GON (in Span. _Aragon_), a captaincy-general, and
formerly a kingdom of Spain; bounded on the N. by the Pyrenees, which
separate it from France, on the E. by Catalonia and Valencia, S. by
Valencia, and W. by the two Castiles and Navarre. Pop. (1900) 912,711;
area, 18,294 sq. m. Aragon was divided in 1833 into the provinces of
Huesca, Teruel and Saragossa; an account of its modern condition is
therefore given under these names, which have not, however, superseded
the older designation in popular usage.

Aragon consists of a central plain, edged by mountain ranges. On the
south, east and west, these ranges, though wild and rugged, are of no
great elevation, but on the north the Pyrenees attain their greatest
altitude in the peaks of Aneto (11,168 ft.) and Monte Perdido (10,998
ft.)--also known as Las Tres Sorores, and, in French, as Mont Perdu. The
central pass over the Pyrenees is the Port de Canfranc, on the line
between Saragossa and Pau. Aragon is divided by the river Ebro (q.v.),
which flows through it in a south-easterly direction, into two nearly
equal parts, known as Trans-ibero and Cis-ibero. The Ebro is the
principal river, and receives from the north, in its passage through the
province, the Arba, the Gallego and the united waters of the Cinca,
Esera, Noguera Ribagorzana, Noguera Pallaresa and Segre--the last three
belonging to Catalonia. From the south it receives the Jalon and Jiloca
(or _Xalon_ and _Xiloca_) and the Guadalope. The Imperial Canal of
Aragon, which was begun by the emperor Charles V. in 1529, but remained
unfinished for nearly two hundred years, extends from Tudela to El Burgo
de Ebro, a distance of 80 m.; it has a depth of 9 ft., and an average
breadth of 69, and is navigable for vessels of about 80 tons. The Royal
Canal of Tauste, which lies along the north side of the Ebro, was cut
for purposes of irrigation, and gives fertility to the district. Two
leagues north-north-east of Albarracin is the remarkable fountain called
Cella, 3700 ft. above the sea, which forms the source of the Jiloca; and
between this river and the Sierra Molina is an extensive lake called
Gallocanta, covering about 6000 acres. The climate is characterized by
extreme heat in the summer and cold in the winter; among the mountains
the snowfall is heavy, and thunderstorms are frequent, but there is
comparatively little rain.

Within a recent geological period, central Aragon was undoubtedly
submerged by the sea, and the pa