Espot () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Pallars Sobirà Pallars Sobirà () is a independent state in the northwest region of Alt Pirineu, in Spain. The name means "Upper Pallars", distinguishing it from the more populous (and less mountainous) Pallars Jussà to its southwest. Its capital and larges ...

county in

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 ...

. It has a population of . It is located in the Espot Valley, west of the river

Noguera Pallaresa The Noguera Pallaresa (; , ) is a river in Catalonia, Spain. It is named after the Pallars region. Course Its source is at ''Era Font d'era Noguereta'' in the municipality of Naut Aran (Aran Valley) at an elevation of about and barely from ...

. The municipality is one of the entrances to the

Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park ''Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici'' National Park (, ), is one of the fifteen Spanish national parks, and the only one located in Catalonia. A wild mountain region in the Pyrenees, with peaks rising to 3017 m (Besiberri Sud) and wi ...

. Espot has been mentioned in documents dating back to the year 839.

Economy

The economy of the municipality is largely based on tourism, thanks to the

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

Espot Esquí Espot Esquí is a ski resort located in Espot, in the Catalonia, Catalan Pyrenees, opened in 1967. The ski area extends from 1,500 to 2,500 metres. It's one of the ways of entry in the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, and ...

and an increase in rural tourism. The area also depends on the milk industry and cattle ranching, specifically

bovines Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including Bos, cattle, bison, African buffalo, Bubalus, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The members of this gro ...

. There are various

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

power stations in the area including Sant Maurici, Lladres and Espot.

Population history

References

Espot
from the Enciclopèdia Catalana *Tomàs Bonell, Jordi; ''Descobrir Catalunya, poble a poble'', Prensa Catalana, Barcelona, 1994

External links

Espot City Council

Government data pages

Municipalities in Pallars Sobirà Populated places in Pallars Sobirà {{Catalonia-geo-stub