Castile and León
Encyclopedia
Castile and León is an autonomous community
in north-western Spain
. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León
and Old Castile
(Spanish: Castilla la Vieja). It is the largest autonomous community in Spain, covering an area of 94223 square kilometres (36,379.7 sq mi) with an official population of around 2.5 million (2005).
The organic law of Castile and León, under the Spanish Constitution of 1978
, is the region's Statute of Autonomy
. The statute lays out the basic laws of the region and defines a series of essential values and symbols of the inhabitants of Castile and León, such as their linguistic patrimony (the Castilian language, which English speakers commonly refer to simply as Spanish, as well as Leonese
and Galician
), as well as their historic, artistic, and natural patrimony. Other symbols alluded to are the coat of arms, flag, and banner; there is also allusion to a regional anthem
, though as of 2009 none has been adopted. April 23 is designated Castile and León Day
, commemorating the defeat of the comuneros at the Battle of Villalar
during the Revolt of the Comuneros, in 1521.
Castile and León borders on Asturias
and Cantabria
to the north; Aragon
, the Basque Country
, and La Rioja to the east; the autonomous community of Madrid and Castile-La Mancha
to the southeast; Extremadura
to the south; and Portugal
and Galicia to the west.
Castile and León is roughly coterminous with the Spanish part of the Douro
River basin
, on the northern half of the Meseta Central
, a vast plateau in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula
. It also extends to some adjoining valleys, such as El Bierzo
(León
) and many secluded mountain valleys including Laciana
(León), Valle de Mena
(Burgos
), and Valle del Tiétar (Ávila
).
, with an average altitude of about 800 metres (2,624.7 ft), covered by deposits of clay
soil.
In the north are the mountains of the provinces of Palencia
and León
, with high, spindly peaks and the mountains of the province of Burgos
, divided in two by the Pancorbo Pass, leading from Castile to the Basque Country
. Of those two parts, the more northerly belongs to the Cantabrian Mountains
and continues to the city of Burgos
; the mountains of the east and southeast are part of the Sistema Ibérico
. In the northeast are the mountains of Zamora
, whose peaks have been eroded into mesa
s. In the east, the mountains of Soria
are also part of the Sistema Ibérico, including its highest peak, El Moncayo. Separating the northern Meseta from the southern and from Castile-La Mancha and Madrid, the Sistema Central
includes the Sierra de Gata
and the Sierra de Gredos
in the western half and the Sierra de Guadarrama
and Sierra de Ayllón in the eastern half.
plinth
s. After the Variscan orogeny
raised Central Europe and the Galician area of Spain at the beginning of the Mesozoic
, deposits were eroded away by rivers. During the Alpine orogeny
, the materials that formed the plateau were broken at multiple points. This fracturing raised the relatively low mountains of León, constituting a dorsal spine of the Meseta, the Cantabrian Mountains and the Sistema Central, formed of materials such as granite
or metamorphic slate
s.
One result of this geology was to create medicinal mineral water
springs and/or hot springs
in Almeida de Sayago
, Boñar
, Calabor, Caldas de Luna, Castromonte
, Cucho, Gejuelo del Barro
, Morales de Campos
, Valdelateja, and Villarijo.
The most prominent hydrographic feature of Castile and León is the River Douro
and its tributaries. The Douro runs 897 kilometres (557.4 mi) from its headwaters in the Picos de Urbión
in Soria to its mouth at the Portuguese city of Porto
. Flowing into the Douro from the north, on its right bank, are the Pisuerga, the Valderaduey and the Esla
, its most capacious tributaries, and from the east, on its left bank, the lesser flows of the Adaja and Duratón. After passing the city of Zamora
, the Douro flows through a canyon in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park
where it constitutes the border with Portugal, flowing north. From its left bank, it receives the waters of such important tributaries as the Tormes, Huebra, Águeda, the Côa
and the Paiva, all originating in the Sistema Central
. From the right bank, it receives the waters of the Sabor, the Tua and the Támega
, originating in the Galician Massif. Beyond the Arribes, the Douro turns west, flowing through Portugal to the Atlantic.
Nonetheless, the Douro and its tributaries are not the region's only important rivers; the Jalón
in Palencia, Burgos, and Soria flows via the Ebro
to the Mediterranean. The River Minho (Miño) flows from León into Portugal, the Alagón in Salamanca flows to the Tagus
and several provinces containing portions of the Cantabrian Mountains
have waters flowing north into the Cantabrian Sea.
Rivers played an important part in the development of the region. Each of the provincial capitals of Castile and León is on the banks of a river.
in Zamora or the Laguna de la Nava in Palencia. There are also a great number of reservoirs, fed by the snows and rains in the mountains and by glacial
melt water. Despite having relatively little rainfall, Castile and León has one of Spain's largest quantities of water held in reserve.
with a marked character of a continental climate
. The continentalized Mediterranean climate is similar to a typical Mediterranean climate, but with more extreme temperatures typical of a continental climate. Winters are long and cold, with average temperatures between 4 °C (39.2 °F) and 7 °C (44.6 °F) in January. Summers are short and hot (averages between 19 °C (66.2 °F) and 22 °C (71.6 °F)), with the three or four dry summer months typical of a Mediterranean climate. Rain averages only 450 millimetres (17.7 in) to 500 millimetres (19.7 in) annually, mostly in the lower altitudes.
s (roughly shire
s) of the mountains of León and the Cantabrian Mountains
precipitation can be as much as 1500 millimetres (59.1 in) per year.
The high altitude of the Castilian-Leonese Meseta and mountain ranges contributes not only to the contrast of summer and winter temperatures, but also to a marked contrast of day and night temperatures.
In the north, Castile and León includes the southern face of the Cantabrian Mountains; the northern slope, facing the Atlantic, falls within other provinces. The highest portion of the Cantabrian Mountains in Castile and León experiences the oceanic climate
from the Atlantic, with milder winters (at least relative to the altitude) and more temperate summers. The lower slopes of the same range share these temperate summers, but have the colder winters more typical of the Meseta.
Nearly all of the central portion of the Meseta has the continentalized Mediterranean climate discussed above, although the eastern part of Zamora has a much drier climate.
The mountainous regions of the northeast, east, and south have a typical Mediterranean mountain climate, with little rain, hot summers, and cold winters.
:
Each of these provinces is named after its respective provincial capital.
Although the "Statute of Autonomy" for Castile and León does not specify any city to be the capital of the autonomous community, the city of Valladolid
serves that purpose in certain contexts. Initially, the Courts (Cortes, the legislature) met provisionally in Burgos; Tordesillas
was discussed as a possible capital, and at one point, the Courts met, also on a provisional basis, at the Castle of Fuensaldaña
. Finally, a law adopted in 1987 established the Junta of Castile and León—the Regional Executive government of the Community—and the Courts—the legislature—in Valladolid. Thus, Valladolid is now effectively the capital.
However, other institutions of government and administration are distributed through the region. The Economic and Social Council is in Valladolid, but the Superior Tribunal of Justice—the highest regional judiciary body—is in Burgos, the Consultative Council (Consejo Consultivo) is in Zamora, the Board of Auditors (Consejo de Cuentas) in Palencia, and the Ombudsman
(Procurador del Común, literally "Common Attorney") in León.
of Castile and León is known as the Junta de Castilla y León in Spanish.
It has one head of the Regional Executive (Spanish: Presidente de la Junta) and twelve departments: Two Vicepresidencias and ten ministries
(Spanish: Consejerías).
The Regional Courts of Castile and León (Spanish: Cortes de Castilla y León) is the elected legislature
of the Autonomous Community. The tradition of the Regional Courts is traced back to the Royal Council (Latin: Curia Regis
) of León (1188). The Curia Regis was a king's summons of the estates of the realm. Although the practical outcome of the Curia Regis of 1188 is still disputed, its charter
seems to be an early movement towards the rule of constitutional law, much like the Magna Carta
. The Regional Courts meet in Valladolid
.
Three parties have parliamentary representation in Castile and León:
Partido Popular de Castilla y León: Associated with the national centre-right People's Party
(PP): 53 seats in the Regional Courts, 18 seats in the Cortes Generales
(the national legislature of Spain).
Partido Socialista de Castilla y León: Associated with the national centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE): 29 seats in the Regional Courts, 14 seats in the Cortes Generales.
Unión del Pueblo Leonés
("Leonese People's Union"): A Leonese nationalist party: 1 seat in the Regional Courts.
United Left
(Izquierda Unida, IU): Spanish left-wing coalition: 1 seat in the Regional Courts
Another party, the left-of-centre Castilian Nationalist Tierra Comunera - ACAL
, has contested previous elections and has held seats in the Regional Courts in the past, but as of 2011 it is not represented in that body.
of Castile and León (Spanish: Procurador del Común) is appointed by the Regional Courts.
and coat of arms of Castile and León each show the quartered
coats of arms
of Castile
, represented by a castle
, and León
, represented by a lion
. The seal is topped with a royal crown.
commemorates the events of April 23, 1521, when the Revolt of the Comuneros was defeated. While the politics and meaning of the revolt remains a matter of contention, it has been embraced by liberals
and, later, the left
as a symbol of opposition to absolutism
and privilege since at least 1821 during the Trienio Liberal—the three years of liberal ascendancy—when Juan Martín Díez
, "El Empecinado" ("The Undaunted"), made a speech at Villalar (now Villalar de los Comuneros
) honoring the Comuneros. This tradition was embraced strongly during the Second Spanish Republic
and again in the post-Franco
transition to democracy
, when tens of thousands began to gather at Villalar on the anniversary.
Every year on the occasion of Castile and León Day, the Community awards the Castile and León Prizes (Premios Castilla y León) to Castilian-Leonese people distinguished in seven areas: Arts, Human Values, Scientific Investigation, Social Science, Restoration and Conservation, the Environment, and Sports.
, according to the Statute, "will be the object of specific protection [...] for its particular value in the linguistic patrimony of the Community". The Galician language
, according to the statute, "merits respect and protection in the places where it is habitually used, which is effectively to say the portions of the comarcas of El Bierzo
and Sanabria
bordering Galicia. In addition, although unmentioned in the Statute, in the comarca of El Rebollar in the province of Salamanca, people speak a variety of Extremaduran known as Habla del Rebollar ("the speech of Rebollar").
Castile and León traces its history to the medieval kingdoms of Castile
and León
, which were permanently united under the Crown of Castile
in 1301. Together with other Christian-ruled Iberian
kingdoms, the separate monarchies of Castile and León participated in the Reconquista
, the "re-"conquest of Iberia from the Moors
, its medieval Muslim
rulers. Other kingdoms participating in the Reconquista were, first, Galicia
, and later other kingdoms carved out of lands gained by Christians over the centuries: the Kingdoms of Toledo
, Badajoz, Seville
and others.
The first dynastic union
of León and Castile came about in 1037, when Ferdinand, the 20-year-old Count of Castile, defeated his brother-in-law Bermudo III of León
in battle and claimed the Crown of León through the rights of his own wife, Sancha
, Bermudo's sister. Although he declared himself Emperor of All Spain
in 1056, the union ended with Ferdinand's death in 1065, when Castile, León, and Galicia each passed to a different one of Ferdinand's sons and certain cities to his daughters, with a further division of spheres of influence in the Muslim taifa
s. The arrangement did not hold. The sons soon fought; eventually one son, Alfonso VI of León again created an effective union and in 1077 again claimed the title of Emperor of All Spain. However, his death in 1109 left the kingdoms again disunited.
Alfonso VII managed another personal dynastic union from 1126 until his death in 1157. Finally, Ferdinand III of Castile
, later canonized, achieved the definitive union of the two Crowns. After Ferdinand's father Alfonso IX of León
died in 1230, Ferdinand, already ruler of Castile, conquered León from his own half-sisters Sancha and Dulce, much against the desires of the Leonese clergy and nobility. His son and successor Alfonso X
, unusually highly educated for a monarch of that era, established Castilian as a language of learning and culture, beginning the process by which the Castilian language would become the dominant language of much of Spain, with other languages—including Leonese—increasingly seen as local dialects.
remained strong in Spain into living memory, the medieval Cortes of León is one of the earliest ancestors of Europe's parliament
s. The remote origins of the Cortes dates back to the early 12th century. The Cortes of León of 1188 called by Alfonso IX is one of the earliest documented gatherings of the estates
in which commoners of the cities and towns are represented beside the clergy and nobility as counselors to the monarch. Alfonso gathered similar assemblies in 1202 in Benavente and 1208 in León.
In the kingdom of Castile, the first curia—a large assembly to address the affairs of the kingdom—appears to have been convoked by Alfonso VIII in 1187 at San Esteban de Gormaz
, with the leading men of fifty cities in attendance. In his capacity as king of Castile, Ferdinand III received the homage of large delegations at Valladolid in 1217 and convoked a curia in 1219 at Burgos.
The comparatively early date of these assemblies results directly from the relative autonomy granted to towns and cities in the north Iberian regions as the Reconquista moved forward and these places were repopulated. Another factor was the application of Roman law
, which contributed a theory for the convening of municipalities and for their participation in governance.
These 12th and 13th century assemblies continued through the following centuries, forming the most remote ancestry of today's Cortes of Castile and León and constituting part of the European tradition of parliamentarianism.
As is clearly evident, these medieval Cortes had little resemblance to present-day parliamentary assemblies. They were not democratic in any modern sense of the term, because there was no direct representation of the populace. There was little in them of the slow rise of constitutionalism
in the Parliament of England
, the vast, independent power gained by the nobles of the Polish sejm
, nor, even more clearly, the broad suffrage
first seen on a large scale at the time of the French Revolution
.
Spain has alternated between regionalism and centralization several times in the last century and a half. In 1869, the republicans of the present Castile and León plus the provinces of Santander (now Cantabria
) and Logroño (now La Rioja
) had drafted the Castilian Federal Pact (Pacto Federal Castellano), which projected the creation of a federated state under the name Castilla la Vieja (Old Castile) in these eleven provinces. During the First Republic
(1873–1874), the Republican Democratic Federal Party (Partido Republicano Democrático Federal) intended to make this a reality. However, the fall of the Republic at the beginning of 1874 put an end to this initiative.
In 1921, on the fourth centenary of the Battle of Villalar, the municipal government of Santander, Cantabria
advocated for the establishment of a Castilian commonwealth of these same eleven provinces. In late 1931 and early 1932, the priest Eugenio Merino, in León, wrote a piece for the Diario de León stating a basis for Castilian-Leonese regionalism.
During the Second Republic
, especially in 1936, there was a great deal of regionalist activity favorable to a region of eleven provinces, including the elaboration of the basis of a statute of autonomy. The Diario de León advocated for the formalization of this initiative and the constitution of an autonomous region as follows: "to unite in one personality León and Old Castile around the great basin of the Douro, without falling now into simple village rivalries." The establishment of a centralising regime after the Spanish Civil War
brought an end to these aspirations for regional autonomy.
After the death of the dictator Francisco Franco
unleashed the Spanish transition to democracy
, there was an upwelling of Castilian-Leonese regionalist, autonomist and nationalist organizations, such as Alianza Regional de Castilla y León (1975), Instituto Regional de Castilla y León (1976) and the Autonomic Nationalist Party of Castile and León (Partido Autonómico Nacionalista de Castilla y León, PANCAL, 1977). None of these survive today, but similar sentiments are now represented by Unidad Regionalista de Castilla y León (1993).
In parallel there was a rise of groups advocating Leonesismo, Leonese particularism. Among these were the Grupo Autonómico Leonés (1978) and the Partido Regionalista del País Leonés (PREPAL, 1980), which proposed the creation of a Leonese autonomous community composed of the provinces of León, Salamanca and Zamora. Support for this option was particularly strong in the city of León.
toward the end of 1977 and would eventually be granted to every part of Spain. Five years later, in 1983, the autonomous community of Castile and León was made concrete by the Statute of Autonomy accepted by both the community and the Spanish state.
