Girona

Girona (English /dʒiˈroʊnə/, Catalan: [ʒiˈɾonə], Spanish: Gerona [xeˈɾona]) is a city in the northeast of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia in Spain, at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell and has an official population of 96,722 as of January 2011. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès. It is located 99 km (62 mi) northeast of Barcelona. Girona is one of the major Catalan cities.

History

The first historical inhabitants in the region were Iberians; Girona is the ancient Gerunda, a city of the Ausetani. Later, the Romans built a citadel there, which was given the name of Gerunda. The Visigoths ruled in Girona until it was conquered by the Moors in 715. Finally, Charlemagne reconquered it in 785 and made it one of the fourteen original counties of Catalonia. It was wrested temporarily from the Moors, who recaptured it in 793. From this time until the moors were finally driven out, 1015, the city repeatedly changed hands and was sacked several times by the moors (in 827, 842, 845, 935, 982). Wilfred the Hairy incorporated Girona into the county of Barcelona in 878. Alfonso I of Aragón declared Girona a city in the 11th century. The ancient county later became a duchy (1351) when King Peter III of Aragon gave the title of Duke to his first-born son, John. In 1414, King Ferdinand I in turn gave the title of Prince of Girona to his first-born son, Alfonso. The title is currently carried by Leonor, Princess of Asturias, the second since the 16th century to do so.

Province of Girona

Girona (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒiˈɾonə], Spanish: Gerona; French: Gérone) is a province of Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Catalonia. It is bordered on the northwest by the province of Lleida, on the southwest by the province of Barcelona, on the north by France, and on the east by the Mediterranean Sea.

756,810 people (as of 2011) live in the province. Its capital and largest city is Girona, with an urban area (including the neighbouring municipalities of Salt, Sarrià de Ter and Vilablareix) representing, with a total population of 134,226, a 17-18% of the population. The Girona area acts as an industrial, commercial and service hub for a significant part of the province.

Municipalities of Girona

The province has 222 municipalities, including Girona city (population 96,722), Figueres (pop. 44,765), Lloret de Mar (pop. 40,282), Blanes (pop. 39,834), Olot (33,725), Salt (pop. 30,389), Palafrugell (pop. 22,816) and Sant Feliu de Guíxols (pop. 21,814), as well as some significant and historical towns such as Banyoles, Besalú, Cadaqués, Camprodon, Palamós, Puigcerdà or Ripoll.

Girona (Barcelona Metro)

Girona is a Barcelona Metro station located in Carrer de Girona, underneath Carrer del Consell de Cent between Carrer del Bruc and Carrer de Bailèn, in Dreta de l'Eixample, part of the Eixample district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is served by L4 (yellow line). The station was inaugurated in 1973 along with the other stations from Urquinaona to Joanic.

Services

See also

External links

Coordinates: 41°23′41″N 2°10′16″E / 41.3947°N 2.17111°E / 41.3947; 2.17111