Province of Huesca
Province of Spain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Province of Huesca (Spanish: Provincia de Huesca, Aragonese: Provincia de Uesca; Catalan: Província d'Osca), officially Huesca/Uesca,[3] is a province of northeastern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Aragon. The capital is Huesca. It has a population of 230,087 in an area of 15,637.60 square kilometres (6,037.71 sq mi) across its 202 municipalities.[2][1]
Province of Huesca
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The Marboré lake with the Monte Perdido and the Cilindro de Marboré in the background | |
.svg) Flag  Coat of arms | |
.svg) Location of the Province of Huesca in Spain | |
| Coordinates: 42°10′N 0°10′W | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Autonomous community |  Aragon |
| Capital | Huesca |
| Municipalities | 202 |
| Area | |
• Total | 15,637.60 km2 (6,037.71 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 6th in Spain |
| 3.1% of Spain | |
| Population (2025)[2] | |
• Total | 230,087 |
| • Rank | 43rd in Spain |
| • Density | 14.7137/km2 (38.1083/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Oscense |
| Language(s) | Spanish, Aragonese, Catalan |
Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French departments of Haute-Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and Hautes-Pyrénées. Within Spain, Huesca's neighboring provinces are Navarre, Zaragoza, and Lleida.
History
The Romans colonised the province of Huesca, which formed the northern part of Hispania Tarraconensis, and continued to live there well into the 5th century until the arrival of the Visigoths. As a mountainous frontier region, it was difficult to dominate. The northern counties had at one time belonged to the Kingdom of Navarre but split off and managed to stem early Moorish invasions in the Middle Ages by forming alliances between themselves and with the Franks, to become Frankish feudal marches. The imperative of sovereignty, or independence, for the northern border counts, gave rise to the Kingdom of Aragon, which was the precursor to the Empire or Crown of Aragon, and ultimately the Kingdom of Spain.
Geography
Covering a primarily mountainous area of 15,626 km2 (6,033 sq mi), the province of Huesca has a total population of 219,345 in 2018,[4] with almost a quarter of its people living in the capital city of Huesca. The low population density, 14.62/km2, has meant that Huesca's lush valleys, rivers, and lofty mountain ranges have remained relatively pristine and unspoiled by progress.
Home to majestic scenery, the tallest mountain in the Pyrenees, the Aneto; eternal glaciers, such as at Monte Perdido; and the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, rich in flora and protected fauna. Popular with mountaineers, spelunkers, paragliders, and white water rafters, it is also a popular snow skiing destination with notable resorts in Candanchú, Formigal, Astún, Panticosa, and Cerler.
Lakes
Administrative divisions
The modern day province comprises 10 comarcas and 202 municipalities.
The following comarcas having their capital in Huesca Province include municipal terms within Zaragoza Province:
Demographics
As of 2026, the population is 230,087, of which 50.9% are male, and 49.1% are female. Minors make up 15.8% of the population, and seniors make up 23.2%.[2]
Historical population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: INE[5] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Languages
Spanish is the primary language in the province. However, the local linguistic varieties in the center and north of the province (often called fabla) belong to the Aragonese language, which now survives mainly in the northernmost comarcas, such as the Aragon Valley in Jacetania, the Alto Gallego, Sobrarbe, and Ribagorza, where hitherto landlocked and isolated villages have helped the language to thrive into the 21st century.
In the easternmost areas of the province, varieties of the Catalan language are spoken, with a few transitional dialects difficult to classify as Aragonese or Catalan.
Immigration
As of 2025, immigrants make up 19.1% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Romania, Morocco, Colombia, Venezuela, and Mali.[2][2]
