Ulldecona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ulldecona
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Municipality
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 Ulldecona
Location in Province of Tarragona
Ulldecona
Location in Catalonia
Ulldecona
Location in Spain
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| Country |  Spain |
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| Community |  Catalonia |
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| Province | Tarragona | ||
| Comarca | Montsià | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 126.9 km2 (49.0 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 133 m (436 ft) | ||
| Population
(2018)
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| • Total | 6,240 | ||
| • Density | 49.17/km2 (127.36/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Ulldeconenc, ulldeconenca Faldut, falduda |
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Ulldecona (pronounced: ool-thay-KOH-nah) is a cool town in Catalonia, Spain. It's located in the southern part of the Tarragona province, in a region called Montsià. Ulldecona officially became a town way back in 1273!
Some towns close to Ulldecona include Alcanar, La Ràpita, Freginals, Godall, La Galera, Mas de Barberans, and Cenia in the Montsià region. Other nearby towns are Vinaròs, Traiguera, Sant Jordi, and San Rafael del Río in the Baix Maestrat area. You can also find popular tourist spots like Salou and Peniscola not too far away.
Contents
Parts of Ulldecona
Ulldecona is made up of a main town and five smaller villages. Here are the villages and how many people live in each:
- Ulldecona (the main town): 5,286 people
- Els Valentins: 272 people
- El Castell: 257 people
- Sant Joan del Pas: 173 people
- Les Ventalles: 39 people
- La Miliana: 29 people
What Ulldecona Makes and Does
Ulldecona has a mix of ways people make a living.
Farming and Food
For a long time, farming was very important here. People grew lots of olive trees, almond trees, and carob trees. They also grew different fruits and vegetables.
Other Jobs
Besides farming, other important jobs in Ulldecona are in:
- Making furniture
- Construction (building things)
- Services (like shops, restaurants, and other businesses)
Ulldecona Stone
In recent years, a special type of stone from Ulldecona has become very important. This stone is a high-quality marble found in the Serra de Godall hills.
People have been digging up this stone for a very long time. It has been used to build famous places in Spain, like the Pedrera in Barcelona and the Town Hall in Zaragoza. It was even used for the airport in Madrid! Today, Ulldecona stone is sent to many countries around the world. You can find it in places like the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles (USA), town halls in France and Switzerland, and even in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and China.
Fun and Traditions
Ulldecona has many cool traditions and ways people have fun.
Festivals and Parades
One of the most important customs involves parades with gegants (giant figures), music bands, and pubilles (young women chosen to represent the town). People also enjoy traditional dances and the exciting bous (releasing bulls in the streets).
The Passion of Ulldecona
Every year, there's a special festival called the Passió d'Ulldecona. It's a play put on by local people that tells the story of the Passion of Jesus. They even use a real donkey and real palm and olive branches to make it feel authentic!
Sports Stars from Ulldecona
Sports are a big part of life in Ulldecona!
Football
Football (soccer) is one of the most popular sports. Ulldecona has its own football club, the Club de Futbol Ulldecona. This club has ten teams and about 200 players! The main team currently plays in the 1a Regional League.
Other Sports
Other popular sports in Ulldecona include:
- Five-a-side football (a smaller version of football)
- Basketball
- Twirling (a type of dance with a baton)
- Table tennis
Famous Athletes
Ulldecona is also home to some amazing athletes:
- Adam Raga, who is from Ulldecona, was the World Indoor Trial Champion three times in a row (2003, 2004, and 2005).
- Oriol Romeu, who won the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final with his team, was born in Ulldecona.
- Aleix García Serrano, a Spanish international player who played for Manchester City, also comes from this town.
Ulldecona's Medieval Castle
Ulldecona has an old and interesting Medieval Castle. It's considered a "Castle of Cultural Interest," which means it's a very important historical site.
Where the Castle Is
The castle sits on top of a hill called Mount of the Castle. This hill is part of the Serra de Godall mountains. From here, you can see far and wide, which made it a great spot for defense in the past. The land around it was also very rich and fertile.
Castle History
The oldest things found at the castle show that people lived there even before Christ, between the 5th and 1st centuries BC. Later, in the 9th century, Arabic people settled there. They started building some of the structures you can still see today.
In the 12th century, Ramon Berenguer IV took over the southern part of Catalonia. This is when the medieval buildings we see now began to be built. People lived in the castle until the late 1200s. After that, the people of Ulldecona started moving down to live on the flatter land below.
In 1986, the Town Council bought the castle, helping to protect this important piece of history.
See also
In Spanish: Ulldecona para niños
