Ourense (in
Spanish, ''Orense'') is a Spanish
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
, in the southeastern part of the
autonomous community of
Galicia
Galicia may refer to:
Geographic regions
* Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain
** Gallaecia, a Roman province
** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia
** The medieval King ...
. It is bordered by the provinces of
Pontevedra to the west,
Lugo to the north,
León and
Zamora, (which both belong to
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 th ...
) to the east, and 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 th ...
to the south. With an area of 7,278 square km., it is the only landlocked province in Galicia. The provincial capital,
Ourense, is the largest population centre, with the rest of the province being predominantly rural.
Denomination
''Ourense'' (in
Galician) is the official name adopted by Parliament in Spain, according to Law 2/1998.
Geography
Ourense is surrounded by
mountains on all sides. These mountains historically isolated the province from the more populated Galician coast. Until a highway was built in recent years linking Ourense with
Vigo in the west and
Benavente in the east, the only quick way for people to enter or leave the province was by railway.
The principal river system is the Miño-Sil, the fertile valleys of which produce corn (maize) and grapes for wine. Due to the many rapids these rivers are not navigable, but they have been harnessed for hydroelectric power. The Sil flows through a deep canyon and has become a sought-after tourist site for its river cruises and views.
The
Limia River begins north of
Xinzo de Limia
Xinzo de Limia is a town and municipality in the province of Ourense, Autonomous Community of Galicia, Spain. It lies on the important Autovia das Rias Baixas in the fertile valley of Antela, approximately 33 km from Verín and 43&nbs ...
and flows south towards Portugal; the
Lindoso reservoir
Alto Lindoso Dam ( pt, Barragem do Alto Lindoso, links=no) is a concrete double curvature arch dam on the Lima River. It is located in the municipality Ponte da Barca, in Viana do Castelo District, Portugal. The dam lies in Peneda-Gerês Nationa ...
is on this river as it crosses the border into Portugal. The
Tâmega River, another important Portuguese river begins north of
Verín
Verín is a town and municipality in the southeast of the province of Ourense, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The population of the municipality is about 14,433. It is located 70 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Ourense and ...
.
The mountainous terrain and isolation have kept the province economically challenged and encouraged much emigration to the rest of Spain and to the New World. There is some wine production along the Miño valley and near
Verín
Verín is a town and municipality in the southeast of the province of Ourense, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The population of the municipality is about 14,433. It is located 70 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Ourense and ...
. There is also considerable pig breeding and potato growing, especially around the area of Xinzo da Limia, in the drained lakebed of Antela, which until the 1960s was the largest fresh-water lake in Spain.
Protected areas
The province has several protected areas and some natural parks, including:
*
Baixa Limia-Serra do Xures, near the border with Portugal
*Natural Park da Serra de Enciña da Lastra
*O Invernadeiro
Demography
Of the province's population of 309,986 (2018), about 30 per cent in the capital, Ourense, with 105,000 inhabitants.
There are 92 municipalities in Ourense. Other than the capital the most important are
O Barco de Valdeorras,
Verín
Verín is a town and municipality in the southeast of the province of Ourense, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The population of the municipality is about 14,433. It is located 70 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Ourense and ...
,
Ribadavia
Ribadavia is a town and municipality located in the southwest of the province of Ourense, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The urban area lies on the right bank of the Miño river and the last course of the Avia river. It is the capital o ...
,
Allariz,
A Rua
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
,
O Carballiño
O Carballiño is a municipality in the Spanish province of Ourense
Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the autonomous community of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés ...
,
Viana do Bolo
Viana do Bolo (in Spanish ''Viana del Bollo'') is a large municipality in Ourense in the Galicia region of north-west Spain. It is located in the south-east of the province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a countr ...
, and
Xinzo de Limia
Xinzo de Limia is a town and municipality in the province of Ourense, Autonomous Community of Galicia, Spain. It lies on the important Autovia das Rias Baixas in the fertile valley of Antela, approximately 33 km from Verín and 43&nbs ...
. As of 2018, Ourense has the lowest birthrate of any Spanish province, posting a population growth rate of -2,993.
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:500
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
AlignBars = late
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:50 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:10 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo
PlotData=
color:skyblue width:20 shift:(-50,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till
bar:1877 from:0 till:398 text:397,976
bar:1887 from:0 till:415 text:415,237
bar:1900 from:0 till:420 text:419,665
bar:1910 from:0 till:446 text:446,342
bar:1920 from:0 till:466 text:466,398
bar:1930 from:0 till:476 text:476,336
bar:1940 from:0 till:495 text:494,966
bar:1950 from:0 till:494 text:494,283
bar:1960 from:0 till:488 text:488,241
bar:1970 from:0 till:441 text:441,260
bar:1980 from:0 till:430 text:430,159
bar:1990 from:0 till:353 text:353,491
bar:2000 from:0 till:338 text:338,446
bar:2010 from:0 till:329 text:328,697
bar:2020 from:0 till:307 text:306,650
TextData=
pos:(35,20) fontsize:M
text:"Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE"
Economy
Industries include chemical manufacture, milk production, water bottling near Verín, and clothing manufacture near the capital city of Ourense. One of the largest poultry processing companies is also located in the industrial zone near that city.
The province has also four
wine regions, out of five in the whole region of Galicia.
Ribeiro,
Ribeira Sacra
Ribeira Sacra is a Spanish Denominación de Origen, Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) (''Denominación de Orixe Protexida'' in Galician language, Galician) for wines located in the south of the province of Province of Lugo, Lugo and in the ...
,
Monterrei and
Valdeorras
Valdeorras is a comarca in the Galician Province of Ourense. The overall population of this local region is 25,500 (2019).
Municipalities
* O Barco de Valdeorras, capital of the comarca
* O Bolo
* Carballeda de Valdeorras
* Larouco
* Petín
...
.
Although not a major tourist center, tourism contributes somewhat to the economy.
The river valleys attract holidaymakers, and there are several preserved medieval towns (
Allariz and
Ribadavia
Ribadavia is a town and municipality located in the southwest of the province of Ourense, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The urban area lies on the right bank of the Miño river and the last course of the Avia river. It is the capital o ...
).
See also
*
List of municipalities in Ourense
*
Monterrei (DO)
*
Galician wine
Galician wine is Spanish wine made in the autonomous community of Galicia in the northwest corner of Spain. It includes wine made in the provinces of A Coruña, Ourense, Pontevedra and Lugo. Within Galicia are five '' Denominacións de Orixe'' (D ...
*
Hot springs Ourense
References
External links
Tourist infoPhotographs of Ourense
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ourense, Province of