The Provincial Deputation of León agreed on April 16, 1980 to endorse the Castilian-Leonese process, but then revoked that support January 13, 1983, just as the proposed Organic Law
was before the Spanish parliament. The Constitutional Court of Spain
upheld the first of these two contradictory Leonese resolutions. The court's decision was met by demonstrations in León and elsewhere in the Leonese territories in favor of a policy of León solo ("León alone"). The roughly 90,000 people who gathered in León at that time constituted the largest demonstration in that city between the revival of democracy and the demonstrations after the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
On July 31, 1981, the Provincial Deputation of Segovia initiated a process by which that province would have become, like the provinces of Santander (now Cantabria
) and Logroño (now La Rioja
) a "uniprovincial" autonomous community in its own right. The municipalities of the province were almost exactly equally divided between this uniprovincial solution and membership in an autonomous Castile and León. The municipal government of Cuéllar
adopted a resolution favoring the uniprovincial solution on October 5, 1981; then, less than two months later on December 3 they reversed themselves, tipping the balance among the municipalities in favor of integration with Castile and León. Segovia ultimately became part of Castile and León under the Ley Orgánica 5/1983, which asserted that "for reasons of national interest", as foreseen by Article 144 c) of the Spanish Constitution of 1978
, Segovia had abrogated its right to uniprovincial autonomy by failing to develop a concrete proposal in a timely manner.
, plus six of the eight provinces of Old Castile. The Old Castilian provinces of Santander and Logroño were omitted from the new entity of Castile and León.
At the same time as the formation of Castile and León, Santander and Logroño each became a uniprovincial autonomous community. Santander is now the autonomous community of Cantabria and Logroño the autonomous community of La Rioja. The separation of Cantabria was motivated by historical, cultural, and geographic differences from the rest of Old Castile. The separation of La Rioja was more a matter of compromise. In principle, looking at history and culture, La Rioja could have been united either with Castile and León, united in a Basque
–Navarre
se region, or left as a separate region of its own. The centre-right Union of the Democratic Centre favored the former course of action, the centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
, and leftist Communist Party the second, but the populace preferred the third option.
El Bierzo
is the only comarca whose juridical identity is explicitly recognized by the Castilian-Leonese Statute of Autonomy, although many other comarcas have been established. There are some groups in El Bierzo that wish to increase its autonomy, either by enhancing the powers of its Comarcal Council, recuperating the status it had in the 1820s as a province in its own right, gaining the status of a separate autonomous community, or removing all or part of El Bierzo from Castile and León and forming a new union with Galicia.
, in 2000, gave a population of 2,479,118, which was 6.12 percent of the national total.
The region is relatively sparsely populated, covering nearly a fifth of Spain's surface area and having (by these various numbers) only 5.69 or 6.12 percent of the national population. The population density, based on the 2009 statistic, is 26.57 /km2, less than a third of the national average of 88.6 /sqkm.
The rate of natural increase
is negative, and one of the lowest in Spain. 25,080 deaths per year versus 17,857 births gives a death rate of 10.12 per thousand and a birth rate of 7.20 per thousand, for a rate of natural increase of -2.92 per thousand or -0.292 percent. Infant mortality stands at 0.33 percent, with 59 annual deaths of infants below the age of one year in 2000.
Despite the negative rate of natural increase, in the last decade or more the population has been increasing due to immigration, reversing a decades-long downward trend. There were 22,910 immigrants in 1999 and 24,340 in 2000.
Life expectancy
is above the Spanish national average: 83.24 years for women and 78.30 for men.
In 1999 the distribution by age showed 317,783 people 14 years or younger; 913,618 between 15 and 39 years; 576,183 between 40 and 59 years; and 677,020 60 years or older.
(1936–1939), the rural areas (and smaller cities) of present-day Castile and León were losing population due to emigration to Spain's large cities (Madrid
, Barcelona
, Bilbao
, etc.) and abroad (to Germany, France, Switzerland, among others). This trend accelerated in the decade immediately after the Civil War. The growth of a strong industrial centre in Valladolid
, including Spain's first automobile factory—the Renault
plant led by the soldier and engineer Manuel Jiménez Alfaro—mitigated, but did not stop, the emigration. In both the 1960s and 1980s, the urban nuclei and provincial capitals gained population, but the region as a whole still suffered a net loss. To this day, the region has an aging population and a low birth rate contrasted against a merely average death rate by national standards.
The provinces of Valladolid and Segovia have reliably gone against this trend. The province of Valladolid has the region's most dynamic economy and, since 1987, its capital city has increasingly taken on the role of a regional capital. The province of Segovia is near enough to Madrid
to participate in that city's dynamic growth.
Many rural areas became very sparsely populated in the mid-to-late 20th century. In 1986 there were seven times as many municipalities with less than 100 inhabitants as in 1960.
Notable cities include the nine provincial capitals plus Miranda de Ebro
and Aranda de Duero
in the province of Burgos, Ponferrada
and San Andrés del Rabanedo
in León, Béjar
in Salamanca, and Medina del Campo
and Laguna de Duero
in Valladolid.
Of the 2,247 municipalities in the autonomous community, the 2000 census shows 1,970 with 1,000 or fewer inhabitants; 234 between 1,001 and 5,000; 20 between 5,001 and 10,000; 10 between 10,001 and 20,000; 6 between 20,001 and 50,000; 3 between 50,001 and 100,000; and 4 with over 100,000 inhabitants. Those last are Valladolid (319,943 in 2007), Burgos (174,075), Salamanca (159,754) and León (135,059). At the other extreme Blasconuño de Matacabras
(Ávila) has a population of 18, Reinoso
(Burgos) has 24, Villarmentero de Campos
(Palencia), has 14, and Gormaz
(Soria), 17.
21,244, slightly lower than the Spanish average of €22,152. The two most prosperous and industrialized provinces, Valladolid and Burgos, exceed the national per capita GDP.
In 2007, the unemployment rate was down to 6.99 percent, but the late-2000s recession drove that number up to 14.14 percent by July 2009.
, predominates. Nonetheless, there is increasing irrigation in the basins of the Douro, Pisuerga, and Tormes. About 10 percent of the region's farmland is irrigated, allowing intensive farming in those regions. Flat topography and improved communications have facilitated the entry of technical innovations throughout the agricultural production process, above all in areas such as the provinces of Valladolid and Burgos where production per hectare is among Spain's highest. Castile and León's most fertile lands are in the Esla valley of León, in the countryside of Valladolid and in the Tierra de Campos
, which intersects the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Palencia, and León.
Despite the declining rural population, and despite lower-than-average rural population density today, Castilian-Leonese agricultural production represents some 15 percent of Spain's primary sector.
Castile and León is known as "the granary of Spain" and is among Spain's leaders in production of cereal
s. Wheat is the most traditional crop, with the importance of barley
increasing since the 1960s. The next most important cereals after these two, in terms of acreage devoted to their production are rye
and oats
. In addition to such legumes as locust beans and chickpea
s, sunflower
cultivation has spread in the southern plains.
The land devoted to vineyard
s decreased greatly in the last three decades of the 20th century. Thanks to adoption of more modern techniques, the 56337 hectares (139,211.6 acre) currently devoted to vineyards are turning out vastly better wines than those the region traditionally produced. Now rivaling in quality the wines of La Rioja, they are increasingly known even beyond the borders of Spain. The region's principal zones of viticulture
—each with a mandated Designation of Origin
(Denominación de Origen)—are D.O. Ribera del Duero
, D.O. Rueda
, D.O. Toro
, D.O. Bierzo
, D.O. Arribes
, and D.O. Tierra de León
.
In the irrigated zones, Castile and León grows sugar beet
s—a product subsidized by the authorities of the autonomic region—potato
es, alfalfa
, and vegetables. The province of León also grows maize
, hops
, and legumes.
Broken down by provinces, approximately 9,400 are employed in this sector in Ávila, 8,100 each in Burgos and Palencia, 18,300 in León, 9,200 in Salamanca, 6,400 in Segovia, 5,600 in Soria, 8,300 in Valladolid, and 14,600 in Zamora. El sector agrícola y ganadero de la región representa el 7,6 % del total en España.
remains in some areas: large flocks, mainly of sheep, are driven hundreds of miles each year from the flat land to pasture land of mountains as in El Bierzo, the Cantabrian valleys of León, the Sierra de Gredos
or the Picos de Urbión
. This migratory husbandry, so historically connected to the region, suffers from a continually greater shortage of manpower.
Nonetheless, livestock accounts for a significant part of Castile and León's agricultural production. Large, modern farms raise cattle, pigs, and sheep for meat and milk. Milk is generally sold through farmer-owned cooperative
s that control its subsequent marketing. Castile and León produces over 1500000 litres (396,258.1 US gal) of milk annually, second in Spain after Galicia.
Castile and León has approximately 5,425,000 sheep, 2,800,000 pigs, and 1,200,000 cattle. Far behind these numbers, there 166,200 goats, and 71,700 horses, mules, and donkeys. The greatest production of meat is of pork (241700 tonnes (266,428.6 ST)), beef (89400 tonnes (98,546.6 ST)), and poultry (66000 tonnes (72,752.5 ST)); wool production is Spain's largest, at (7500 tonnes (8,267.3 ST)).
The most important sub-sectors are automobiles, paper, chemicals, all centred in Valladolid and Burgos, as well as the food industry
including the production of flour, sunflower oil, and wine, found in all the provincial capitals. The Spanish dairy brand Leche Pascual is based in Aranda de Duero. Other industries are textiles in Béjar; tile and bricks in Palencia; sugar processing in León, Valladolid, Toro
, Miranda de Ebro, and Benavente
; pharmaceuticals in León, Valladolid and principally at the GlaxoSmithKline
factory in Aranda de Duero; metallurgy and steel en Ponferrada; chemicals in Miranda de Ebro and Valladolid; aeronautics in Valladolid
.
, when the Roman Via de la Plata
(English: "Silver Way", Spanish: Vía de la Plata) from Asturica Augusta (Astorga) to Emerita Augusta
(Mérida
) and Hispalis (Seville
) was built to transport silver and gold mined from the deposits of las Médulas
in El Bierzo.
Centuries later, after the Spanish Civil War, mining was again a factor in the economic development of the region.
However, production of iron
, tin
, and tungsten
declined notably from the 1970s onward. Coal mining
(including anthracite coal) continued due to local demand for thermal power generation. Numerous Leonese mines closed in the 1980s and 1990s, causing unemployment and poverty, and providing another cause for emigration. Despite investments under the Mining Action Plan of the Junta of Castile and León, coal mining continues to be a troubled industry regionally.
plants that make Castile and León one of Spain's leading regions in terms of power generation. Among these are hydroelectric plants Burguillo, Rioscuro, Las Ondinas, Cornatel, Bárcena, Aldeadávila I y II
, Saucelle I y II, Castro I y II, Villalcampo I y II, Valparaíso, and Ricobayo I y II.
Installed hydroelectric power total 3,992 megawatts, with an annual product of 5,417 gigawatt hours. Nuclear power generates another 3,483 gigawatts per year. Thermal power from carboniferous fuels remains the region's leading source of energy, contributing 16,956 gigawatt hours for a regional total of 25,856 gigawatt hours from these major facilities. All of the nuclear power comes from the Santa María de Garoña Nuclear Power Plant
in the province of Burgos, which is currently (as of 2009) expected to shut down in July 2013. The following are the region's other thermal power stations:
Castile and León also produces wind energy
, with more than 100 operating wind energy farms. There are 46 wind energy farms in Burgos with a potential of 1,275 megawatts, with a regional total potential of 3,128 megawatts. Other (non-renewable) energy sources are natural gas
(194 megawatts installed) and diesel fuel (69 megawatts).
Tourism in Castile and León increased throughout the 1990s, capitalizing on the cultural and historic significance of the Castilian-Leonese cities and the attractive natural areas and countryside of the various comarcas. In 2001, Castile and León received roughly 315,000 visitors, of whom 42,000 were from abroad. The region contains six UNESCO
World Heritage Sites:
The town of Lerma
in the province of Burgos, formerly the seat of a duke
, is also a prominent tourist destination.
Castile and León has numerous castles, all of which are to some degree tourist destinations:
Castile and León also exports a great deal of wine. The wines of the Province of Valladolid have the widest distribution abroad, but Zamora is also an important wine region.
Leading imports are vehicles and vehicle parts, such as motors or tires.
The leading sources of foreign imports are France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and the United States. Exports travel throughout the European Union as well as to Turkey, Israel, and the United States.
The major land routes for merchandise and transport are Autovía A-1
(the Autovía del Norte) which runs from Madrid to the Basque
port of Irun on the French border and Autovía A-6
, the Autovía del Noroeste, which runs from Madrid to Arteixo
, A Coruña
). Also important is Autovía A-62
(the Autovía de Castilla), which comes out of Portugal through the cities of Salamanca, Valladolid, Palencia, and Burgos and continues east as part of European route
E-80
. Along those three routes are such important cities as Medina del Campo
, Aranda de Duero
, and Miranda de Ebro
.
at the Valladolid airport of Villanubla
, which handles both domestic and international traffic. The León Airport
, also known as Virgen del Camino, currently handles only domestic traffic, but hopes to handle international traffic in the future. Salamanca Airport
, also known as Matacán, handles domestic flights and international charter flights. The Burgos Airport
, also known as Villafría, opened in July 2008. Madrid's main airport Barajas
is nearby as well, although as of 2009 there is no direct connection through public transportation. Matacán and Virgen del Camino are among Europe's leaders in terms of recent growth of air traffic; Villanubla is experiencing lesser growth of about 3 percent annually.
to Lisbon
crosses the region, reaching the Portuguese frontier at Fuentes de Oñoro
in Salamanca. Astorga, Burgos, León, Miranda de Ebro, Palencia, Ponferrada,Medina del Campo and Valladolid are all important railway junctions.
Railways operate in several different gauges: Iberian gauge
(1,668 mm), UIC gauge (1,435 mm) and Narrow gauge (1,000 mm). Except for some narrow-gauge lines, trains are operated by RENFE
on lines maintained by the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF); both of these are national, state-owned companies.
Lines with no current passenger service:
and E05. These are the main road connections from Portugal and the south of Spain to the rest of Europe.
The region is also crossed by two major ancient routes:
The road network is regulated by the Ley de carreteras 10/2008 de Castilla y León (Highway Law 10/2008 of Castile and León). This law allows for the possibility of
roads financed by the private sector through concessions
, as well as the public construction of roads that has long prevailed.
s and juniper
s now found on the Castilian-Leonese plains are remnants of forests that once covered these lands. Agricultural exploitation—cultivation of cereals and creation of pastures for the vast flocks of the Castilian Meseta—meant the deforestation
of these lands during the Middle Ages
. The last juniper forests of Castile and León can be found in the provinces of Soria and Burgos. In some of these forest, junipers are mixed with pine
—or even with oak or gall oak—but the conifers predominate.
The Castilian-Leonese slope of the Cantabrian Mountains
and the northern foothills of the Sistema Ibérico
both boast rich vegetation. The cool, moist slopes are populated by large beech
forests, which can extend as high as altitudes of 1500 metres (4,921.3 ft). The beeches may form mixed forests with yew
, rowan
(mountain ash), common hawthorne, holly
, and birch
. The sunny slopes bring forth sessile oak
, English oak, ash, common hawthorne, chestnut
, birch, and pinar de Lillo (Pinus silvestris), a native pine species of northern León.
Wide extensions of oak survive on the lower slopes of the Sistema Central. Higher up, between 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) and 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) altitude, chestnuts are abundant. Yet higher up, Quercus pyrenaica—an oak species now rarely found in the eponymous Pyrenees
—predominates. With its strong resistance to cold, it can reach heights of 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft). Nonetheless, many oak forests have disappeared, cut down and replaced by pines. The principal native pine forests are in the Sierra de Guadarrama. The subalpine zones between 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft) and 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) are home to shrubs and juniper.
Much of the province of Salamanca, above all in the comarcas of Salices and Ciudad Rodrigo
, is occupied by dehesas
, a type of sparsely wooded land resembling the African savanna
s, with oak, cork oak, gall oak and Turkish oak. The provinces of Salamanca and Valladolid in the area of Rueda
also have olive
trees, which do not grow elsewhere in Castile and León.
Castile and León has a great diversity of fauna. Some of these are notable either for being endemic to the region or for their rarity. 418 species of vertebrate
s have been identified, constituting 63 percent of the vertebrates that can be found in Spain. Animals adapted to the high mountains, inhabitant of rocky landscapes, river dwellers, lowland species, and forest animals all can be found in Castile and León.
The isolation of the high peaks preserves many endemic animals such as the Western Spanish Ibex
(Capra pyrenaica victoriae) of which there are only two wild populations in the world, both along the border between Castile and León and Extremadura
. The European Snow Vole
(Chionomys nivalis or Microtus nivalis) is a species of rodent
in the family Cricetidae
, a small grayish brown mammal with a long tail that lives in open spaces above timberline.
