The towns in the Siurana river basin that lie within the current county have traditionally been divided into three geographic zones:
- Alt Priorat, which includes the municipalities of La Figuera, La Bisbal de Falset, Margalef, Cabacés, Ulldemolins, Cornudella, Siurana and Albarca.
- Central Priorat, which includes the aforementioned seven villages of Historic Priorat plus La Vilella Baixa and el Lloar. This is the vinicultural area making up the Priorat Qualified Appellation of Origin.
- Baix Priorat, made up of the following towns: El Molar, El Masroig, Marįā, Capçanes, Pradell de la Teixeta, La Torre de Fontaubella, Els Guiamets and the county seat, Falset.
In 1893, the arrival of the phylloxera plague to the Iberian peninsula brought an end to the period of prosperity, and had an overwhelmingly negative effect on the county’s economy, also triggering progressive demographic reductions.
The maximum population of Priorat county was reached in 1887, with 27,958 inhabitants, making it the 14th most populous county of Catalonia. It steadily dropped until the 20th century. In fact, it had 9,400 inhabitants in 1986, which made it one of the least-populated counties in the principality.
The sudden death of the grapevines due to the devastation brought about by phylloxera was followed by more severe problems, such as an absence of agricultural work, that made many people leave the inland rural areas for the cities.
At the turn of the 20th century, once the vineyards were replanted with American rootstock that offered greater resistance to plagues, and up until the 1930’s, prior to the Spanish civil war, a number of projects were carried out that provided the county with certain stabilization and recovery. This coincided with the spread of cooperative activity in Catalonia, marked by the creation of new Agricultural Unions or Cooperatives in Priorat County. The vines gradually recovered with new plantations, but they never equaled the area that had been planted in the 19th century. Additionally, crops were diversified, with much of the vines being replaced with hazelnut, almond and olive trees.
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