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was at its height, Balaguer was the northernmost Arab city, and the castles of
Castelló de Farfanya, Algerri, and Os de Balaguer were satellite fortifications which, together with a barrier of well-placed watch towers, formed the line of defense against the Christians to the north of Montsec. In the
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11th and 18th centuries the area had one of the densest populations in
Catalonia, but the population level began to fall at the beginning of the 20th century, and nowadays emigration is prominent and many villages are virtually abandoned.
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The southern face is virtually a great wall with a "step" about two-thirds of the way up, and the northern side, although by no means as steep, still stands at 1,000 metres above the Tremp basin below.
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Montsec stands in a natural defensive position over the plains and is relatively protected from the icy winds from the north, and as such its strategic aspect was very important in times of the
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running roughly from east to west. The range system is about 40 km long and 186.96 square kilometres in area. The
Montsec is located in the
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are relatively easy to find, and at
Vilanova de Meià the deposits there are one of the most important in the world.
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The difficulty of irrigation makes for a very limited agriculture in the area. Local farmers cultivate mostly some
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sea, raised and partly covered by the Eocene sea, and then raised again by
Pyrenean folding. Fossils from the
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Montsec's formation goes back to when sediments of several thousand metres deep were deposited in the
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region and is divided into three main massifs by 3 of the most important rivers in
Catalonia:
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Serrat de la Corona ridges of the
Montsec d'Ares; central sector of the Montsec Range
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and the plains of Lleida to the south and the
Pyrenees to the north.
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Photo gallery of birds, landscapes, wildlife and people in
Montsec
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228:The Serra del Montsec consists of a series of
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493:El Pallars és una comarca natural prodigiosa
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480:La Toponimia en la Geografia del Montsec
344:a 1.675 m high peak in Serra del Montsec
296:, located to the west, separated by the
261:The name Montsec derives from the Latin
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20:. For the commune of the Dordogne, see
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132:Location in the Pre-Pyrenees area
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424:. In the 10th century, when the
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546:Mountain ranges of Catalonia
57:1,676 m (5,499 ft)
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541:Mountain ranges of Aragon
205:[ˈsɛraðelmonˈsɛk]
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491:Josep Pla i Casadevall,
300:from the central massif.
455:Geology of the Pyrenees
387:municipality, with the
521:Tourism at the Montsec
478:Francesc Fité Llevot,
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201:Catalan pronunciation:
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328:Geographical features
286:, the central massif.
517:at Wikimedia Commons
426:caliphate of Córdoba
298:Noguera Ribagorçana
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391:in the background.
247:province of Huesca
240:province of Lleida
214:Sierra del Montsec
47:Highest point
513:Media related to
361:Montsec de Rúbies
278:Noguera Pallaresa
274:Montsec de Rúbies
198:Serra del Montsec
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158:Parent range
422:Reconquista
308:, those of
306:(congostos)
304:Two gorges
224:Description
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63:Coordinates
535:Categories
466:References
403:Cretaceous
363:seen from
230:calcareous
397:Formation
342:Sant Alís
314:Montrebei
310:Terradets
257:Geography
244:Aragonese
181:Limestone
150:Catalonia
101:Geography
53:Elevation
449:See also
407:Mesozoic
379:View of
357:Llimiana
242:and the
142:Location
515:Montsec
460:Pallars
443:almonds
433:Economy
416:History
365:Montadó
267:Pallars
237:Catalan
210:Spanish
194:Catalan
170:Geology
126:Montsec
30:Montsec
439:barley
294:Aragon
148:&
146:Aragon
76:0°45′E
73:42°2′N
22:Monsec
381:Corçà
292:, in
251:Spain
441:and
385:Àger
318:Àger
312:and
188:The
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