Squirrel
s, dormice
, Spanish Mole
s, sable
s, marten
s, fox
es, wildcat
s, and Iberian Wolves
are all abundant in some areas. Wild boars, Roe Deer
and other deer
species can be found in the deciduous forests and to a lesser extent in the coniferous forests. A small population of Brown Bear
(Ursus arctos) can be found in forests of the Cantabrian Mountains. The wildcat Felis silvestris is slightly larger than a domestic cat, with a short, muscular tail, and a grayish brown coat with dark rings. The Iberian lynx
(Lynx pardinus), once found in the region, now can only be found in certain regions of southern Spain.
Castile and León is also home to such reptiles as the Ladder Snake
(Rhinechis scalaris), the Southern Smooth Snake (Coronella girondica), and the Aesculapian Snake
(Elaphe longissima or Zamenis longissimus). The European Smooth Snake
(Coronella austriaca) can be found from sea level up to an altitude of 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft); in Castile and León it tends to be found at the higher end of its range. Higher still, in the rocky subalpine zones around 2400 metres (7,874 ft), is the Iberian Rock Lizard
(Iberolacerta monticola or Lacerta monticola cyreni), one of the few reptiles adapted to these heights.
The mountain rivers provide a habitat for nutrias and Pyrenean Desman
s, not to mention trout
, freshwater eels, bighead carp
and some increasingly rare native freshwater crab
s. The nutria (Lutra lutra) and desman (Galemys pyrenaica) are both aquatic or semi-aquatic mammals, and excellent swimmers; the desman is a mole genus. The nutria eats mainly fish, but the desman prefers the invertebrates found along the riverbanks, including insects. In the lower depths of the river are the barbels
(Barbus barbus) and carp
. Local amphibians include newt
s, the Almanzor Salamander (Salamandra salamandra almanzoris, a subspecies of Fire Salamander
) and the Gredos Toad (Bufo bufo gredosicola, a supspecies of Common Toad
); the latter two are endemic to the Sistema Central.
Where the rivers narrow to form gorges and canyons, they form a habitat for birds of prey
such as the Griffon Vulture
, Cinereous Vulture, Egyptian Vulture
, Golden Eagle
or Peregrine Falcon
. The small Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) is black and white with a yellow head. Further downstream, the lush vegetation of the riverbanks makes a home for the Black-crowned Night Heron
and Grey Heron
, as well as the smaller Goldcrest
, European Penduline Tit
, Hoopoe
, and Common Kingfisher.
Among the birds that populate the open Mediterranean forests are two endangered species
: the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) and the Spanish Imperial Eagle
(also known as Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle, Aquila adalberti). The Black Stork, much rarer than the White Stork
(Ciconia ciconia) is a solitary bird that stays far away from humans. The Spanish Imperial Eagle nests in trees and feeds largely on rabbits, but also eats birds, reptiles and carrion.
In the coniferous forests live, among others treecreeper
s (of the family Certhiidae), the Coal Tit
(Periparus ater), and the Eurasian Nuthatch
(Sitta europaea), blue-grey above, with a black eyestripe, and distinguished from other populations of this species by its reddish underparts. The Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is a large, dark forest grouse
, very difficult to observe. Among the raptors in the forests are the Northern Goshawk, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk and members of the true owl family, which frequently prey upon such smaller birds as Eurasian Jay
s, woodpecker
s (notably the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major), finch
es of the genus Fringilla
, and warblers
of the genus Sylvia.
La Great Bustard
(Otis tarda) frequents the plains cleared for dryland farming. It is among the heaviest birds capable of flight. It has a grayish head and neck and a brown back. In the winter, the Castilian-Leonese wetlands teem with Greylag Geese
(Anser anser), that have flown south from their breeding grounds in Northern Europe.
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
in north-western Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León
León (historical region)
The region of León or Leonese region is a hitoric territory defined by the 1833 Spanish administrative organisation. The Leonese region encompassed the provinces of Salamanca, Zamora, and León, now part of the modern Spanish autonomous community of Castile and León.-Leonese History:Until 1833, the...
and Old Castile
Old Castile
Old Castile is a historic region of Spain, which included territory that later corresponded to the provinces of Santander , Burgos, Logroño , Soria, Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid, Palencia....
(Spanish: Castilla la Vieja). It is the largest autonomous community in Spain, covering an area of 94223 square kilometres (36,379.7 sq mi) with an official population of around 2.5 million (2005).
The organic law of Castile and León, under the Spanish Constitution of 1978
Spanish Constitution of 1978
-Structure of the State:The Constitution recognizes the existence of nationalities and regions . Preliminary Title As a result, Spain is now composed entirely of 17 Autonomous Communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that, even though the Constitution...
, is the region's Statute of Autonomy
Statute of Autonomy
Nominally, a Statute of Autonomy is a law hierarchically located under the constitution of a country, and over any other form of legislation...
. The statute lays out the basic laws of the region and defines a series of essential values and symbols of the inhabitants of Castile and León, such as their linguistic patrimony (the Castilian language, which English speakers commonly refer to simply as Spanish, as well as Leonese
Leonese language
The Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...
and Galician
Galician language
Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
), as well as their historic, artistic, and natural patrimony. Other symbols alluded to are the coat of arms, flag, and banner; there is also allusion to a regional anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
, though as of 2009 none has been adopted. April 23 is designated Castile and León Day
Castile and León Day
Castile and León Day is a holiday celebrated on April 23 in the autonomous community of Castile and León, a subdivision of Spain. The date is the anniversary of the Battle of Villalar, in which Castilian rebels were dealt a crushing defeat by the forces of King Charles I in the Revolt of the...
, commemorating the defeat of the comuneros at the Battle of Villalar
Battle of Villalar
The Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Comuneros fought on April 23, 1521 near the town of Villalar in Valladolid province, Spain. The royalist supporters of King Charles I won a crushing victory over the comuneros rebels. Three of the most important rebel leaders were...
during the Revolt of the Comuneros, in 1521.
Geography
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
and Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
to the north; Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
, and La Rioja to the east; the autonomous community of Madrid and Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha
Castile-La Mancha is an autonomous community of Spain. Castile-La Mancha is bordered by Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Extremadura. It is one of the most sparsely populated of Spain's autonomous communities...
to the southeast; Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
to the south; and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and Galicia to the west.
Castile and León is roughly coterminous with the Spanish part of the Douro
Douro
The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto...
River basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, on the northern half of the Meseta Central
Geography of Spain
Spain is a constitutional monarchy located in southwestern Europe. It occupies most of the Iberian Peninsula ind includes a small exclave inside France called Llívia as well as the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Western Atlantic Ocean off northwest Africa, and...
, a vast plateau in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. It also extends to some adjoining valleys, such as El Bierzo
El Bierzo
El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :...
(León
León (province)
León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
) and many secluded mountain valleys including Laciana
Laciana
Laciana, Tsaciana in Leonese language, is a comarca in the province of León, Spain. It had 11,904 inhabitants in 2005. The rivers of this comarca flow towards the Atlantic Ocean. Local people speak a certain variant of the Leonese language known as Patsuezo.Many areas in Laciana were degraded in...
(León), Valle de Mena
Valle de Mena
The Valley of Mena is a municipality of the province of Burgos, Spain, that borders Biscay.The town has 3,926 inhabitants and the town is under jurisdiction of Villasana de Mena District....
(Burgos
Burgos (province)
The province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladolid. Its capital is the city of Burgos...
), and Valle del Tiétar (Ávila
Ávila (province)
Ávila is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, and on the east by Segovia and Madrid. Ávila has a...
).
Terrain
Most of the terrain of Castile and León consists of a large portion of Spain's Meseta Central, surrounded by mountainous regions. The Meseta is a dry, arid high plainPlain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
, with an average altitude of about 800 metres (2,624.7 ft), covered by deposits of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
soil.
In the north are the mountains of the provinces of Palencia
Palencia (province)
Palencia is a province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of León, Cantabria, Burgos, and Valladolid....
and León
León (province)
León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
, with high, spindly peaks and the mountains of the province of Burgos
Burgos (province)
The province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladolid. Its capital is the city of Burgos...
, divided in two by the Pancorbo Pass, leading from Castile to the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
. Of those two parts, the more northerly belongs to the Cantabrian Mountains
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.They extend for more than approximately 180 miles across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the edges of the Galician Massif close to Galicia, along the coast of the...
and continues to the city of Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
; the mountains of the east and southeast are part of the Sistema Ibérico
Sistema Ibérico
The Sistema Ibérico or Iberian System is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.It is a vast and complex system of mountain chains and massifs located in the central regions of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Land of Valencia in the east.From...
. In the northeast are the mountains of Zamora
Zamora (province)
Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
, whose peaks have been eroded into mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
s. In the east, the mountains of Soria
Soria (province)
Soria is a province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. Most of the province is in the mountainous Sistema Ibérico areaIt is bordered by the provinces of La Rioja, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Segovia, and Burgos....
are also part of the Sistema Ibérico, including its highest peak, El Moncayo. Separating the northern Meseta from the southern and from Castile-La Mancha and Madrid, the Sistema Central
Sistema Central
The Sistema Central is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula.-Description:The Sistema Central is a primary feature of the Meseta Central, the inner Iberian plateau, splitting the meseta into two parts...
includes the Sierra de Gata
Sierra de Gata
Sierra de Gata is a mountain range in the Sistema Central, Spain. The highest point is Peña Canchera .-Description:The Sierra de Gata is located in the northwest of the province of Cáceres, which is in the autonomous community of Extremadura...
and the Sierra de Gredos
Sierra de Gredos
The Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, located between Ávila, Cáceres, Madrid and Toledo. It has been declared a regional park. Its highest point is Pico Almanzor, at 2,592 metres....
in the western half and the Sierra de Guadarrama
Sierra de Guadarrama
The Sierra de Guadarrama is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges at the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, and Sierra de Ayllón in the province of Guadalajara...
and Sierra de Ayllón in the eastern half.
Geological evolution
The northern Meseta is constituted of PaleozoicPaleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
s. After the Variscan orogeny
Variscan orogeny
The Variscan orogeny is a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.-Naming:...
raised Central Europe and the Galician area of Spain at the beginning of the Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
, deposits were eroded away by rivers. During the Alpine orogeny
Alpine orogeny
The Alpine orogeny is an orogenic phase in the Late Mesozoic and Tertiary that formed the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt...
, the materials that formed the plateau were broken at multiple points. This fracturing raised the relatively low mountains of León, constituting a dorsal spine of the Meseta, the Cantabrian Mountains and the Sistema Central, formed of materials such as granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
or metamorphic slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
s.
One result of this geology was to create medicinal mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
springs and/or hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...
in Almeida de Sayago
Almeida de Sayago
Almeida de Sayago is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 619 inhabitants.- See also :* Arribes del Duero Natural Park* Zamora city...
, Boñar
Boñar
The municipality of Boñar is located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 2,085 inhabitants with almost all of the residents living in the main town of Boñar...
, Calabor, Caldas de Luna, Castromonte
Castromonte
Castromonte is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 394 inhabitants....
, Cucho, Gejuelo del Barro
Gejuelo del Barro
Gejuelo del Barro is a sparsely populated village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
, Morales de Campos
Morales de Campos
Morales de Campos is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 179 inhabitants....
, Valdelateja, and Villarijo.
Rivers
Douro
The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto...
and its tributaries. The Douro runs 897 kilometres (557.4 mi) from its headwaters in the Picos de Urbión
Picos de Urbión
Picos de Urbión are a mountain massif in the Sistema Ibérico, Spain, limited by the Sierra de Neila and Sierra Cebollera of the same range. The ridge's highest summit, Pico Urbión, is 2,228 m) is one of the highest points in the 500 km long Sistema Ibérico.The Picos de Urbión are located in...
in Soria to its mouth at the Portuguese city of Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...
. Flowing into the Douro from the north, on its right bank, are the Pisuerga, the Valderaduey and the Esla
Esla (river)
The Esla is a river in the provinces of León and Zamora in the northwest of Spain. It is a tributary of the Duero River which starts in the Cantabrian Mountains and has 286 km of length, crossing from north to south the provinces of León and Zamora...
, its most capacious tributaries, and from the east, on its left bank, the lesser flows of the Adaja and Duratón. After passing the city of Zamora
Zamora, Spain
Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
, the Douro flows through a canyon in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park
Arribes del Duero Natural Park
Arribes del Duero Natural Park is a protected area in western Spain, covering 106.105 ha in the autonomous community of Castile and León. In this area the river Duero forms the national boundary between Spain and Portugal, and the Portugal side is also protected under the figure of International...
where it constitutes the border with Portugal, flowing north. From its left bank, it receives the waters of such important tributaries as the Tormes, Huebra, Águeda, the Côa
COA
COA can refer to:*Codename Amscray*Cash on Arrival*Cause of action*CedarOpenAccounts*Center of Attention*Certificate of Appealability*Certificate of Approval for marriage or civil partnership in the United Kingdom*Certificate of Authenticity...
and the Paiva, all originating in the Sistema Central
Sistema Central
The Sistema Central is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula.-Description:The Sistema Central is a primary feature of the Meseta Central, the inner Iberian plateau, splitting the meseta into two parts...
. From the right bank, it receives the waters of the Sabor, the Tua and the Támega
Tâmega
The Tâmega or Támega is an international river belonging to Spain and Portugal. The river begins its course near Verín, Galicia flowing south to Portugal, in the historical provinces of Trás-os-Montes and Douro Litoral....
, originating in the Galician Massif. Beyond the Arribes, the Douro turns west, flowing through Portugal to the Atlantic.
Nonetheless, the Douro and its tributaries are not the region's only important rivers; the Jalón
Jalón (river)
The river Jalón is located in the northeast of Spain, and is one of the principal tributaries of the Ebro. It has a length of and drains a watershed of . The flow rate in Calatayud is , but is highly irregular due to the great range of Mediterranean rainfall patterns.The course of the river forms...
in Palencia, Burgos, and Soria flows via the Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
to the Mediterranean. The River Minho (Miño) flows from León into Portugal, the Alagón in Salamanca flows to the Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
and several provinces containing portions of the Cantabrian Mountains
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.They extend for more than approximately 180 miles across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the edges of the Galician Massif close to Galicia, along the coast of the...
have waters flowing north into the Cantabrian Sea.
