La Franja (; "The Strip"; an, Francha ) is the area of

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

-speaking territories of eastern

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to s ...

bordering

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

, in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. It literally means ''"the strip"'' and can also more properly be called (Aragonese Strip), (Western Strip) or (Eastern Strip of Aragon) in

(in an, Francha Oriental d'Aragón, "Eastern Strip of Aragon"; or simply /, "Eastern Strip", or , "Aragonese Strip"; in es, Franja de Aragón, "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 La Litera () or La Llitera () ( an, A Litera) is an Aragonese comarca in the south-east of the province of Huesca. Its cultural capital is Tamarite de Litera, its administrative capital is Binefar and it borders the comarques of Ribagorza, Somo ...

, Bajo Cinca/Baix Cinca, Bajo Aragón-Caspe/Baix Aragó-Casp, Bajo Aragón/Baix Aragó and Matarraña/Matarranya. ''La Franja'' has been part of Aragon since the medieval

kingdom of Aragon The Kingdom of Aragon ( an, Reino d'Aragón, ca, Regne d'Aragó, la, Regnum Aragoniae, es, Reino de Aragón) was a medieval and early modern kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon ...

; never in its history has it been part of Catalonia; however its population speaks in Catalan, presumably since the Middle Ages; consequently this territory is considered a part of the so-called

Catalan Countries The Catalan Countries ( ca, països catalans, , ) refers to those territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and parts of Aragon (''La Franja'') and Murcia ( ...

. Among the territories where Catalan is spoken (Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Andorra and Roussillon, among some other little territories), ''La Franja'' is currently the one where oral knowledge of

is the most universal; this is due to low immigration to the area compared to the other ones. Roughly 80% of adults can speak Catalan. In all of Aragon there are 55,513 speakers of Catalan, according to census data. The thin strip of land is very diverse geographically, ranging from valleys in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

to the flat lands by the

Ebro , name_etymology = , image = Zaragoza shel.JPG , image_size = , image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza , map = SpainEbroBasin.png , map_size = , map_caption = The Ebro ...

; 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 the neighbouring Catalonia, especially by Catalan nationalists, though it has lately become common in Aragon too. Some right-wing political forces in Aragon prefer not to use the word ''Catalan'' when speaking of the language of eastern Aragon, and have used a number of alternative names for it, even in the Language Act of Aragon of 2013.

Origin of the names that refer to ''La Franja''

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

bordering Catalonia as based on linguistic criteria is recent. It was in 1929 —when he christened these as ''Marques de Ponent'', "Western Marches"— that Catalan geographer Pau Vila used for the first time a term designating jointly the Aragonese area where

is spoken. This term was maintained in the second half of the 20th century by Catalan linguists such as Joan Giraldo, 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

, which borders western Catalonia. These terms all originated in

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 areas lie 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 might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries ** Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

: 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 (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as '' Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern ...

, known as ''

Institut d'Estudis Catalans The Institute for Catalan Studies ( ca, 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". It is based in Barcelona, Catal ...

'', 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 The Catalan Countries ( ca, països catalans, , ) refers to those territories where the Catalan language is spoken. They include the Spanish regions of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia, and parts of Aragon ('' La Franja'') and Murci ...

. 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

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 socioeconomic sense

Ecclesiastical sense

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

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, a ...

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

Nuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international ...

to Spain, informed the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference –

Archbishop of Saragossa The Archdiocese of Saragossa ( la, Archidioecesis Caesaraugustana) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory located in north-eastern Spain, in the province of Zaragoza (Saragossa in English), part of the autonomous community of Aragón. The ...

Elías Yanes Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ‎ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy ...

– of the decision of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

to align the

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

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 to the enlarged Diocese of Barbastro, whose name was then changed to Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón 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 An episcopal conference, sometimes called a conference of bishops, is an official assembly of the bishops of the Catholic Church in a given territory. Episcopal conferences have long existed as informal entities. The first assembly of bishops to ...

, which would have been detached from the Spanish one. Other sources claim that the diocese of Barbastro—birthplace of the founder of

Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as the Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei ( la, Praelatura Sanctae Crucis et Operis Dei), is an institution of the Catholic Church whose members seek personal Christian holiness and strive to imbue their work ...

, Josepmaria Escrivà 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 In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

artistic objects or sacred art comprised, originated an intricate series of lawsuits involving both dioceses (Barbastro-Monzón and Lleida), both autonomous governments (Aragón and Catalonia) and both legal systems canon and

administrative law Administrative law is the division of law that governs the activities of executive branch agencies of government. Administrative law concerns executive branch rule making (executive branch rules are generally referred to as " regulations"), ...

