As its Latin name suggests, Somontano, meaning "beneath the mountain", lies at the foothills of the Pyrenees. The area is abundantly irrigated by four important rivers which flow down from the north: the Alcanadre, Cinca, Ésera and the river Vero.
The primary economy of the area has always been agricultural and livestock farming based. Wheat and grains, as well as olives are the primary crops. Its wine production received a denominación de origen in 1984. The city of Barbastro, home to about 85% of the population of the comarca, is a regional hub for the food industry, construction and chemical industry.
The area is also home to the Sierra de Guara, a vast Open Space preserve with canyons and gorges and over 60 limestone caves with prehistoric cave paintings, which led UNESCO to declare it as a World Heritage Site in 1998.
.svg)
.jpg)
