Maresme (Catalan pronunciation: [məˈɾɛzmə]) is a comarca (county) in the Barcelona region in Catalonia, located along the Mediterranean coast, between the comarques of Barcelonès (at the Southwest) and Selva (at the Northeast), and also bordering with Vallès Oriental (at the west).

Maresme
Coat of arms of Maresme
Country Spain
Autonomous community Catalonia
Province Barcelona
RegionÀmbit metropolità de Barcelona
CapitalMataró
Municipalities
Government
 • BodyMaresme Comarcal Council
 • PresidentFrancesc Alemany (ERC)
Area
 • Total
398.6 km2 (153.9 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total
437,919
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Demonymsmaresmenc (m.)
maresmenca (f.)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Largest municipalityMataró
Montcabrer, comarca of the Maresme

Its capital and largest city is Mataró (pop. 119,035 in 2007).

Geography

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Maresme occupies a long and narrow area between the Mediterranean Sea and the hills of Serralada Litoral (Catalonia's coastal mountains), and specifically Montnegre's and Corredor's hills in the northern half and Sant Mateu's hills in the southern half. This particular shape has conditioned both the geography and the history of this comarca. Probably the main distinct elements of its geography are the characteristic rieres (torrents). These short, intermittent streams, which cross the comarca transversally about every hundred meters, produce powerful and dangerous floods when it rains.

 
Canet des de els Tarongers

Maresme has been historically very well connected with the rest of the comarca as well as with Barcelona by the old Camí Ral (Royal Way) (current N-II main road) and railroad (The Barcelona–Mataró railroad route, finished in 1848, was the first ever in all the Iberian Peninsula). Communications were enhanced in recent years with the construction of the C-32's Barcelona–Mataró section (1969), which was the first autopista (highway) ever in Spain, and its subsequent enlargement, the Mataró-Palafolls's section (1995).

Municipalities

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Municipality Population
(2014)[1]
Area
km2[1]
Alella 9,651 9.6
Arenys de Mar 15,307 6.8
Arenys de Munt 8,654 21.3
Argentona 11,963 25.4
Cabrera de Mar 4,525 9.0
Cabrils 7,197 7.0
Caldes d'Estrac 2,738 0.9
Calella 18,307 8.0
Canet de Mar 14,123 5.6
Dosrius 5,137 40.7
Malgrat de Mar 18,417 8.8
El Masnou 22,742 3.4
Mataró 124,280 22.5
Montgat 11,315 2.9
Òrrius 690 5.7
Palafolls 9,065 16.6
Pineda de Mar 25,948 10.7
Premià de Dalt 10,311 6.6
Premià de Mar 28,163 2.1
Sant Andreu de Llavaneres 10,590 11.8
Sant Cebrià de Vallalta 3,328 15.7
Sant Iscle de Vallalta 1,304 17.8
Sant Pol de Mar 4,997 7.5
Sant Vicenç de Montalt 6,007 8.0
Santa Susanna 3,293 12.6
Teià 6,141 6.6
Tiana 8,314 8.0
Tordera 16,345 84.1
Vilassar de Dalt 8,882 8.9
Vilassar de Mar 20,185 4.0
• Total: 30 437,919 398.6
 
Map

References

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  1. ^ a b "El municipi en xifres". Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya. Retrieved 2015-05-25.
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41°31′N 2°18′E / 41.517°N 2.300°E / 41.517; 2.300