Editing Province of Tarragona

{{Short description|Province of Spain}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Province of Tarragona
| native_name            = {{native name|ca|Província de Tarragona}}<br/>{{native name|es|Provincia de Tarragona}}
| official_name          = 
| native_name_lang       = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "es" for Spanish -->
| type                   = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| image_skyline          = 
| image_alt              = 
| image_caption          = 
| image_flag             = Bandera actual de la provincia de Tarragona (alternate).svg
| flag_size              = 
| flag_alt               = 
| image_shield           = Coat of Arms of the Tarragona Province.svg
| shield_size            = 
| shield_alt             = 
| motto                  = 
| anthem                 = 
| image_map              = Tarragona in Spain.svg
| map_alt                = 
| map_caption            = Map of Spain with Province of Tarragona highlighted
| pushpin_map            = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|41|10|N|1|00|E|region:ES_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki|display=ti}}
| coordinates_footnotes  = 
| subdivision_type       = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name       = {{flag|Spain}}
| subdivision_type1      = [[Autonomous community]]
| subdivision_name1      = {{flag|Catalonia}}
| established_title      = 
| established_date       = 
| seat_type              = Capital
| seat                   = [[Tarragona]]
| government_type        = 
| governing_body         = [[Provincial Department of Tarragona|Provincial Deputation of Tarragona]]
| government_footnotes   = 
| leader_party           = [[Republican Left of Catalonia|ERC]]
| leader_title           = President
| leader_name            = Noemí Llauradó
| area_footnotes         = 
| area_total_km2         = 6,283 
| area_rank              = [[List of Spanish provinces by area|Ranked]]
| area_note              = 
| elevation_footnotes    = 
| elevation_m            = 
| blank_name_sec1        = Official language(s)
| blank_info_sec1        = [[Catalan language|Catalan]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| population_footnotes   = 
| population_total     = 822,309
| population_as_of       = 
| population_rank        = [[List of Spanish provinces by population|Ranked]]
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym     = 
| population_note        = 
| blank_name_sec2        = Parliament
| blank_info_sec2        = [[Cortes Generales]]<br>[[Parliament of Catalonia]]
| blank1_name_sec2       = [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|Congress seats]]
| blank1_info_sec2       = 
| blank2_name_sec2       = [[Spanish Senate|Senate seats]]
| blank2_info_sec2       = 
| blank3_name_sec2       = 
| blank3_info_sec2       = 
| timezone               = 
| utc_offset             = 
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| timezone1              = 
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| timezone1_DST          = 
| utc_offset1_DST        = 
| postal_code_type       = 
| postal_code            = 
| area_code_type         = 
| area_code              = 
| website                = {{URL|http://www.dipta.cat/}}
| footnotes              = 
}}

'''Tarragona''' ({{IPA|es|taraˈɣona|lang}}; {{IPA|ca|tərəˈɣonə|lang}}) is a [[Provinces of Spain|province]] of eastern [[Spain]], in the southern part of the [[Autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous community]] of [[Catalonia]]. It is bordered by the provinces of [[Province of Castellón|Castellón]], [[Province of Teruel|Teruel]], [[Zaragoza (province)|Zaragoza]], [[Province of Lleida|Lleida]] and [[Province of Barcelona|Barcelona]] and by the [[Mediterranean Sea]].

[[File:Tarragona9.jpg|thumb|right|View over the port city of Tarragona]]
The province's population is 795,902 (2018), about one fifth of whom live in the capital, [[Tarragona]]. Some of the larger cities and towns in Tarragona province include [[Reus]], [[Salou]], [[El Vendrell]], [[Tortosa]], [[Valls]], [[Amposta]]. This province has 183 municipalities. The province includes several [[World Heritage Site]]s and is a popular tourist destination. There are [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] cathedrals in Tarragona and Tortosa.

==History==
After the [[Umayyad conquest of Hispania]] in the late eighth century, this part of Spain came under the control of the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] and most of the Iberian peninsula was known as [[Al-Andalus]], and was dominated by Muslim rulers. [[Abd al-Rahman I]] founded an independent dynasty that survived in the region until the 11th century. 

