The Alcarria ( es, La Alcarria) is a

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

in Castile (

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 is located mainly in

Guadalajara Province Guadalajara () is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2013 it had a population of 257,723 people. The population of the province has grown in the last 10 years. It is located in the centre of ...

but also overlaps those of Cuenca and

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

. Its principal attractions are its fauna and flora and it is noted for its

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

and a special breed of

lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

. The most notable towns in the region are:

Almonacid de Zorita Almonacid de Zorita is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2013 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the membe ...

Brihuega Brihuega is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. According to the 2007 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 2,835 inhabitants. In 1710 a hard-fought battle took place in the township between Lord Stanhop ...

, Cifuentes, Guadalajara,

Illana Illana () is a town and municipality in the province of Guadalajara, Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha. It belongs to the natural region of La Alcarria The Alcarria ( es, La Alcarria) is a natural region in Castil ...

, Priego, Jadraque, Mondéjar, Pastrana,

Sacedón Sacedón is a city located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. According to the 2007 census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given popul ...

, Trillo and Villalba del Rey. The region figures prominently in the travel book ''

Viaje a la Alcarria ''Journey to the Alcarria'' ( es, Viaje a la Alcarria, links=no) is a travel book by the Spanish Nobel Prize-winning author Camilo José Cela. It was published in 1948. Written in the third person, the book describes the author's travels in the Al ...

'' (Journey to the Alcarria) by

Camilo José Cela Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Litera ...

.Old Spain and New Spain: The Travel Narratives of Camilo José Cela (Book Review)
Farleigh Dickinson University

Geography

La Alcarria is a kind of plateau brought out by the rising 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 ...

. The strata that form this plateau are smoothly undulating. Limestones and gypsum are common because of its origins below the sea surface (from the Mesozoic Era; the red sandstone and the earth-originated conglomerated stones were more recently formed. Over this strata of sedimentary stones, the rivers have originated deep and quite often, broad valleys, gorges and many other karst phenomena, as those that can be seen in the north of the Province of Cuenca (Las Majadas, El Hosquillo, La

Ciudad Encantada The Ciudad Encantada (English: Enchanted City) is a geological site near the city of Cuenca, in the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha, Spain in which the erosive forces of weather and the waters of the nearby Júcar river have forme ...

, Ravines of the rivers

Beteta Beteta is a municipality in Cuenca, Castile-La Mancha, Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further ...

and

Júcar left The Júcar () or Xúquer () is a river on the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. The river runs for approximately 509 km from its source at Ojuelos de Valdeminguete, on the eastern flank of the Montes Universales, Sistema Ibérico. Its most i ...

and in almost the whole

Province of Guadalajara Guadalajara () is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2013 it had a population of 257,723 people. The population of the province has grown in the last 10 years. It is located in the centre of ...

(Canyon of River Dulce, high course of

River Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

, Ravine of River Corduentes and below the waters of the reservoir of Entrepeñas, also in the River Tagus). Is precisely, the name of Entrepeñas (among rocks) the one that represents the character of all the area, since River Tagus forms there a beautiful canyon close to Sacedón, where that dam is. The upper level of the plateau of La Alcarria is quite uniform as can be seen in the photo, although it descends softly from north to south. In this image you can also see the sudden valley to the right (to the South of Escamilla) made by the valley of the River Guadiela.

References

External links

Descriptive article by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo
(Spanish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcarria, La Alcarria, La Guadalajara, Spain Natural regions

Geography

See also

References

External links