Maresme

Maresme
Comarca
Coat of arms
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Catalonia
Province	Barcelona
Capital	Mataró
Municipalities	List Alella, Arenys de Mar, Arenys de Munt, Argentona, Cabrera de Mar, Cabrils, Caldes d'Estrac, Calella, Canet de Mar, Dosrius, Malgrat de Mar, El Masnou, Mataró, Montgat, Òrrius, Palafolls, Pineda de Mar, Premià de Dalt, Premià de Mar, Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, Sant Cebrià de Vallalta, Sant Iscle de Vallalta, Sant Pol de Mar, Sant Vicenç de Montalt, Santa Susanna, Teià, Tiana, Tordera, Vilassar de Dalt, Vilassar de Mar
Area
• Total	396.9 km2 (153.2 sq mi)
Population  (2007)
• Total	414,081
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	maresmenc (m.) maresmenca (f.)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Largest municipality	Mataró

Montcabrer, comarca of the Maresme

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

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

Geography

Maresme's territory 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 water streams, which cross the comarca transversally almost every hundred meters, produce powerful and dangerous floods when it rains.

Maresme has been historically very well connected with the rest of the comarca as well as with Barcelona thanks to old Camí Ral (Royal Way) (actual 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

Total Maresme's population in 2007 was 414,081. Populations of municipalities as of 2006 are listed in the table below:

Municipality	Population (2006)
Alella	8,998
Arenys de Mar	14,164
Arenys de Munt	7,807
Argentona	11,402
Cabrera de Mar	4,269
Cabrils	6,698
Caldes d'Estrac	2,672
Calella	18,034
Canet de Mar	13,181
Dosrius	4,658
Malgrat de Mar	17,822
El Masnou	21,935
Mataró	119,035
Montgat	9,778
Òrrius	487
Palafolls	8,061
Pineda de Mar	25,568
Premià de Dalt	9,788
Premià de Mar	27,590
Sant Andreu de Llavaneres	9,745
Sant Cebrià de Vallalta	3,075
Sant Iscle de Vallalta	1,193
Sant Pol de Mar	4,904
Sant Vicenç de Montalt	5,267
Santa Susanna	3,019
Teià	5,969
Tiana	7,417
Tordera	14,017
Vilassar de Dalt	8,476
Vilassar de Mar	19,052

External links

• Official comarcal web site
• IDESCAT: statistical information about Maresme (in Catalan)
• Local TV of Maresme at Tecnocampus