Ebro are located the city hall, the Lonja (old currency exchange), the La Seo or Cathedral of San Salvador, a magnificent church buildt over the main mosque (partially preserved in the 11th century nord wall of the Parroquieta), with romanesque apses from 12th century; inside, the imponent hallenkirche from 15-16th centuries ,the baroque tower, and, finally, with its famous Museum of Trapestries. Near, the Roman ruins of forum and port city wall.Near this area is a tapas zone called El Tubo and a nightclub district called El Casco Viejo. Other nightclub districts are La Zona ,El Rollo and "el ambiente" (for gay public)
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Outside View of the Aljafería
The churches of San Pablo, Santa María Magdalena and San Gil are built in 14th century, but towers can be old minarets of 11th century; San Miguel of 14th century; Santiago (San Ildefonso) and Fecetas monastery are baroque with mudejar ceilings of 17th century. All churches are Mudéjar monuments of that comprise the World Heritage Site
Other important sights are the estately houses and magnificient palaces in the city, mainly of 16th century: palaces of condes de Morata or Luna (Audiencia), Deán, Torrero (colegio de Arquitectos), Don Lope or Real Maestranza, condes de Sástago, condes de Argillo (today Pablo Gargallo museum), archbishop, etc.
The most important Zaragoza museums are the Museum of Fine Arts, with paintings of early Aragonese artists, 15th century, and of El Greco, Ribera and Goya, and the Camon Aznar Museum, with paintings ranging from Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Velazquez and Goya to Renoir, Manet and Sorolla.
Zaragoza is linked by Renfe's AVE high-speed rail service to Madrid and to Tarragona (via Lérida), and to Barcelona next 21 December 2007, in Catalonia.
Demographics
Population growth, in thousands, can be seen here:| 1991 | 1996 | 2001 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 594 394 | 601 674 | 610 976 | 638 799 | 647 373 | 660 895 |
- Historical Series of population: National Statistics Institute of Spain (INE)
- Dates 2006 City council of Zaragoza.
Sister cities
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The following cities are twinned with Zaragoza:[3]
- Pau
France
- Biarritz France
- Móstoles
Spain
- Bethlehem
Palestinian Territories
- León
Nicaragua
- La Plata Argentina
- Zaragoza
See also
Monuments
Carmen GateNotes
External links
- Council of Zaragoza
- Zaragoza Monuments, Galleries, Walks and Attractions
- Tourist attractions in Zaragoza
- Bardenas Reales desert (Aragon/Navarra)
- * Maps and aerial photos for Coordinates:
- Maps from Google Maps, Live Search Maps, , Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
- Topographic maps from TopoZone
- Landuse survey from GlobalGuide
time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. Most adjacent time zones are exactly one hour apart, and by convention compute their local time as an offset from UTC (see also Greenwich Mean Time).
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Spanish, Castilian}}}
Writing system: Latin (Spanish variant)
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: —
ISO 639-3: —
Spanish (
..... Click the link for more information.
Spanish, Castilian}}}
Writing system: Latin (Spanish variant)
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: —
ISO 639-3: —
Spanish (
..... Click the link for more information.postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail.
Germany was the first country to introduce a postal code system, in 1941.
..... Click the link for more information.A website (alternatively, Web site or web site) is a collection of Web pages, images, videos or other digital assets that is hosted on one or several Web server(s), usually accessible via the Internet, cell phone or a LAN.
..... Click the link for more information.Administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to jurisdiction.United States
..... Click the link for more information.In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government.
..... Click the link for more information.Motto
"Plus Ultra" (Latin)
"Further Beyond"
Anthem
"Marcha Real" 1
..... Click the link for more information.Spain
This article is part of the series:
Politics of Spain- Constitution
- 1978 Constitution
- King
- Juan Carlos I
..... Click the link for more information.Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón
Comunidá Autonoma d'Aragón
Comunitat Autònoma d'Aragó
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Himno de Aragón
Capital Zaragoza
Official language(s) Spanish
Area
– Total
..... Click the link for more information.province is a territorial unit, almost always a country subdivision.Roman provinces
The word is attested in English since c.1330, deriving from Old French province (13th c.
..... Click the link for more information.Zaragoza (also called Saragossa in English) is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon. It is bordered by the provinces of Lerida, Tarragona, Teruel, Guadalajara, Soria, La Rioja, Navarre, and Huesca.
..... Click the link for more information.A comarca (meaning shire, Spanish and Portuguese plural comarcas, Catalan plural comarques) is a traditional region or local administrative subdivision found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama and Brazil.
..... Click the link for more information.A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "larger", "greater") is the modern title of the highest ranking municipal officer.
In many systems, the mayor is an elected politician who serves as chief executive and/or ceremonial official of many types of
..... Click the link for more information.Juan Alberto Belloch Julbees is a Spanish politician, (1950 - ), Mayor of Zaragosa since 2003
Born on February 3rd 1950, in Teruel, Aragon (Spain).
A law graduate from the Universidad de Barcelona, he started his career in the judicial system in 1976 and his first
..... Click the link for more information.The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), is the ruling party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833.
..... Click the link for more information.Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. The term Surface area is the summation of the areas of the exposed sides of an object.Units
Units for measuring surface area include:- square metre = SI derived unit
..... Click the link for more information.- For other uses see Altitude (disambiguation)
Altitude is the elevation of an object from a known level or datum (plural: data). Common data are mean sea level and the surface of the WGS-84 geoid, used by GPS.
..... Click the link for more information.For the Michigan law school, see .
The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level datum.
..... Click the link for more information.population is the collection of people or organisms of a particular species living in a given geographic area or mortality, and migration, though the field encompasses many dimensions of population change including the family (marriage and divorce), public health, work and the
..... Click the link for more information.In physics, density is mass m per unit volume V—how heavy something is compared to its size. A small, heavy object, such as a rock or a lump of lead, is denser than a lighter object of the same size or a larger object of the same weight, such as pieces of
..... Click the link for more information.English}}}
Writing system: Latin (English variant)
Official status
Official language of: 53 countries
Regulated by: no official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1: en
ISO 639-2: eng
ISO 639-3: eng
..... Click the link for more information.Spain
This article is part of the series:
Politics of Spain- Constitution
- 1978 Constitution
- King
- Juan Carlos I
..... Click the link for more information.The Kingdom of Aragon was an old kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon (Aragón), in Spain. It shouldn't be confused with the Crown of Aragon, which included several other kingdoms, all sharing the same king.
..... Click the link for more information.Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón
Comunidá Autonoma d'Aragón
Comunitat Autònoma d'Aragó
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Himno de Aragón
Capital Zaragoza
Official language(s) Spanish
Area
– Total
..... Click the link for more information.Ebro
Catalan: EbreEbro Delta from space
Country | Spain
Length |
..... Click the link for more information.metropolitan area is a large population centre consisting of a large metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence, or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central cities and their zone of influence.
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1970s 1980s 1990s - 2000s - 2010s 2020s 2030s
2003 2004 2005 - 2006 - 2007 2008 2009
2006 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
..... Click the link for more information.municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.
..... Click the link for more information.1 metre =The metre or meter[1](symbol: m) is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
SI units
1000 mm 0 cm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
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