Comarcas of Spain

Comarca
Comarca
Also known as:; Comarques (Catalan), Eskualde (Basque);
Category	Comarca
Location	Spain
Found in	autonomous communities
Number	83 formal, 465 total (as of 20 June 2022)
Government	Comarcal council;
Subdivisions	Municipality;

In Spain, a comarca (Spanish: [koˈmaɾka] ^ⓘ)^{[lower-alpha 1]} is either a traditional territorial division without any formal basis, or a group of municipalities, legally defined by an autonomous community for the purpose of providing common local government services.^[1]^[2] In English, a comarca is equivalent to a district, county, area or zone.

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Legally defined comarcas

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 defined function.

Informal comarcas

In 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).^[3]

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

There 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.^[4] The remit of comarcas is very similar to that of the provinces and has been criticised for duplication.^[5] However in Catalonia, the comarca (and not the province) has been the traditional territorial organisation.^[6]

List of comarcas of Spain by autonomous communities

Comarcas of Andalusia

Comarcas of the province of Almería

Comarcas of the province of Cádiz

Bahía de Cádiz
Bajo Guadalquivir, also called Costa Noroeste
Campo de Gibraltar
La Janda
Campiña de Jerez, also called Marco de Jerez
Sierra de Cádiz

Comarcas of the province of Córdoba

Comarcas of the province of Granada

Comarcas of the province of Huelva

Andévalo
Condado de Niebla
Cuenca Minera de Riotinto
Costa Occidental de Huelva
Metropolitana de Huelva
Sierra de Aracena

Comarcas of the province of Jaén

Alto Guadalquivir - Cazorla
La Campiña
El Condado
Área Metropolitana de Jaén
La Loma
Las Villas
Sierra Norte
Sierra Mágina
Sierra de Segura
Sierra Sur de Jaén

Comarcas of the province of Málaga

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 Sevilla

Aljarafe
Bajo Guadalquivir
Campiña
Estepa
Marisma
Sierra Norte
Sierra Sur
La Vega

Comarcas of Aragon

Comarcas of Asturias

Comarques of the Balearic Islands

Mallorca

Menorca

Menorca

Pitiüses

Eskualdeak / Comarcas of the Basque Country

Eskualdeak / Cuadrillas of the province of Álava-Araba

Eskualdeak / Comarcas of the province of Biscay

Eskualdeak / Comarcas of the province of Gipuzkoa

Bidasoa-Txingudi
Debabarrena
Debagoiena
Goierri
Donostialdea
Tolosaldea
Urola Kosta
Urola Erdia
Urola Garaia

Comarcas of the Canary Islands

Comarcas of the province of Las Palmas

Comarcas of the province of Tenerife

El Hierro
La Gomera
La Palma
Tenerife
- Valle de Güímar
- Valle de la Orotava
- Icod
- Daute Isla Baja
- Isora-Teno
- Tenerife Sur (Adeje-Arona)
- Tenerife Sur (Granadilla-Arico)
- Acentejo
- Metropolitana-Anaga

Comarcas of Cantabria

Comarques of Catalonia

Reference:^[7]

Comarques of the province of Barcelona

Comarques of the province of Girona

Comarques of the province of Lleida

Comarques of the province of Tarragona

Comarcas of Castile–La Mancha

Comarcas of the province of Albacete

Comarcas of the province of Ciudad Real

Comarcas of the province of Cuenca

Alcarria conquense.
La Mancha de Cuenca.
Manchuela conquense.
Serranía Alta.
Serranía Baja.
Serranía Media-Campichuelo.

Comarcas of the province of Guadalajara

Campiña de Guadalajara
Campiña del Henares
La Alcarria
La Serranía
Señorío de Molina-Alto Tajo

Comarcas of the province of Toledo

Campo de San Juan
La Jara
La Campana de Oropesa
Mancha Alta de Toledo
Mesa de Ocaña
Montes de Toledo
La Sagra
Sierra de San Vicente
Tierras de Talavera
Torrijos (comarca)

Comarcas of Castile and León

Comarcas of the province of Ávila

La Moraña
Comarca de Ávila (Valle de Amblés y Sierra de Ávila)
Comarca de El Barco de Ávila - Piedrahíta (Alto Tormes y Valle del Corneja)
Comarca de Burgohondo - El Tiemblo - Cebreros (Valle del Alberche y Tierra de Pinares)
Comarca de Arenas de San Pedro

Comarcas of the province of Burgos

Comarcas of the province of León

La Montaña de Luna
La Montaña de Riaño
La Cabrera
Astorga
El Bierzo
Tierras de León
La Bañeza
El Páramo
Esla-Campos
Sahagún

Comarcas of the province of Palencia

Cerrato Palentino
Montaña Palentina
Páramos Valles
Tierra de Campos

Comarcas of the province of Salamanca

Comarcas of the province of Segovia

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:

Tierra de Pinares.
Tierra de Ayllón.
Tierras de Cantalejo y Santa María la Real de Nieva.
Páramos del Duratón.
Tierra de Segovia.
Tierra de Sepúlveda.

