Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Teruel (1.)

TERUEL, a province of Spain, forming part of the ancient kingdom of Aragon, is bounded on the N. by Zaragoza, on the E. by Tarragona, on the S. by Castellon de la Plana and Valencia, on the S.W. by Cuenca, and on the W. by Guadalajara, and has an area of 2363 square miles. It is intersected from east to west by the mountain chains of Albarracin and Gudar, from which several offsets diverge on either side. The loftiest summit is the Muela de San Juan (5280 feet), which is covered with snow for a great part of the year. These sierras give rise to several large rivers, the principal being the Tagus, the Guadalaviar, the Jiloca, and the Guadalope. Notwithstanding the fertile character of the plains and an abundance of mineral wealth, the trade of the province is unimportant, and civilization in a backward state, owing to the lack of means of transport, the want of enterprise, and imperfect communication with the outer world. The chief products are corn, wine, oil, cheese, fruits, timber, flax, hemp, silk, wool, and saffron, together with cattle, sheep, and swine; while in the busier centres some slight manufacture of coarse cloth, paper, leather, soap, pottery, and esparto goods is carried on. The population of the province in 1877 was 249,000.