Castile and León
About Castile and León
Castile and León is also called Castilla y León in Spanish language. It was built in 1978 binding the Old Castile and León and it was also a pre-autonomous region. Then later, in 1983 it evolved to an autonomous community.
It covers approximately 95 thousand square kilometers of Spain and has a population of 2.5 million people. Most of the Castile and León region is covered by mountains. Furthermore, it is elevated at 800m above sea level. The region consists of hilly peaks covered in portions of clay soil.
This region also has several rivers. Douro is the longest and it runs about 900 kilometers from its headwaters located near Picos de Urbión to the Portuguese city called Oporto. This river flows through a canyon in the famous Natural Park Arribes del Duero where it forms a geographical border with Portugal continuing to flow north.
Extraordinary climate
Besides rivers, this area consists of reservoirs, lakes and lagoons. The famous lagoon is Laguna Negra near the Picos de Urbión and there is Laguna Grande in Gredos. Despite very little rainfall, this area has the largest amount of water in reserve in the whole country. The climate in Castile and León is continental Mediterranean.
As interesting as this is, it varies from region to region within the area. Therefore the whole area around Castile and León experiences specific climate from Atlantic Ocean. On one side, the central region has typical Mediterranean temperatures and mild winds whereas the northeast and east sections have Mediterranean mountain climate that has a lot of rain and hot summers with harsh winters.
Made of nine provinces
It is very important to say that Castile and León has 9 territories: Burgos, Avila, Zamora, León, Salamanca, Palencia, Segovia, Soria and Valladolid. Every territory has got its name from its own capital. Besides the fact that it has its own autonomy, it does not have any capital, therefore its capital is Valladolid.
This city is the social and economical center of the region. The jurisdiction center is located in Burgos, although some other important government bodies can be found in Zamora as well.
Moreover, Junta de Castilla which is roughly translated as “Council” presents the executive center of Castille and Leon. The area of Castile and León is very famous for its cuisine, national parks and decorative habitudes. From wonderful landscapes to Rocky Mountains, this might be your choice of vacation.