In Spain, a comarca (Spanish: [koˈmaɾka] ⓘ)[a] is a traditional informal territorial division, comprising several municipalities sharing geographical, economic or cultural traits, typically with not well defined limits. Modernly, they have been formally defined for all the autonomous communities of Spain, as territorial entities intermediate between the municipality and the province, although their status ranges from official and with administrative functions (providing common local government services) in some communities, to unofficial and based on mere preliminary studies in other communities.
| Comarca | |
|---|---|
| |
| Category | Comarca |
| Location | Kingdom of Spain |
| Found in | Autonomous communities |
| Number | 83 formal, 465 total (as of 20 June 2022) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions | |

In English, a comarca is equivalent to an area, county, district, or zone.
Legally defined comarcas
editIn 1985, a law was passed permitting territorial division into comarcas by each autonomous community.[1][2] Because comarcas are subdivisions created by autonomous regions and not the state, their boundaries may overlap the boundaries of provinces within their respective autonomous community, creating instances in which a comarca has territory in more than one province.[3]
The large majority of legally defined comarcas are in Catalonia (42) and Aragon (33), and are regulated by law and are governed by a comarcal council with specified powers. There are seven comarcas formally registered in Basque Country and one, El Bierzo, in Castile and León.[2] In Andalusia, Galicia, Valencia and Asturias, comarcas are defined by regional law but lack any specific function.
Informal comarcas
editIn other regions, comarcas are traditional or historical or in some cases, contemporary creations designed for tourism promotions. In some other cases (e.g. La Carballeda) a comarca may correspond to a natural area, like a valley, river basin and mountainous area, or even to historical regions overlapping different provinces and ancient kingdoms (e.g. Ilercavonia).[4]
In such comarcas or natural regions municipalities have resorted to organizing themselves in mancomunidad (commonwealth), like the Taula del Sénia, the only legal formula that has allowed those comarcas to manage their public municipal resources meaningfully.[citation needed]
There is also a comarca, the Cerdanya that is divided between two states, the southwestern half being counted as a comarca of Spain, while the northeastern half is part of France.
Relationship to other groups of municipalities
editThere are also other groupings of municipalities in Spain including provinces, mancomunidades, metropolitan areas and the major islands of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.
Legally defined comarcas have their boundaries and functions defined by the relevant regional government (autonomous community) and so do not necessarily have boundaries consistent with provinces which are defined by the State.[5] The remit of comarcas is very similar to that of the provinces and has been criticised for duplication.[6] However in Catalonia, the comarca (and not the province) has been the traditional territorial organisation.[7]
List of comarcas of Spain by autonomous communities
edit
- Antequera
- Axarquía (Eastern Costa del Sol)
- Costa del Sol Occidental (Western Costa del Sol)
- Guadalteba
- Málaga - Costa del Sol
- Nororiental de Málaga ("Nororma")
- Serranía de Ronda
- Sierra de las Nieves
- Valle del Guadalhorce

