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Baix Maestrat

Coordinates: 40°28′15″N 0°28′29″E / 40.47083°N 0.47472°E / 40.47083; 0.47472
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Baix Maestrat
Baix Maestrat (Valencian)
Bajo Maestrazgo (Spanish)
Country Spain
Autonomous community Valencian Community
Province Castellón / Castelló
Capital
and largest city
Vinaròs
Municipalities
Area
 • Total1,221.32 km2 (471.55 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total81,871
 • Density67/km2 (170/sq mi)
 [1]
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Largest municipalitiesVinaròs, Benicarló

Baix Maestrat (Valencian: [ˈbajʒ maesˈtɾat]; Spanish: Bajo Maestrazgo [ˈbaxo maesˈtɾaθɣo]) is a coastal comarca located in the north of the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The capital of the comarca is Vinaròs.

Municipalities

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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:

Municipality Surface
area
in km2
Population
(2011)
[2]
Population
(2019)
[3]
Density
per km2
(2019)
Vinaròs 95.46 28,267 28,682 300.46
Benicarló 47.86 26,355 26,912 562.31
Peniscola 78.97 7,822 7,612 96.39
Alcalà de Xivert 167.56 7,826 6,680 39.87
Sant Mateu 64.62 2,062 1,963 30.38
Càlig 27.47 2,178 1,950 70.99
Traiguera 59.76 1,586 1,378 23.06
Sant Jordi/San Jorge 36.49 1,007 972 26.64
Rossell 74.93 1,133 937 12.51
Santa Magdalena de Polpís 66.49 844 768 11.55
La Salzadella 49.92 846 704 14.10
Xert 82.51 846 701 8.50
La Jana 19.50 766 675 34.56
Canet lo Roig 68.67 828 674 9.82
Cervera del Maestrat 93.24 686 575 6.17
San Rafael del Río 21.15 526 469 22.17
La Pobla de Benifassà 136.00 288 202 1.49
Castell de Cabres 30.72 20 17 0.55

Data from National Institute of Statistics 2019

Municipalities of Baix Maestrat

Geography

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The comarca borders to the north-west with the province of Teruel (Aragon), to the north-east with the province of Tarragona (Catalonia), to the east with the Mediterranean Sea, to the south with the comarca of Plana Alta (Castellón, Valencia) and to the west with the comarcas of Alt Maestrat (Castellón, Valencia) and Els Ports (Castellón, Valencia).

Within the comarca lies Serra d'Irta, 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 on July 16, 2002.

Economic activities

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The area's traditional economic activities include agriculture (citrus fruits, olive trees, artichokes) and fishing. Artichokes from Benicarló are covered by a geographic designation of origin.

Historical delimitations

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The current comarca of Baix Maestrat also includes the historical subcomarcas of Tinença de Benifassà and Plana de Vinaròs. The localities of Albocàsser and Tírig (today located in Alt Maestrat), and Les Coves de Vinromà, Sarratella, La Torre d'en Doménec, and Vilanova d'Alcolea (in Plana Alta), were also formerly part of the historic comarca.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Official estimate as at 1 January 2019: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid, 2019.
  2. ^ Census of 1 November 2011: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid, 2019.
  3. ^ Official estimate as at 1 January 2019: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid, 2019.

40°28′15″N 0°28′29″E / 40.47083°N 0.47472°E / 40.47083; 0.47472