Maresme (
CatalanCatalan is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencià , as well as in the city of Alghero on the Italian island of...
:
el Maresme,
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
:
Maresme) is a
comarcaThis is a list of the comarques of Catalonia . A comarca is roughly equivalent to a US "county" or a UK "district". However, in the context of Catalonia, the term "county" can be a bit misleading, because in medieval Catalonia, the most important rulers were counts, notably the Counts of Barcelona...
(county) located along the
CatalanCatalonia is an Autonomous Community in northeast Spain. The capital city is Barcelona.Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an official population of 7,364,078. It borders France and Andorra to the north, Aragon to the west, the Valencian Community to the south, and the...
MediterraneanThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
coast in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, between the
comarques of
BarcelonèsBarcelonès is the most populous and economically important comarca of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Barcelona, which is also the capital of Catalonia.- Municipalities :Population figures are for 2006 ....
(at the Southwest) and
SelvaSelva is a coastal comarca in Catalonia, Spain, located between the mountain range known as the Serralada Transversal or Puigsacalm and the Costa Brava . Unusually, it is divided between the provinces of Girona and Barcelona, with Fogars de la Selva being part of Barcelona province, and all other...
(at the Northeast), and also bordering with
Vallès OrientalVallès Oriental is a comarca in Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is Granollers. Along with Vallès Occidental it forms the grand comarca of Vallès.- Municipalities :*Aiguafreda - pop. 2,308*L'Ametlla del Vallès - pop. 7,319...
(at the west).
Its capital and largest city is
MataróMataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain...
(pop. 119,035 in 2007).
Geography
Maresme's territory occupies a long and narrow area between the
Mediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it...
and the hills of Serralada Litoral (Catalonia's coastal mountains), and specifically Montnegre's and Corredor's hills in the northern half and Sant Mateu's hills in the southern half. This particular shape has conditioned both the geography and the history of this
comarca. Probably the main distinct elements of its geography are the characteristic
rieres (torrents). These short, intermittent water
streamA stream is a flowing body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, kill, lick, rill, river syke, bayou, rivulet, or run...
s, which cross the
comarca transversally almost every hundred meters, produce powerful and dangerous floods when it rains.
Maresme has been historically very well connected with the rest of the
comarca as well as with
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital, most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris,...
thanks to old
Camí Ral (Royal Way) (actual
N-IIN-II was the former name for the Route Nacional from Madrid to Barcelona and France. According with the new spanish roads nomenclature, the sections which have been already enhanced and upgraded to autovía have been recently renamed to A-2, whereas the sections still not upgraded keep the old name...
main road) and railroad (The Barcelona–Mataró railroad route, finished in 1848, was the first ever in all the
Iberian PeninsulaThe Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes modern-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar and a very small area of France. It is the westernmost of the three major southern European peninsulas—the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas...
). Communications were enhanced in recent years with the construction of the C-32's Barcelona–Mataró section (1969), which was the first
autopista (highway) ever in Spain, and its subsequent enlargement, the Mataró-Palafolls's section (1995).
Municipalities
Populations are from 2007's
Spanish INEThe National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
.
Total Maresme's population: 414,081
| Municipality |
Population (2006) |
| Alella Alella is a village in the comarca of Maresme inCatalunya, Spain. It is situated on the south-west side of the granite Litoral range, just by the sea. The town is known for...
|
8,998 |
| Arenys de Mar Arenys de Mar is one of the main municipalities of the comarca of Maresme, Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. In 2005, it had a population of 13,860 ....
|
14,164 |
| Arenys de Munt Arenys de Munt is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated inland from the coast, in the el Corredor range and including the peak of el Montalt . It retains a textile industry specialised in the production of towels, and is also known for the production of...
|
7,807 |
| Argentona Argentona is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the south-east side of the granite Litoral range, to the north-west ofMataró. The town is both a tourist centre and a notable horticultural centre...
|
11,402 |
| Cabrera de Mar Cabrera de Mar is a municipality of the comarca of Maresme inCatalonia, Spain.It is located next to the catalan mediterranean coast, between the municipalities of Vilassar de Mar and Mataró, although the urban centre is at about 2,5 km inland, in a small valley between the hills of Burriac ...
