Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an
autonomous community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
in northwestern
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the provinces of the historic
region of León
The Region of León, Leonese region or Leonese Country ( Leonese: ''País Llionés'', es, región de León and ast, rexón de Llión) is a historic territory defined by the 1833 Spanish administrative organisation. The Leonese region encompa ...
:
León,
Zamora and
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
with those of Castilla La Vieja (
Old Castile
Old Castile ( es, Castilla la Vieja ) is a historic region of Spain, which had different definitions along the centuries. Its extension was formally defined in the 1833 territorial division of Spain as the sum of the following provinces: Sant ...
):
Ávila
Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila.
It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...
,
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of ...
,
Palencia
Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia.
Located in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half o ...
,
Segovia
Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia.
Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...
,
Soria
Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...
and
Valladolid. The provinces of Santander and Logroño, which until then had formed part of Castile, opted out of this merger and formed the new Autonomous Communities of
Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
and
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...
respectively.
Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain in terms of area, covering 94,222 km
2. It is however sparsely populated, with a population density below 30/km
2. While
a capital has not been explicitly declared, the seats of the executive and legislative powers are set in
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
by law and for all purposes that city (also the most populated municipality) serves as ''de facto'' regional capital.
Castile and León is a landlocked region, bordered by
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
as well as by the Spanish autonomous communities of
Galicia,
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
,
Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
, the
Basque Country,
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...
,
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
,
Castilla–La Mancha
Castilla–La Mancha (, , ), or Castile La Mancha, is an autonomous community of Spain. Comprising the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo, it was created in 1982. The government headquarters are in Toledo, and ...
, the
Community of Madrid
The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munic ...
and
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
. Chiefly comprising the northern half of the
Inner Plateau, it is surrounded by mountain barriers (the
Cantabrian Mountains
, etymology=Named after the Cantabri
, photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg
, photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...
to the North, the
Sistema Central
The Central System, Spanish and pt, Sistema Central, is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit.
The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel a ...
to the South and the
Sistema Ibérico
The Iberian System ( es, Sistema Ibérico, ) is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain.
It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of th ...
to the East) and it is drained by the
Douro River
The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...
, flowing west toward the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
The region contains eleven
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
s, making it (along with
Lombardia
(man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, ...
in Italy) the region with most UNESCO World Heritage Sites. UNESCO recognizes the
Cortes of León of 1188
The Cortes of León or Decreta of León from year 1188 was a parliamentary body in the medieval Kingdom of León. According to UNESCO it is the first documented example of parliamentarism in history.
After coming to power, King Alfonso IX, faci ...
as the cradle of worldwide
parliamentarism
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...
.
Symbols
![Coa Kastilien und León in cathedral](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Coa_Kastilien_und_Le%C3%B3n_in_cathedral.jpg)
The Statute of Autonomy of Castile and León, reformed for the last time in 2007, establishes in the sixth article of its preliminary title the symbols of the community's exclusive identity. These are: the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
, the
flag, the
banner
A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...
and the anthem. Its legal protection is the same as that corresponding to the
symbols of the State -whose outrages are classified as crime in article 543 of the
Penal Code-.
In the articulated statuary, the coat of arms is defined as follows:
Likewise, the flag is described as follows:
Following the same wording, the banner is constituted by the shield quartered on a traditional
crimson background. The Statute also expresses: "The anthem and the other symbols
..will be regulated by specific law". After the promulgation of the fundamental norm, this law was not promulgated, so the anthem does not exist, but ''de iure'' is a symbol of autonomy.
History
![Homo heidelbergensis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Homo_heidelbergensis._Museo_de_Prehistoria_de_Valencia.jpg)
Several archaeological findings show that in prehistoric times these lands were already inhabited. In the
Atapuerca Mountains
The Atapuerca Mountains ( es, Sierra de Atapuerca) is a karstic hill formation near the village of Atapuerca in the province of Burgos ( autonomous community of Castile and Leon), northern Spain.
In a still ongoing excavation campaign, rich ...
have been found many bones of the ancestors of ''Homo sapiens'', making these findings one of the most important to determine the history of human evolution. The most important discovery that catapulted the site to international fame was the remains of ''
Homo heidelbergensis
''Homo heidelbergensis'' (also ''H. sapiens heidelbergensis''), sometimes called Heidelbergs, is an extinct species or subspecies of archaic human which existed during the Middle Pleistocene. It was subsumed as a subspecies of '' H. erectus'' i ...
''.
Before the arrival of the Romans, it is known that the territories that make up Castile and León today were occupied by various
Celtic peoples
The Celts (, see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-Europea ...
, such as
Vaccaei
The Vaccaei or Vaccei were a pre-Roman Celtic people of Spain, who inhabited the sedimentary plains of the central Duero valley, in the Meseta Central of northern Hispania (specifically in Castile and León). Their capital was ''Intercatia'' in P ...
,
Autrigones
The Autrigones were a pre-Roman tribe that settled in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, in what today is the western Basque Country (western regions of Biscay and Álava) and northern Burgos and the East of Cantabria, Spain. Their territory li ...
,
Turmodigi
The Turmodigi were a pre- Roman ancient people, later mixed with the Celts people of northern Spain who occupied the area within the Arlanzón and Arlanza river valleys in the 2nd Iron Age.
Origins
The ancestors of the Turmodigi arrived to the ...
, the
Vettones
The Vettones (Greek: ''Ouettones'') were a pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula of possibly Celtic ethnicity.
Origins
Lujan (2007) concludes that some of the names of the Vettones show clearly western Hispano-Celtic features. Reissued i ...
,
Astures
The Astures or Asturs, also named Astyrs, were the Hispano-Celtic inhabitants of the northwest area of Hispania that now comprises almost the entire modern autonomous community of Principality of Asturias, the modern province of León, and the ...
or
Celtiberians. The Roman conquest resulted in warring with the local tribes. One particularly famous episode was the siege of
Numantia
Numantia ( es, Numancia) is an ancient Celtiberian settlement, whose remains are located on a hill known as Cerro de la Muela in the current municipality of Garray ( Soria), Spain.
Numantia is famous for its role in the Celtiberian Wars. In ...
, an old town located near the current city of
Soria
Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...
.
The
romanization
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, a ...
was unstoppable, and to this day great Roman works of art have remained, mainly the
Aqueduct of Segovia
The Aqueduct of Segovia () is a Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain. It was built around the first century AD to channel water from springs in the mountains away to the city's fountains, public baths and private houses, and was in use until 1973. I ...
as well as many archaeological remains such as those of the ancient
Clunia
Clunia (full name ''Colonia Clunia Sulpicia'') was an ancient Roman city. Its remains are located on Alto de Castro, at more than 1000 metres above sea level, between the villages of Peñalba de Castro and Coruña del Conde, 2 km away f ...
,
Salt mines of Poza de la Sal and the
vía de la Plata
The Vía de La Plata (Silver Way) or Ruta de la Plata (Silver Route) is an ancient commercial and pilgrimage path that crosses the west of Spain from north to south, connecting Mérida to Astorga. An extended form begins further south in Seville ...
pathway, which crosses the west of the community from
Astorga (''
Asturica Augusta
Astorga () is a municipality and city of Spain located in the central area of the province of León, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León, southwest of the provincial capital. It is located in the transit between the Páramo Leoné ...
'') to the capital of modern
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
,
Mérida (''
Emerita Augusta'').
![Toros de Guisando](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Toros_de_Guisando.jpg)
With the fall of Rome, the lands were occupied militarily by the
Visigoth
The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kn ...
peoples of Germanic origin. The subsequent arrival of the Arabs was followed by a process known as the
Reconquista
The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...
. In the mountainous area of
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
, a small Christian kingdom was created which opposed the Islamic presence in the Peninsula. They proclaimed themselves heirs of the last Visigoth kings, who in turn had been deeply romanized. This resistance of Visigoth-Roman heritage and supported by Christianity, was becoming increasingly strong and expanding to the south, eventually setting its court in the city of
León, becoming the
Kingdom of León. To favor the repopulation of the new reconquered lands, a number of
fuero
(), (), () or () is a Spanish legal term and concept. The word comes from Latin , an open space used as a market, tribunal and meeting place. The same Latin root is the origin of the French terms and , and the Portuguese terms and ; all ...
s or letters of repopulation were granted by the monarchs.
