Facts About Tarragona, Spain

Tarragona is a small city located in the Catalonia region on the northeast coastline of Spain, that runs along the Mediterranean Sea. The exact year the city was founded is unknown but people believe the city to be older than 500 BC. According to some legends the city could be as old as
2407 BC. Tarragona was inhabited by Hispanic tribes until it was captured by Roman Forces in 218 BC. Later the city was ruled by Muslim Caliphs and then Christian Kings. Modern day Tarragona is part of the Catalonia community in Spain.

Tarragona has a total area of 57.9km² with an elevation of 68m above sea level.

The city has a population of more than 132000 thousand individuals. The average age of people living in the city is 40 years, while the average life expectancy is 78 for men and 84 for women.

The city has a hot and humid climate in summers and mildly cool winters. The average temperature during summers is around 20°C while in winters it’s about 11°C.

The average annual temperature is approximately 15-16 °C. Tarragona receives an average rainfall of 560mm per year.

Tarragona is an important economic hub of Catalonia and is considered the second most important financial center of Catalonia.

The city’s economy is mainly run by its petrochemical industry. It represents about 25% of Spain’s chemical industry as a whole and is considered the chemical hub of Southern Europe.

Tarragona also has a busy sea port which plays a very important role in Spain’s economy.

Tarragona is also famous for the Castell (human tower) at its festivals. This is an integral part of Catalonian culture. People climb on top of each other to form a short tower called the Castell.

Because Tarragona used to be a Roman Colony, it has a rich roman heritage and a lot of roman archaeological sites and walls still exist in the city. Many of the new buildings and structures of the modern day city are built on the ruins of the Roman era.

One of these roman relics is an old amphitheater located near the sea. This amphitheater also has the ruins of a church that belonged to the Knights Templar.

Apart from the amphitheater, the city has other roman remains which include some walls, a citadel, a Roman palace, a Roman circus and also the remains of an old aqueduct which was used to transport freshwater during the Roman era.