| Capital where river flows | River | Mouth | Other places where river flows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ávila | Adaja | Douro Douro The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto... in Villamarciel |
Tordesillas Tordesillas Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009.... and Arévalo Arévalo Arévalo is a municipality in Spain, it is situated in the province of Ávila and is part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. The name came from Celtic word arevalon, meaning "place near the wall."-Regional importance:... |
| Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... |
Arlanzón | Arlanza | Arlanzón Arlanzón Arlanzón is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 411 inhabitants.... , Pampliega Pampliega Pampliega is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 395 inhabitants.... |
| León León, Spain León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population... |
Bernesga | Esla Esla (river) The Esla is a river in the provinces of León and Zamora in the northwest of Spain. It is a tributary of the Duero River which starts in the Cantabrian Mountains and has 286 km of length, crossing from north to south the provinces of León and Zamora... |
La Robla La Robla La Robla is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 4,739 inhabitants.... |
| Palencia Palencia Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon... |
Carrión | Pisuerga in Dueñas Dueñas, Palencia Dueñas is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain.... |
Guardo Guardo Guardo is a municipality in the province of Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain.The town is located at 42° 47' 00" north, 4° 50' 00" west on the banks of the Carrión River. It is the second most populated municipality after the capital, Palencia, in the province of... , Carrión de los Condes Carrión de los Condes Carrión de los Condes is a municipality in the province of Palencia, part of the Autonomous Community of Castile and León, Spain.It is 40 kilometers from Palencia, on the Way of Saint James.-History:... , Palencia Palencia Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon... and Dueñas Dueñas, Palencia Dueñas is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain.... . |
| Salamanca Salamanca Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to... |
Tormes | Douro Douro The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto... in Fermoselle Fermoselle Fermoselle is a medieval village and municipality located in the province of Zamora, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castilla y León.... |
Guijuelo Guijuelo Guijuelo is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 5593 inhabitants.-See also:*CD Guijuelo, the football club of this municipality.... and El Barco de Ávila El Barco de Ávila El Barco de Ávila is a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain.-Main sights:*Castle *Casa del Reloj*Romanesque bridge*Hermitage of Santísimo Cristo del Caño... |
| Segovia Segovia Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:... |
Eresma | Adaja in Matapozuelos Matapozuelos Matapozuelos is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,024 inhabitants.... |
Coca Coca, Segovia Coca is a municipality in the province of Segovia, central Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located 50 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital city of Segovia, and 60 kilometres from Valladolid. Coca is known for its 15th Century Mudéjar castle... |
| Soria Soria Soria is a city in north-central Spain, the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. , the municipality has a population of c. 39,500 inhabitants, nearly 40% of the population of the province... and Zamora Zamora, Spain Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier... |
Douro Douro The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto... |
Atlantic Ocean in Porto Porto Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes... |
Almazán Almazán Almazán is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 5,755 inhabitants.- External links :*... , Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid.... , Toro Toro, Zamora Toro is a town and municipality in the province of Zamora, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located on a fertile high plain, northwest of Madrid at an elevation of 740 meters.... , Tordesillas Tordesillas Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009.... , Aldeadávila de la Ribera Aldeadávila de la Ribera Aldeadavila de la Ribera is a village and municipality in the north-west of the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon.-External links:... , and Vilvestre Vilvestre Vilvestre is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located 96 kilometres from the provincial capital city of Salamanca and has a population of 512 people.-Geography:... |
| Valladolid Valladolid Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales... |
Pisuerga | Douro Douro The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto... in Geria Geria Geria is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 473 inhabitants.... |
Aguilar de Campoo Aguilar de Campoo Aguilar de Campoo is a town in the province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is close to the River Pisuerga.-History:In 1255 Alfonso X the Wise declared it Villa Realenga... , Cervera de Pisuerga Cervera de Pisuerga Cervera de Pisuerga is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 2,679 inhabitants.-External links:**... , Venta de Baños Venta de Baños Venta de Baños is a village and municipality of about 5,880 located in El Cerrato, in the province of Palencia, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, central Spain. It is located south of the provincial capital, Palencia. Noteworthy monuments include its Visigothic church of San... , Dueñas Dueñas, Palencia Dueñas is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain.... , Tariego de Cerrato Tariego de Cerrato Tariego de Cerrato is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 547 inhabitants.... , and Simancas Simancas Simancas is a town and municipality of central Spain, located in the province of Valladolid, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León... |
Lakes and reservoirs
Besides these rivers, the Douro basin also has a great number of lakes and lagoons, such as the Laguna Negra, in the Picos de Urbión, the Laguna Grande in Gredos, the Sanabria LakeSanabria Lake Natural Park
The Sanabria Lake Natural Park is a natural park located around Lake Sanabria in the Sanabria comarca, northwest part of the Zamora province, in the mountainous area of Sierra Segundera and Sierra de la Cabrera...
in Zamora or the Laguna de la Nava in Palencia. There are also a great number of reservoirs, fed by the snows and rains in the mountains and by glacial
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
melt water. Despite having relatively little rainfall, Castile and León has one of Spain's largest quantities of water held in reserve.
Climate
Castile and León has a continentalized Mediterranean climate: a Mediterranean climateMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
with a marked character of a continental climate
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
. The continentalized Mediterranean climate is similar to a typical Mediterranean climate, but with more extreme temperatures typical of a continental climate. Winters are long and cold, with average temperatures between 4 °C (39.2 °F) and 7 °C (44.6 °F) in January. Summers are short and hot (averages between 19 °C (66.2 °F) and 22 °C (71.6 °F)), with the three or four dry summer months typical of a Mediterranean climate. Rain averages only 450 millimetres (17.7 in) to 500 millimetres (19.7 in) annually, mostly in the lower altitudes.
Climatic factors
The mountains surrounding Castile and León block the winds from the seas, reducing precipitation in the region. Consequently, the rains fall very unequally through the Castilian-Leonese region. While the centre of the Douro basin receives an annual rainfall of 450 millimetres (17.7 in), in the western comarcaComarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
s (roughly shire
Shire
A shire is a traditional term for a division of land, found in the United Kingdom and in Australia. In parts of Australia, a shire is an administrative unit, but it is not synonymous with "county" there, which is a land registration unit. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and in the far...
s) of the mountains of León and the Cantabrian Mountains
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.They extend for more than approximately 180 miles across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the edges of the Galician Massif close to Galicia, along the coast of the...
precipitation can be as much as 1500 millimetres (59.1 in) per year.
The high altitude of the Castilian-Leonese Meseta and mountain ranges contributes not only to the contrast of summer and winter temperatures, but also to a marked contrast of day and night temperatures.
Climatic regions
Although the climate throughout Castile and León is predominantly a continentalized Mediterranean climate throughout, there are distinctive climatic regions.In the north, Castile and León includes the southern face of the Cantabrian Mountains; the northern slope, facing the Atlantic, falls within other provinces. The highest portion of the Cantabrian Mountains in Castile and León experiences the oceanic climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
from the Atlantic, with milder winters (at least relative to the altitude) and more temperate summers. The lower slopes of the same range share these temperate summers, but have the colder winters more typical of the Meseta.
Nearly all of the central portion of the Meseta has the continentalized Mediterranean climate discussed above, although the eastern part of Zamora has a much drier climate.
The mountainous regions of the northeast, east, and south have a typical Mediterranean mountain climate, with little rain, hot summers, and cold winters.
Regional administration and government
Castile and León is divided into nine provincesProvinces of Spain
Spain and its autonomous communities are divided into fifty provinces .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing. província.*Galician , sing. provincia.*Basque |Galicia]] — are not also the capitals of provinces...
:
- AvilaÁvila (province)Ávila is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, and on the east by Segovia and Madrid. Ávila has a...
- BurgosBurgos (province)The province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladolid. Its capital is the city of Burgos...
- LeónLeón (province)León is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.About one quarter of its population of 500,200 lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter....
- PalenciaPalencia (province)Palencia is a province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of León, Cantabria, Burgos, and Valladolid....
- SalamancaSalamanca (province)Salamanca is a province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Ávila, and Cáceres; and by Portugal....
- SegoviaSegovia (province)Segovia is a province of central/northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Burgos, Soria, Guadalajara, Madrid, Ávila, and Valladolid....
- SoriaSoria (province)Soria is a province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. Most of the province is in the mountainous Sistema Ibérico areaIt is bordered by the provinces of La Rioja, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Segovia, and Burgos....
- ValladolidValladolid (province)Valladolid is a province of central/northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos, Segovia, Ávila, and Salamanca....
- ZamoraZamora (province)Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
Each of these provinces is named after its respective provincial capital.
Although the "Statute of Autonomy" for Castile and León does not specify any city to be the capital of the autonomous community, the city of Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
serves that purpose in certain contexts. Initially, the Courts (Cortes, the legislature) met provisionally in Burgos; Tordesillas
Tordesillas
Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009....
was discussed as a possible capital, and at one point, the Courts met, also on a provisional basis, at the Castle of Fuensaldaña
Fuensaldaña
Fuensaldaña is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,149 inhabitants....
. Finally, a law adopted in 1987 established the Junta of Castile and León—the Regional Executive government of the Community—and the Courts—the legislature—in Valladolid. Thus, Valladolid is now effectively the capital.
However, other institutions of government and administration are distributed through the region. The Economic and Social Council is in Valladolid, but the Superior Tribunal of Justice—the highest regional judiciary body—is in Burgos, the Consultative Council (Consejo Consultivo) is in Zamora, the Board of Auditors (Consejo de Cuentas) in Palencia, and the Ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
(Procurador del Común, literally "Common Attorney") in León.
Autonomous Executive
The executiveExecutive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
of Castile and León is known as the Junta de Castilla y León in Spanish.
It has one head of the Regional Executive (Spanish: Presidente de la Junta) and twelve departments: Two Vicepresidencias and ten ministries
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
(Spanish: Consejerías).
- Seat of the Regional Executive: ValladolidValladolidValladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
- Seat of the Accounting Committee: PalenciaPalenciaPalencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
Regional Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of the Autonomous Community. The tradition of the Regional Courts is traced back to the Royal Council (Latin: Curia Regis
Curia Regis
Curia regis is a Latin term meaning "royal council" or "king's court."- England :The Curia Regis, in the Kingdom of England, was a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics that advised the king of England on legislative matters...
) of León (1188). The Curia Regis was a king's summons of the estates of the realm. Although the practical outcome of the Curia Regis of 1188 is still disputed, its charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
seems to be an early movement towards the rule of constitutional law, much like the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
. The Regional Courts meet in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
.
Three parties have parliamentary representation in Castile and León:
Partido Popular de Castilla y León: Associated with the national centre-right People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
(PP): 53 seats in the Regional Courts, 18 seats in the Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
(the national legislature of Spain).
Partido Socialista de Castilla y León: Associated with the national centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
(PSOE): 29 seats in the Regional Courts, 14 seats in the Cortes Generales.
Unión del Pueblo Leonés
Leonese People's Union
The Leonese People's Union is a regional political party in Castilla y León, Spain. UPL strives to establish a separate autonomous community for the provinces of León, Zamora and Salamanca , now in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León.UPL was founded in 1986 by a group of people...
("Leonese People's Union"): A Leonese nationalist party: 1 seat in the Regional Courts.
United Left
United Left (Spain)
The United Left is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 bringing together several political organisations opposed to Spain joining NATO. It was formed by a number of groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was dominated by the Communist Party of Spain...
(Izquierda Unida, IU): Spanish left-wing coalition: 1 seat in the Regional Courts
Another party, the left-of-centre Castilian Nationalist Tierra Comunera - ACAL
Tierra Comunera
Tierra Comunera is a nationalist political party in the Spanish historical region of Castile. It is modelled after the Basque and Catalan nationalist parties but does not advocate full independence for Castile, instead favoring cooperation or unification among what they call the five Castilian...
, has contested previous elections and has held seats in the Regional Courts in the past, but as of 2011 it is not represented in that body.
| Political party | Autonomic elections, 2011 | Autonomic elections, 2007 | Autonomic elections, 2003 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | Seats | Percentage | Seats | Percentage | Seats | |
| Partido Popular de Castilla y León | 51.59% | 53 | 49.41% | 48 | 48.56% | 48 |
| Partido Socialista de Castilla y León | 29.61% | 29 | 37.49% | 33 | 36.74% | 32 |
| Unión del Pueblo Leonés | 1.85% | 1 | 2.74% | 2 | 3.88% | 3 |
| Izquierda Unida LVCyL | 4.89% | 1 | 3.09% | 0 | 3.43% | 0 |
| Tierra Comunera - ACAL | - | - | 1.16% | 0 | 1.19% | 0 |
Ombudsman
The OmbudsmanOmbudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
of Castile and León (Spanish: Procurador del Común) is appointed by the Regional Courts.
- Seat of the Ombudsman of Castile and León: LeónLeón, SpainLeón is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
Consultative Committee
The Consultative Committee of Castile and León (Spanish: Consejo Consultivo) is a group of five legal analysts. They are appointed by the Regional Courts and the Junta. The Committee delivers reports on legal issues both to the Regional Government and to incumbent municipal governments.- Seat of the Consultive Committee: ZamoraZamora, SpainZamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier...
Flag and coat of arms
The flag of Castile and LeónFlag of Castile and León
The flag of Castile and León is the official flag of the Spanish autonomous community of Castile and León. It consists of the quartered coats of arms of Castile, represented by a castle, and León, represented by a lion....
and coat of arms of Castile and León each show the quartered
Quartering (heraldry)
Quartering in heraldry is a method of joining several different coats of arms together in one shield by dividing the shield into equal parts and placing different coats of arms in each division....
coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Castile
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
, represented by a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
, and León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
, represented by a lion
Lion (heraldry)
The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises bravery, valour, strength, and royalty, since traditionally, it is regarded as the king of beasts.-Attitudes:...
. The seal is topped with a royal crown.
Castile and León Day
The regional holiday Castile and León DayCastile and León Day
Castile and León Day is a holiday celebrated on April 23 in the autonomous community of Castile and León, a subdivision of Spain. The date is the anniversary of the Battle of Villalar, in which Castilian rebels were dealt a crushing defeat by the forces of King Charles I in the Revolt of the...
commemorates the events of April 23, 1521, when the Revolt of the Comuneros was defeated. While the politics and meaning of the revolt remains a matter of contention, it has been embraced by liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and, later, the left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
as a symbol of opposition to absolutism
Absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
and privilege since at least 1821 during the Trienio Liberal—the three years of liberal ascendancy—when Juan Martín Díez
Juan Martín Díez
Juan Martín Díez, nicknamed El Empecinado , was a historic Spaniard famous for his contributions to the Peninsular War.-Early life:Díez was born in Castrillo de Duero on September 5, 1775. He was a farmer and his house still exists in its original location...
, "El Empecinado" ("The Undaunted"), made a speech at Villalar (now Villalar de los Comuneros
Villalar de los Comuneros
Villalar de los Comuneros is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 449 inhabitants....
) honoring the Comuneros. This tradition was embraced strongly during the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
and again in the post-Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
transition to democracy
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
, when tens of thousands began to gather at Villalar on the anniversary.
Every year on the occasion of Castile and León Day, the Community awards the Castile and León Prizes (Premios Castilla y León) to Castilian-Leonese people distinguished in seven areas: Arts, Human Values, Scientific Investigation, Social Science, Restoration and Conservation, the Environment, and Sports.
Languages
Besides the dominant Castilian Spanish, three other regional languages figure in the linguistic patrimony of Castile and León. Two of these are recognized explicitly in the Statute of Autonomy. The Leonese languageLeonese language
The Leonese language is the endonym term used to refer to all vernacular Romance dialects of the Astur-Leonese linguistic group in the Spanish provinces of León and Zamora; Astur-Leonese also includes the dialects...
, according to the Statute, "will be the object of specific protection [...] for its particular value in the linguistic patrimony of the Community". The Galician language
Galician language
Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
, according to the statute, "merits respect and protection in the places where it is habitually used, which is effectively to say the portions of the comarcas of El Bierzo
El Bierzo
El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :...
and Sanabria
Senabria
Sanabria is a comarca in the northeast of the province of Zamora, western Spain, situated between Galicia, Portugal and the province of León. It belongs to the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León...
bordering Galicia. In addition, although unmentioned in the Statute, in the comarca of El Rebollar in the province of Salamanca, people speak a variety of Extremaduran known as Habla del Rebollar ("the speech of Rebollar").
Education
Universities
- Public
- University of BurgosUniversity of BurgosThe University of Burgos is a public university in the Spanish city of Burgos with about 10,000 students studying over 30 different undergraduate degrees, over 20 PhD Programmes, as well as several Official Masters and other graduate courses.- History :The University of Burgos was founded in 1994...
- University of León
- University of SalamancaUniversity of SalamancaThe University of Salamanca is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the town of Salamanca, west of Madrid. It was founded in 1134 and given the Royal charter of foundation by King Alfonso IX in 1218. It is the oldest founded university in Spain and the third oldest European...
- University of ValladolidUniversity of ValladolidThe University of Valladolid is a public university in the city of Valladolid, province of Valladolid, in the autonomous region of Castile-Leon, Spain...
- Summer University of Castile and León
- National University of Distance Education
- University of Burgos
- Private
- Catholic University of ÁvilaCatholic University of ÁvilaSaint Teresa of Jesus Catholic University, , commonly known as the Catholic University of Ávila , is a private, Catholic university, located in Ávila, Castile and León, Spain...
(Universidad Católica Santa Teresa de Jesús de Ávila) - Miguel de Cervantes European UniversityMiguel de Cervantes European UniversityMiguel de Cervantes European University is a private university located in Valladolid, Spain.It was established in 2002 and currently has around 1.500 students.- external links :*...
(Valladolid) - IE UniversityIE UniversityIE University is a private university, owned by for-profit business firm Instituto de Empresa S.L., whose main campus is located in Segovia, Castile and León ....
(Instituto de Empresa Universidad, Segovia) - Pontifical University of SalamancaPontifical University of SalamancaThe Pontifical University of Salamanca is a private, catholic university, located in Salamanca, Spain, and campus in Salamanca and Madrid.- History :...