After the Muslim conquest, the bishopric of Tarragona came under the jurisdiction of the metropolitans of Narbonne or Auch in southern France. In 1089, this was reorganised, and it came under the jurisdiction of the bishopric of Vich, and in 1118, after Tarragona had been reconquered, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tarragona]] was established.<ref>{{cite book|author=O'Callaghan, Joseph F. |title=A History of Medieval Spain |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xVMJAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA307 |year=2013 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-6871-1 |page=307}}</ref>

==Geography==
The province of Tarragona is in the northeast of Spain with a coast on the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. Much of the province is hilly or mountainous and the main feature is the broad valley of the [[Ebro|River Ebro]] and the coastal plain which is backed by the Catalan ranges. In general, industrial development is on the coast and inland is predominantly forest and agricultural land. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the southeast of the province, the [[province of Barcelona]] lies to the northeast, [[Province of Lleida|Lleida]] lies to the north, [[Zaragoza (province)|Zaragoza]] to the northwest, [[Province of Teruel|Teruel]] to the west and [[Province of Castellón|Castellón]] to the southwest.<ref>{{cite book |title=Philip's Modern School Atlas |year=1973 |publisher=George Philip & Son |isbn=0-540-05278-7 |page=37 }}</ref> The climate is Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters.<ref name="Lewis2013">{{cite book|author=Lewis, Lowell |title=Catalonia and California: Sister States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HVge6R_CmxcC&pg=PR13 |date=July 2013 |publisher=Author House |isbn=978-1-4817-7032-3 |pages=xiii, 193}}</ref>

The area of the province is {{convert|6500|km2}}. The main crops are cereals, grapes, fruit, olives, hemp, and silk. The province has some mineral resources; copper, lead and silver are found and limestone and marble are quarried.<ref name=Everyman>{{cite book |title=Everyman's Encyclopaedia: Volume 11 |last=Bozman |first=E.F. |year=1966 |publisher=J.M. Dent and Sons |page=575 }}</ref> Quarrying for aggregate has caused groundwater levels to fall and the environment has been adversely affected by the arrival of [[invasive species]] such as the [[zebra mussel]] in the [[Riba-roja d'Ebre]] reservoir on the Ebro, the invasive fish ''[[Gambusia]]'' in the Ebro delta and chemical contamination in the [[Flix, Spain|Flix]] reservoir beside which is a chemical works and a hydro-electric plant.<ref name="Lewis2013"/>

==Population==
The historical population is given in the following chart:
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Largest groups of foreign residents
|-
! Nationality || Population (2022)
|-
|{{flag|Morocco}} || 41,906
|-
|{{flag|Romania}} || 19,238
|-
|{{flag|Colombia}}|| 7,311
|-
|{{flag|Italy}}   || 4,944
|-
|{{flag|Pakistan}}|| 4,447
|-
|{{flag|China}}   || 3,612
|}
<timeline>
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ImageSize  = width:600 height:auto barincrement:28
PlotArea   = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20
DateFormat = x.y
Period     = from:0 till:820
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal
AlignBars  = late
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ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:20 start:0
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PlotData=
  color:skyblue width:20 shift:(-50,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till
 bar:1877 from:0 till:333 text:333,468
 bar:1887 from:0 till:349 text:348,606
 bar:1900 from:0 till:343 text:343,400
 bar:1910 from:0 till:343 text:343,127
 bar:1920 from:0 till:359 text:359,334
 bar:1930 from:0 till:352 text:351,698
 bar:1940 from:0 till:346 text:346,433
 bar:1950 from:0 till:357 text:356,864
 bar:1960 from:0 till:363 text:363,472
 bar:1970 from:0 till:433 text:433,138
 bar:1980 from:0 till:513 text:513,050
 bar:1990 from:0 till:542 text:542,004
 bar:2000 from:0 till:610 text:609,673
 bar:2010 from:0 till:807 text:807,044
 bar:2020 from:0 till:817 text:816,772

TextData=
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 text:"Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE"
</timeline>

