Generalitat of Catalonia in 2001. In 2004 he received the Aragonese Letters Prize. Ramón J. Sender Ramón José Sender Garcés was a Spanish novelist, essayist and journalist born in Chalamera in 1901. Several of his works were translated into English by the distinguished zoologist, Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell, including "Seven Red Sundays" ("Siete domingos rojos"), "Mr Witt Among the Rebels" ("Mr Witt en el cantón") and "The War in Spain" ("Contraataque"). Bilingual zone The Bajo / Baix Cinca region is bilingual. The municipalities of Mequinenza, Torrente de Cinca, Velilla de Cinca and Zaidín are mostly Catalan speakers while Fraga brings together a similar percentage of Catalan-speaking and Spanish-speaking population. The municipalities of Ballobar, Belver de Cinca, Candasnos, Chalamera, Ontiñena and Osso de Cinca are Spanish speakers. More than 80% of the inhabitants of Bajo / Baix Cinca speak Western Catalan. The successive civilizations that passed throughout history through this territory left their culture and also their language. In this sense, the Catalan landed in this territory at the time of the Reconquest initiated by Ramón Berenguer IV who repopulated this region with people coming from the Ribagorza, the Pallars and the Urgel. The language has survived to the present in its oral variant. The majority of its inhabitants are bilingual in Spanish - the language in which all primary and secondary education are received - and also in Catalan. Declaration of Mequinenza The Declaration of Mequinenza (Declaració de Mequinensa in Catalan) is a document signed on 1 February 1984 in Mequinenza (Bajo / Baix Cinca, Aragon, Spain) by the mayors of 17 municipalities of the Aragonese Catalan-speaking area together with José Bada Paniello (Minister of Culture of Government of Aragon at the time). Following the declaration, and complying with one of the proposals contained therein, on 1 October 1985, an agreement between the Government of Aragon and the Ministry of Education and Science for the teaching of education would be signed and published in the Official Gazette of Aragon Catalan language as a voluntary and evaluable subject in schools in the area. Nature heritage The dominant plants in the region are Mediterranean species adapted to drought and harsh weather conditions. They are little demanding plants, of great geological breadth such as "carrasco" pine, "coscoja", rosemary or thyme. The fauna is linked to the steppe, riverside and desert areas of Monegros. The water turtle, the ocellated lizard or the southern snake