![Castro de Ulaca 10 by-dpc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Castro_de_Ulaca_10_by-dpc.jpg)
In the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
the pilgrimage by Christianity to
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
was popularized. The
Camino de Santiago runs along the northern part of the region, and contributed to the spread of European cultural innovations throughout the peninsula. Today the Camino is still an important touristic and cultural attraction.
In 1188, the
basilica of San Isidoro of León was the setting of the first
parliamentary body in the history of Europe, with the participation of the
Third Estate
The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...
. The king who summoned it was
Alfonso IX of León
Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death.
He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the Universit ...
.
The legal basis for the kingdom was the
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the '' Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor Ju ...
, and because of this the kings increasingly wanted more power, like the Roman emperors. This is very clearly seen in the ''
Siete Partidas
The ''Siete Partidas'' (, "Seven-Part Code") or simply ''Partidas'', was a Crown of Castile, Castilian Statute, statutory code first compiled during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile (1252–1284), with the intent of establishing a uniform body ...
'' of
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Ger ...
, which shows the imperial monism that the king sought. The King did not want to be a ''
primus inter pares'', but the source of the law.
![AcueductoSegovia04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/AcueductoSegovia04.JPG)
Simultaneously, a county of this Christian kingdom of León, began to acquire autonomy and to expand. This is the primitive
County of Castile
The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th cent ...
, which would grow into a powerful kingdom among the Christian kingdoms of the Peninsula. The first Castilian count was
Fernán González Fernan or Fernán is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
* Fernán Blázquez de Cáceres, Spanish nobleman
* Fernán Caballero (1796–1877), Spanish novelist
* Fernando Fernán Gómez (1921–2007), Spanish actor ...
.
![Gormaz, Fortaleza califal pña](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Gormaz%2C_Fortaleza_califal_p%C3%B1a.jpg)
León and Castile continued to expand to the South, even beyond the
Douro
The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...
river, seeking to conquest lands under Islamic rule. That was the time of the
''Cantares de gesta'', poems which recount the great deeds of the Christian nobles who fought against the Muslim enemy. Despite this, Christian and Muslim kings maintained diplomatic relations. One clear example is
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, ''El Cid'', paradigm of the medieval Christian knight, who fought both for Christian and Muslim kings.
The origin of the definitive dynastic unification of the kingdoms of Castile and León, which had been separated for just seven decades, was in 1194.
Alfonso VIII of Castile and
Alfonso IX of León
Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death.
He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the Universit ...
signed in
Tordehumos
Tordehumos is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. (INE), the municipality has a population of 463 inhabitants.
See also
*Cuisine of the province of Valladolid
The gastronomy of the province o ...
the treaty that pacified the area of
Tierra de Campos
Tierra de Campos ("Land of Fields") is a large historical and natural region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain. It is a vast, desolate plain with practically ...
and laid the foundation for a future reunification of the kingdoms, consolidated in 1230 with
Ferdinand III ''the Saint''. This agreement is called the
Treaty of Tordehumos.
![Leon (San Isidoro, panteón)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Leon_%28San_Isidoro%2C_pante%C3%B3n%29.jpg)
During the
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
there was an economic and political crisis produced by a series of bad harvests and by disputes between nobles and the Crown for power, as well as between different contenders for the throne. In the
Cortes of Valladolid of 1295,
Ferdinand IV is recognized as king. The painting
María de Molina presents her son Fernando IV in the Cortes of Valladolid of 1295 presides today the Spanish Congress of Deputies along with a painting of the
Cortes of Cádiz
The Cortes of Cádiz was a revival of the traditional ''cortes'' (Spanish parliament), which as an institution had not functioned for many years, but it met as a single body, rather than divided into estates as with previous ones.
The General ...
, emphasizing the parliamentarian importance that has all the development of Cortes in Castile and León, despite its subsequent decline. The Crown was becoming more authoritarian and the nobility more dependent on it.
The
reconquista
The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...
continued advancing in this thriving
Crown of Castile, and culminated with the surrender of the
Nasrid Kingdom of Granada
)
, common_languages = Official language:Classical ArabicOther languages: Andalusi Arabic, Mozarabic, Berber, Ladino
, capital = Granada
, religion = Majority religion:Sunni IslamMinority religions:Roman C ...
, last Muslim stronghold in the Peninsula, in 1492.
Antecedents of the autonomy
In June 1978, Castile and León obtained the pre-autonomy, through the creation of
General council of Castile and León by
Royal Decree-Law 20/1978, of June 13.
In times of the
First Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic ( es, República Española), historiographically referred to as the First Spanish Republic, was the political regime that existed in Spain from 11 February 1873 to 29 December 1874.
The Republic's founding ensued after th ...
(1873-1874), the
federal republicans conceived the project to create an federated state of eleven provinces in the valley of the Spanish Douro, that would also have included the provinces of
Santander
Santander may refer to:
Places
* Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain
* Santander Department, a department of Colombia
* Santander State, former state of Colombia
* Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
and
Logroño
Logroño () is the capital of the province of La Rioja, situated in northern Spain. Traversed in its northern part by the Ebro River, Logroño has historically been a place of passage, such as the Camino de Santiago. Its borders were disputed b ...
. Very few years before, in 1869, as part of a manifesto, federal republicans representatives of the 17 provinces of Albacete, Ávila, Burgos, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, León, Logroño, Madrid, Palencia, Salamanca, Santander, Segovia, Soria, Toledo, Valladolid and Zamora proposed in the so-called
Castilian Federal Pact
Castilian or Castillian may refer to:
* Castile, a historic region of Spain
** Castilian people, an ethnic group from Castile
** Castilian languages, a branch of the West Iberian languages consisting of all linguistic varieties descended from Ol ...
the conformation of an entity formed by two different "states": the state of Old Castile -that is presently built for the current Castilian-Leonese provinces and the provinces of Logroño and Santander-, and the state of New Castile -which conforms to the current provinces of
Castile-La Mancha plus the
province of Madrid
The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munici ...
-. The end of the Republic, at the beginning of 1874, thwarted the initiative.
![Minutos de Historia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Minutos_de_Historia._Por_la_Autonom%C3%ADa_de_Castilla_y_Le%C3%B3n%2C_1978.jpg)
In 1921, on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the
Battle of Villalar
The Battle of Villalar was a battle in the Revolt of the Comuneros fought on 23 April 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. ...
, the
Santander City Council advocated the creation of a Castilian and Leonese Commonwealth of eleven provinces, idea that would be maintained in later years. At the end of 1931 and beginning of 1932, from León,
Eugenio Merino elaborated a text in which the base of a
Castilian-Leonese regionalism was put. The text was published in the Diario de León newspaper.
[Juan-Miguel Álvarez Domíngue]
''The Regionalist Catechism of Don Eugenio, an example of Castilian-Leonese regionalism sponsored by León''
. 1931, Argutorio, No. 19 (2nd semester 2007), pp. 32-36.
During the
Second Spanish Republic
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 ...
, especially in 1936, there was a great regionalist activity favorable to a region of eleven provinces, and even bases for the Statute of Autonomy were elaborated. The ''Diario de León'' advocated for the formalization of this initiative and the constitution of an autonomous region with these words:
The end of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
and the beginning of
Franco regime
Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spai ...
ended the aspirations of the autonomy for the region. The philosopher
José Ortega y Gasset
José Ortega y Gasset (; 9 May 1883 – 18 October 1955) was a Spanish philosopher and essayist. He worked during the first half of the 20th century, while Spain oscillated between monarchy, republicanism, and dictatorship. His philosoph ...
collected this scheme in his publications.
After the death of Francisco Franco, regionalist, autonomist and nationalist organizations (
Castilian-Leonese regionalism and
Castilian nationalism
Castilian nationalism or "Castilianism" ( es, castellanismo, links=no) is a fringe political movement that advocates for the national recognition of Castile, and in some cases, its independence from Spain.
History
The 19th century saw the dev ...
) as
Regional Alliance of Castile and León (1975),
Regional Institute of Castile and León (1976) or the
Autonomous Nationalist Party of Castile and León (1977). Later after the extinction of these formations arose in 1993
Regionalist Unity of Castile and León.