. 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 a national press story, especially due to the confrontation between the political forces of

and

. 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 is the adjudication process of the criminal law. While criminal procedure differs dramatically by jurisdiction, the process generally begins with a formal criminal charge with the person on trial either being free on bail o ...

in February 2009, thus effectively giving up on the resolved yet stalled civil procedure. Then the Vatican itself urged the return of the pieces to Aragon, to no avail.

Linguistic sense

The

is spoken by a significant proportion of the population of La Franja (47.1% of the population uses it as their usual language according to a survey by the Aragonese Institute of Statistics in 2013; percentage that rises to 73.6%-90% according to two surveys carried out with a smaller territorial scope also in 2013 by the

Generalitat of Catalonia The Generalitat de Catalunya (; oc, label= Aranese, Generalitat de Catalonha; es, Generalidad de Cataluña), or the Government of Catalonia, is the institutional system by which Catalonia politically organizes its self-government. It is formed ...

) This despite the fact that it is not an official language and has a very limited presence in education (where it is only available as an elective) and in administration and or public acts, resulting in severe deficiencies in writing skills 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- PAR coalition government th
Special Commission Report on the Language Policy of Aragon
was published. The report would be the basis for th

published the following session (1999–2003) under the

PSOE The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...

- PAR 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 mainly 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 there was lack of consensus on the issue among the Aragonese political parties. There are other civic associations staunchly rejecting the Catalan affiliation 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:

According to the Institut d'Estudis Catalans

From the point of view of the

the territory is smaller, due to the fact that 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 to the

Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa The ''Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa'' (''Great Aragonese Encyclopedia'', commonly abbreviated ''GEA'') is a Spanish language, Aragon-themed, encyclopedia. It was first published in 1981, under the direction of Eloy Fernández Clemente. In 1999, P ...

(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 Catalan is definitively spoken nor the date of the census on which its figures are based.

According to the ''Gran Geografia Comarcal'' of the GREC

! Municipality/Urban nucleus ! Area
(km²) ! Population
(2006) , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Benasque Benasque (; in Benasquese dialect: ''Benás''; an, Benás) () is a town in the comarca of Ribagorza, province of Huesca, ( Spain). It is the main town in the Benasque Valley, located in the heart of the Pyrenees and surrounded by the highest ...

, align="right" , 233.6 , align="right" , 2,045 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Bisaurri , align="right" , 62.9 , align="right" , 247 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Castejón de Sos , align="right" , 31.8 , align="right" , 733 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Chía , align="right" , 26.1 , align="right" , 113 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Güell (1) , align="right" , 28.0 , align="right" , 29 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Laguarres (2) , align="right" , 33.0 , align="right" , 71 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Sahún Sahún (), in Benasquese: Saún, in Aragonese: Saúnc, in Catalan: Saünc (), is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für N ...

, align="right" , 72.9 , align="right" , 331 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Sesué , align="right" , 5.2 , align="right" , 125 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Torres del Obispo (3) , align="right" , 32.0 , align="right" , 163 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Valle de Lierp , align="right" , 32.8 , align="right" , 47 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Villanova , align="right" , 6,9 , align="right" , 154 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , 8 municipalities and 3 nuclei , align="right" , 565.2 , align="right" , 4,058 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Franja de Aragon according to the Commission report , align="right" , 4.442,8 , align="right" , 47,236 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Total 70 municipalities y 3 nuclei according to the GREC , align="right" , 5.008,0 , align="right" , 51,294 , - The ''Gran Geografia Comarcal'' of th
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. Population figures according t
Ayuntamiento
(no date given), area according to GREC.net. *(2) Population centres belonging to the municipality of Capella. Population 2004, area according to GREC.net. *(3) Population centres belonging to the municipality of Graus. Population according t
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 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Avant-project of the
Language Law , align="right" , 62 , align="right" , 8.5 , align="right" , 4,442.8 , align="right" , 9.3 , align="right" , 47,236 , align="right" , 3.7 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Institut d'Estudis
Catalans (IEC) , align="right" , 57 , align="right" , 7.8 , align="right" , 4,137.2 , align="right" , 8.3 , align="right" , 45,984 , align="right" , 3.6 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Gran Enciclopedia
Aragonesa (GEA) , align="right" , ? , align="right" , - , align="right" , 5,370.0 , align="right" , 11.3 , align="right" , 70,000 , align="right" , 5.5 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Grupo Enciclopedia
Catalana (GREC) , align="right" , 70 , align="right" , 9.6 , align="right" , 5,008.0 , align="right" , 10.5 , align="right" , 51,294 , align="right" , 4.0 , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Total Aragon , align="right" , 730 , align="right" , 100.0 , align="right" , 47,719.2 , align="right" , 100.0 , align="right" , 1,277,471 , align="right" , 100.0 , -

