Cataluna is made up of four provinces - Barcelona, Girona,
Tarragona and Lleida (Lerida), each with a capital city of the
same name. Barcelona is the place people want to visit and the
capital is now very much an international city. The area enjoys
a varied landscape from the high sierras of the Pyrenees, to
the Mediterranean coast and the central lowlands. There are two
Cataluna coastlines - the Costa Brava with its cliffs and deep
coves (Costa is Catalan for coast and Brava means Rugged) - and
the Costa Dorada (Gold Coast) with long, wide and gentle beaches.
There are three airports - Barcelona, Girona and Tarragona. There
are two international rail stations at Estacion de Sants and
Estacion de Francia, both in Barcelona.
Tortosa is located around 50 miles
south of Tarragona, and reached just a few miles north off the
main A-7 highway between Tarragona and Castellon de la Plana.
It is around 20 miles inland from the coast and the outlet of
the River Ebre. Tortosa is on the Valencia-Barcelona railroad.
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Tortosa is a large town in southern
Cataluna through which the River Ebre runs. It is rich in folklore
and its inhabitants speak a distinctive Catalan dialect. The
older quarter of Tortosa is walled, crowded between the river
and the nearby hills, and has narrow, winding streets, ancient
stone houses built of granite, and shows the legacy of the three
influencing cultures (Muslim, Jewish, and Christian). Its cathedral
was built during the years 1158 to 1178 on the former site of
a mosque. Tortosa enjoys a Mediterranean climate; there is a
fishery in the river and the harbour oversees the export of corn,
wine, wool, silk and liquorice, a speciality of the district. |