- Catholic University of Ávila
Historic union of the Kingdoms of Castile and León
Kingdom of Castile
Kingdom of Castile was one of the medieval kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. It emerged as a political autonomous entity in the 9th century. It was called County of Castile and was held in vassalage from the Kingdom of León. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region...
and León
Kingdom of León
The Kingdom of León was an independent kingdom situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. It was founded in AD 910 when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their capital from Oviedo to the city of León...
, which were permanently united under the Crown of Castile
Crown of Castile
The Crown of Castile was a medieval and modern state in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and parliaments of the kingdoms of Castile and León upon the accession of the then King Ferdinand III of Castile to the vacant Leonese throne...
in 1301. Together with other Christian-ruled Iberian
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
kingdoms, the separate monarchies of Castile and León participated in the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
, the "re-"conquest of Iberia from the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, its medieval Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
rulers. Other kingdoms participating in the Reconquista were, first, Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Founded by Suebic king Hermeric in the year 409, the Galician capital was established in Braga, being the first kingdom which...
, and later other kingdoms carved out of lands gained by Christians over the centuries: the Kingdoms of Toledo
Kingdom of Toledo
The Kingdom of Toledo was the juridical definition of a Christian medieval kingdom in what is now central Spain, created after Alfonso VI of León's capture of Toledo in 1085.-Background:...
, Badajoz, Seville
Kingdom of Seville
The Kingdom of Seville was a territorial jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile from the time it was won from Muslim rule in 1248 during the Reconquista until Javier de Burgos' provincial division of Spain in 1833...
and others.
The first dynastic union
Dynastic union
A dynastic union is the combination by which two different states are governed by the same dynasty, while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct...
of León and Castile came about in 1037, when Ferdinand, the 20-year-old Count of Castile, defeated his brother-in-law Bermudo III of León
Bermudo III of León
Bermudo III , king of León , son of Alfonso V of León by his wife Elvira Mendes, was the last scion of Peter of Cantabria to rule in the Leonese kingdom...
in battle and claimed the Crown of León through the rights of his own wife, Sancha
Sancha of León
Sancha of León was a daughter of Alfonso V of León by Elvira Mendes and Queen consort of León and Castile. In 1029, a political marriage was arranged between her and count García Sánchez of Castile. However, having traveled to León for the marriage, García was assassinated by a group of...
, Bermudo's sister. Although he declared himself Emperor of All Spain
Imperator totius Hispaniae
Imperator totius Hispaniae is a Latin title meaning "Emperor of all Spain". In Spain in the Middle Ages, the title "emperor" was used under a variety of circumstances from the ninth century onwards, but its usage peaked, as a formal and practical title, between 1086 and 1157...
in 1056, the union ended with Ferdinand's death in 1065, when Castile, León, and Galicia each passed to a different one of Ferdinand's sons and certain cities to his daughters, with a further division of spheres of influence in the Muslim taifa
Taifa
In the history of the Iberian Peninsula, a taifa was an independent Muslim-ruled principality, usually an emirate or petty kingdom, though there was one oligarchy, of which a number formed in the Al-Andalus after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031.-Rise:The origins of...
s. The arrangement did not hold. The sons soon fought; eventually one son, Alfonso VI of León again created an effective union and in 1077 again claimed the title of Emperor of All Spain. However, his death in 1109 left the kingdoms again disunited.
Ferdinand III of Castile
Saint Ferdinand III, T.O.S.F., was the King of Castile from 1217 and León from 1230. He was the son of Alfonso IX of León and Berenguela of Castile. Through his second marriage he was also Count of Aumale. He finished the work done by his maternal grandfather Alfonso VIII and consolidated the...
, later canonized, achieved the definitive union of the two Crowns. After Ferdinand's father Alfonso IX of León
Alfonso IX of Leon
Alfonso IX was king of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death...
died in 1230, Ferdinand, already ruler of Castile, conquered León from his own half-sisters Sancha and Dulce, much against the desires of the Leonese clergy and nobility. His son and successor Alfonso X
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
, unusually highly educated for a monarch of that era, established Castilian as a language of learning and culture, beginning the process by which the Castilian language would become the dominant language of much of Spain, with other languages—including Leonese—increasingly seen as local dialects.
Parliamentary traditions
Although the theory and spirit of absolutismAbsolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her power not being limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch thus wields unrestricted political power over the...
remained strong in Spain into living memory, the medieval Cortes of León is one of the earliest ancestors of Europe's parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
s. The remote origins of the Cortes dates back to the early 12th century. The Cortes of León of 1188 called by Alfonso IX is one of the earliest documented gatherings of the estates
Estates of the realm
The Estates of the realm were the broad social orders of the hierarchically conceived society, recognized in the Middle Ages and Early Modern period in Christian Europe; they are sometimes distinguished as the three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and commoners, and are often referred to by...
in which commoners of the cities and towns are represented beside the clergy and nobility as counselors to the monarch. Alfonso gathered similar assemblies in 1202 in Benavente and 1208 in León.
In the kingdom of Castile, the first curia—a large assembly to address the affairs of the kingdom—appears to have been convoked by Alfonso VIII in 1187 at San Esteban de Gormaz
San Esteban de Gormaz
San Esteban de Gormaz is a municipality in the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. Its population is approximately 3,500...
, with the leading men of fifty cities in attendance. In his capacity as king of Castile, Ferdinand III received the homage of large delegations at Valladolid in 1217 and convoked a curia in 1219 at Burgos.
The comparatively early date of these assemblies results directly from the relative autonomy granted to towns and cities in the north Iberian regions as the Reconquista moved forward and these places were repopulated. Another factor was the application of Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
, which contributed a theory for the convening of municipalities and for their participation in governance.
These 12th and 13th century assemblies continued through the following centuries, forming the most remote ancestry of today's Cortes of Castile and León and constituting part of the European tradition of parliamentarianism.
As is clearly evident, these medieval Cortes had little resemblance to present-day parliamentary assemblies. They were not democratic in any modern sense of the term, because there was no direct representation of the populace. There was little in them of the slow rise of constitutionalism
Constitutionalism
Constitutionalism has a variety of meanings. Most generally, it is "a complex of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law"....
in the Parliament of England
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
, the vast, independent power gained by the nobles of the Polish sejm
General sejm
The general sejm was the parliament of Poland for four centuries from the late 15th until the late 18th century.-Genesis:The power of early sejms grew during the period of Poland's fragmentation , when the power of individual rulers waned and that of various councils and wiece grew...
, nor, even more clearly, the broad suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
first seen on a large scale at the time of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Antecedents to the autonomous community
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
) and Logroño (now La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
) had drafted the Castilian Federal Pact (Pacto Federal Castellano), which projected the creation of a federated state under the name Castilla la Vieja (Old Castile) in these eleven provinces. During the First Republic
First Spanish Republic
The First Spanish Republic was the political regime that existed in Spain between the parliamentary proclamation on 11 February 1873 and 29 December 1874 when General Arsenio Martínez-Campos's pronunciamento marked the beginning of the Bourbon Restoration in Spain...
(1873–1874), the Republican Democratic Federal Party (Partido Republicano Democrático Federal) intended to make this a reality. However, the fall of the Republic at the beginning of 1874 put an end to this initiative.
In 1921, on the fourth centenary of the Battle of Villalar, the municipal government of Santander, Cantabria
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
advocated for the establishment of a Castilian commonwealth of these same eleven provinces. In late 1931 and early 1932, the priest Eugenio Merino, in León, wrote a piece for the Diario de León stating a basis for Castilian-Leonese regionalism.
During the Second Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, especially in 1936, there was a great deal of regionalist activity favorable to a region of eleven provinces, including the elaboration of the basis of a statute of autonomy. The Diario de León advocated for the formalization of this initiative and the constitution of an autonomous region as follows: "to unite in one personality León and Old Castile around the great basin of the Douro, without falling now into simple village rivalries." The establishment of a centralising regime after the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
brought an end to these aspirations for regional autonomy.
After the death of the dictator Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
unleashed the Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
, there was an upwelling of Castilian-Leonese regionalist, autonomist and nationalist organizations, such as Alianza Regional de Castilla y León (1975), Instituto Regional de Castilla y León (1976) and the Autonomic Nationalist Party of Castile and León (Partido Autonómico Nacionalista de Castilla y León, PANCAL, 1977). None of these survive today, but similar sentiments are now represented by Unidad Regionalista de Castilla y León (1993).
In parallel there was a rise of groups advocating Leonesismo, Leonese particularism. Among these were the Grupo Autonómico Leonés (1978) and the Partido Regionalista del País Leonés (PREPAL, 1980), which proposed the creation of a Leonese autonomous community composed of the provinces of León, Salamanca and Zamora. Support for this option was particularly strong in the city of León.
Forming the autonomous community
Castile and León obtained a "pre-autonomic" regime by the Royal Decree Ley 20/1978, June 13, 1978. This set the region on the course toward establishing an autonomous community, a path that had been offered first to CataloniaCatalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
toward the end of 1977 and would eventually be granted to every part of Spain. Five years later, in 1983, the autonomous community of Castile and León was made concrete by the Statute of Autonomy accepted by both the community and the Spanish state.
The Provincial Deputation of León agreed on April 16, 1980 to endorse the Castilian-Leonese process, but then revoked that support January 13, 1983, just as the proposed Organic Law
Organic Law (Spain)
An Organic Law in Spanish law under the present Spanish Constitution of 1978 must be passed by an absolute majority of the Congress of Deputies...
was before the Spanish parliament. The Constitutional Court of Spain
Constitutional Court of Spain
thumb|300px|The [[Domenico Scarlatti]] Building located in [[Madrid]], seat of the Constitutional Court of Justice of Spain.The Constitutional Court of Spain is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of the Spanish Government. It is...
upheld the first of these two contradictory Leonese resolutions. The court's decision was met by demonstrations in León and elsewhere in the Leonese territories in favor of a policy of León solo ("León alone"). The roughly 90,000 people who gathered in León at that time constituted the largest demonstration in that city between the revival of democracy and the demonstrations after the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
On July 31, 1981, the Provincial Deputation of Segovia initiated a process by which that province would have become, like the provinces of Santander (now Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
) and Logroño (now La Rioja
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
) a "uniprovincial" autonomous community in its own right. The municipalities of the province were almost exactly equally divided between this uniprovincial solution and membership in an autonomous Castile and León. The municipal government of Cuéllar
Cuéllar
Cuéllar is a large town and local government district in the autonomous community of Castile and León, in Spain. It had a population of 9,841 in 2008....
adopted a resolution favoring the uniprovincial solution on October 5, 1981; then, less than two months later on December 3 they reversed themselves, tipping the balance among the municipalities in favor of integration with Castile and León. Segovia ultimately became part of Castile and León under the Ley Orgánica 5/1983, which asserted that "for reasons of national interest", as foreseen by Article 144 c) of the Spanish Constitution of 1978
Spanish Constitution of 1978
-Structure of the State:The Constitution recognizes the existence of nationalities and regions . Preliminary Title As a result, Spain is now composed entirely of 17 Autonomous Communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that, even though the Constitution...
, Segovia had abrogated its right to uniprovincial autonomy by failing to develop a concrete proposal in a timely manner.
The autonomous community
Castile and León consists of nine provinces: León, Salamanca and Zamora, which had constituted the Region of León since the territorial division of 18331833 territorial division of Spain
The 1833 territorial division of Spain divided Spain into provinces, classified into "historic regions" . on the official web site of the government of the Canary Islands, accessed 2009-12-31...
, plus six of the eight provinces of Old Castile. The Old Castilian provinces of Santander and Logroño were omitted from the new entity of Castile and León.
At the same time as the formation of Castile and León, Santander and Logroño each became a uniprovincial autonomous community. Santander is now the autonomous community of Cantabria and Logroño the autonomous community of La Rioja. The separation of Cantabria was motivated by historical, cultural, and geographic differences from the rest of Old Castile. The separation of La Rioja was more a matter of compromise. In principle, looking at history and culture, La Rioja could have been united either with Castile and León, united in a Basque
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
–Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
se region, or left as a separate region of its own. The centre-right Union of the Democratic Centre favored the former course of action, the centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
, and leftist Communist Party the second, but the populace preferred the third option.
El Bierzo
El Bierzo
El Bierzo is a shire in the province of León, Spain. The valley has the administrative status of comarca and its capital is the town of Ponferrada. Other major towns are Bembibre and Villafranca del Bierzo, the historical capital.- History :...
is the only comarca whose juridical identity is explicitly recognized by the Castilian-Leonese Statute of Autonomy, although many other comarcas have been established. There are some groups in El Bierzo that wish to increase its autonomy, either by enhancing the powers of its Comarcal Council, recuperating the status it had in the 1820s as a province in its own right, gaining the status of a separate autonomous community, or removing all or part of El Bierzo from Castile and León and forming a new union with Galicia.
Demography
As of January 1, 2007 Castile and León has 2,528,417 inhabitants: 1,251,082 males and 1,277,335 females, representing 5.69 percent of the population of Spain. As of January 2005 the population of Castile and León, by province, stood as follows: Ávila, 168,638 inhabitants; Burgos, 365,972; León, 497,387; Palencia, 173,281; Salamanca, 351,326; Segovia, 159,322; Soria, 93,593; Valladolid, 521,661; and Zamora, 197,237. The most recent official census by the Instituto Nacional de EstadísticaInstituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
The National Institute of Statistics is the official organisation in Spain that collects statistics about demography, economy, and Spanish society. Every 10 years, this organisation conducts a national census. The last census took place in 2001....
, in 2000, gave a population of 2,479,118, which was 6.12 percent of the national total.
The region is relatively sparsely populated, covering nearly a fifth of Spain's surface area and having (by these various numbers) only 5.69 or 6.12 percent of the national population. The population density, based on the 2009 statistic, is 26.57 /km2, less than a third of the national average of 88.6 /sqkm.
Rate of natural increase
In demographics, the rate of natural increase is the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate of a population. If we neglect the migration, then a positive RNI number means that the population increases and a negative number means that the population decreases.When looking at countries, it...
is negative, and one of the lowest in Spain. 25,080 deaths per year versus 17,857 births gives a death rate of 10.12 per thousand and a birth rate of 7.20 per thousand, for a rate of natural increase of -2.92 per thousand or -0.292 percent. Infant mortality stands at 0.33 percent, with 59 annual deaths of infants below the age of one year in 2000.
Despite the negative rate of natural increase, in the last decade or more the population has been increasing due to immigration, reversing a decades-long downward trend. There were 22,910 immigrants in 1999 and 24,340 in 2000.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
is above the Spanish national average: 83.24 years for women and 78.30 for men.
In 1999 the distribution by age showed 317,783 people 14 years or younger; 913,618 between 15 and 39 years; 576,183 between 40 and 59 years; and 677,020 60 years or older.
Depopulation in the mid-20th century
Even before the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
(1936–1939), the rural areas (and smaller cities) of present-day Castile and León were losing population due to emigration to Spain's large cities (Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, etc.) and abroad (to Germany, France, Switzerland, among others). This trend accelerated in the decade immediately after the Civil War. The growth of a strong industrial centre in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, including Spain's first automobile factory—the Renault
Renault
Renault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
plant led by the soldier and engineer Manuel Jiménez Alfaro—mitigated, but did not stop, the emigration. In both the 1960s and 1980s, the urban nuclei and provincial capitals gained population, but the region as a whole still suffered a net loss. To this day, the region has an aging population and a low birth rate contrasted against a merely average death rate by national standards.
The provinces of Valladolid and Segovia have reliably gone against this trend. The province of Valladolid has the region's most dynamic economy and, since 1987, its capital city has increasingly taken on the role of a regional capital. The province of Segovia is near enough to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
to participate in that city's dynamic growth.
Present-day population distribution
In 1960 only 20.6 percent of the population of present-day Castile and León was urban; by 1991 that percentage had risen to 42.3 percent. The decline in rural population has apparently been somewhat stemmed, with a 1998 statistic showing 43 percent.Many rural areas became very sparsely populated in the mid-to-late 20th century. In 1986 there were seven times as many municipalities with less than 100 inhabitants as in 1960.