At the same time, others of
Leonesist character arose, such as the
Leonese Autonomous Group (1978) or
Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country
Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country ( es, Partido Regionalista del País Leonés) is a regional political party in Castilla y León, Spain. PREPAL strives to establish a separate autonomous community (País Leonés or ''Autonomous Community ...
(1980), which advocated the creation of a Leonese autonomous community, composed of provinces of
León,
Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
and
Zamora. The popular and political support that maintained the uniprovincial autonomy in
León became very important in that city.
Autonomy
![IglesiaDeSanPablo20110905170422P1120849](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/IglesiaDeSanPablo20110905170422P1120849.jpg)
The autonomous community of Castile and León is the result of the union in 1983 of nine provinces: the three that, after the territorial division of 1833, by which the provinces were created, were ascribed to the
Region of León
The Region of León, Leonese region or Leonese Country ( Leonese: ''País Llionés'', es, región de León and ast, rexón de Llión) is a historic territory defined by the 1833 Spanish administrative organisation. The Leonese region encompa ...
, and six ascribed to
Old Castile
Old Castile ( es, Castilla la Vieja ) is a historic region of Spain, which had different definitions along the centuries. Its extension was formally defined in the 1833 territorial division of Spain as the sum of the following provinces: Sant ...
; however 2 provinces of Old Castile were not included: Santander (current community of
Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
) and Logroño (current
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...
).
In the case of
Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
the creation of an
autonomous community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
was advocated for historical, cultural and geographical reasons, while in
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...
the process was more complex due to the existence of three alternatives, all based on historical and socio-economic reasons: union with Castile and León (advocated by the
Union of the Democratic Centre political party), union to a Basque-Navarrese community (supported by the
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
and
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
) or creation of an uniprovincial autonomy; the latter option was chosen because it had more support among the population.
After the creation of the Castilian-Leonese pre-autonomous body, which was supported by the Provincial Council of León in its agreement of April 16, 1980, this institution revoked its original agreement on January 13, 1983, just as the draft of the Organic Law entered the Spanish parliament. The Constitutional Court determined which of those contradictory agreements was valid in the ''Sentence 89/1984 of September 28''; it declares that the subject of the process is no longer, as in its preliminary phase, the councils and municipalities, but the new body.
After the sentence, there were several demonstrations in León in favor of the ''León alone'' option (see
Leonesism
Leonesism (; es, Leonesismo) is a social and political Regionalism (politics), regionalist movement in the geographical Region of León, composed by the Provinces of Spain, provinces of Province of León, León, Province of Zamora, Zamora and ...
), one of them according to some sources brought together a number close to 90 000 people, This was the highest concentration held in the city in the Democratic period until the demonstrations rejecting the
2004 Madrid train bombings.
In an agreement adopted on July 31, 1981, the Provincial Council of Segovia decided to exercise the initiative so that
Segovia
Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia.
Segovia is in the Inner Plateau ('' Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of t ...
could be constituted as a uniprovincial autonomous community, but in the municipalities of the province the situation was equal between the supporters of the uniprovincial autonomy and the supporters of the union.
![Celebración del día de Villalar, 1985](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Celebraci%C3%B3n_del_d%C3%ADa_de_Villalar%2C_1985.jpg)
The City Council of
Cuéllar
Cuéllar () is a municipality in the Province of Segovia, within the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain.
The municipality had a population of 9,730 inhabitants according to the municipal register of inhabitants (INE) as of 1 Jan ...
initially adhered to this autonomic initiative in agreement adopted by the corporation on October 5, 1981. However, another agreement adopted by the same corporation dated December 3 of the same year revoked the previous one and the process was paralyzed pending the processing of an appeal filed by the provincial council against this last agreement; this change of opinion of the city council of Cuéllar tipped the scales in the province towards the autonomy with the rest of Castile and León, but it was an agreement that arrived out of time. Finally the province of Segovia was incorporated into Castile and León along with the other eight provinces and legal coverage was given through the ''Organic Law 5/1983'' for "reasons of national interest", as provided for in article 144 c of the
Spanish Constitution
The Spanish Constitution (Spanish, Asturleonese, and gl, Constitución Española; eu, Espainiako Konstituzioa; ca, Constitució Espanyola; oc, Constitucion espanhòla) is the democratic law that is supreme in the Kingdom of Spain. It was e ...
for those provinces that have not exercised their right on time.
Today, the ''
Villalar Foundation'' is responsible for cultural activities on the art, culture or identity of Castile and León.
The community grants each year, on the
Castile and León Day
Castile and León Day ( es, Día de Castilla y León) 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 ...
, the
Castile and León Awards to the Castilian-Leonese persons outstanding in the following areas: arts, human values, scientific research, social sciences, restoration and conservation, environment and sports.
Geography
Location
Castile and León is a landlocked
autonomous community
eu, autonomia erkidegoa
ca, comunitat autònoma
gl, comunidade autónoma
oc, comunautat autonòma
an, comunidat autonoma
ast, comunidá autónoma
, alt_name =
, map =
, category = Autonomous administra ...
, located in the north-western quadrant of the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
. Its territory borders on the north with the uniprovincial communities of
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
and
Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
, as well as with the
Basque Country (
Biscay
Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao.
B ...
and
Álava
Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Álava, former medieval Catholic bishopric and now Latin titular see.
Its c ...
); to the east with the uniprovincial community of
La Rioja
La Rioja () is an autonomous community and province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, an ...
and with
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
(
province of Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), also called Saragossa in English,''Encyclopædia Britannica''Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)/ref> is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.
Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also t ...
), to the south with the
Community of Madrid
The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munic ...
,
Castile-La Mancha (provinces of
Toledo and
Guadalajara) and
Extremadura
Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...
(
province of Cáceres
The province of Cáceres ( ; es, provincia de Cáceres, ) is a province of western Spain, and makes up the northern half of the autonomous community of Extremadura. Its capital is the city of Cáceres. Other cities in the province include Pla ...
) and to the west with
Galicia (provinces of
Lugo and
Ourense) and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
(
Bragança District
Bragança District ( pt, Distrito de Bragança ; mwl, Çtrito de Bergáncia) is a traditional political division of Portugal, in the northeast corner bordering on Spain ( Castile and Leon and Galicia), covering 7.4% of the nation's continental l ...
and
Guarda District
The district of Guarda ( pt, Distrito de Guarda ) is located in the Centro Region of Portugal, except Vila Nova de Foz Côa, which is in the Norte Region. The district capital and most populous city is Guarda.
Municipalities
The district con ...
).
Orography
![SIERRA DE GREDOS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Sierra_de_Gredos.jpg)
The morphology of Castile and León consists, for the most part, of the northern half of the
Meseta Central
The ''Meseta Central'' (, sometimes referred to in English as Inner Plateau) is one of the basic geographical units of the Iberian Peninsula. It consists of a plateau covering a large part of the latter's interior.
Developed during the 19th cent ...
(''Meseta Norte'') and a belt of mountainous reliefs. The Meseta Central is a high plateau with an average altitude close to
above sea-level; it is covered by deposited clay materials that have given rise to a dry and arid landscape.
Geology
The Northern Plateau (Meseta Norte) is constituted by Paleozoic sockets. At the beginning of the
Mesozoic Era, once the
Hercynian folding that raised the current
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
and the Gallaeci zone of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, the deposited materials were dragged by the erosive action of the rivers.
During the
alpine orogeny, the materials that formed the plateau broke through multiple points. From this fracture rose the
mountains of León, with mountains of not much height and, constituting the spine of the Plateau (Meseta), the Cantabrian Mountains and the Sistema Central, formed by materials such as granite or metamorphic slates.
The
karst complex of
Ojo Guareña
Ojo Guareña is a Karst, karst complex located in the Cantabrian Mountains of Castile and León, Castile and Leon, Spain, declared a National monuments of Spain, natural monument by the government of Castile and Leon in 1996. It is composed of ov ...
, consisting of 110 km of galleries
and its caves formed in
carbonatic materials of
Coniacian which are situated on a level of impermeable
marls, is the second largest of the peninsula.
This geological configuration has allowed upwellings of mineral-medicinal or thermal water, used now or in the past, in
Almeida de Sayago
Almeida de Sayago is a municipality located in the province of Zamora, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census ( INE), the municipality has a population of 619 inhabitants.
See also
* Arribes del Duero Natural Park
Arribes del ...
,
Boñar
The municipality of Boñar () is located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. As per the 2010 census ( INE), 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 is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 394 inhabitants. Olympic sports shooter Domingo Rodríguez was born here.