Toponymy

There is no unitary policy on official toponymy in the Franja, leading to great variations between the local ''comarcalización'' laws as compared to 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 proposed names which it offers opposed to the official names: ! Spanish (1) ! Local variety or
linguistic vernacular
according to the
''comarcalización'' law (1) ! Catalan
according to the IEC (2) , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Aguaviva , align="left" , Aiguaviva de Bergantes , align="left" , Aiguaviva de Bergantes , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Albelda , align="left" , Albelda , align="left" , Albelda , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Alcampell , align="left" , El Campell , align="left" , El Campell , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

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 ...

, align="left" , El Torricó , align="left" , El Torricó , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Arén , align="left" , Areny , align="left" , Areny de Noguera , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Arens de Lledó , align="left" , Arenys de Lledó , align="left" , Arenys de Lledó , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Azanuy-Alins Azanuy-Alins () or Sanui i Alins () is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear resea ...

, align="left" , Azanúy-Alins , align="left" , Sanui i Alins , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Baélls Baélls () or Baells () is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * ...

, align="left" , Baells , align="left" , Baells , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Baldellou Baldellou () or Valldellou () is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research ce ...

, align="left" , Valdellou , align="left" , Valdellou , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Beceite Beceite () or Beseit () is a municipality located in the Matarraña/Matarranya comarca, province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 603 inhabitants. It is part of the Taula del Sé ...

, align="left" , Beseit , align="left" , Beseit , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Belmonte de San José , align="left" , Bellmunt de Mesquí , align="left" , Bellmunt de Mesquí , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Benabarre Benabarre (), in Ribagorçan and Aragonese: Benavarri () is a town and municipality in the Aragonese comarca of Ribagorza, in the province of Huesca, Spain. Benabarre is the historical and cultural capital of the comarca. It is part of the geo ...

, align="left" , Benavarri , align="left" , Benavarri , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Bonansa , align="left" , Bonansa , align="left" , Bonansa , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Calaceite Calaceite () or Calaceit () is a municipality located in the Matarraña comarca, in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,145 inhabitants. There are many ancient building ...

, align="left" , Calaceit , align="left" , Calaceit , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Camporrélls Camporrélls () or Camporrells () is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research ...

, align="left" , Camporrells , align="left" , Camporrells , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Castigaleu , align="left" , Castigaleu , align="left" , Castigaleu , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Castillonroy , align="left" , Castellonroi , align="left" , Castellonroi , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Cretas , align="left" , Queretes , align="left" , Cretes , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Estopiñán del Castillo Estopiñán del Castillo (), in Ribagorçan: EstopanyàAs shown i ...

, align="left" , Estopanyà , align="left" , Estopanyà , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Fabara , align="left" , Favara , align="left" , Favara de Matarranya , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Fayón Fayón () or Faió () is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 395 inhabitants. This town is located between the Ebro and the Matarranya river ...

, align="left" , Faió , align="left" , Faió , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Fórnoles , align="left" , Fórnols , align="left" , Fórnols de Matarranya , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Fraga , align="left" , Fraga , align="left" , Fraga , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Fuentespalda , align="left" , Fontdespatla , align="left" , Fondespatla , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Isábena , align="left" , Isàvena , align="left" , Isàvena , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

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 (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German ...

, align="left" , La Canyada de Beric , align="left" , La Canyada de Beric , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , La Cerollera , align="left" , La Cerollera , align="left" , La Sorollera , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , La Codoñera , align="left" , La Codonyera , align="left" , La Codonyera , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , La Fresneda , align="left" , La Freixneda , align="left" , La Freixneda , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , La Ginebrosa , align="left" , La Ginebrosa , align="left" , La Ginebrosa , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , La Portellada , align="left" , La Portellada , align="left" , La Portellada , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Lascuarre , align="left" , Lascuarre , align="left" , Lasquarri , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Laspaúles , align="left" , Laspaúls , align="left" , Les Paüls , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Lledó , align="left" , Lledó , align="left" , Lledó d'Algars , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Maella Maella (; ) is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2015 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,953 inhabitants. This town is located in La Franja, the local dialect is a variant of Ca ...

