The American Cyclopædia (1879)/Gerona

GERONA. I. A province of Spain, in Catalonia, forming the N. E. extremity of the peninsula, bordering on France and the Mediterranean, and on the provinces of Barcelona and Lérida; area, 2,272 sq. m.; pop. in 1870 (estimated), 325,110. The surface is chiefly covered with the ramifications of the Pyrenees, but fertile valleys frequently intervene. The inhabitants of the interior are mostly engaged in agriculture and cattle rearing; those of the coast in ship building, fishing, and navigation. The principal rivers are the Ter and the Fluvia. Among the towns are Rosas and Figueras, both fortified, Olot, and Ripoll. II. A city (anc. Gerunda), capital of the province, at the confluence of the Ter and Oña, 52 m. N. E. of Barcelona; pop. about 10,000. The chief manufactures are linen and woollen fabrics, paper, soap, earthenware, and hardware. It was captured by Charlemagne, regained by the Moors, and is famous for the sieges it has sustained.