Comarcas of the province of Huesca/Uesca
edit- Alto Gállego
- Bajo Cinca, also called Baix Cinca
- Cinca Medio
- Hoya de Huesca, also called Plana de Uesca
- Jacetania
- La Litera, also called La Llitera
- Monegros
- Ribagorza
- Sobrarbe
- Somontano de Barbastro
- Bajo Martín
- Jiloca
- Cuencas Mineras
- Andorra-Sierra de Arcos
- Bajo Aragón
- Comunidad de Teruel
- Maestrazgo
- Sierra de Albarracín Comarca, named after the Sierra de Albarracín mountain range
- Gúdar-Javalambre
- Matarraña (Matarranya in Catalan spelling)
Comarques of the Balearic Islands
editEskualdeak / Comarcas of the Basque Country
editComarcas of the Canary Islands
editComarcas of the province of Las Palmas
editComarques of Catalonia
edit
Reference:[8]
- Alt Empordà
- Baix Empordà
- Baixa Cerdanya (partly)
- Garrotxa
- Gironès
- Osona (partly)
- Pla de l'Estany
- Ripollès
- Selva
Comarcas of Castile–La Mancha
editComarcas of Castile and León
edit
- Comarca de Vitigudino (El Abadengo, Las Arribes, Tierra de Vitigudino and La Ramajería)
- Comarca de Ciudad Rodrigo (Ciudad Rodrigo, Campo de Argañán, Campo del Yeltes, Los Agadones, Campo de Robledo and El Rebollar)
- La Armuña
- Las Villas
- Tierra de Peñaranda
- Tierra de Cantalapiedra
- Tierra de Ledesma
- Comarca de Guijuelo (Entresierras, Salvatierra and Alto Tormes)
- Tierra de Alba
- Sierra de Béjar
- Sierra de Francia
- Campo de Salamanca
An official classification establishes three comarcas:
or sometimes four:
- Tierra de Pinares (shares with the province of Valladolid).
- Segovia.
- Sepúlveda.
- Tierra de Ayllón.
However, historic approaches (before the national classification into provinces) establish six comarcas:
Comarcas of the province of Valladolid
editComarcas of Extremadura
edit- Rioja Alta
- Rioja Baja
- Tierra de Cameros
- Camero Nuevo (from Iregua river to West)
- Camero Viejo (from Leza river to East)
Comarcas of Region of Murcia
edit
- Altiplano
- Alto Guadalentín
- Bajo Guadalentín
- Campo de Cartagena / Comarca de Cartagena
- Huerta de Murcia
- Región del Mar Menor / Comarca of Mar Menor
- Región del Noroeste / Comarca del Noroeste
- Región del Río Mula / Cuenca del Río Mula
- Región Oriental
- Valle de Ricote
- Vega Alta / Comarca de la Vega Alta del Segura
- Vega Media / Comarca de la Vega Media del Segura

- Bortziriak / Cinco Villas
- Baztan
- Tudela
- Bidasoa Garaia / Alto Bidasoa
- Sakana / Barranca
- Aralarraldea / Norte de Aralar
- Ultzamaldea
- Agoitz / Aoiz
- Irunberri / Lumbier
- Auñamendi
- Iruñerria / Cuenca de Pamplona
- Gares / Puente la Reina
- Estella Oriental
- Estella Occidental
- Zangoza / Sangüesa
- Tafalla
- Ribera del Alto Ebro
- Ribera Arga-Aragón
- Erronkari-Zaraitzu / Roncal-Salazar
Comarques of the Valencian Community
editSee also
editNotes
edit- ↑ In other languages of Spain:
- Catalan comarques (IPA: [kuˈmaɾkəs]), sing comarca.
- Galician comarcas (IPA: [koˈmaɾkɐs]), sing. comarca.
- Basque eskualdeak (IPA: [es̺kualdeak], sing. eskualde.
References
edit- ↑ Local Government Act 1985, Article 42.
- 1 2 Register of Local Entities.
- ↑ Local Government Act 1985, Article 42(2).
- ↑ Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 33 on page 11.
- ↑ Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 221 on page 38.
- ↑ Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 221 on page 38 and paragraph 2 of the Summary.
- ↑ Albet i Mas 2019, p. 27.
- ↑ "Idescat. Anuari estadístic de Catalunya. Nombre de municipis i població. Comarques i Aran". www.idescat.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2020-07-14.
Bibliography
edit- "Local Government Act (Organic Law 7/1985)" (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. 1985. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. "Register of Local Entities". Local Entity Portal (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- Cools, Marc; Verbeek, Leen (19–21 March 2013). Local and regional democracy in Spain. Council of Europe.
- Albet i Mas, Abel (2019). "The municipal map in Spain: structure, evolution and problems". Geopolitica(s). Revista de estudios sobre espacio y poder (in Spanish). 10 (1): 11–40. doi:10.5209/GEOP.63834.
External links
edit- Conocer España, detailed list of the Spanish comarcas with links (in Spanish).
- Spain Comarcas, list of the Spanish comarcas







