IGUALADA  , a

town of north-eastern Spain, in the province of Barcelona, on the left bank of the river Noya, a right-hand tributary of the Llobregat, and at the northern terminus of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona railway . Pop . (1900) 10,442 . Igualada is the central market of a rich agricultural and wine-producing district . It consists of an old town with narrow and irregular streets and the remains of a fortress and ramparts, and a new town which possesses regular and spacious streets and many fine houses . The local industries, chiefly developed since 188o, include the manufacture of cotton, linen, wool, ribbons, cloth, chocolate, soap, brandies, leather, cards and nails . The famous mountain and convent of Montserrat or Monserrat (q.v.) is 12 M . E .