, align="left" , Maella , align="left" , Maella , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Mazaleón , align="left" , Massalió , align="left" , Massalió , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Mequinenza , align="left" , Mequinensa , align="left" , Mequinensa , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Monesma y Cajigar , align="left" , Monesma i Caixigar , align="left" , Monesma i Queixigar , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Monroyo , align="left" , Montroig , align="left" , Mont-roig de Tastavins , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Montanuy , align="left" , Montanui , align="left" , Montanui , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Nonaspe , align="left" , Nonasp , align="left" , Nonasp , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Peñarroya de Tastavins , align="left" , Pena-roja de Tastavins , align="left" , Pena-roja , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Peralta de Calasanz , align="left" , Peralta de Calassanç , align="left" , Peralta de Calassanç , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Puente de Montañana , align="left" , El Pont de Montanyana , align="left" , El Pont de Montanyana , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Ráfales , align="left" , Ràfels , align="left" , Ràfels , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , San Esteban de Litera , align="left" , San Esteban de Litera , align="left" , Sant Esteve de Llitera , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Sopeira , align="left" , Sopeira , align="left" , Sopeira , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Tamarite de Litera , align="left" , Tamarit de Llitera , align="left" , Tamarit de Llitera , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Tolva , align="left" , Tolba , align="left" , Tolba , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Torre de Arcas , align="left" , Torredarques , align="left" , Torredarques , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Torre del Compte , align="left" , La Torre del Comte , align="left" , La Torre del Comte , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Torre la Ribera , align="left" , Torre la Ribera , align="left" , Tor-la-ribera , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Torrente de Cinca , align="left" , Torrent de Cinca , align="left" , Torrent de Cinca , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Torrevelilla , align="left" , La Torre de Vilella , align="left" , La Torre de Vilella , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Valdeltormo , align="left" , La Vall del Tormo , align="left" , La Vall de Tormo , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Valderrobres Valderrobres () or Vall-de-roures () is a municipality and the major town of the ''comarca'' of Matarraña in the province of Teruel, Aragon ( Spain). It is located in view of the landscape of the northwestern foothills of the Ports de Tortosa-B ...

, align="left" , Vall de Roures , align="left" , Vall-de-roures , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Valjunquera , align="left" , Valljunquera , align="left" , Valljunquera , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Velilla de Cinca , align="left" , Villella de Cinca , align="left" , Vilella de Cinca , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Vencillón , align="left" , Vensilló , align="left" , Vensilló , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

, align="left" , Veracruz , align="left" , Beranui , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Viacamp y Litera , align="left" , Viacamp i Lliterà , align="left" , Viacamp , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

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

, align="left" , Saidí , align="left" , Saidí , - , , ! Catalan
according to the GREC (3) , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

, align="left" , Benás , align="left" , Benasc , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Bisaurri , align="left" , Bisaurri , align="left" , Bissaürri , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Castejón de Sos , align="left" , Castilló de Sos , align="left" , Castilló de Sos , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Chía , align="left" , Chía , align="left" , Gia , - , style="font-size: 90%;" ,

, align="left" , Sahún , align="left" , Saünc , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Sesué , align="left" , Sesué , align="left" , Sessué , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Valle de Lierp , align="left" , Valle de Lierp , align="left" , La Vall de Lierp , - , style="font-size: 90%;" , Villanova , 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

(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

/small>

Political sense

The Political significance of La Franja goes hand in hand with the Catalan nationalism, Catalan nationalist political movement, which considers this part of Aragon (and even all other Catalan-speaking territories) to be part of the Catalan nation, because of its language. This new interpretation as part of the political connotation ascribed to the

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

Joan Fuster Joan Fuster i Ortells (; 23 November 1922 – 21 June 1992) was an influential Spanish writer. He is considered a major writer in the Valencian language (a dialect of the Catalan language), and his work contributed to reinvigorate left-wing, pr ...

. 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. In the Franja itself, there has never been a political movement promoting union with Catalonia or separation from Aragon. On the other hand, Catalan political parties do not participate in municipal or regional elections in the area.

Socioeconomic sense

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

, 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 is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 1,245 inhabitants. See also *List of municipalities in Huesca This is a list of the mu ...

Binéfar Binéfar (, ca, Binèfar) is a municipality located in the province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2008 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * ...

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

References

External links

;Ecclesiastic meaning
The ecclesiastical heritage in La Franja
special issue of "El Periódico de Aragón"

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.

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

Promotes Catalan culture in La Franja.
Acció Cultural del País Valencià
- Its "Casal Jaume I" promotes Catalan culture in Fraga. Delegations on Fraga and Castillonroy
FACAO ''Federación de Asociaciones Culturales del Aragón Oriental''
Analogously to blaverists in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, 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 {{Coord missing, Spain Geography of Aragon Crown of Aragon Catalan Countries Geography of the Province of Huesca Geography of the Province of Teruel Geography of the Province of Zaragoza