Vallès Occidental

**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

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

* Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç de Munt i Serra de l'Obac
* Parc de Collserola

### Hikin trails

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

* **GR-6**: Barcelona - Montserrat (Classic route tae Montserrat).
* **GR-96**: Barcelona - Montserrat (Roman road tae Montserrat).
* **GR-97**: Abrera - Sant Celoni (Frae the Llobregat tae the Tordera).
* **GR-173**: Circumnavigation o Vallès Occidental.

## Human an economic geografie

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

Populations are frae 2000.

*Barberà del Vallès—pop. 46,681   
*Castellar del Vallès—pop. 17,444   
*Castellbisbal—pop. 10,004 
*Cerdanyola del Vallès—pop. 52,778     
*Gallifa—pop. 156   
*Matadepera—pop. 6,924   
*Montcada i Reixac—pop. 27,952   
*Palau-solità i Plegamans—pop. 11,089   
*Polinyà—pop. 4,657   
*Rellinars—pop. 378     
*Ripollet—pop. 29,877   
*Rubí—pop. 72,002
*Sabadell—pop. 201,897
*Sant Cugat del Vallès—pop. 70,034  
*Sant Llorenç Savall—pop. 1,983   
*Sant Quirze del Vallès—pop.15,467 
*Santa Perpètua de Mogoda—pop. 19,084   
*Sentmenat—pop. 7,987
*Terrassa—pop. 210,941   
*Ullastrell—pop. 1,114   
*Vacarisses—pop. 2,687
*Viladecavalls—pop. 5,755

### Transportation

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

#### Autopistes
**Autopistes** are roughly equivalent tae freeweys or motorweys.

* Autopista '''AP-7''' crosses Vallès in a east-wast direction. Heidin west, it connects Vallès with Tarragona, València an the soothren pairt o the Iberian Peninsula, similarly tae the autopista **A-2/AP-2** (which connects Barcelona, Lleida, an Zaragoza). Heidin east, it connects Vallès wi the province o Girona an wi Fraunce.
* Autopista **C-58** crosses the comarca sooth tae north, connectin Barcelona wi Manresa bi wey o Montcada i Reixac, Ripollet, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Sabadell, an Terrassa.
* Manresa, Terrassa, an Barcelona are connectit bi autopista **C-17** or the Vallvidrera Tunnels an aw, bi wey o Sant Cugat del Vallès an Rubí.
* Autopista **C-33** connects Montcada i Reixac an Mollet del Vallès, connectin the northren pairt o Barcelona wi autopista **AP-7** tae the northeast.

#### Carreteres
*Carreteres* are roughly equivalent tae heich-gates.

* Carretera **N-150**, the principal carretera o the comarca, crosses sooth tae north, connectin Barcelona tae Terrassa bi wey o Montcada i Reixac, Ripollet, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barberà del Vallès, an Sabadell. Ayont Terrassa, various *carreteres comarcals* complete the comarca's netwirk:
* Carretera **C-1413** stairts at Molins de Rei, connects tae the **[[N-II]]** an **[[N-340 (Carretera)|N-340]]** an the autopista **A-2**, an passes throu Rubí, Sabadell, an Sentmenat afore connectin feenally tae the **N-152** at the hichts o Centelles.
* Carretera **C-1415** connects Vilafranca del Penedès (**N-340**), Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, an Martorell (**A-7**, **N-II**) tae Granollers an Mataró (**N-II**, **A-19**) passin throu  Terrassa, Matadepera, Castellar del Vallès, an Sentmenat.
* Carretera **C-155** connects Sabadell tae Granollers, passin throu Polinyà an Palau de Plegamans.

#### Railroads
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
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
*Offeecial comarcal wab steid (in Catalan) 
* Parc Natural de Sant Llorenç de Munt i Serra de l'Obac (in Catalan)
* Parc de Collserola (in Catalan)