...
,
Cucho,
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. It is located from the provincial capital city of Salamanca and has a populatio ...
,
Morales de Campos,
Tresacasas,
Valdelateja and
Villarijo, among other places.
Hydrography
Rivers
;Douro basin
![Zamora - Río Duero y Catedral 08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Zamora_-_R%C3%ADo_Duero_y_Catedral_08.jpg)
The main hydrographic network of Castile and León is constituted by the
Douro river
The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...
and its tributaries. From its source in the
Picos de Urbión
Picos de Urbión, or "Urbion Peaks" is a mountain range 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 Soria, to its mouth in the Portuguese city of
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
, the Douro covers 897 km. From the north descend the
Pisuerga
The Pisuerga is a river in northern Spain, the Duero's second largest tributary. It rises in the Cantabrian Mountains in the province of Palencia, autonomous region of Castile and León.
Its traditional source is called Fuente Cobre, but it has ...
, the
Valderaduey
The Valderaduey is a river in central Spain which flows into the Douro on its right bank. In the year 949, an earthquake altered the course of the river.
Geography
The Valderaduey originates on the mountain in Renedo de Valderaduey municip ...
and the
Esla Esla or ESLA can refer to:
* Əşlə, Azerbaijani municipality
* 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 that starts in the Cantabrian Mountains and i ...
rivers, its tributaries more plentiful and by the east, with less water in its flows, highlight the
Adaja
The Adaja is a river of Spain located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, a major left-bank tributary of the Douro. Featuring a total length of 163 km, its river basin drains an area of 5,328 km2.
It has its source in the so-called Fuent ...
and the
Duratón. After passing the town of
Zamora, the Douro is confined between the canyons of the
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 Portuguese sid ...
, bordering with
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. On the left bank are important tributaries such as
Tormes
The Tormes is a Spanish river, that starts in Prado Tormejón, in the mountain range of Gredos, Navarredonda de Gredos, province of Ávila. It crosses the provinces of Avila and Salamanca, ending at the Duero river, at a place known locally as Am ...
,
Huebra
The Huebra is a river in Spain, that flows from Escurial de la Sierra (in Salamanca province) to the river Duero
The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra ...
,
Águeda
Águeda () is a city and a municipality in Portugal. According to the Portuguese 2011 census, the municipality of Águeda had 47,729 inhabitants, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 14,504 (2001 data), while the remainder is distri ...
,
Côa and Paiva, all from
Sistema Central
The Central System, Spanish and pt, Sistema Central, is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in the Iberian Peninsula. The 2,592 m high Pico Almanzor is its highest summit.
The Central System is located just north of the 40th parallel a ...
. On the right they reach the
Sabor
The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabo ...
, the Tua and the Tâmega (river), Tâmega, born in the Galician Massif. After the Arribes area, the Douro turns west into Portugal until it empties into the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
.
; Other watersheds
Several rivers of the community pour their waters into the Ebro basin, in Palencia, Burgos and Soria (Jalón (river), Jalón river), that of Miño-Sil river confederation, Miño-Sil in León and Zamora, that of the Tagus basin, Tagus in Ávila and Salamanca (rivers Tiétar (river), Tiétar and Alberche and Alagón (river), Alagón respectively) and Cantabrian river confederation, Cantabrian basin in the provinces through which the Cantabrian Mountains extends.
;Rivers and provincial capitals where they pass
Lakes and reservoirs
![Embalse El Burguillo en el Valle de Iruelas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Embalse_El_Burguillo_en_el_Valle_de_Iruelas.jpg)
In addition to the rivers, the Douro basin also hosts a large number of lakes and lagoons such as the Negra de Urbión Lake, in the
Picos de Urbión
Picos de Urbión, or "Urbion Peaks" is a mountain range 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 ...
, the Grande de Gredos Lake, in Gredos, the Sanabria Lake, in Zamora or the La Nava de Fuentes Lake in Palencia. Also emphasize a great amount of reservoirs, fed by the water coming from the rains and the thaw of the snowy summits. Thus, Castile and León, despite not having abundant rainfall, is one of the communities in Spain with the highest level of water dammed.
Many of these natural lakes are being used as an economic resource, boosting rural tourism and helping to conserve ecosystems. The Sanabria Lake was a pioneer in this.
Climate
![La Alberca - Amaneciendo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/La_Alberca_-_Amaneciendo.jpg)
Castile and León has a Continental Mediterranean Climate, with long, cold winters, with average temperatures between 3 and 6 °C in January and short, hot summers (average 19 to 22 °C), but with the three or four months of summer aridity characteristic of the Mediterranean climate. Rainfall, with an average of 450–500 mm per year, is scarce, accentuating in the lower lands.
;Climatic factors
In Castile and León the cold extends almost continuously for much of the year, being a very characteristic element of its climate. The coldest periods of winter are associated with invasions of a continental polar front and strata of marine arctic air, rare is that they do not reach temperatures of the order of -5 ° to -10 °C. Likewise, in situations of anticyclone, in the interior of the region they cause persistent fogs, creating prolonged cold situations due to radiation processes. The intense "cold waves" of the winter central months are typical, showing a particular tendency to occur from the second fortnight of December to the first of February. During its course the most extreme minimum temperatures occur, whose values vary between -10 ° and -13 °C of its westernmost sector and -15 ° and -20 °C of the central plains and high moorlands. The lowest recorded records reach -22 °C of Burgos, -21.9 °C in Coca, Segovia, Coca (Segovia), -20.4 °C in Ávila, Spain, Ávila, -20 °C in Salamanca and -19.2 °C in
Soria
Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...
. The high altitude of the Meseta Central, Meseta and its mountains accentuates the contrast between winter and summer temperatures, as well as day and night temperatures.
Due to the mountainous barriers that surround Castile and León, the maritime winds are stopped, thus stopping the precipitations. Due to that, the rains fall in a very unequal way in the Castilian and Leonese territory. While in the middle of the Douro basin there is an annual average of 450 mm, in the western regions of the mountains of León, the
Cantabrian Mountains
, etymology=Named after the Cantabri
, photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg
, photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, ...
and the southern area of the Provinces of Ávila and Salamanca, rainfall reaches 1500 mm per year, with a maximum of 3400 mm per year in the western part of the Sierra de Gredos, in the Candelario-Bejar Massif, which makes this area the rainiest not only from Spain, but from the Iberian Peninsula.
; Climatic regions
![EXCURSIÓN A LA COVATILLA 4(Bejar)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/EXCURSI%C3%93N_A_LA_COVATILLA_4%28Bejar%29.jpg)
Although Castile and León is framed within the continental climate, in its lands different climate domains are distinguished:
*According to the Köppen climate classification, a large part of the autonomous community falls within the Csb or Cfb variants, with the average of the warmest month below 22 °C but above 10 °C for five or more months.
*In several areas of the Meseta Central the climate is classified as Csa (Köppen climate classification#Mediterranean climates, warm Mediterranean), by exceeding 22 °C during the summer.
*In high elevations of the Cantabrian Mountains and mountain areas, there is a Köppen climate classification, cold temperate climate with average temperatures under 3 °C in the coldest months and dry summers (Dsb or Dsc).
Nature
Flora
Castile and León has many protected natural landscapes, natural sites. Actively collaborates with the European Union program ''Natura 2000''. There are also some Special Protection Area, special protection area for birds or SPA.
The solitary Quercus ilex, evergreen oaks and junipers (''Juniperus sect. Sabina'') that now draw the Castilian-Leonese plain are remnants of the forests that covered these same lands long ago. The agricultural holdings, due to the need of land for the cultivation of cereal and pastures for the immense herds of the Castilian Plateau, supposed the deforestation of these lands during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. The last Castilian and Leonese forests of junipers are found in the Provinces of León, Soria and Burgos. They are not very leafy forests that can form mixed communities with evergreen oaks, Portuguese oaks or pines.
![Orbaneja del Castillo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Orbaneja_del_Castillo._Ca%C3%ADda_de_la_cascada_en_el_Ebro.jpg)
The Castilian-Leonese slope of the Cantabrian Mountains and the northern foothills of the
Sistema Ibérico
The Iberian System ( es, Sistema Ibérico, ) is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain.