==Tourism==
As well as the port city of Tarragona, the province has much to offer for the tourist. There are Catalan villages to visit, historic sites, sandy beaches, rocky shores, crags, rivers and woodlands and several wildlife reserves.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g2431170-Province_of_Tarragona_Catalonia-Vacations.html |title=Spain: Province of Tarragona |publisher=TripAdvisor |access-date=4 October 2015}}</ref> The area has been publicised under the [[Costa Daurada]] (golden coast) brand.<ref name=Spain>{{cite web |url=http://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/ciudades-pueblos/provincias/tarragona.html |title=Tarragona (Province) |publisher=Spain Tourism |access-date=4 October 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Roman aqueduct Tarragona.jpg|thumb|right|[[Les Ferreres Aqueduct]]]]
The city of Tarragona may have been founded by the [[Phoenicia]]ns and was a major city in Roman times that they called [[Tarraco]]. There are many archaeological remains from that period but little remains of the second century [[Tarragona Amphitheatre|amphitheatre]]; after the collapse of the [[Western Roman Empire]], the abandoned structure was quarried to provide stone for building. The [[Les Ferreres Aqueduct]] dates from the same period and has survived intact.<ref name=Tarraco/> It was built to supply water to the ancient city and is part of the [[Tarraco|Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco]] which has been listed as a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] since 2000.<ref name=Tarraco>{{cite web |url=http://www.spanisharts.com/arquitectura/imagenes/roma/i_tarragona_acueducto.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112042958/http://www.spanisharts.com/arquitectura/imagenes/roma/i_tarragona_acueducto.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |title=Aqueduct of las Ferreras (Tarraco), at Tarragone |work=The History of Spanish Architecture |access-date=4 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/875/multiple=1&unique_number=1027 |title=Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date=8 October 2015}}</ref> The city also houses a [[Tarragona Cathedral|cathedral]], dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, which combines Romanesque and Gothic architectural features.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catedraldetarragona.com/ |title=Catedral Basilica de Tarragona |year=2012 |publisher=Cabildo de la Catedral de Tarragona |access-date=1 October 2015}}</ref> There are also many historic churches and convents.

The Catalan authorities have designated four villages as "family holiday destinations". These are [[Calafell]], [[Cambrils]], [[La Pineda]] and nearby [[Vila-seca]], and [[Salou]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catalonia-valencia.com/tarragona-province-travel-guide.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114125500/http://www.catalonia-valencia.com/tarragona-province-travel-guide.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |title=Tarragona Province Travel Guide |date=27 October 2014 |publisher= Catalonia and Valencia |access-date=1 October 2015}}</ref> Salou is the site of the [[PortAventura World]] ([[PortAventura Park]], the most visited theme park in Spain,<ref>{{cite journal | author = Themed Entertainment Association | author-link = Themed Entertainment Association |author2=Economics Research Associates | title = Global Attractions Attendance Report | publisher = AECOM | year = 2013 | url = http://www.aecom.com/deployedfiles/Internet/Capabilities/Economics/_documents/ThemeMuseumIndex_2013.pdf| access-date =4 October 2015}}</ref> [[Ferrari Land]] and also the [[PortAventura Caribe Aquatic Park]]).

The Costa Daurada is served by [[Reus Airport]] which receives tourist traffic from passengers journeying to the beach resorts of Salou and Cambrils as well as those travelling to Barcelona. It is a destination of low-cost flights provider [[Ryanair]], and planes fly to Reus from many different European and North African locations. The province also has good road and rail links to Barcelona and southwards to [[Valencia]], [[Murcia]] and [[Andalusia]] along the coastal strip, and [[high-speed rail]] services from Tarragona to [[Madrid]] started in 2008.

There are several monasteries in the province that can be visited by following the "Cistercian Monastery Route". The best known is the Cistercian monastery of [[Poblet Monastery|Poblet]] in the [[Comarques of Catalonia|comarca]] of [[Conca de Barberà]], which is a [[UNESCO]] World Heritage site. Other monasteries on the route include the [[Santes Creus]], in the municipality of [[Aiguamúrcia]], and [[Vallbona de les Monges]].<ref name=Spain/>

Other attractions of the province include the food and wine. The "Penedès Wine and Cava Route" is a tourist trail offering wine-related activities. There are also festivals celebrating local fare, where local gastronomic specialities are eaten, including [[calçot]]s (grilled spring onions) in [[Valls]], and [[Xató]] a sauce served with fish or an [[endive]] salad.<ref name=Spain/>

==See also==
{{Portal|Spain}}
*[[List of communities in Tarragona]]
*[[Comarques of Catalonia]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Province of Tarragona}}

{{Municipalities in Tarragona}}
{{Provinces of Catalonia}}
{{Provinces of Spain}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarragona, Province of}}
[[Category:Province of Tarragona| ]]