Palencia is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of northern
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 ...
, in the northern part of the
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 ...
of
Castile and León
Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain.
It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...
in the north 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, defi ...
. It is bordered by the provinces of
León,
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 ...
,
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 t ...
, and
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
.
Overview
Of the population of 176,125 (2002), 45% live in the capital,
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 ...
which is located on the
Canal de Castilla. There are 191 municipalities in the province, of which more than half are villages with fewer than 200 people. The major towns in this province are:
Guardo
Guardo is a municipality in the province of Palencia, in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain.
The town is located at 42° 47' 00" north, 4° 50' 00" west on the banks of the Carrión River. It is the second most populated municipality ...
, an industrial-mining town;
Aguilar de Campoo, a biscuit and tourist village in northern Palencia;
Herrera de Pisuerga
Herrera de Pisuerga is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. It takes its name from the River Pisuerga.
According to the 2004 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nuk ...
, a village that is the gateway to the Palencine mountain, is also known for its summer activities and Crab Festival;
Venta de Baños
Venta de Baños is a small town and municipality of about 6,400 inhabitants located in the Cerrato district of the province of Palencia, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León in central Spain. It lies some 10 km south of the ...
, an important railway and industrial junction south of the province;
Villamuriel de Cerrato
Villamuriel de Cerrato is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE), the municipality had a population of 5,304 inhabitants.
Fr Adolfo Nicolás
Adolfo Nicolás Pachón ...
, a village to the south of Palencia that owes its development to the Renault factory and its proximity to Palencia;
Cervera de Pisuerga
Cervera de Pisuerga is a municipality located in the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain.
According to the 2004 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research c ...
, in the heart of the Palencine mountains;
Barruelo, a mining town
that was the most populated town until the 1960s. During the Middle Ages, the
Visigoths
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 ...
ruled Palencia. Basílica de San Juan, the oldest Visigothic church in Spain, was built in 661 in the province's
Baños de Cerrato Banos or Baños ( es, baths) may refer to:
* Banos, Landes, a commune in the Landes department of France
* Baños de Agua Santa, a city and popular tourist destination in Tungurahua Province, Ecuador
*Baños Canton, Ecuador, of which Baños de Agua ...
.
During the thirteenth century a university was founded in the province. It was the first university in Spain and one of the first in the world. It was later shifted to Valladolid.
The province is bordered on the north by
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 ...
, on the west by the province of
León, on the east by the province of
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 t ...
and on the south by the province of
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
.
In Palencia large protected areas such as the Natural Park of Fuentes Carrionas and Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palencia are located.
The term historical region in Palencia, refers to those regions created in the fourteenth century, under the name merindades. Cantabrian Mountains are located in the northerns parts of the province. The 8,268 feet (2,520 metres) high Curavacas peak is located in the province.
The major commercial products produced in the province are barley, wheat, sugar beets, hemp, linen and woolen clothes, porcelain, leather, paper, and rugs. Food processing and metallurgy are major industries.
The province has three judicial districts–one each in Palencia, Carrión de los Condes and Cervera de Pisuerga.
Population development
The historical population is given in the following chart:
Colors=
id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9)
id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7)
id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1)
ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:30
PlotArea = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:240
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
AlignBars = late
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:20 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:5 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
PlotData=
color:skyblue width:20 shift:(-50,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till
bar:1877 from:0 till:180 text:180,128
bar:1887 from:0 till:189 text:189,431
bar:1900 from:0 till:192 text:192,246
bar:1910 from:0 till:198 text:197,680
bar:1920 from:0 till:196 text:195,914
bar:1930 from:0 till:212 text:212,092
bar:1940 from:0 till:227 text:222,662
bar:1950 from:0 till:236 text:236,008
bar:1960 from:0 till:237 text:237,426
bar:1970 from:0 till:202 text:201,532
bar:1980 from:0 till:188 text:188,479
bar:1990 from:0 till:185 text:185,479
bar:2000 from:0 till:174 text:174,143
bar:2010 from:0 till:171 text:170,513
bar:2020 from:0 till:160 text:160,321
TextData=
pos:(35,20) fontsize:M
text:"Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE"
See also
*
List of municipalities in Palencia
This is a list of the municipalities in the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Spain.
See also
*Geography of Spain
*List of cities in Spain
{{Municipalities of Spain
Palencia
Palencia () is a city of ...
* The
Arauz Formation is situated in Palencia (Devonian of Spain).
[Silur und Devon im Arauz-Gebiet (Prov. Palencia, N-Spanien). H. Jahnke, A. Henn, H. Mader and J. Schweineberg, 1983, Newsletters on Stratigraphy, 13(1), pages 40-66, ]
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palencia, Province of