|
4,269 |
| Cabrils Cabrils is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated between the municipalities of Vilassar de Mar, Vilassar de Dalt, Òrrius, Argentona and Cabrera de Mar, at about ten kilometers of Mataró, the comarca capital...
|
6,698 |
| Caldes d'Estrac Caldes d'Estrac is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Sant Vicenç de Montalt and Arenys de Mar....
|
2,672 |
| Calella Calella is a seaside town on the Costa del Maresme, 58 km north east of Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain.-Demography:- Beach :Calella has been consistently awarded the European quality Blue Flag. Calella beach is a spacious and popular beach, with clear waters and moderate waves...
|
18,034 |
| Canet de Mar Canet de Mar is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Arenys de Mar and Sant Pol de Mar....
|
13,181 |
| Dosrius Dosrius is a municipality in the comarca of Maresme inCatalonia, Spain, located in the interior of the comarca on the border with the Eastern Valleys, and is at the head of the Argentona Riera. The original name, first recorded in 963, is "Duos Rios"...
|
4,658 |
| Malgrat de Mar Malgrat de Mar is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Santa Susanna and Blanes .Barcelona...
|
17,822 |
| El Masnou El Masnou is a town inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Montgat and Premià de Mar, to the north-east of the city ofBarcelona, in the comarca of el Maresme...
|
21,935 |
MataróMataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain...
|
119,035 |
| Montgat Montgat is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Badalona and El Masnou, to the north-east of...
|
9,778 |
| Òrrius Òrrius is an area in the county of Cataluña in the Maresme zone. Compared to current figures census data from 2005 gives its population as 330 inhabitants, an increase of 157 - or approximately 50% in just 2 years...
|
487 |
| Palafolls |
8,061 |
| Pineda de Mar Pineda de Mar is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Calella and Santa Susanna.The main N-II road and a RENFE railway line run through the town....
|
25,568 |
| Premià de Dalt Premià de Dalt is a Spanish town located in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. It has a population of 9,788....
|
9,788 |
| Premià de Mar Premià de Mar is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between El Masnou and Vilassar de Mar, to the north-east ofBarcelona...
|
27,590 |
| Sant Andreu de Llavaneres Sant Andreu de Llavaneres is a municipality located 36 km north of Barcelona , along the Mediterranean coast. It belongs to the Maresme comarca and the Barcelona province. The short name is simply Llavaneres....
|
9,745 |
| Sant Cebrià de Vallalta Sant Cebrià de Vallalta is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated inland from the coast, in the valley of the Sant Pol river below the Montnegre range....
|
3,075 |
| Sant Iscle de Vallalta Sant Iscle de Vallalta is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated inland from the coast, in the valley of the Sant Pol river below the Montnegre range....
|
1,193 |
| Sant Pol de Mar Sant Pol de Mar is a municipality in the comarca of Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is located on the coast between Canet de Mar and Calella...
|
4,904 |
| Sant Vicenç de Montalt Sant Vicenç de Montalt is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Sant Andreu de Llavaneres and Arenys de Mar, below...
|
5,267 |
| Santa Susanna Santa Susanna is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Malgrat de Mar and Pineda de Mar. The main N-II road runs through the town....
|
3,019 |
| Teià Teia , also known as Teja, Theia, Thila, Thela, Teias, was the last Ostrogothic king in Italy.Apparently a military officer serving under Totila, Teia was chosen as successor after Totila was slain in the Battle of Taginae in July 552...
|
5,969 |
| Tiana Tiana a comune in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 90 km north of Cagliari and about 30 km southwest of Nuoro. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 547 and an area of 19.3 km²....
|
7,417 |
| Tordera Tordera is a town in the comarca of Maresme in Catalonia, situated 64 km from Barcelona and 36 km from Girona on the edge of the Montnegre natural park...
|
14,017 |
| Vilassar de Dalt Vilassar de Dalt is a village in Catalonia, Spain, in the province of Barcelona and the comarca of Maresme. The name comes from the Roman name Villa Azari, later changed to Vilassar...
|
8,476 |
| Vilassar de Mar Vilassar de Mar is a municipality in the comarca of the Maresme inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Premià de Mar and Cabrera de Mar, to the north-east of...
|
19,052 |
External links