It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of th ...
have a rich vegetation. The most humid and fresh slopes are populated by large beeches, whose extension areas can reach 1,500 m altitude. In turn, the Fagus sylvatica, European beech forms mixed forests with the Taxus baccata, yew, the sorbus, the Sorbus aria, whitebeam, the Ilex aquifolium, European holly and the birch. On the sunny slopes the Quercus petraea, sessile oak, the Quercus robur, European oak, the Fraxinus, ash, the Tilia, lime tree, the Castanea sativa, sweet chestnut, the birch and the scots pine (a typical species from the north of the Province of León).
Fauna
![Arribesdeldueropozo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Arribesdeldueropozo.jpg)
Castile and León presents a great diversity of fauna. There are numerous species and some of them are of special interest because of their uniqueness, such as some endemic species, or because of their scarcity, such as the brown bear. There have been counted 418 species of vertebrates, which make up 63% of all vertebrates that live in Spain. Animals adapted to life in the high mountains, inhabitants of rocky places, inhabitants of fluvial courses, species of plains and forest residents form the mosaic of the Castilian-Leonese fauna.
The isolation to which the high summits are subject leads to the existence of abundant endemisms such as the Spanish ibex, which in Gredos constitutes a unique subspecies in the Peninsula. The European snow vole is a graceful small mammal of grayish brown color and long tail that lives in open spaces over the limit of the trees.
Small and large mammals such as squirrel, dormouse, Talpidae, talpids, European pine marten, Beech marten, fox, wildcat, wolf, quite abundant in some areas, boar, deer, roe deer and, only in the Cantabrian Mountains, some specimens of brown bear tend to frequent the deciduous forests, although some species also extend to coniferous forests and scrubland. The wildcat is slightly larger than a domestic cat, has a short and stout tail, with dark rings and striped fur. The Iberian lynx, however, lives almost exclusively in areas of Mediterranean scrubland.
![Canis lupus signatus (Kerkrade Zoo) 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Canis_lupus_signatus_%28Kerkrade_Zoo%29_02.jpg)
Small reptiles such as the ladder snake, the coronella girondica and the aesculapian snake are also found in this environment. The Coronella austriaca, smooth snake can be found from sea level to 1,800 m in height and in the community it tends to live on the heights. Further up, in the rocky areas of the subalpine floor at about 2,400 m altitude the Iberian rock lizard lives, one of the few reptiles adapted at this point.
In the mountain rivers live the otter and desman and in its waters the trout, anguillidae, the common minnows and some of the increasingly scarce autochthonous river crabs. The otter and the desman are two mammals with aquatic habits and very good swimmers. The otter feeds mainly on fish, while the desman seeks its food among the aquatic invertebrates that inhabit the riverbed. In lower sections of calmer waters swim barbel (fish), barbel s and carps. Among the amphibians, the salamanders and as remarkable species: the Salamandra salamandra almanzoris, Almanzor salamander (''Salamandra salamandra almanzoris'') and the Bufo bufo gredosicola, Gredos toad (''Bufo bufo gredosicola''), which are two endemic subspecies to the Sistema Central.
Where the rivers are encased forming sickles and canyons, rock-dwelling birds such as griffon vulture, cinereous vulture, Egyptian vulture, golden eagle or peregrine falcon. The Egyptian vulture, a small vulture, is black and white with a yellow head. Downstream and on its banks between the lush vegetation form their colonies the black-crowned night heron and the grey heron and the goldcrest, the eurasian penduline tit, the eurasian hoopoe and the common kingfisher.
![Spanish Ibex Portrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/Spanish_Ibex_Portrait.jpg)
Among the birds that populate the open Mediterranean forests live two endangered species: the black stork and the Spanish imperial eagle. The black stork, much rarer than its congener the white stork, is of solitary habits and lives far from man. The Spanish imperial eagle nests in the trees and feeds mainly on rabbits, but also birds, reptiles and carrion.
![Reserva CIBE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Reserva_CIBE.jpg)
In the coniferous forests live among others the short-toed treecreeper, the coal tit and the eurasian nuthatch, a bird of gray back and flanks reddish-orange that it nests in holes to which it narrows the entrance with mud. The western capercaillie is a very dark and large rooster that lives in forest environments, so it is very difficult to observe. Among the forest raptors are the accipiter, the eurasian sparrowhawk or the tawny owl, which frequently attack other smaller birds such as eurasian jay, european green woodpecker, fringilla, great spotted woodpecker and typical warbler.
The bustard frequents the open plains with rain-fed crops; It is large and has a grayish head and neck and a brown back. In the Castilian-Leonese wetlands during the winter many specimens of greylag goose, which breeds in northern Europe and visits the area in winter, are concentrated.
The naturalist Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente (1928 - 1980), natural from Poza de la Sal, stands out in the scientific study and its dissemination. He had a great research and made the leap to fame with the television series ''El hombre y la Tierra'' (Televisión Española, TVE).
In the Montaña Palentina, in the municipality of San Cebrián de Mudá, a program of reintroduction of the European bison,
animal that had been a thousand years without presence in the
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...
, in order to avoid the extinction of the species.
Demography
With 2 528 417 inhabitants (January 1, 2007), 1 251 082 men and 1 277 335 women, the population of Castile and León represents 5.69% of the population of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, although its vast territory covers almost a fifth of the total area of the country. In January 2005, the population of Castile and León was divided, by province, as follows: Province of Ávila, 168 638 inhabitants; Province of Burgos, 365 972; Province of León, 497 387; Province of Palencia, 173 281; Province of Salamanca, 351 326; Province of Segovia, 159 322; Province of Soria, 93 593; Province of Valladolid, 521 661; and Province of Zamora, 197 237.
The autonomous community has a very low population density, around 26.57 inhabitants/km
2, a record that is more than three times lower than the national average, which indicates that it is a sparsely populated and demographically decline, especially in rural areas and even in small traditional cities. The demographic characteristics of the territory show an aging population, with a low birth rate and mortality that approaches the state average.
In the year 2000, the population of Castile and León totaled 2 479 118 people, that is, 6.12% of the Spanish total. Its natural growth was one of the lowest in Spain: -7223 (-2.92 gross rate), as a result of the difference between the 25 080 deaths (10.12 of the gross rate) and the 17 857 births ( 7.20 gross rate). The number of inhabitants in 1999 was slightly higher (2 488 062), so that, despite the negative growth, the relative numerical stability is partly due to the increase in immigration: of 22 910 immigrants in 1999 it went to 24 340 in 2000. In that year, 59 children under the age of one year died.
The life expectancy is higher than the Spanish average: 83.24 for women and 78.30 for men, a superiority that in 1999 was repeated in the register, since women added 1 260 906 and the males 1 227 156. A study by the University of Porto (Portugal) cites Castile and León as one of the European regions where old people could expect to live longer.
In 1999, the age distribution gave the following results: 317 783 people from 0 to 14 years old; 913 618 between 15 and 39 years old; 576 183 from 40 to 59 years and 677 020 over 60 years.
The active population in 2001 was 1 005 200 and occupied 884 200 people, with which the unemployment was 12.1% of the active population. For sectors of the employed population, 10.9% worked in agriculture, 20.6% in the Industrial sector, industry, 12.7% in construction, and 63,1 % in the services sector.
Historical evolution
![Homenaje a la Mujer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Homenaje_a_la_Mujer.jpg)
Many of the people of the territory, who devoted themselves mostly to agriculture and livestock, gradually abandoned the area, heading towards urban areas, much more prosperous. This situation was further aggravated at the end of the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, with a progressive rural emigration. During the 1960s and 1980s, large urban centers and provincial capitals suffered a slight demographic increase due to a thorough urbanization process, although, despite this, the Castilian-Leonese area continues to suffer serious depopulation. Only the Provinces of province of Burgos, Burgos, province of Valladolid, Valladolid and province of Segovia, Segovia are gaining population in recent years.
There is also an increase in the population of metropolitan areas around cities such as
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
, Burgos or
León. Due to this phenomenon, cities such as Laguna de Duero or San Andrés del Rabanedo have seen their population increase rapidly in a few years. The metropolitan area of the city of Valladolid is, by far, the largest in the autonomous community, with more than 430 000 inhabitants.
However, in absolute terms the autonomous community is losing population and aging. In 2011, it was one of only four Autonomous Community, autonomous communities that lost population along with
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensiv ...
