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Vallès Occidental

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Vallès Occidental
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Coat airms
Kintra Spain
Autonomous commonty Catalonie
ProvinceBarcelona
CapitalSabadell an Terrassa
Municipalities
Area
 • Total585.2 km2 (225.9 sq mi)
Population
 (2002)
 • Total715,181
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Demonym(s) 
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Lairgest municipalitySabadell

Vallès Occidental is a comarca (coonty) in Catalonie, Spain. It is unique amang the comarques in that the twa ceeties Sabadell an Terrassa (which are o roughly equal size) share the role o comarcal caipital. Alang wi Vallès Oriental it shapes the grand comarca o Vallès.

Pheesical geografie

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Vallès Occidental borders the comarques o Bages (tae the north), Vallès Oriental (tae the north an east), Baix Llobregat (tae the wast), an Barcelonès (tae the sooth). It centers on the Catalan prelittoral depression, limitit tae the wast bi the River Llobregat an tae the east bi the River Caldes. The northren pairt o the comarca is muntainous. Frae wast tae east, it conteens pairt o the Obac range (924m altitude at Castellsapera); the massifs o Sant Llorenç de Munt (1095m at La Mola an 1053m at Montcau) an Puig de la Creu (664m); an the Sant Sadurní (954m) an Farell clints (789m). At the sooth o the comarca is the Collserola range (512m), which shapes pairt o the Catalan Littoral. Atween these various ranges is the valley that gies its name tae the comarca. The valley actually compones twa separate watersheds, the basins o the Llobregat an Besòs.

The Llobregat wattershed lees tae the wast o the axis that runs frae Obac tae Tibidabo (culminatin point o the Collserola range), passin throu Matadepera, Sant Quirze del Vallès, Bellaterra, an Sant Cugat del Vallès. Tributars o the Llobregat include the Canyamssos, the Rubí an the Vallvidrera. East o that axis, the wattershed o the Besòs includes the rivers Ripoll an Caldes, (the latter shapin the eastren border o the comarca).

Major natural pairks

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Hikin trails

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Vallès Occidental haes several notable offeecial hikin trails, kent as "senders de gran recorregut".

Human an economic geografie

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Industry is concentratit in the sooth, coincidin wi the flattest laund in the comarca. The principal industrial ceeties are the co-caipitals (Sabadell an Terrassa), Rubí an Cerdanyola del Vallès. The maist important industries are textiles, mecànica , metallurgy, machinery, material elèctric , construction, chemicals, paper, an the processin o fuid products. A industrial creesis at the end o the 1970s an the beginnin o the 1980s led tae a greater importance for the commercial an service sectors, especially computer-relatit wirk.

The north remains primarily landwart. Mony o the residences thare nou function as seicont hames.

Municipalities

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Populations are frae 2000.

Transportation

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Hintle o Catalonie's transportation netwirk passes throu Vallès Occidental, wi roads, railweys, etc. crossin the valley in various directions.

Autopistes

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Autopistes are roughly equivalent tae freeweys or motorweys.

Carreteres

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Carreteres are roughly equivalent tae heich-gates.

Railroads

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Baith railwey companies that operate in Catalonie hae lines in Vallès Occidental. RENFE's Barcelona-Lleida line passes throu Manresa. The Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya hae the "Metro del Vallès", connectin Barcelona tae Sabadell an Terrassa.

Airports

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Maist air traffec for Vallès Occidental comes throu the Prat airport in neebourin Baix Llobregat. The Sabadell Airport is uised for sport fleein, as a base for firemen, an for air fricht.

Freemit airtins

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Coordinates: 41°33′50″N 2°02′23″E / 41.56389°N 2.03972°E / 41.56389; 2.03972