Notable cities include the nine provincial capitals plus Miranda de Ebro
Miranda de Ebro
Miranda de Ebro is a city on the Ebro river in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, on the border with the province of Álava and the autonomous community of La Rioja...
and Aranda de Duero
Aranda de Duero
Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid....
in the province of Burgos, Ponferrada
Ponferrada
Ponferrada is a city in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. It lies on the Sil River, a tributary of the river Miño, in the El Bierzo valley, completely surrounded by mountains. It is the last major town along the French route of the Way of St. James before it reaches its destination...
and San Andrés del Rabanedo
San Andrés del Rabanedo
San Andrés del Rabanedo is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the city has a population of 33,056 inhabitants....
in León, Béjar
Béjar
Béjar is a town and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It lies had a population of 15,016 .-History:...
in Salamanca, and Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:...
and Laguna de Duero
Laguna de Duero
Laguna de Duero is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 21,214 inhabitants.Is the second largest city in Valladolid behind Valladolid City....
in Valladolid.
Of the 2,247 municipalities in the autonomous community, the 2000 census shows 1,970 with 1,000 or fewer inhabitants; 234 between 1,001 and 5,000; 20 between 5,001 and 10,000; 10 between 10,001 and 20,000; 6 between 20,001 and 50,000; 3 between 50,001 and 100,000; and 4 with over 100,000 inhabitants. Those last are Valladolid (319,943 in 2007), Burgos (174,075), Salamanca (159,754) and León (135,059). At the other extreme Blasconuño de Matacabras
Blasconuño de Matacabras
Blasconuño de Matacabras is a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 18 inhabitants....
(Ávila) has a population of 18, Reinoso
Reinoso
Reinoso is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 22 inhabitants....
(Burgos) has 24, Villarmentero de Campos
Villarmentero de Campos
Villarmentero de Campos is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 16 inhabitants....
(Palencia), has 14, and Gormaz
Gormaz
Gormaz is a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 19 inhabitants.The Arab Gormaz Castle is the oldest and largest citadel in Western Europe of its time....
(Soria), 17.
| City | Population | City | Population | City | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valladolid Valladolid Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales... |
318,461 | Ponferrada Ponferrada Ponferrada is a city in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. It lies on the Sil River, a tributary of the river Miño, in the El Bierzo valley, completely surrounded by mountains. It is the last major town along the French route of the Way of St. James before it reaches its destination... |
66,824 | Soria Soria Soria is a city in north-central Spain, the capital of the province of Soria in the autonomous community of Castile and León. , the municipality has a population of c. 39,500 inhabitants, nearly 40% of the population of the province... |
39,078 | ||
| Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... |
177,879 | Zamora | 66,138 | Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid.... |
32,460 | ||
| Salamanca | 155,740 | Segovia Segovia Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:... |
56,858 | San Andrés del Rabanedo San Andrés del Rabanedo San Andrés del Rabanedo is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the city has a population of 33,056 inhabitants.... |
30,217 | ||
| León | 135,119 | Ávila | 56,144 | Laguna de Duero Laguna de Duero Laguna de Duero is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 21,214 inhabitants.Is the second largest city in Valladolid behind Valladolid City.... |
21,483 | ||
| Palencia Palencia Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon... |
82,626 | Miranda de Ebro Miranda de Ebro Miranda de Ebro is a city on the Ebro river in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, on the border with the province of Álava and the autonomous community of La Rioja... |
39,589 | Medina del Campo Medina del Campo Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:... |
21,256 |
Economy
The regional per capita GDP of Castile and León is €Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
21,244, slightly lower than the Spanish average of €22,152. The two most prosperous and industrialized provinces, Valladolid and Burgos, exceed the national per capita GDP.
Work force
In 2001 the work force was 1,005,200 with 884,200 employed, meaning 12.1 percent of the work force were out of work. 10.9 percent of the employed population work in agriculture, 20.6 percent in industry, 12.7 percent in construction, and 63.1 percent in the service sector.In 2007, the unemployment rate was down to 6.99 percent, but the late-2000s recession drove that number up to 14.14 percent by July 2009.
Primary sector (agriculture and livestock)
Castile and León has roughly 5783831 hectares (14,292,145 acre) of arable land, more than half of the region's area. The land is generally dry, but fertile; dryland farmingDryland farming
Dryland farming is an agricultural technique for non-irrigated cultivation of drylands.-Locations:Dryland farming is used in the Great Plains, the Palouse plateau of Eastern Washington, and other arid regions of North America, the Middle East and in other grain growing regions such as the steppes...
, predominates. Nonetheless, there is increasing irrigation in the basins of the Douro, Pisuerga, and Tormes. About 10 percent of the region's farmland is irrigated, allowing intensive farming in those regions. Flat topography and improved communications have facilitated the entry of technical innovations throughout the agricultural production process, above all in areas such as the provinces of Valladolid and Burgos where production per hectare is among Spain's highest. Castile and León's most fertile lands are in the Esla valley of León, in the countryside of Valladolid and in the Tierra de Campos
Tierra de Campos
Tierra de Campos is a large historical region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain...
, which intersects the provinces of Zamora, Valladolid, Palencia, and León.
Despite the declining rural population, and despite lower-than-average rural population density today, Castilian-Leonese agricultural production represents some 15 percent of Spain's primary sector.
Castile and León is known as "the granary of Spain" and is among Spain's leaders in production of cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
s. Wheat is the most traditional crop, with the importance of barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
increasing since the 1960s. The next most important cereals after these two, in terms of acreage devoted to their production are rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
and oats
OATS
OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...
. In addition to such legumes as locust beans and chickpea
Chickpea
The chickpea is a legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae...
s, sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
cultivation has spread in the southern plains.
The land devoted to vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s decreased greatly in the last three decades of the 20th century. Thanks to adoption of more modern techniques, the 56337 hectares (139,211.6 acre) currently devoted to vineyards are turning out vastly better wines than those the region traditionally produced. Now rivaling in quality the wines of La Rioja, they are increasingly known even beyond the borders of Spain. The region's principal zones of viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
—each with a mandated Designation of Origin
Denominación de Origen
Denominación de Origen is part of a regulatory classification system primarily for Spanish wines but also for other foodstuffs like honey, meats and condiments. In wines it parallels the hierarchical system of France and Italy although Rioja and Sherry preceded the full system...
(Denominación de Origen)—are D.O. Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero
Ribera del Duero is a Spanish Denominación de Origen located in the country's northern plateau and is one of eleven 'quality wine' regions within the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, D.O. Rueda
Rueda (DO)
Rueda is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the Community of Castile and León. It comprises 72 municipalities, of which 53 are in the province of Valladolid, 17 are in the north of the province of Segovia, and 2 are in the north of the province of Ávila...
, D.O. Toro
Toro (DO)
Toro is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines in the province of Zamora, which is in the northwest of Castile and Léon . The area covered by the DO is in the southeastern corner of Zamora province and includes the lands known as Tierra del Vino, Valle del Guareña and Tierra de Toro. It...
, D.O. Bierzo
Bierzo (DO)
Bierzo is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the northwest of the province of León and covers about 3,000 km²...
, D.O. Arribes
Arribes (DO)
Arribes is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the southeast of the province of Zamora and the northeast of the province of Salamanca , along the border with Portugal on the banks of the River Duero...
, and D.O. Tierra de León
Tierra de León (DO)
Tierra de Léon is a Spanish Denominación de Origen for wines located in the south of the province of Léon, in Castile-Leon region, Spain, and covers an area of 3,317 km2 at an altitude of approximately 900 m above sea level. The area attained its D.O. status on 27 July 2007.-History:Grape...
.
In the irrigated zones, Castile and León grows sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s—a product subsidized by the authorities of the autonomic region—potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es, alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
, and vegetables. The province of León also grows maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
, and legumes.
Agricultural work force
Some 92,600 people work in the primary sector in Castile and León, about 10 percent of employment in the region. 2001 data showed 5 percent unemployment in this sector.Broken down by provinces, approximately 9,400 are employed in this sector in Ávila, 8,100 each in Burgos and Palencia, 18,300 in León, 9,200 in Salamanca, 6,400 in Segovia, 5,600 in Soria, 8,300 in Valladolid, and 14,600 in Zamora. El sector agrícola y ganadero de la región representa el 7,6 % del total en España.
Livestock
Historically, Castile and León was a land of small livestock operations that proliferated in the major agricultural regions and in the mountainous areas. While the sector is by no means extinct, there is no question that it is undergoing a decline that is part and parcel of the depopulation of rural Castile and León. Nomadic pastoralismNomadic pastoralism
Nomadic pastoralism is a form of agriculture where livestock are herded in order to find fresh pastures on which to graze following an irregular pattern of movement - in contrast with transhumance where seasonal pastures are fix. The herded livestock may include cattle, yaks, sheep, goats,...
remains in some areas: large flocks, mainly of sheep, are driven hundreds of miles each year from the flat land to pasture land of mountains as in El Bierzo, the Cantabrian valleys of León, the Sierra de Gredos
Sierra de Gredos
The Sierra de Gredos is a mountain range in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, located between Ávila, Cáceres, Madrid and Toledo. It has been declared a regional park. Its highest point is Pico Almanzor, at 2,592 metres....
or the Picos de Urbión
Picos de Urbión
Picos de Urbión are a mountain massif in the Sistema Ibérico, Spain, limited by the Sierra de Neila and Sierra Cebollera of the same range. The ridge's highest summit, Pico Urbión, is 2,228 m) is one of the highest points in the 500 km long Sistema Ibérico.The Picos de Urbión are located in...
. This migratory husbandry, so historically connected to the region, suffers from a continually greater shortage of manpower.
Nonetheless, livestock accounts for a significant part of Castile and León's agricultural production. Large, modern farms raise cattle, pigs, and sheep for meat and milk. Milk is generally sold through farmer-owned cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
s that control its subsequent marketing. Castile and León produces over 1500000 litres (396,258.1 US gal) of milk annually, second in Spain after Galicia.
Castile and León has approximately 5,425,000 sheep, 2,800,000 pigs, and 1,200,000 cattle. Far behind these numbers, there 166,200 goats, and 71,700 horses, mules, and donkeys. The greatest production of meat is of pork (241700 tonnes (266,428.6 ST)), beef (89400 tonnes (98,546.6 ST)), and poultry (66000 tonnes (72,752.5 ST)); wool production is Spain's largest, at (7500 tonnes (8,267.3 ST)).
Forestry
1900000 hectares (4,694,998.1 acre) of Castile and León has been deforested, representing 40 percent of historic forest lands. This deforestation is principally due to human activities over the centuries. However, the decline in rural population is resulting in an increase in forested land in recent decades.Industry
As of 2000, industry 18 percent of the work force of Castile and León were engaged in industry, generating 25 percent of regional GDP. The principal industrial centres are the cities of Valladolid (21,054 workers in industry), Burgos (20,217), Aranda de Duero (4,872), León (4,521) and Ponferrada (4,270).The most important sub-sectors are automobiles, paper, chemicals, all centred in Valladolid and Burgos, as well as the food industry
Food industry
The food production is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population...
including the production of flour, sunflower oil, and wine, found in all the provincial capitals. The Spanish dairy brand Leche Pascual is based in Aranda de Duero. Other industries are textiles in Béjar; tile and bricks in Palencia; sugar processing in León, Valladolid, Toro
Toro, Zamora
Toro is a town and municipality in the province of Zamora, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located on a fertile high plain, northwest of Madrid at an elevation of 740 meters....
, Miranda de Ebro, and Benavente
Benavente, Zamora
Benavente is a municipality in the north of the province of Zamora, in the autonomous community Castile and León of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants....
; pharmaceuticals in León, Valladolid and principally at the GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
factory in Aranda de Duero; metallurgy and steel en Ponferrada; chemicals in Miranda de Ebro and Valladolid; aeronautics in Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
.
Mining
Mining has been important in Castile y León since the time of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, when the Roman Via de la Plata
Via de la Plata
The Vía de La Plata or Ruta de la Plata is an ancient commercial and pilgrimage path that crosses the west of Spain from north to south, connecting Mérida to Astorga, and in extension Seville with the Bay of Biscay, at Gijón...
(English: "Silver Way", Spanish: Vía de la Plata) from Asturica Augusta (Astorga) to Emerita Augusta
Emerita Augusta
The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain. Mainly of Emerita Augusta, ancient capital of Lusitania . It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993....
(Mérida
Mérida, Spain
Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, western central Spain. It has a population of 57,127 . The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993.- Climate :...
) and Hispalis (Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
) was built to transport silver and gold mined from the deposits of las Médulas
Las Médulas
Las Médulas is a historical site near the town of Ponferrada in the region of El Bierzo , which used to be the most important gold mine in the Roman Empire...
in El Bierzo.
Centuries later, after the Spanish Civil War, mining was again a factor in the economic development of the region.
However, production of iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, and tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
declined notably from the 1970s onward. Coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
(including anthracite coal) continued due to local demand for thermal power generation. Numerous Leonese mines closed in the 1980s and 1990s, causing unemployment and poverty, and providing another cause for emigration. Despite investments under the Mining Action Plan of the Junta of Castile and León, coal mining continues to be a troubled industry regionally.
Energy
The Douro and Ebro Rivers have numerous hydroelectricHydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
plants that make Castile and León one of Spain's leading regions in terms of power generation. Among these are hydroelectric plants Burguillo, Rioscuro, Las Ondinas, Cornatel, Bárcena, Aldeadávila I y II
Aldeadávila Dam
Aldeadávila Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Douro River on the border between Spain and Portugal. The Douro River forms the international boundary between Portugal and Spain. The nearest Spanish town is Aldeadávila de la Ribera in the Province of Salamanca, about to the east...
, Saucelle I y II, Castro I y II, Villalcampo I y II, Valparaíso, and Ricobayo I y II.
Installed hydroelectric power total 3,992 megawatts, with an annual product of 5,417 gigawatt hours. Nuclear power generates another 3,483 gigawatts per year. Thermal power from carboniferous fuels remains the region's leading source of energy, contributing 16,956 gigawatt hours for a regional total of 25,856 gigawatt hours from these major facilities. All of the nuclear power comes from the Santa María de Garoña Nuclear Power Plant
Santa María de Garoña Nuclear Power Plant
Santa María de Garoña Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station at Santa María de Garoña, Burgos . It consists of one boiling water reactor of 466 megawatts ....
in the province of Burgos, which is currently (as of 2009) expected to shut down in July 2013. The following are the region's other thermal power stations:
| Name | Location | | Province | Proprietor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anllares Thermal Power Station | Páramo del Sil Páramo del Sil Páramo del Sil is a municipality of Spain, in the region of El Bierzo, province of León, autonomous region of Castilla y León.The municipality is situated on the banks of the river Sil in the most northern part of El Bierzo.Location of Páramo del Sil in... |
León | Unión Fenosa Unión Fenosa Unión Fenosa, S.A., is a large Spanish company dedicated to the production and distribution to end users of gas and electricity. It has installed capacity of 11,120 megawatts of power and 8.9 million customers. The headquarters are in Madrid and the chairman is Pedro López Jiménez... , Endesa Endesa (Spain) Endesa, S.A. is the largest electric utility company in Spain. The firm, a majority-owned subsidiary of the Italian utility company Enel, has 10 million customers in Spain, with domestic annual generation of over 97,600 GWh from nuclear, fossil-fueled, hydroelectric, and renewable resource power... |
| Compostilla II Thermal Power Station | Cubillos del Sil Cubillos del Sil Cubillos del Sil is a village and municipality located in the region of El Bierzo . It is located near to Ponferrada, the capital of the region El Bierzo. Cubillos del Sil has about 1,771 inhabitants.... |
León | Endesa |
| La Robla Thermal Power Station | La Robla La Robla La Robla is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 4,739 inhabitants.... |
León | Unión Fenosa |
| Velilla Thermal Power Station | Velilla del Río Carrión Velilla del Río Carrión Velilla del Río Carrión is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,632 inhabitants.-External links:*... |
Palencia | Iberdrola Iberdrola Iberdrola , headquartered in Bilbao, is a private utility with a global footprint and over 150 years of experience... |
Castile and León also produces wind energy
Wind energy
Wind energy is the kinetic energy of air in motion; see also wind power.Total wind energy flowing through an imaginary area A during the time t is:E = ½ m v2 = ½ v 2...
, with more than 100 operating wind energy farms. There are 46 wind energy farms in Burgos with a potential of 1,275 megawatts, with a regional total potential of 3,128 megawatts. Other (non-renewable) energy sources are natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
(194 megawatts installed) and diesel fuel (69 megawatts).