,
Galicia and
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
.
Present-day population distribution
![Osma3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Osma3.jpg)
In 1960 the urban population meant 20.6% of the total population of Castile and León; in 1991 this percentage had risen to 42.3% and in 1998 it was approaching 43%, which indicates the progressive state of rural depopulation.
The phenomenon is also reflected in the number of municipalities with less than 100 inhabitants, which was multiplied by seven between 1960 and 1986. Outside the provincial capitals, cities such as Miranda de Ebro and Aranda de Duero in Province of Burgos, Ponferrada and San Andrés del Rabanedo in Province of León, Béjar in Province of Salamanca and Medina del Campo and Laguna de Duero in Province of Valladolid.
Of the 2248 municipalities of this community, the 2014 registry registered 1986 with less than 1000 inhabitants; 204 from 1001 to 5000; 35 from 5001 to 10 000; 8 of 10 001 to 20 000; 6 of 20 001 to 50 000; 5 of 50 001 to 100 000 and 4 municipalities with more than 100 000 inhabitants. The latter are: Valladolid (306 830 hab.), Burgos (177 776 hab.), Salamanca (148 042 hab.) And León (129 551 hab.) Among the least populated are, between others: Jaramillo Quemado (Burgos), with 4 inhabitants, Estepa de San Juan (Soria), with 7, Quiñonería (Soria), with 8 and Villanueva de Gormaz (Soria), with 9.
Below is a table showing the 20 municipalities with the largest population according to the municipal census of the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE of 2015:
Religion
Catholic Church, Catholicism is the predominant religion in the community. According to the barometer of the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) conducted in October 2019, 76.8% of Castilian-Leonese are considered Catholics (43.2 Non-Practising and 33.6% Practising), Irreligion, non-believers 20.3%
Actual attendance at a church is on average less than these figures show. According to the same study, only half of self identifying Catholics go to mass regularly with those considered “practicing” Catholics attending more regularly than those considered “non practicing”.
Foreign population
As of 2018, the region had a foreign population of 123,575.
The largest groups of foreigners were those of Romanian, Bulgarian, Moroccan and Portuguese citizenship.
Languages
![Map Iberian Peninsula 1030-es](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Map_Iberian_Peninsula_1030-es.svg)
Spanish language, Spanish is the only official and preponderant language throughout the territory. A large part of the "Route of the Castilian language" passes through the autonomous community, which indicates the importance traditionally attributed to this land in the origin and subsequent development of that language. In the province of Burgos begins its journey, due both to being the birthplace of the language according to Ramón Menéndez Pidal, and the famous ''Cantar de Mio Cid''. Valladolid stands out for having been the residence of the author of ''Don Quixote'', Miguel de Cervantes, as well as authors such as José Zorrilla or Miguel Delibes and the thrust of its University of Valladolid, University.
![WLM14ES - 12072009 153421 G 15623 -](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/WLM14ES_-_12072009_153421_G_15623_-_.jpg)
Regarding the first testimonies of the Castilian language, in the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos a very old beatus, the ''Silos Beatus'' is preserved. The ''Glosas Silenses'' come from that Monastery. Also in Castilian lands is the Monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, place where the ''Cardeña Beatus'' was written. In addition, the Statute of Autonomy of the community itself mentions the ''Cartularies of Valpuesta'' and the ''Nodicia de kesos'' as the most primitive traces of Castilian (Spanish) language. The Instituto Castellano y Leonés de la Lengua is responsible for carrying out various scientific works in this regard.
In addition to the Spanish language, Castilian language, in Castile and León two other languages or linguistic varieties are spoken in small areas of the community: the Leonese language, that "will be subject to specific protection
..because of its particular value within the Community's linguistic heritage" and Galician language, which, according to the Statute of Autonomy, "will enjoy respect and protection in the places where it is usually used" (fundamentally, in the border areas with Galicia of the comarcas of El Bierzo and Sanabria (comarca), Sanabria). In the Salamancan comarca of El Rebollar (Salamanca), El Rebollar, a modality of Extremaduran language is spoken (of the Asturian-Leonese branch) known as Palra d'El Rebollal. In Merindad de Sotoscueva (province of Burgos) a Castilian is spoken with some dialectal features of the Asturian-Leonese.
Administration and politics
Territorial organization
The community is formed from nine provinces: Province of Ávila, Province of Burgos, Province of León, Province of Palencia, Province of Salamanca, Province of Segovia, Province of Soria, Province of Valladolid and Province of Zamora. The provincial capitals fall in the homonymous cities to their corresponding provinces.
The concurrence of some peculiar geographic, social, historical and economic characteristics in the Leonese region of the El Bierzo is recognized, being created in 1991 the homonymous region, the only Castilian-Leonese recognized by law, administered by a Comarcal Council of El Bierzo, Comarcal Council.
Provision of services
![Borrador de UBOST CyL (2015)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Borrador_de_UBOST_CyL_%282015%29.svg)
The new territorial arrangement approved by Law 7/2013, on Planning, Services and Government of the Territory of the Community of Castile and León, establishes that the geographical spaces delimited for the provision of services are the Basic unit of territorial planning and services (Castile and León), basic unit of territorial planning and services (UBOST) -urban or rural- and functional areas -Stable functional area (Castile and León), stable or strategic-. Also, the new ordination determines that the Mancommunity of common interest (Castile and León), mancommunities of common interest are entities for the fulfillment of their specific purposes, which may be declared when their territorial scope substantially agrees with an UBOST or several contiguous ones.
This ordination is still in the implementation phase, and in September 2015 the draft map dividing the autonomous community was presented in 147 rural UBOST and 15 urban UBOST.
Autonomous institutions
![Burgos - Palacio de Justicia 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Burgos_-_Palacio_de_Justicia_1.jpg)
The Statute of Autonomy does not explicitly establish one Capital of Castile and León, capital. Initially the Cortes of Castile and León, Cortes were installed provisionally in Burgos; the possibility of fixing a capital in Tordesillas was also discussed, although the final decision was to install the Cortes of Castile and León, Cortes provisionally in the castle of Fuensaldaña.
Finally, through the autonomous laws 13/1987 and 14/1987, approved simultaneously, it was decided respectively to establish that the Castile and León Regional Government, Junta de Castilla y León -the government of the Community-, its president, and the Cortes of Castile and León, Cortes -the legislative body- had its headquarters in the city of
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
; and that the Upper Court of Justice of Castile and León had its headquarters in Burgos. The main autonomous institutions are the following:
*Castile and León Regional Government, Junta de Castilla y León (Regional Government of Castile and León), with headquarters in Valladolid, is the regional executive, formed by the President of the Junta of Castile and León, President of the Regional Government, the vice presidents and the councilors
*Cortes of Castile and León, Cortes de Castilla y León (Parliament of Castile and León), based in Valladolid
*Upper Court of Justice of Castile and León, Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Castilla y León (Upper Court of Justice of Castile and León), based in Burgos
Cortes of Castile and León
During the first legislature, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party was the party with the most representation in Cortes, being the first president of the community the Socialist Demetrio Madrid. Since the 1990s, regional policy has been framed by a series of absolute majorities of the People's Party (Spain), People's Party, which continues to comfortably govern at present. Other national parties with presence in the community, either locally or regionally, are United Left (Spain), United Left (previously as Communist Party of Spain) and Union, Progress and Democracy, with a significant presence in the provinces of province of Ávila, Ávila and province of Burgos, Burgos. Previously Democratic and Social Centre (Spain), Democratic and Social Centre of Adolfo Suárez also managed to be in the regional political life occupying the reformist center of the political spectrum.
The Leonesism through the Leonese People's Union, the Castilianism through Castilian Party, Party of Castile and León, previously Commoners' Land or localistas parties like Independent Solution (Spain), Independent Solution, Group of Zamoran Independent Electoral Members or Initiative for the Development of Soria have also had their presence, although at a lower level.
The community is governed by Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, of the People's Party (Spain), People's Party. This party obtained 29 Procurator in Cortes, procurators in the 2019 Castilian-Leonese regional election. Mañueco's investiture was supported by the party Citizens (Spanish political party), Citizens, with 12 representatives. The party that obtained the most seats at the election, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is in opposition, with 35 representatives. The leader of the opposition is Luis Tudanca. In addition, four more formations obtained parliamentary representation in the region: Podemos (Spanish political party), Podemos (2 seats), Vox (political party), Vox (1), For Ávila, XÁvila (1) and Leonese People's Union (1).
