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Province of Teruel

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Province of Teruel
Provincia de Teruel (Spanish)
Province
The Sierra Carrascosa with the Guerrero Romano rock formation near Bordón
The Sierra Carrascosa with the Guerrero Romano rock formation near Bordón
Flag of Province of Teruel
Flag
Coat of arms of Province of Teruel
Coat of arms
Location of the Province of Teruel in Spain
Location of the Province of Teruel in Spain
Coordinates: 40°40′N 0°40′W / 40.667°N 0.667°W / 40.667; -0.667
Country Spain
Autonomous community Aragon
CapitalTeruel
Municipalities236
Area
[1]
 • Total
14,826.98 km2 (5,724.73 sq mi)
 • Rank10th in Spain
 2.9% of Spain
Population
 (2025)[2]
 • Total
136,091
 • Rank49th in Spain
 • Density9.17861/km2 (23.7725/sq mi)
DemonymTurolense

The Province of Teruel (Catalan: Província de Terol; [təˈɾɔl]) is a province of the autonomous community of Aragon in northeast Spain. The capital is the city of Teruel.

It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia (including its exclave, Rincón de Ademuz), Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Zaragoza. The area of the province is 14,809 km². Its population is 136,091, of whom about a quarter live in the capital, and its population density is 9.2/km². It contains 236 municipalities, of which more than half are villages of under 200 people. Teruel is the 2nd least populated province of Spain, and also the 2nd-lowest in population density, in both counts after the province of Soria.[2][1]

The main language throughout the province is Spanish (with official status), although Catalan is spoken in a northeastern area bordering Catalonia.

Geography

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This province is located in the mountainous Iberian System. The main ranges in the province of Teruel are Sierra de la Virgen, Sierra de Santa Cruz, Sierra de Cucalón, Sierra de San Just, Sierra Carrascosa, Sierra Menera, Sierra Palomera, Sierra de Javalambre, Sierra de Gúdar, Sierra de Albarracín and the Montes Universales, among others.

Comarcas

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The following Comarcas of Aragon are located in Teruel:

Municipalities

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The province has 236 municipalities:

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1842181,661—    
1857238,628+31.4%
1877248,765+4.2%
1887246,817−0.8%
1900251,994+2.1%
1910265,908+5.5%
1920264,062−0.7%
1930263,700−0.1%
1940245,960−6.7%
1950243,269−1.1%
1960223,758−8.0%
1970173,861−22.3%
1981153,457−11.7%
1991143,680−6.4%
2001135,858−5.4%
2011143,162+5.4%
2021134,259−6.2%
Source: INE[3]

As of 2026, the population is 136,091, of which 51.0% are male, and 49.0% are female. Minors make up 15.5% of the population, and seniors make up 24.7%.[2]

Most of Teruel Province has undergone massive depopulation since the middle of the 20th century. This situation is shared with other areas in Spain, particularly with those near the Iberian System (much of the provinces of Soria, Guadalajara and Cuenca), and with other areas in Aragon.

The exodus from the rural mountain areas in Teruel rose after Francisco Franco's Plan de Estabilización in 1959. The population declined steeply as people migrated towards the industrial areas and large cities in Spain, leaving behind their small villages where living conditions were often harsh, with cold winters and very basic facilities.

As a consequence there are many ghost towns in different parts of the province.[4]

A great number of surviving towns in Teruel have only a residual population, reviving somewhat during the summer when a few city-dwellers spend their holidays there. Other causes of the strong emigration are the low productivity of traditional agricultural practices, like sheep and goat farming, the closing of mines, like the large Sierra Menera mine near Ojos Negros,[5] as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century.[6]

The Teruel Exists (Spanish: Teruel Existe) movement began at the turn of the 21st century. It is a platform of provincial authorities, institutions and sympathizers seeking to reverse the long-standing neglect of the province.[7]

Immigration

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As of 2025, immigrants make up 16.2% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Morocco, Romania, Colombia, Venezuela, and Cuba.[2]

Notable people

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See also

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Notes and references

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  1. 1 2 "Información Geográfica Destacada" [Geographical information data] (in Spanish). IGN.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Annual population census 2021-2025". INE.
  3. ↑ "INEbase. Alterations to the municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842". INE.
  4. ↑ Pueblos deshabitados – Collado de la Grulla (Teruel)
  5. ↑ La Compañía Minera de Sierra Menera. Breve historia Archived 23 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Despoblación en Aragon Archived 23 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Teruel existe
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Province of Teruel
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