Tertiary sector (services)
63.1 percent of the work force of Castile and León is deployed in the service sector.Tourism
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Sites:
- The Way of Saint James (Spanish: Camino de Santiago)—the pilgrimPilgrimA pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
road to Santiago de CompostelaSantiago de CompostelaSantiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
—passes through the provinces of Burgos, Palencia, and León - The Gothic-style cathedral of BurgosBurgos CathedralThe Burgos Cathedral is a Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral in Burgos, Spain. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is famous for its vast size and unique architecture. Its construction began in 1221, and was in use nine years later, although work continued on and off for two hundred years...
- Old city and aqueductAqueduct of SegoviaThe Aqueduct of Segovia is a Roman aqueduct and one of the most significant and best-preserved ancient monuments left on the Iberian Peninsula...
of SegoviaSegoviaSegovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:... - Old city and wall of Ávila
- Old city of SalamancaSalamancaSalamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
- Las MédulasLas MédulasLas Médulas is a historical site near the town of Ponferrada in the region of El Bierzo , which used to be the most important gold mine in the Roman Empire...
in the province of León: Roman gold mines - Archaeological deposits of AtapuercaAtapuercaThe Atapuerca Mountains is an ancient karstic region of Spain, in the province of Burgos and near Atapuerca and Ibeas de Juarros. It contains several caves, where fossils and stone tools of the earliest known Hominins in West Europe have been found. The earliest hominids may have dated to 1.2...
, near the city of BurgosBurgosBurgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
, where fossils of one of the earliest known hominids in Europe have been found
The town of Lerma
Lerma, Burgos
Lerma is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Burgos, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It has important monuments dating from the 17th century, which were built by the Duke of Lerma....
in the province of Burgos, formerly the seat of a duke
Duke
A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...
, is also a prominent tourist destination.
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Commerce
The leading sectors of internal commerce in Castile and León are food, automobiles, textiles, and footwear. Exports vary by region. The provinces of Ávila, Palencia, and Valladolid are all export vehicles and automobile chassis. Burgos and Vallodolid export tires. León exports steel and objects manufactured from slate. Salamanca exports beef; Segovia exports pork; Zamora exports lamb, mutton, and goat meat. Soria exports rubber products.Castile and León also exports a great deal of wine. The wines of the Province of Valladolid have the widest distribution abroad, but Zamora is also an important wine region.
Leading imports are vehicles and vehicle parts, such as motors or tires.
The leading sources of foreign imports are France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and the United States. Exports travel throughout the European Union as well as to Turkey, Israel, and the United States.
Transportation
Most major surface routes from northern Spain to the capital, Madrid, and to southern Spain and Portugal, and thence to the rest of Europe and Africa, pass through Castile and León. Portugal's most important route to the east also traverses the region. As a result Castile and León is an important nexus in the transportation network of the Iberian peninsula and Europe. In addition, proximity to Madrid means that a lot of transportation to that capital passes through Castile and León.The major land routes for merchandise and transport are Autovía A-1
Autovía A-1
The Autovía A-1 is a Spanish autovía route which starts in Madrid and ends in Irun. It replaced the former main road from Madrid to France the N-I....
(the Autovía del Norte) which runs from Madrid to the Basque
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
port of Irun on the French border and Autovía A-6
Autovía A-6
The Autovía A-6 or Autopista AP-6 is a Spanish autovía and autopista route which starts in Madrid and ends in Arteixo ....
, the Autovía del Noroeste, which runs from Madrid to Arteixo
Arteixo
Arteixo is a municipality of Spain in the Province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia. Its area is 93.76 km² and its population is 29,762...
, A Coruña
A Coruña
A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
). Also important is Autovía A-62
Autovía A-62
The Autovía A-62 is a highway in Spain. It connects the Portuguese Border with Salamanca, Valladolid and Burgos. It is part of the European route E-80....
(the Autovía de Castilla), which comes out of Portugal through the cities of Salamanca, Valladolid, Palencia, and Burgos and continues east as part of European route
International E-road network
The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe . The network is numbered from E 1 up and its roads cross national borders...
E-80
European route E80
European route E 80, also known as Trans-European Motorway or TEM, is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from Lisbon, Portugal to Gürbulak, Turkey, on the border with Iran...
. Along those three routes are such important cities as Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo
Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:...
, Aranda de Duero
Aranda de Duero
Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid....
, and Miranda de Ebro
Miranda de Ebro
Miranda de Ebro is a city on the Ebro river in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, on the border with the province of Álava and the autonomous community of La Rioja...
.
Air travel
The last years have seen a big improvement in accessibility from the rest of Europe, mainly through the operations of low-cost airlinesLow-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
at the Valladolid airport of Villanubla
Valladolid Airport
Valladolid Airport is an airport situated in the municipality of Villanubla, ten kilometres northwest of Valladolid, Spain.The new passenger terminal was inaugurated in 2000, and its main features are its clean, functional design, emphasised by spaciousness and numerous aesthetically pleasing...
, which handles both domestic and international traffic. The León Airport
León Airport
León Airport , is an international airport located from Léon, Spain. In 2007, the airport handled 161,705 passengers, 7,328 operations and 300 kilograms of cargo.-History:...
, also known as Virgen del Camino, currently handles only domestic traffic, but hopes to handle international traffic in the future. Salamanca Airport
Salamanca Airport
Salamanca-Matacán Airport is the airport serving the province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León.It is located in the municipalities of Machacón, Calvarrasa de Abajo y Villagonzalo de Tormes; and it is 15 km from Salamanca city....
, also known as Matacán, handles domestic flights and international charter flights. The Burgos Airport
Burgos Airport
Burgos Airport , also known as Villafría, is an airport located west of the central business district of Burgos, a city in Spain.- History :...
, also known as Villafría, opened in July 2008. Madrid's main airport Barajas
Madrid Barajas International Airport
Madrid-Barajas Airport is the main international airport serving Madrid in Spain. In 2010, over 49.8 million passengers used Madrid-Barajas, making it the country's largest and busiest airport, and in 2009 it was the world's 11th busiest airport and Europe's fourth busiest airport. It opened...
is nearby as well, although as of 2009 there is no direct connection through public transportation. Matacán and Virgen del Camino are among Europe's leaders in terms of recent growth of air traffic; Villanubla is experiencing lesser growth of about 3 percent annually.
Rail
Castile and León has an extensive rail network, including the principal lines from Madrid to Cantabria and Galicia. The line from ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
crosses the region, reaching the Portuguese frontier at Fuentes de Oñoro
Fuentes de Oñoro
Fuentes de Oñoro is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located 124 kilometres from the provincial capital city of Salamanca and has a population of 1436 people....
in Salamanca. Astorga, Burgos, León, Miranda de Ebro, Palencia, Ponferrada,Medina del Campo and Valladolid are all important railway junctions.
Railways operate in several different gauges: Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge
Iberian gauge is the name given to the track gauge most extensively used by the railways of Spain and Portugal: namely ....
(1,668 mm), UIC gauge (1,435 mm) and Narrow gauge (1,000 mm). Except for some narrow-gauge lines, trains are operated by RENFE
RENFE
Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
on lines maintained by the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF); both of these are national, state-owned companies.
Iberian gauge lines (ADIF/RENFE)
- Madrid - Irun
- Madrid - Burgos
- Castejón de Ebro - Bilbao
- Venta de BañosVenta de BañosVenta de Baños is a village and municipality of about 5,880 located in El Cerrato, in the province of Palencia, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, central Spain. It is located south of the provincial capital, Palencia. Noteworthy monuments include its Visigothic church of San...
- A CoruñaA CoruñaA Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country... - Palencia - Santander
- León - GijónGijónGijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history...
- Medina del Campo - Santiago de Compostela
- Medina del Campo - Fuentes de Oñoro
- TorralbaTorralbaTorralba is an archaeological site in northern Spain where large mammal remains and stone tools from 400,000 years ago suggest early hominid hunting or scavenging . Torralba was a hunting and gathering community.-References:...
- Soria - VillalbaVillalba-Places:Italy*Villalba, Sicily, a comune in the Province of CaltanissettaPuerto Rico*Villalba, Puerto Rico, a municipio in the Commonwealth of Puerto RicoSpain*Collado Villalba, a municipio in the Community of Madrid...
- Segovia
Lines with no current passenger service:
- PlasenciaPlasenciaPlasencia is a walled market city in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Western Spain. , it had a population of 41,447.Situated on the bank of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter that is a consequence of the city's strategic location along the Silver Route, or Ruta de la Plata...
- Astorga - Santander - Mediterranean (between CalatayudCalatayudCalatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
and Ciudad Dosante) - Valladolid - ArizaArizaAriza is a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It is located in the Almazán basin, near the western boundary of Aragon, 142 km from Zaragoza....
- Soria - Castejón
- La FregenedaLa FregenedaLa Fregeneda is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 445 inhabitants....
- Boadilla - Segovia - Medina del Campo
Narrow gauge
- León - BilbaoBilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
: Ferrocarril de La Robla, Europe's longest narrow-gauge line, operated by FEVEFEVEFEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:... - CercedillaCercedillaCercedilla is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. It is located in the Sierra de Guadarrama. It was the hometown of Francisco Fernández Ochoa , an alpine ski racer known for being the first Spaniard to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. He won the slalom in 1972 in Japan...
- Cotos: operated by RENFE - Ponferrada - VillablinoVillablinoVillablino is a municipality located in the Laciana comarca, province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 12,212 inhabitants.-See also:*Laciana* Kingdom of León...
: operated by the Ferrocarril MSP under the Junta of Castile and León
Roads
As stated above, Castile and León is the land transport hub of northern Spain. It is crossed by International E-roads E80European route E80
European route E 80, also known as Trans-European Motorway or TEM, is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from Lisbon, Portugal to Gürbulak, Turkey, on the border with Iran...
and E05. These are the main road connections from Portugal and the south of Spain to the rest of Europe.
The region is also crossed by two major ancient routes:
- The Way of St. James, mentioned above as a World Heritage Site, now a hiking trail and a motorway, from east to west.
- The Roman Via de la Plata ("Silver Way"), mentioned above in the context of mining, now a main road through the west of the region.
The road network is regulated by the Ley de carreteras 10/2008 de Castilla y León (Highway Law 10/2008 of Castile and León). This law allows for the possibility of
roads financed by the private sector through concessions
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
, as well as the public construction of roads that has long prevailed.
List of Autovías and Autopistas in Castile and León
| Name | Route | Important cities of Castile and León through which the road passes |
|---|---|---|
  |
Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... – Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... – Irun Irun Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain... |
Sepúlveda Sepúlveda, Segovia Sepúlveda is a municipality located in the province of Segovia, Castile and León, Spain. The town lies next to the Hoces del Rio Duratón National Park and also incorporates the district of Duratón.... , Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid.... , Lerma Lerma Lerma is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 90 km southeast of Turin and about 30 km south of Alessandria.... , Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... , Briviesca Briviesca Briviesca is a municipality located in the province of Burgos, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 7,227 inhabitants.... , Miranda de Ebro Miranda de Ebro Miranda de Ebro is a city on the Ebro river in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, on the border with the province of Álava and the autonomous community of La Rioja... |
 Autovía A-2 The Autovía A-2 is a Spanish autovía and autopista route which starts in Madrid and ends in Barcelona. It replaces the former N-II.- Sections :- Major cities crossed:*Madrid*Guadalajara*Zaragoza*Fraga*Lleida... |
Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... – Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... |
Medinaceli Medinaceli Medinaceli is a municipality and town in the province of Soria . Its name derives from the Arabic toponym madīnat sālim . The town is named after one Salim bin Waral, head of a Masmuda Berber family which settled there in the 8th century.... |
  Autovía A-6 The Autovía A-6 or Autopista AP-6 is a Spanish autovía and autopista route which starts in Madrid and ends in Arteixo .... |
Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... – A Coruña A Coruña A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country... |
San Rafael, Villacastín Villacastín Villacastín is a municipality located in the province of Segovia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,572 inhabitants.- People :... , Arévalo Arévalo Arévalo is a municipality in Spain, it is situated in the province of Ávila and is part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. The name came from Celtic word arevalon, meaning "place near the wall."-Regional importance:... , Medina del Campo Medina del Campo Medina del Campo is a town located in the middle of the Spanish Meseta Central, in the province of Valladolid, Castile-Leon autonomous region, 45 km from Valladolid. It is the capital of a farming area, far away from the great economic centres.-History:... , Tordesillas Tordesillas Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009.... , Villalpando Villalpando Villalpando is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,624 inhabitants. Formerly the town was reputed for its saltpans, the Salinas de Villapando.... , Benavente Benavente, Zamora Benavente is a municipality in the north of the province of Zamora, in the autonomous community Castile and León of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants.... , La Bañeza La Bañeza La Bañeza is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 11,050 inhabitants.It is the capital of the region of Tierra de La Bañeza.... , Astorga Astorga, Spain Astorga is a town in the province of León, northern Spain. It lies southwest of the provincial capital of León, and is the head of the council of La Maragatería. The river Tuerto flows through it. , its population was about 12,100 people.... , Bembibre Bembibre Bembibre is a municipality and a city located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 10,097 inhabitants. The second largest urban settlement in the region of El Bierzo, it is considered as the capital of traditional... , Ponferrada Ponferrada Ponferrada is a city in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. It lies on the Sil River, a tributary of the river Miño, in the El Bierzo valley, completely surrounded by mountains. It is the last major town along the French route of the Way of St. James before it reaches its destination... |
 Autovía A-11 The Autovía A-11 is a highway in SpainIt runs between Soria and Quintanilha in Portugal in the Rio Duero valley. It supersedes the N-122.It is currently in construction.... |
Zamora Zamora, Spain Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier... – Tudela de Duero Tudela de Duero Tudela de Duero is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 6,483 inhabitants.... (to be extended) |
Zamora Zamora, Spain Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier... , Toro, Tordesillas Tordesillas Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009.... , Valladolid Valladolid Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales... , Tudela de Duero Tudela de Duero Tudela de Duero is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 6,483 inhabitants.... , (Peñafiel and Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero Aranda de Duero is a Spanish town and municipality in the south of the province of Burgos, autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of roughly 33,000 people. The post code for the town is 09400. The closest airport is in Valladolid.... , by N-122). |
 Autovía A-50 The Autovía A-50 is a highway of approximately 100 kilometers in central Spain between Salamanca and Ávila.Because it is not the doubling of the N501 it replaces, it is build as a new road, so you can not value it as an upgrade of the N501.... |
Salamanca Salamanca Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to... – Ávila |
Salamanca Salamanca Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to... , Ávila |
| Conexión Ávila | Villacastín Villacastín Villacastín is a municipality located in the province of Segovia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,572 inhabitants.- People :... – Ávila |
Villacastín Villacastín Villacastín is a municipality located in the province of Segovia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 1,572 inhabitants.- People :... , Ávila |
 Autovía A-52 The A-52 is a highway in western Spain. It starts at Vigo heads east from the town crossing the Autopista AP-9 and then the N-550/Autovía A-55. It then goes over the Rio Tea running parallel to the N-120 and along the Rio Miño. At Ourense the road turns south out of the valley in conjunction... |
Benavente Benavente, Zamora Benavente is a municipality in the north of the province of Zamora, in the autonomous community Castile and León of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants.... – Vigo Vigo Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:... |
Benavente Benavente, Zamora Benavente is a municipality in the north of the province of Zamora, in the autonomous community Castile and León of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants.... , Puebla de Sanabria Puebla de Sanabria Puebla de Sanabria is a small town located in the north-eastern part of the province of Zamora in Spain, between the rivers Tera and Castro.It is the economic and political centre of the comarca of Sanabria.-History:... |
 |
San Rafael – Segovia Segovia Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:... |
San Rafael, Segovia Segovia Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:... |
 Autovía A-62 The Autovía A-62 is a highway in Spain. It connects the Portuguese Border with Salamanca, Valladolid and Burgos. It is part of the European route E-80.... |
Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... – Fuentes de Oñoro Fuentes de Oñoro Fuentes de Oñoro is a village and municipality in the province of Salamanca, western Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. It is located 124 kilometres from the provincial capital city of Salamanca and has a population of 1436 people.... |
Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... , Palencia Palencia Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon... , Valladolid Valladolid Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales... , Tordesillas Tordesillas Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009.... , Salamanca Salamanca Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to... , Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo Ciudad Rodrigo is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population of about 14,000. It is the seat of a judicial district as well.... |
  Autovía A-66 The Autovía A-66 is a major highway in western Spain. It also forms part of the European Route E803. The road is an upgrade of the N-630 which is being undertaken section by section. The route roughly corresponds to the ancient Roman 'Silver Route' from the mines of northern Spain to the... |
Gijón Gijón Gijón , officially Gijón / Xixón, is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history... – Sevilla (incomplete) |
Salamanca Salamanca Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to... , Zamora Zamora, Spain Zamora is a city in Castile and León, Spain, the capital of the province of Zamora. It lies on a rocky hill in the northwest, near the frontier with Portugal and crossed by the Duero river, which is some 50 km downstream as it reaches the Portuguese frontier... , Benavente Benavente, Zamora Benavente is a municipality in the north of the province of Zamora, in the autonomous community Castile and León of Spain. It has about 20,000 inhabitants.... , León León, Spain León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population... |
 Autovía A-67 The Autovía A-67 is a highway in north west Spain. It connects the Cantabrian Atlantic Coast at Santander to Palencia. It follows the route of the N-611.... |
Palencia Palencia Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon... – Santander Santander, Cantabria The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:... |
Palencia Palencia Palencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon... , Frómista Frómista Frómista is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2009 data , the municipality has a population of 822 inhabitants.It is a major stopping place for pilgrims traveling along the Way of St. James.... , Osorno la Mayor Osorno la Mayor Osorno la Mayor is a municipio in Palencia province, Castile and León, Spain. The Chilean city of Osorno is named after this place.-General information:*Covers 88.6 square kilometers and has roughly 1,500 residents.... , Aguilar de Campoo Aguilar de Campoo Aguilar de Campoo is a town in the province of Palencia, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is close to the River Pisuerga.-History:In 1255 Alfonso X the Wise declared it Villa Realenga... |
 |
León León, Spain León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population... – Astorga Astorga, Spain Astorga is a town in the province of León, northern Spain. It lies southwest of the provincial capital of León, and is the head of the council of La Maragatería. The river Tuerto flows through it. , its population was about 12,100 people.... |
León León, Spain León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population... , Astorga Astorga, Spain Astorga is a town in the province of León, northern Spain. It lies southwest of the provincial capital of León, and is the head of the council of La Maragatería. The river Tuerto flows through it. , its population was about 12,100 people.... |
| Autovía del Camino de Santiago Autovía A-231 The Autovía A-231 is a highway in Spain known as the Autovía del Camino de Santiago between Burgos and León.It is currently under construction and follows the route of the N-120 passing via Logroño and Burgos where it becomes the Autovía A-12.... |
León León, Spain León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population... – Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... |
León León, Spain León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population... , Sahagún Sahagún, Spain Sahagún is a town in the province of León, Spain. It is the main town of the Leonese section of the Tierra de Campos comarca.Sahagún is notable for containing some of the earliest examples of the mudéjar style of architecture. It lies on the Way of St. James.The initial town arose due to the... , Carrión de los Condes Carrión de los Condes Carrión de los Condes is a municipality in the province of Palencia, part of the Autonomous Community of Castile and León, Spain.It is 40 kilometers from Palencia, on the Way of Saint James.-History:... , Burgos Burgos Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León... |
| A-601 Autovía Valladolid-Segovia | Valladolid Valladolid Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales... - Segovia Segovia Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:... |
Valladolid Valladolid Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales... , Cuéllar Cuéllar Cuéllar is a large town and local government district in the autonomous community of Castile and León, in Spain. It had a population of 9,841 in 2008.... , Segovia Segovia Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:... |
Rail and bus pass
Since May 1, 2007, certain regions of the provinces of Segovia and Ávila have been included in the Abono Transportes de Madrid, a zone-based system of regional transport in and around Spain's capital. The cities of Segovia and Ávila are included in the outermost zone, C2, as are some other municipalities of their respective provinces. The monthly or yearly pass allows use of all public buses and trains.Flora and vegetation
The solitary oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s and juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
s now found on the Castilian-Leonese plains are remnants of forests that once covered these lands. Agricultural exploitation—cultivation of cereals and creation of pastures for the vast flocks of the Castilian Meseta—meant the deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
of these lands during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. The last juniper forests of Castile and León can be found in the provinces of Soria and Burgos. In some of these forest, junipers are mixed with pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
—or even with oak or gall oak—but the conifers predominate.