Economy
![Castile and León Product Exports (2020)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Castile_and_Le%C3%B3n_Product_Exports_%282020%29.svg)
The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the autonomous community was 57.9 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 4.8% of Spanish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,800 euros or 85% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 97% of the EU average.
Unemployment rate
In July 2009, in full Great Recession, unemployment reached 14.14% of the population, when in 2007 it was half, 6,99 %. According to the survey of the employment of the fourth quarter of 2014, the employment rate is 54.91% and the unemployment rate is 20.28%, while the national figure is 59,77 % of employment and 23.70% of unemployed. Below the regional average of unemployment are Segovia (14.33%), Valladolid (16.65%), Soria (16.96%) and Burgos (18.76%), while above Salamanca (21,25%), León (22.65%), Palencia (23.22%), Ávila (25.33%) and Zamora (26.62%).
The unemployment rate stood at 14.1% in 2017 and was slightly lower than the national average.
Primary sector
![Villarejo de Orbigo1 Leon Spain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Villarejo_de_Orbigo1_Leon_Spain.jpg)
;Field
The fields of Castile and Leon are arid and dry although very fertile, predominating in them the dryland farming. Despite this, irrigation has been gaining importance in the areas of the valleys of
Douro
The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...
,
Esla Esla or ESLA can refer to:
* Əşlə, Azerbaijani municipality
* 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 that starts in the Cantabrian Mountains and i ...
, Órbigo,
Pisuerga
The Pisuerga is a river in northern Spain, the Duero's second largest tributary. It rises in the Cantabrian Mountains in the province of Palencia, autonomous region of Castile and León.
Its traditional source is called Fuente Cobre, but it has ...
and
Tormes
The Tormes is a Spanish river, that starts in Prado Tormejón, in the mountain range of Gredos, Navarredonda de Gredos, province of Ávila. It crosses the provinces of Avila and Salamanca, ending at the Duero river, at a place known locally as Am ...
. The scarce orography and the improvement of communications has favored the entry of technical innovations throughout the process of agricultural production, especially in areas such as the province of Valladolid or the province of Burgos where the production per hectare is one of the highest in Spain. The most fertile Castilian-Leonese area coincides with the Esla valley, in León, in the fields of
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
and
Tierra de Campos
Tierra de Campos ("Land of Fields") is a large historical and natural region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain. It is a vast, desolate plain with practically ...
, a district that extends between province of Zamora, province of Valladolid, province of Palencia and province of León.
;Use of arable land
![Arco, castillo de Gormaz, Soria](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Arco%2C_castillo_de_Gormaz%2C_Soria.jpg)
Castile and León has an agricultural area close to 5,783,831 hectares, which is more than half of the total area of its total territory. Most of the farmland is dryland, due to the climate and the low rainfall. Only 10% of the area is irrigated, with plots of intensive production, much more profitable than dryland crops.
Despite the decline of the population in rural areas, the Castilian-Leonese agricultural production still represents 15% of the Spanish primary sector and its average occupation is lower than that of other autonomous communities.
;Types of crop
![Vinos DO de Castilla y León](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Vinos_DO_de_Castilla_y_Le%C3%B3n.svg)
Castile and León constitutes one of the main Spanish cereal areas. As the popular saying says: "''Castile, granary of Spain''". Although the most traditional crop was wheat, the production of barley has gained ground since the 1960s. These two cereals are followed, in number of hectares cultivated and volume of production, rye and oats. In addition to legumes, such as carob and chickpeas, sunflower cultivation has spread in the southern countryside.
The vineyard (56,337 ha) saw the number of hectares cultivated during the last three decades of the 20th century decrease considerably; However, the application of the most modern aging techniques has notably improved the Castilian-Leonese wines, which compete in quality with those of La Rioja and begin to be known outside the Spanish borders. The main viticultural areas of the region are Ribera del Duero, Ribera del Duero (DO), Rueda (DO), Toro (DO), Bierzo (DO), Arribes (wine), Arribes (DO) and Tierra de León (DO). Irrigated land is planted with sugar beet, a product that has been subsidized by the regional authorities, potatoes, alfalfa and vegetables. In the province of León, corn, hops and legumes are also sown.
;Livestock
![051127 1327 Villalba de los Llanos - Vaca morucha T01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/051127_1327_Villalba_de_los_Llanos_-_Vaca_morucha_T01.JPG)
Livestock represents an important part of the final agricultural production. Next to the small livestock units, which proliferate in the regions of pre-eminent agricultural dedication or in the mountain areas, now appears a modern livestock activity, with cattle, pig and sheep farms, of development. These farms are oriented both to the production of meat and to the supply of milk to the cooperatives that channel their subsequent commercialization, since the dairy production of Castile and León -more than one and a half million liters per year- is the second largest in Spain, only surpassed by Galicia.
Thus, small livestock farms tend to disappear, largely due to the effect of rural depopulation and the consequent loss of labor. Transhumant grazing is conserved in some areas; large herds, mainly sheep, travel every year hundreds of kilometers from the flat lands to the land with mountain pastures as in the El Bierzo, the Cantabrian valleys of province of León, the sierra de Gredos or Picos de Urbión. It is hard work that every time has less labor, having previously constituted a testimony of first importance on the history and cultural roots of the Castilian and Leonese people.
![Pinar de Valsaín](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Pinar_de_Valsa%C3%ADn.jpg)
The sheep herd is the most numerous, with 5,425,000 heads, followed by domestic pig (2,800,000) and cattle (1,200,000). A long way away is the goats (166,200 heads) and horses (71,700 horses, mules and donkeys). The highest production of meat corresponds to that of pigs (241,700 t), followed by bovine (89,400 t) and poultry (66,000 t); in wool production Castile and León leads the national balance with 7,500 t. Within the section of Protected Geographical indication (I.G.P), highlights Lechazo de Castilla y León (I.G.P.), Lechazo de Castilla y León, based in Aranda de Duero.
;Forest exploitation
In Castile and León there are about 1,900,000 hectares of non-arboreal, representing 40% of the total forest area. This deforestation is mainly due to the hand of the man who, over the centuries, has made forests disappear, giving way to areas of non-arboreal vegetation. Little by little, with the abandonment of rural areas and the reforestation policy of the Castilian and Leonese governments, this situation has been reversed.
Secondary sector
;Industry
![Factoría de Renault en Valladolid](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Factor%C3%ADa_de_Renault_en_Valladolid._Junta_de_Castilla_y_Le%C3%B3n._2018.jpg)
During 2000, the Castile and León industry occupied 18% of the active population and contributed 25% of GDP. The most developed industrial axis is that of
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
-Palencia-Burgos-Miranda de Ebro-Aranda de Duero, where there is an important car industry, paper industry, aeronautics and chemistry, and is where most of the industrial activity of the Castilian-Leonese territory is concentrated. The food industry derived from the farm and livestock, with flour, sunflower oil and wines, among others is also important, especially in the Ribera del Duero (comarca), Ribera del Duero comarca, especially in Aranda de Duero.
The main industrial poles of the community are:
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
(21,054 workers dedicated to the sector), Burgos (20,217), Aranda de Duero (4,872),
León (4,521), Ponferrada (4,270) and Ólvega (4,075).
Other industries are textiles in Béjar, roof tiles and bricks in Palencia, sugar in
León,
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
, Toro, Zamora, Toro, Miranda de Ebro and Benavente, Zamora, Benavente, the pharmaceutical company in
León,
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
and mainly in Aranda de Duero with a factory of the GlaxoSmithKline group, the metallurgical and steel company in Ponferrada and the chemistry in Miranda de Ebro and
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
, the aeronautics in Miranda de Ebro and
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
. In the remaining capitals there is a food industry derived from the agricultural and livestock exploitation, with flour, sunflower oil and wines, among others. This regional food industry, agro-food industry is flagged by Calidad Pascual based in Aranda de Duero. In the agricultural industry, within the production of fertilizers, the Mirat, founded on 1812 in Salamanca, stands out.
