Baix Maestrat (; ) is a coastal ''comarca'' located in the north of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Castellón,

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The capital of the ''comarca'' is

Vinaròs Vinaròs () () is a city located in eastern Spain and the capital of the Baix Maestrat in the province of Castellón. It is in the border between the Valencian Community and Catalonia. Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination. His ...

Municipalities

The ''comarca'' is composed of 18 municipalities, listed below with their surface areas, their populations at the 2011 Census, and (according to the latest official estimates as of 1 January 2019), their population density in 2019: Data from National Institute of Statistics 2019

Geography

The ''comarca'' borders to the north-west with the province of

Teruel Teruel () is a city in Aragon, located in eastern Spain, and is also the capital of Teruel (province), Teruel Province. It had a population of 35,900 as of 2022, making it the least populated provincial capital in Spain. It is noted for its har ...

(

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

), to the north-east with the province of

Tarragona Tarragona (, ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in Catalonia (Spain). It is the capital and largest town of Tarragonès county, the Camp de Tarragona region and the province of Tarragona. Geographically, it is located on the Costa Daurada ar ...

(

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

), to the east with the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, to the south with the ''comarca'' of

Plana Alta Plana Alta (; ) is a ''comarca'' in the province of Castellón in the Valencian Community, Spain. The largest town in the comarca is Castellón de la Plana Castellón de la Plana (in ), or simply Castellón (), is the capital city of the prov ...

( Castellón,

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

) and to the west with the ''comarcas'' of

Alt Maestrat Alt Maestrat (; ) is a Comarques of the Valencian Community, comarca in the Provinces of Spain, province of Castellón (province), Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. Municipalities The ''comarca'' of Alt Maestrat is composed of nine muni ...

( Castellón,

) and Els Ports ( Castellón,

). Within the ''comarca'' lies

Serra d'Irta Serra d'Irta (, ) is an 18.8 km long mountain range in the Baix Maestrat comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Pico Campanelles (573 m). Location The Serra d'Irta stretches in a northeast-southwest direction south of ...

, an 18.8 km long mountain range and the largest undeveloped coastal area within the Valencian Community. The range includes the Natural Park of Serra d'Irta, which was declared a protected area by the

Valencian Regional Government The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self-government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organized. It consists of seven institutions including the ''Corts Valen ...

on July 16, 2002.

Economic activities

The area's traditional economic activities include

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

(

citrus fruits ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is native to S ...

olive trees The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of subtropical evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae. Originating in Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean Basin, with wild subspecies in Africa ...

artichoke The artichoke (''Cynara cardunculus'' var. ''scolymus''),Rottenberg, A., and D. Zohary, 1996: "The wild ancestry of the cultivated artichoke." Genet. Res. Crop Evol. 43, 53–58. also known by the other names: French artichoke, globe artichoke, ...

s) and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. Artichokes from

Benicarló Benicarló () is a city and municipality in the north of the province of Castelló, part of the Valencian Community, in the Mediterranean Coast of Spain, between the cities of Vinaròs and Peníscola, not too far south from the Ebre River. To ...

are covered by a geographic

designation of origin Designation may refer to: * Designation (law), the process of determining an incumbent's successor * Professional certification * Designation (landmarks), an official classification determined by a government agency or historical society * Designa ...

Historical delimitations

The current ''comarca'' of Baix Maestrat also includes the historical ''subcomarcas'' of

Tinença de Benifassà Tinença de Benifassà () is a historical ''comarca'' of the Valencian Community, Spain. It is nowadays part of the Baix Maestrat, one of the present-day Comarques of the Valencian Community, even though commercial and human relationships have be ...

and Plana de Vinaròs. The localities of

Albocàsser Albocàsser () or Albocácer in Spanish is a municipality in Castellón, Valencia, Spain. It is located in the ''comarca'' of Alt Maestrat and has a population of 1439 inhabitants. The area is mountainous and very picturesque, especially during ...

and

Tírig Tírig (; ) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Alt Maestrat, Castellón, Valencia, Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Pun ...

(today located in

), and

Les Coves de Vinromà Les Coves de Vinromà is a municipality located in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. References

Municipalities in the Province of Castellón Plana Alta {{valencia-geo-stub ...

, Sarratella, La Torre d'en Doménec, and

Vilanova d'Alcolea Vilanova d'Alcolea () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Castellón (province), Castelló, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located inland 36 km northeast of the town of Castelló de la Plana, on the north of ...

(in

), were also formerly part of the historic ''comarca''.

References

Comarques of the Valencian Community Geography of the Province of Castellón Maestrazgo {{Valencia-geo-stub

Municipalities

Geography

Economic activities

Historical delimitations

See also

References