The Castilian-Leonese slope of the Cantabrian Mountains
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.They extend for more than approximately 180 miles across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the edges of the Galician Massif close to Galicia, along the coast of the...
and the northern foothills of the Sistema Ibérico
Sistema Ibérico
The Sistema Ibérico or Iberian System is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.It is a vast and complex system of mountain chains and massifs located in the central regions of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Land of Valencia in the east.From...
both boast rich vegetation. The cool, moist slopes are populated by large beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
forests, which can extend as high as altitudes of 1500 metres (4,921.3 ft). The beeches may form mixed forests with yew
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
, rowan
Rowan
The rowans or mountain-ashes are shrubs or small trees in genus Sorbus of family Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the mountains of western China and the Himalaya, where numerous apomictic microspecies...
(mountain ash), common hawthorne, holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
, and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
. The sunny slopes bring forth sessile oak
Sessile Oak
Quercus petraea , the Sessile Oak, also known as the Durmast Oak, is a species of oak native to most of Europe, and into Anatolia.-Description:...
, English oak, ash, common hawthorne, chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
, birch, and pinar de Lillo (Pinus silvestris), a native pine species of northern León.
Wide extensions of oak survive on the lower slopes of the Sistema Central. Higher up, between 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) and 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) altitude, chestnuts are abundant. Yet higher up, Quercus pyrenaica—an oak species now rarely found in the eponymous Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
—predominates. With its strong resistance to cold, it can reach heights of 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft). Nonetheless, many oak forests have disappeared, cut down and replaced by pines. The principal native pine forests are in the Sierra de Guadarrama. The subalpine zones between 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft) and 2200 metres (7,217.8 ft) are home to shrubs and juniper.
Much of the province of Salamanca, above all in the comarcas of Salices and Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population of about 14,000. It is the seat of a judicial district as well....
, is occupied by dehesas
Dehesa (pastoral management)
Dehesa is a type of wooded pastureland found in the Iberian peninsula, used for the grazing of livestock...
, a type of sparsely wooded land resembling the African savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
s, with oak, cork oak, gall oak and Turkish oak. The provinces of Salamanca and Valladolid in the area of Rueda
Rueda, Valladolid
Rueda is a village and municipality in the province of Valladolid, part of the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain. It is located 30 km southwest of the provincial capital, the city of Valladolid.The population is 1.614...
also have olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
trees, which do not grow elsewhere in Castile and León.
Fauna
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s have been identified, constituting 63 percent of the vertebrates that can be found in Spain. Animals adapted to the high mountains, inhabitant of rocky landscapes, river dwellers, lowland species, and forest animals all can be found in Castile and León.
The isolation of the high peaks preserves many endemic animals such as the Western Spanish Ibex
Western Spanish Ibex
The Western Spanish Ibex or Gredos Ibex is a vulnerable goat endemic to Spain....
(Capra pyrenaica victoriae) of which there are only two wild populations in the world, both along the border between Castile and León and Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
. The European Snow Vole
European Snow Vole
The European Snow Vole or Snow Vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.-Description:...
(Chionomys nivalis or Microtus nivalis) is a species of rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
in the family Cricetidae
Cricetidae
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, and New World rats and mice...
, a small grayish brown mammal with a long tail that lives in open spaces above timberline.
Squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s, dormice
Dormouse
Dormice are rodents of the family Gliridae. Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation...
, Spanish Mole
Spanish Mole
The Spanish Mole is a species of mammal in the Talpidae family. It is found in Portugal and Spain.-References:* Insectivore Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
s, sable
Sable
The sable is a species of marten which inhabits forest environments, primarily in Russia from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, in northern Mongolia and China and on Hokkaidō in Japan. Its range in the wild originally extended through European Russia to Poland and Scandinavia...
s, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
s, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, wildcat
Wildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
s, and Iberian Wolves
Iberian Wolf
The Iberian wolf is a subspecies of grey wolf that inhabits the forest and plains of northern Portugal and northwestern Spain.-Features and adaptations:...
are all abundant in some areas. Wild boars, Roe Deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
and other deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
species can be found in the deciduous forests and to a lesser extent in the coniferous forests. A small population of Brown Bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
(Ursus arctos) can be found in forests of the Cantabrian Mountains. The wildcat Felis silvestris is slightly larger than a domestic cat, with a short, muscular tail, and a grayish brown coat with dark rings. The Iberian lynx
Iberian Lynx
The Iberian lynx, Lynx pardinus, is a critically endangered species native to the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe. It is one of the most endangered cat species in the world. According to the conservation group SOS Lynx, if this species died out, it would be one of the few feline extinctions...
(Lynx pardinus), once found in the region, now can only be found in certain regions of southern Spain.
Castile and León is also home to such reptiles as the Ladder Snake
Ladder Snake
The Ladder Snake is a species of snake in the Colubridae family.It is found in Peninsular Spain and Minorca, Portugal, southern France and possibly the Region of Liguria and Italy....
(Rhinechis scalaris), the Southern Smooth Snake (Coronella girondica), and the Aesculapian Snake
Aesculapian Snake
The Aesculapian Snake is a nonvenomous snake native to Europe.-Description:They hatch at around 30 cm and average at around 110 cm but can grow up to 200 cm . They are dark, long, slender, and shiny...
(Elaphe longissima or Zamenis longissimus). The European Smooth Snake
Smooth Snake
Coronella austriaca is a harmless colubrid species found in northern and central Europe, but also as far east as northern Iran. The EMBL currently recognizes three subspecies, including the typical form described here.-Description:Both sexes grow to an average length of about 50 cm...
(Coronella austriaca) can be found from sea level up to an altitude of 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft); in Castile and León it tends to be found at the higher end of its range. Higher still, in the rocky subalpine zones around 2400 metres (7,874 ft), is the Iberian Rock Lizard
Iberian Rock Lizard
The Iberian Rock Lizard is a species of lizard in the Lacertidae family.It is found in Portugal and Spain....
(Iberolacerta monticola or Lacerta monticola cyreni), one of the few reptiles adapted to these heights.
The mountain rivers provide a habitat for nutrias and Pyrenean Desman
Pyrenean Desman
The Pyrenean Desman is a small semi-aquatic mammal that lives in the Pyrenees to the Iberian peninsula. The Pyrenean Desman is in the monotypic genus Galemys. The Pyrenean Desman lives in mountain streams....
s, not to mention trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, freshwater eels, bighead carp
Bighead carp
The bighead carp is a freshwater fish, one of several Asian carps. It has a large, scaleless head, a large mouth, and eyes located very low on the head. Adults usually have a mottled silver-gray coloration. Adults can be quite large...
and some increasingly rare native freshwater crab
Freshwater crab
There are around 1,300 species of freshwater crabs, distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, divided among eight families. They show direct development and maternal care of a small number of offspring, in contrast to marine crabs which release thousands of planktonic larvae. This limits...
s. The nutria (Lutra lutra) and desman (Galemys pyrenaica) are both aquatic or semi-aquatic mammals, and excellent swimmers; the desman is a mole genus. The nutria eats mainly fish, but the desman prefers the invertebrates found along the riverbanks, including insects. In the lower depths of the river are the barbels
Barbus barbus
Barbus barbus is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family of minnows and carps. It shares the common name "barbel" with its many relatives in the genus Barbus and is properly known as the Common Barbel.B...
(Barbus barbus) and carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
. Local amphibians include newt
Newt
A newt is an aquatic amphibian of the family Salamandridae, although not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts. Newts are classified in the subfamily Pleurodelinae of the family Salamandridae, and are found in North America, Europe and Asia...
s, the Almanzor Salamander (Salamandra salamandra almanzoris, a subspecies of Fire Salamander
Fire Salamander
The fire salamander is probably the best-known salamander species in Europe. It is black with yellow spots or stripes to a varying degree; some specimens can be nearly completely black while on others the yellow is dominant. Shades of red and orange may sometimes appear, either replacing or mixing...
) and the Gredos Toad (Bufo bufo gredosicola, a supspecies of Common Toad
Common Toad
The common toad or European toad is an amphibian widespread throughout Europe, with the exception of Iceland, Ireland and some Mediterranean islands...
); the latter two are endemic to the Sistema Central.
Where the rivers narrow to form gorges and canyons, they form a habitat for birds of prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
such as the Griffon Vulture
Griffon Vulture
The Griffon Vulture is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.The Griffon Vulture is long with a wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh and females typically weigh , while in the Indian subspecies the vultures average...
, Cinereous Vulture, Egyptian Vulture
Egyptian Vulture
The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found widely distributed from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron. It has sometimes also been known as the White Scavenger Vulture or Pharaoh's Chicken...
, Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
or Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
. The small Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) is black and white with a yellow head. Further downstream, the lush vegetation of the riverbanks makes a home for the Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
and Grey Heron
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
, as well as the smaller Goldcrest
Goldcrest
The Goldcrest, Regulus regulus, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise to its English and scientific names, and possibly to it being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore. Several subspecies are recognised across the very...
, European Penduline Tit
European Penduline Tit
The European Penduline Tit is a passerine of the genus Remiz. It is relatively widespread throughout Eurasia.The Asian species include the Black-headed Penduline Tit, Remiz macronyx, the White-crowned Penduline Tit, Remiz coronatus, and the Chinese Penduline Tit, Remiz consobrinus.It builds an...
, Hoopoe
Hoopoe
The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive 'crown' of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae. One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes...
, and Common Kingfisher.
Among the birds that populate the open Mediterranean forests are two endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
: the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) and the Spanish Imperial Eagle
Spanish Imperial Eagle
The Spanish Imperial Eagle, Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle is a threatened species of eagle that only occurs in central and south-west Spain, adjacent areas of Portugal and possibly northern Morocco, although the latter is disputed...
(also known as Iberian Imperial Eagle or Adalbert's Eagle, Aquila adalberti). The Black Stork, much rarer than the White Stork
White Stork
The White Stork is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to end of tail, with a wingspan...
(Ciconia ciconia) is a solitary bird that stays far away from humans. The Spanish Imperial Eagle nests in trees and feeds largely on rabbits, but also eats birds, reptiles and carrion.
In the coniferous forests live, among others treecreeper
Treecreeper
The treecreepers are a family, Certhiidae, of small passerine birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains ten species in two genera, Certhia and Salpornis...
s (of the family Certhiidae), the Coal Tit
Coal Tit
The Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate to subtropical Eurasia and northern Africa. The Spot-winged Tit The Coal Tit, Periparus ater, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a...
(Periparus ater), and the Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Nuthatch
The Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea, is a small passerine found throughout temperate Europe and Asia, although not in Ireland. It belongs to the nuthatch family Sittidae....
(Sitta europaea), blue-grey above, with a black eyestripe, and distinguished from other populations of this species by its reddish underparts. The Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is a large, dark forest grouse
Grouse
Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a family Tetraonidae, though the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae...
, very difficult to observe. Among the raptors in the forests are the Northern Goshawk, the Eurasian Sparrowhawk and members of the true owl family, which frequently prey upon such smaller birds as Eurasian Jay
Eurasian Jay
The Eurasian Jay is a species of bird occurring over a vast region from Western Europe and north-west Africa to the Indian Subcontinent and further to the eastern seaboard of Asia and down into south-east Asia...
s, woodpecker
Woodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s (notably the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major), finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es of the genus Fringilla
Fringilla
The genus Fringilla is a small group of finches from the Old World, which are the only species in the subfamily Fringillinae. The three species are:*Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs*Blue Chaffinch Fringilla teydea...
, and warblers
Typical warbler
The typical warblers are small birds belonging to the genus Sylvia in the "Old World warbler" family Sylviidae. There are 28 species currently included in the genus, including five species formerly treated in the genus Parisoma, a treatment which left Sylvia paraphyletic...
of the genus Sylvia.
La Great Bustard
Great Bustard
The Great Bustard is in the bustard family, the only member of the genus Otis. It breeds in southern and central Europe, where it is the largest species of bird, and across temperate Asia...
(Otis tarda) frequents the plains cleared for dryland farming. It is among the heaviest birds capable of flight. It has a grayish head and neck and a brown back. In the winter, the Castilian-Leonese wetlands teem with Greylag Geese
Greylag Goose
The Greylag Goose , Anser anser, is a bird with a wide range in the Old World. It is the type species of the genus Anser....
(Anser anser), that have flown south from their breeding grounds in Northern Europe.