In
Soria
Soria () is a municipality and a Spanish city, located on the Douro river in the east of the autonomous community of Castile and León and capital of the province of Soria. Its population is 38,881 ( INE, 2017), 43.7% of the provincial populati ...
the logging, logging industry and furniture manufacturing is also relevant to the regional economy.
The president of the Castilian-Leonese employers' association is currently Ginés Clemente, owner of the Aciturri Aeronáutica, based in Miranda de Ebro. It is a leading international aeronautical group, with contracts with groups such as Boeing and Airbus, which makes Castile and León a benchmark in the sector.
;Construction
The 16,34 % of the companies in Castile and León belong to the auxiliary sector of construction. Among the largest companies in the sector, the following stand out: Grupo Pantersa, Begar (corporation), Begar, Grupo MRS, Isolux Corsán, Llorente Corporation, Volconsa and of auxiliary construction sector, Artepref of Gerardo de la Calle Group.
;Mining
![Mina de pizarra a cielo abierto en la provincia de León](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Mina_de_pizarra_a_cielo_abierto_en_la_provincia_de_Le%C3%B3n._Junta_de_Castilla_y_Le%C3%B3n._2000.jpg)
In Castile and León, the mining activity acquired great importance in the Roman times, when a road was drawn, the Vía de la Plata, to transfer the gold extracted in the deposits of Las Médulas, in the Leonese comarca of El Bierzo, the route started from
Asturica Augusta
Astorga () is a municipality and city of Spain located in the central area of the province of León, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León, southwest of the provincial capital. It is located in the transit between the Páramo Leoné ...
(Astorga) to
Emerita Augusta (Mérida) and Hispalis (Seville).
Centuries later, after the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
, mining was one of the factors that contributed to the economic development of the region. However, the production of iron, tin and tungsten decreased notably from the 1970s, while bituminous coal and anthracite mines were maintained thanks to the domestic demand for coal for thermal power plants. The economic reconversion that affected the Leonese mining basin and Palencian mining basin during the 1980s and 1990s resulted in the closure of numerous mines, social impoverishment, with a sharp increase of unemployment and the beginning of a new migratory movement towards other Spanish regions. Despite the investments of the Mining Action Plan of the Junta de Castilla y León, traditional coal mining operations have entered into a severe crisis.
;Energy sources
![Presa Aldeadávila desembalsando](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Presa_Aldead%C3%A1vila_desembalsando.JPG)
In addition to the northern basin, in those of the Douro and Ebro rivers there are numerous hydroelectric plants that allow Castile and León to be one of the first autonomous communities producing electricity. Among others are those of Burguillo, Rioscuro, Las Ondinas, Cornatel, Bárcena, Aldeadávila Dam, Aldeadávila I and II, Saucelle Dam, Saucelle I and II, Castro Dam, Castro I and II, Villalcampo Dam, Villalcampo I and II, Valparaíso and Ricobayo Dam, Ricobayo I and II.
The total installed hydraulic power amounts to 3,979 MW
and annual production in 2010 was 5,739 GWH.
Only in the system Saltos del Duero there are more than 3000 MW installed. In this way, Castile and León is the first Spanish autonomous community in installed capacity and the second in production.
[
The nuclear power is 466 MW, having produced 3,579.85 GWh in 2009. The Santa María de Garoña Nuclear Power Plant, only nuclear plant in Castile and León on August 1, 2017 was definitively and irrevocably closed.
The coal thermal produces around 16,956 GWh per year at the following plants:
;Thermal power stations in Castile and León
]
This community stands out for the importance of the production of renewable energy. Castile and León is the community that covers the largest proportion of its electricity demand through renewable energy, renewable energies: 82,9 % in 2009. Traditional hydroelectric power It has been added with force since the late 1990s and 2000 wind power, with more than 100 parks in operation and a production of 5,449 GWh in that same year. By provinces, it is at the top Eolic parks of Burgos, Burgos with 46, and a total of 3,128 MW of installed power.
Among the non-renewable energies is also the natural gas (194 MW of installed power) and fuel-diesel fuel (69 MW).
The provinces of Valladolid and Burgos are the most economically advanced regions, with a GDP per capita higher than the national average. Even so, the average GDP per capita of the community of Castile and León is slightly below than average, at 21,244 euros per inhabitant.
Tertiary sector
Tourism
Some of its tourism highlights include the walls of Ávila, Spain, Ávila, and the cathedrals of Burgos and León, Spain, Leon.
Castile and León has several cities whose Holy Week is considered to be of International Tourist Interest. Examples are Holy Week in León, Holy Week in Salamanca, Holy Week in Valladolid or Holy Week in Zamora.
The region also has a wide network of Paradores, hotels of great quality that usually accommodate buildings of great historical value in privileged places to stimulate tourism in the area.
Since 1988, the foundation ''Las Edades del Hombre'' has been organizing various exhibitions of religious art in various parts of the national and international geography, highlighting for its interest the exhibitions held in Castile and León. The idea of carrying out these exhibitions was conceived in a chimney of Alcazarén with the writer José Jiménez Lozano and the priest of Valladolid José Velicia. The first "Las Edades del Hombre" were held in the Church of Santiago Apóstol of Alcazarén, with a small exhibition of sacred paintings. Later, and with the support of important personalities, the first known exhibition was held among the public, which was that of Valladolid. In 2012 the initiative was developed under the name of ''Monacatus'' in the town of Oña, being one of the most multitudinous editions with about 200 000 visitors. The last sample so far has taken place in the municipality of Arévalo, in 2013. With the title of ''Credo'', the exhibition has revolved around the faith and has received more than 226 000 visitors.
Domestic trade and exports abroad
The internal trade of Castile and León is concentrated in the sector of food, automotive, fabric and footwear. For foreign trade, according to the region, vehicles and car chassis are mainly exported in Province of Ávila, Province of Palencia and Province of Valladolid, tires in Province of Burgos and Province of Valladolid, steel bars and slate manufactures in León, beef in Province of Salamanca, pigs in Province of Segovia, rubber manufactures in Province of Soria and goat meat, goat and sheep meat, together with wine, in Province of Zamora.
Castile and León also exports a lot of wine, being Province of Valladolid the one that more bottles sells abroad. As regards imports, vehicles and their accessories, such as engines or tires, are in the lead. The Region also imports mainly products from France, Italy, United Kingdom, [Germany, [Portugal and the United States and exports mostly to the countries of the European Union and to Turkey, Israel and United States.
Culture
Education
; Universities
*Public
**University of Burgos
**University of León
**University of Salamanca
**University of Valladolid
**National University of Distance Education
*Private
**Catholic University of Ávila (''Universidad Católica Santa Teresa de Jesús de Ávila'')
**Miguel de Cervantes European University (Valladolid)
**IE University (''Instituto de Empresa Universidad'', Segovia)
**Pontifical University of Salamanca
Transportation
Rail
Castilla y León has an extensive rail network, including the principal lines from Madrid to Cantabria
Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
and Galicia. The line from Paris 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
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
are all important railway junctions.
Railways operate in several different gauges: Iberian gauge (), UIC gauge () and Narrow gauge railway, Narrow gauge (). Except for some narrow-gauge lines, trains are operated by Renfe on lines maintained by the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (Spain), Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF); both of these are national, state-owned companies.
Narrow gauge
*León - Bilbao: Ferrocarril de La Robla, Europe's longest narrow-gauge line, operated by Renfe Feve
*Cercedilla - Cotos: operated by Renfe
*Ponferrada - Villablino: operated by the Ferrocarril MSP under the Junta of Castile and León
Roads
The region is also crossed by two major ancient routes:
*The Way of St. James, mentioned #Tourism, 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 #Mining, 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).[Ha entrado en vigor la nueva Ley de carreteras de Castilla y León que regula la planificación, proyección, construcción, conservación, financiación, uso y explotación de las carreteras con itinerario comprendido íntegramente en el territorio de la Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla y León y que no sean de titularidad del Estado]
This law allows for the possibility of
roads financed by the private sector through concession (contract), concessions, as well as the public construction of roads that has long prevailed.
See also
*Castilian-Leonese cuisine
*List of oldest church buildings
References
;Informational notes
;Citations
External links
Cortes de Castilla y León (Regional Parliament)
Junta de Castilla y León (Regional Government)
(Mostly in Spanish)
(historical)
Tourist Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castile And Leon
Castile and León,
NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union
States and territories established in 1983
Autonomous communities of Spain