Between the hinterland and the coast, a corridor
joining Lleida and Tarragona. There are two well
differentiated sectors: the Conca proper —at
the head of the Francolí and Anguera rivers,
between the mountains of Prades, the Tallat and
Miramar ranges, with Montblanc
as capital; and the Baixa Segarra sector (a continuation
of the historic Segarra) —at the heads of
the rivers Corb and Gaià—, with Santa
Coloma de Queralt as chief town. In the Middle
Ages the lands were under various jurisdictions:
the monastery of Poblet,
the Templars and Hospitallers (Barberà and
L’Espluga de Francolí), the barony
of Queralt (Santa Coloma), the county of Prades,
among others. Montblanc was a royal town and the
centre of a major magistrature.
The economic base has always been agriculture, especially
the vine, and since the beginning of the 20th century
there has been an important cooperative movement,
which explains the presence of wineries and agricultural
cooperatives, interesting examples of Modernism. Stock-breeding
and industry have been complementary and, in spite
of an impressive list of monumental buildings —the
monastery of Poblet, the towns of Montblanc and Santa
Coloma de Queralt, among others— tourism is
still in the early stages of expansion.
