Garraf

Garraf
	The location of the Comarca Garraf in Catalonia
Basic data
Province:	Barcelona
Main place:	Vilanova i la Geltrú
Surface:	184.12 km²
Residents:	150,887 (2019)
Municipalities:	6th

The Comarca Garraf is located in the province of Barcelona in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia ( Spain ). The community association has an area of 184.12 km² and 150,887 inhabitants (2019). Garraf is one of the smallest comarcas in Catalonia.

location

The association of municipalities is located in the south of the central part of Catalonia between the provincial capitals Barcelona and Tarragona . It borders in the east on the Comarca Baix Llobregat , in the north on the Comarca Alt Penedès , in the west on the Comarca Baix Penedès and in the south on the 29 km long coast of the Costa del Garraf on the Mediterranean Sea . Together with the comarcas Alt Penedès, Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès , Maresme , Vallès Occidental and Vallès Oriental , the region forms the territory of Àmbit Metropolità de Barcelona .

The landscape is shaped in the east and north by the Garraf mountains . The coast to the Mediterranean Sea is steep and rocky here. The southwestern part of Garraf is on one level. The coast here forms numerous fine sandy beaches. In the far west, the Foix river flows through the comarca from north to south and flows into the Mediterranean at Cubelles . North of the Garraf mountains lies the Penedès plain , which is an important wine-growing region. Together with the districts of Alt Penedes and Baix Penedes, Garraf forms the natural region of the Penedès.

Nature parks

More than half of the territory of the Comarca form a 123.8 km² Garraf nature reserve with hiking trails .

In the northwest is the smaller Olèrdola Nature Park . From the highest elevation, the Puig de l'Aliga (465 meters), you can see far into the Penedès plain.

In the west of the Comarca and in the area of the Comarca Alt Penedès is the Foix Natural Park. In contrast to the other two parks, the Foix river landscape is humid. In the center of the park, in the area of Alt Penedès, there is a reservoir that was designed as a water reservoir for the region's drinking water supply. This place is a refuge for numerous species of birds. 143 species have already been cataloged.

economy

The plain in front of the Garraf mountains is used for agriculture. Mainly wine is grown. Tourism plays an important role in the coastal communities of Sitges and Cubelles. The capital Vilanova i la Geltrú is a center of trade, small businesses and services, but also a modern industry that has settled in the outskirts of the city. The port of Vilanova i la Geltrú is one of the largest in Catalonia.

traffic

Until 1994, the Garraf Mountains formed a natural barrier between Barcelona and Garraf. With the construction of the C-32 motorway and the crossing under the Garraf mountains through 2 long tunnel sections, the comarca received good transport links to the airport and Barcelona. Garraf is integrated into the S-Bahn network ( Cercanías line C2-Sud) from Barcelona.

Communities

(As of 2019)

local community	Residents	Area (km²)
Vilanova i la Geltrú	67,086	33.87
Sant Pere de Ribes	30,719	40.88
Sitges	29,307	43.70
Cubelles	15,329	13.34
Olivella	3799	38.81
Canyelles	4647	13.99

Web links

Commons : Garraf - collection of images, videos and audio files

Turisme Garraf (Catalan, Spanish, English, French)
Association of municipalities ((Catalan, Spanish, German, English, French))
gencat-Turisme (Catalan, Spanish, English, German, French)
Attractions
Natural parks in Catalonia