Valdepiélagos is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

of 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 ...

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 ...

.Valdepielagos
Pueblos Espana. Accessed September 13, 2012. It received the title of ''villa'' (town) on 3 May 1801.

Etymology

The origins of the word Valdepiélagos are obscure, nevertheless linguists and historians have proposed two different versions about this name: * ''Valdepiélagos'' comes from the transposition of ''val'' (archaic short form of ''valle'' meaning

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

), preposition ''de'' (''of''), and ''piélago'' (from Latin ''

pelagus Pelagus is a state constituency in Sarawak, Malaysia, that has been represented in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is the legislative chamber of the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state o ...

'',

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

), which is a poetic word to name a sea or ocean or, in a figurative sense (as it seems in this case) an abundance of waters. According to this theory, the meaning of Valdepiélagos would be ''valley of many waters''. * ''Valdepiélagos'' was also the place chosen by the ancient residents of nearby

Talamanca de Jarama Talamanca de Jarama is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. Sights include the Romanesque church of San Juan Bautista, the a 17th-century Carthusian monastery and the ''Ábside de los Milagros'' (also known as ''El Morabito''), wh ...

for laying the skins of animals under the sun in order to dry them before they could be further worked on. Thus, the name would consist of ''val'' + ''de'' + ''piel'' (which means ''skin'' in Spanish) + ''lagos'' (''lakes'', again in reference to the numerous currents and waters). This explanation is consistent with the local place names in the area, with towns often being named after the trade commodity they produced.

Location and road access

The town of Valdepiélagos is situated on the north-eastern limit of the Community of Madrid, bordering the

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 ...

to the north and east, and the municipality of

to the south and west. Regarding to road access, two motorways traverse the municipality: the M-120 which runs from Mesones to

; and the M-125 running from El Cubillo. Access from the city of

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 ...

can be achieved by entering the A-1 motorway heading to Burgos and then taking the Exit 50 to get to the N-320 heading to Guadalajara. Access from Guadalajara itself is made by taking the N-320 in the opposite direction. The village is connected with some buses of line 197 (Madrid (

Plaza de Castilla The Plaza de Castilla ( en, "Castile Square") is a roundabout in the north of Madrid, Spain. Location It is located in the north of the city and is bisected by Paseo de la Castellana, one of the main thoroughfares of the capital, almost at its ...

) -

Torrelaguna Torrelaguna () is a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain. It covers an area of 43.40 km2. , it has a population of 4,724. History Public transport Torrelaguna has three line buses. They are: Line 197: Torrelaguna - Madrid (Pl ...

) and line 197 E (

- Valdepiélagos - Torrelaguna)

Climate

Valdepiélagos' altitude of 744 meters above sea level and its location near the center 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 ...

lead to a harsh continental climate yielding hot summers (with mean temperatures around 24 °C and high temperatures above 35 °C) and cold winters with mean temperatures around 5 °C, where chill is present although snow is not abundant. Spring and autumn feature milder temperatures. Raining season is from spring to autumn, with an average of 530 liters per square meter falling yearly.

Vegetation

Vegetation in Valdepiélagos is diverse and corresponds to the type found in the zone of central Spain with its continental climate: * Countryside vegetation: mainly

thicket A thicket is a very dense stand of trees or tall shrubs, often dominated by only one or a few species, to the exclusion of all others. They may be formed by species that shed large numbers of highly viable seeds that are able to germinate in t ...

s, gorse bushes,

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus '' Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigen ...

rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name ''Rosmar ...

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

bramble A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...

... * Riparian vegetation: predominantly black poplars and

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

s. Also noteworthy are the

elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...

s, and more specifically the remains of a large elm grove which opened at the entrance to the village and that was decimated by DED back in the early 80s. * Crop vegetation: essentially

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

s and

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

, in that order.

Economy

Valdepiélagos' economy is based upon the following pillars: * Agriculture: with wheat, olives and barley being grown. * Animal husbandry: declining in the last years, today only a single flock of sheep remains. * Trade: with consumer goods businesses like a bakery, a butcher shop, an automobile workshop, supermarkets, bars... * Other: for example construction or SMEs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valdepielagos Municipalities in the Community of Madrid