Biescas

Biescas
Town of Biescas.
Town of Biescas.
Flag of Biescas
Coat of arms of Biescas
Biescas is located in Spain
Biescas
Biescas
Location in Spain
Coordinates: 42°37′42″N 0°19′16″W / 42.62833°N 0.32111°W / 42.62833; -0.32111
CountrySpain
Autonomous communityAragon
ProvinceHuesca
ComarcaAlto Gállego
Government
 • MayorLuís Estaún García
Area
 • Total
18,909 km2 (7,301 sq mi)
Elevation
875 m (2,871 ft)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total
1,479
 • Density0.078/km2 (0.20/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CET)

Biescas (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbjeskas]) is a municipality of northeastern Spain close to the border with France, in the midst of the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca. The name seems to provide from the term bizka,[2][3] which means "hill" in a Proto-Indo-European language.

The town of Biescas is located at 875 meters altitude on the banks of the Gállego river. The municipality extends along a small plain and includes the canyon to access to the Tena Valley. At 72 km north of the main city Huesca, Biescas is a communication hub between the regions of Jacetania and Sobrarbe. The town is strategically located to crossing the Gállego river, as a link between the valleys of Tena and Ara.

  1. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. ^ Aproximación a la historia de Biescas Archived 2016-02-07 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  3. ^ Ara, Belmonte; Establés, Estaún; Guirao, Mur; Navarro, Palacio; Satué, Tarazona (2010). 'Un paseo con Maxi por la tierra de Biescas' (in Spanish). Ayuntamiento de Biescas.