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Proposal for Eastern Aragon c.1980 (Aragon, Spain)

Franja del Ponent

by António Martins

Description

See also:

Aragon (Spain)
Spain

Description

Franja del Ponent is Catalan for "Western Fringe", a strip of territory in Eastern Aragon, where Catalan is the local language. An unofficial flag is used locally by several mayors [actually only proposed, read below], a design inspired in the Catalan senyera. A vertical hoist area (about 1/6th of the width) is counterchanged, creating five red stripes standing for the five historical comarques [counties or subprovincial areas] of the region, from North to South: Alta Ribagorza, Ribagorza, Llitera, Baix Cinca and Matarranya. The design of the flag thus symbolizes the number and geographical situation of these comarques, west of Catalonia (with the hoist at the viewer's left hand). Source: Jaume Ollé.

António Martins, 9 June 2000

I fully disagree with the alleged use of such flag in several municipalities in eastern Aragon. I frequently travel in that area and I have never seen any flag as the one described. Apart from that, I disagree with the Franja de Ponent term used to refer to the eastern comarcas [unofficial subprovincial areas] of Aragon, which ought to include from a historical point of view that of Ribagorza and the Aran Valley —currently under Catalan administration— both of which were historically and administratively Aragonese until the provincial division during Isabel II's reign [mid-19th century].

Chuse Fernández, translated by Santiago Dotor, 3 May 2001

I agree. This flag was a creation suggested by the catalan mayors of this zone in the years of the so-called transition [late 1970s and early 1980s], but its use is doubtful. (...) Until early 19th century the Catalan administrative frontier was always the Cinca River (thus including this stripe), and after that the river continued being the linguistic frontier. During the Napoleonic occupation this land was part of two departments (Segre, capital Solsona, and Boches-du-Ebre, capital Tarragona) except Val d'Aran [Aran Valley] that was annexed to France.

Jaume Ollé, 10 May 2001