Tortosa, city in the province of Tarragona, in the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain. Tortosa is strategically situated on the banks of the Ebro River, 35 km (22 mi) from its mouth, and enjoys a Mediterranean climate. Known to the Romans as Colonia Julia Augusta Dertosa, Tortosa was taken in 718 by the Arabs, who held it almost continually until the 12th century. Tortosa was named the object of a crusade by Pope Eugenius III in 1148, and Ramón Bergenguer IV, Count of Barcelona, took it with the aid of Italian forces. The French captured it in 1708 and again in 1811, holding it until 1814.
The older quarter of Tortosa, crowded between the river and the nearby hills, has narrow, winding streets and ancient stone houses. Tortosa is the seat of a bishopric. Its cathedral was built during the years 1158 to 1178 on the former site of a mosque. Tortosa acts as a trading center for wine and for products grown in the surrounding fertile campiña region. Tortosa is on the Valencia-Barcelona railroad. Population (1998 estimate) 29,600.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Tortosa Information info
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