Benasque (; in
Benasquese dialect: ''Benás''; )
() is a town in the
comarca
A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...
of
Ribagorza, province of
Huesca
Huesca (; ) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon between 1096 and 1118. It is also the capital of the Spanish Huesca (province), ...
, (
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 ...
). It is the main town in the Benasque Valley, located in the heart of the
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...
and surrounded by the highest peaks in that range.
Climate
The climate is of a high mountain type, with cool summers, and cold winters and frequent snow. Its average annual temperature is 9.4 degrees Celsius (at 1138 meters above sea level).
Language

The regional language of Benasque is a
Catalan–
Aragonese transitional dialect that shares features with
Gascon (
Occitan Occitan may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain.
* Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France.
* Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...
). It is usually called ''patués'' ("
patois
''Patois'' (, same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon or sl ...
") by its native speakers. Possessing features that are transitional between Aragonese and Catalan, it has sometimes been classified as a variety of Catalan.
To promote the local language, the local council has held an annual writing and poetry competition in ''patués'' since 1999. Separate awards are given to young and grown-up authors.
Gallery
File:Benasque desde Los Tres Barrancos 01.jpg, Benasque seen from the northwest (winter 2019)
File:Benasque (Huesca).jpg, Benasque: Avenida del los Tilos
File:20080825-Benasque Torre de los Infanzones.jpg, Torre de los Infanzones (Casa Juste)
File:Iglesia de Benasque.jpg, The church ''Santa MarÃa (la Mayor)''
File:Centro de Ciencias de Benasque Pedro Pascual 2015.jpg, Centro de Ciencias de Benasque Pedro Pascual
File:Benasque - Ésera - Puente 01.jpg, Ésera in Benasque
References
External links
Benasque GuideBenasque GuideCentro de Ciencias de Benasque Pedro PascualBenasqués- an article about the culture and the language of Benasque in ''Gran Enciclopedia Aragonesa OnLine''
See also
*
Benasque and Ballabriga rolls
Municipalities in the Province of Huesca
Pyrenees
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