Biota, Cinco Villas

Biota is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Zaragoza, autonomous community of Aragon. The town is part of the Cinco Villas Region and it is located on the banks of the Arba de Luesia River. It has an area of 128.8 km2 with a population of 912 inhabitants.

Geography
Biota borders Uncastillo to the north and northwest, Sádaba to the west, Luesia and Asín to the east, and Ejea de los Caballeros to the south.

Its municipal area is crossed by the Arba de Luesia River, one of the two branches of the Arba River, although part of the western border with Ejea de los Caballeros is formed by the Farasdués River, a tributary of the Arba de Luesia.

In its municipality is the San Bartolomé reservoir, a small reservoir for storing water from the Bardenas canal.

History
Biota is located in a strategic place, controlling one of the fords of the Arba River where a fortress or castle was built, of which a defense tower is preserved for its control.

It was conquered by Aragonese king Sancho Ramírez in 1091, and the placename of Biota is thereby first found in a written source in its immediate donation to Fortún Aznárez in September 1091.

In the following centuries Biota remained a non-religious lordship.