Osona () is a

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 ...

situated in the central region of

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 ...

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 ...

. Its capital is

Vic Vic, vic or VIC may refer to: People and fictional characters * Vic (name), a list of people, fictional characters and mascots with the given name * V.I.C. (rapper) (born 1987), stage name of an American rapper Places * Vic, Spain, a town and ...

. Its population in 2001 was 129,543. Osona covers roughly the same area as the historic Catalan

county of Osona The County of Osona, also Ausona (, ; ), was one of the Catalan counties of the ''Marca Hispanica'' in the Early Middle Ages, Early and High Middle Ages. It was based around the capital city of Vic, Catalonia, Vic (''Vicus'') and the corresponding ...

. The name Osona comes from ''Ausetans'' (), a group of Iberian people who had their capital in ''Ausa'' (today

); the Romans called the area ''Ausone'' or ''Ausona''. While most of the ''comarca'' is within 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 Barcelona, the municipalities of

Espinelves Espinelves () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Osona in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the Guilleries in the east of the ''comarca''. Forestry is the main economic activity of the municipality, particularly the cultivation of the loca ...

Vidrà Vidrà () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the Comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' of Osona (comarca), Osona in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the valley of the Ges (river), Ges river, between the Bellmunt and Milany ranges, in t ...

and

Viladrau Viladrau () is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Osona in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated in the south-east of the ''comarca'', beneath the massifs of the Guilleries and the Montseny, and is served by the GE-520 road, which links the municipa ...

form part of the

province of Girona The Province of Girona ( ; ) is a Provinces of Spain, province in the northeastern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest ...

. The most important town of Osona is

, its capital and an important and ancient urban center in this

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

that lies in the midst of the

Plain of Vic The Plain of Vic (Catalan language, Catalan ''Plana de Vic'') is a 30 km long Depression (geology), depression located at the eastern end of the Catalan Central Depression in the Osona comarca. It is named after the town of Vic, Spain, Vic, a ...

. Other significant towns in the plain are

Manlleu Manlleu () is municipality in the comarca of Osona, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, northern Spain. Manlleu is located in a large plain, La Plana de Vic, at around 460 metres above sea level on average. The highest point is Puig Agut ch ...

and Tona. This natural depression in the center of the region was carved by

river Ter The River Ter is a river in Essex, England. The river rises in Stebbing Green and flowing via Terling it joins the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation at near Rushes Lock. A small part of it, the River Ter SSSI near Great Leighs, has been a geolog ...

and its tributaries and makes up a big part of Osona's land. It is surrounded by mountains: The

Sub-Pyrenees The Sub-Pyrenees () are a mountainous region in Catalonia, Spain, forming a section of the southern foothills of the Pyrenees. They are located at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, west of the Catalan Transversal Range, between the lower R ...

, with Bellmunt mountain towering in the north, the

Lluçanès Lluçanès () is a comarca of Catalonia, in the central region, transitioning between the Plain of Vic and Berguedà, in the pre-Pyrenees. It was established as an official comarca in May 2023. The capital is the town of Prats de Lluçanès. Cor ...

(

Pre-Pyrenees The Pre-Pyrenees are the foothills of the Pyrenees. Description As a mountainous system the Pre-Pyrenees are part of the Pyrenees. They run parallel to the main mountain range in a west to east direction. On the French side the Pyrenees's slope ...

) to the north-west and

Moianès Moianès () is a Comarques of Catalonia, ''comarca'' in the Central Catalonia, central region of Catalonia, Spain. Its capital is the town of Moià. It became a comarca in May 2015, following approval in a local referendum and by the Parliament o ...

high plateau in the West, the

Montseny Montseny () is a municipality and village in the Vallès Oriental comarca in Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalo ...

in the southeast and the

Guilleries The Guilleries Massif ( Catalan: ''Les Guilleries'') is a mountain system located at the apex of the Catalan Transversal Range and the Pre-Coastal Range. The highest point of the range is Sant Miquel de Solterra or Sant Miquel de les Formigues ...

, located at the apex of the Catalan Transversal Range and the Pre-Coastal Range, in the east. Long famous for its local

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs, may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

s (especially '' fuet'') and other

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

derivatives, in recent years the area has become somewhat infamous for the pollution of its many waterways due to the

factory farming Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production, and macro-farms, also known as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to mass animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing co ...

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

s and

Dairy cattle Dairy cattle (also called dairy cows) are cattle bred with the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cattle generally are of the species '' Bos taurus''. Historically, little distinction was ...

. There are more pigs than people living in Osona. In the comarcal revision of 1990, Sant Quirze de Besora became part of Osona; previously it formed part of the

Ripollès Ripollès (; ) is a Comarques of Catalonia, comarca (county) in the Comarques Gironines, Girona region, Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the Vall de Ribes, Ribes and Camprodon river valleys. In 2001, its population was 25,744, about 40% of whom ...

. In May 2015, Osona lost the municipality of Collsuspina to the new comarca of

Municipalities

References

External links

Official comarcal web site (in Catalan)

Information about Osona from the Generalitat de Catalunya (in Catalan)
{{coord, 41, 56, 53, N, 2, 14, 42, E, region:ES-CT_type:adm2nd_source:cawiki, display=title Comarques of the Province of Barcelona

Municipalities

See also

References

External links