Comarcas of the province of Soria

Comarcas of the province of Valladolid

Tierra de Campos
Montes Torozos
Páramos del Esgueva
Tierra de Pinares
Campo de Peñafiel
Campiña del Pisuerga
Tierras de Medina

Comarcas of the province of Zamora

Alfoz de Toro.
Aliste.
Benavente y Los Valles.
La Carballeda.
La Guareña.
Sanabria.
Sayago.
Tábara.
Tierra de Alba.
Tierra de Campos.
Tierra del Pan.
Tierra del Vino.

Comarcas of Extremadura

Comarcas of the province of Badajoz

Comarcas of the province of Cáceres

Comarca de Cáceres
Campo Arañuelo
La Vera
Las Hurdes
Las Villuercas
Los Ibores
Sierra de Gata (comarca)
Tajo-Salor
Tierra de Alcántara
Trasierra/Tierras de Granadilla
Tierra de Trujillo
Valencia de Alcántara
Valle del Ambroz
Valle del Jerte
Vegas del Alagón

Comarcas of Galicia

Comarcas of the province of A Coruña

Comarcas of the province of Lugo

Comarcas of the province of Ourense

Comarcas of the province of Pontevedra

Comarcas of La Rioja

Rioja Alta
Rioja Baja
Tierra de Cameros
- Camero Nuevo (from Iregua river to West)
- Camero Viejo (from Leza river to East)

Comarcas of Madrid

Comarca de Alcalá or Tierra de Alcalá
La Alcarria
Madrid
Corredor del Henares
Sierra Norte
Sierra Este
Sierra Noroeste
Sierra Oeste
Madrid Sur
Las Vegas del Tajo
Vega del Jarama

Comarcas of Region of Murcia

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

Eskualdeak / Comarcas of Navarre

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

Comarques of the province of Alicante

Comarques of the province of Castellón

Comarques of the province of Valencia

Notes

In other languages of Spain:
- Catalan comarques (IPA: [kuˈmaɾkəs]), sing comarca.
- Galician comarcas (IPA: [koˈmaɾkɐs]), sing. comarca.
- Basque eskualdeak (IPA: [es̺kualdeak], sing. eskualde.

References

[1]
Local Government Act 1985, Article 42.
[2]
Register of Local Entities.
[3]
Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 33 on page 11.
[4]
Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 221 on page 38.
[5]
Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 221 on page 38 and paragraph 2 of the Summary.
[6]
Albet i Mas 2019, p. 27.
[7]
"Idescat. Anuari estadístic de Catalunya. Nombre de municipis i població. Comarques i Aran". www.idescat.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2020-07-14.

Bibliography

"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

Conocer España, detailed list of the Spanish comarcas with links (in Spanish).
Spain Comarcas, list of the Spanish comarcas

[1] In other languages of Spain:
Catalan comarques (IPA: [kuˈmaɾkəs]), sing comarca.

Galician comarcas (IPA: [koˈmaɾkɐs]), sing. comarca.

Basque eskualdeak (IPA: [es̺kualdeak], sing. eskualde.

[2] Catalan comarques (IPA: [kuˈmaɾkəs]), sing comarca.

[3] Galician comarcas (IPA: [koˈmaɾkɐs]), sing. comarca.

[4] Basque eskualdeak (IPA: [es̺kualdeak], sing. eskualde.

[FOOTNOTELocal_Government_Act1985Article_42-2] [1]
Local Government Act 1985, Article 42.

[FOOTNOTERegister_of_Local_Entities-3] [2]
Register of Local Entities.

[FOOTNOTECoolsVerbeek2013Explanatory_Memorandum_paragraph_33_on_page_11-4] [3]
Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 33 on page 11.

[FOOTNOTECoolsVerbeek2013Explanatory_Memorandum_paragraph_221_on_page_38-5] [4]
Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 221 on page 38.

[FOOTNOTECoolsVerbeek2013Explanatory_Memorandum_paragraph_221_on_page_38_and_paragraph_2_of_the_Summary-6] [5]
Cools & Verbeek 2013, Explanatory Memorandum paragraph 221 on page 38 and paragraph 2 of the Summary.

[FOOTNOTEAlbet_i_Mas201927-7] [6]
Albet i Mas 2019, p. 27.

[8] [7]
"Idescat. Anuari estadístic de Catalunya. Nombre de municipis i població. Comarques i Aran". www.idescat.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2020-07-14.

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