Torrejón de Ardoz

Coordinates: 40°27′N 3°29′W / 40.450°N 3.483°W / 40.450; -3.483
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Torrejón de Ardoz from the air.

Torrejón de Ardoz is a town in the urban area of Madrid, Spain that has about 110,000 inhabitants.

It is located 20 km east of Madrid, on the Autovía A-2 (Madrid-Barcelona highway). It is essentially a dormitory town, mostly consisting of apartments. It can be reached by bus from Avenida de América bus station in Madrid (approx. 25 minutes) or by commuter train from Madrid Atocha railway station (30 minutes).

The European Union Satellite Centre, an agency of the European Union, is located in Torrejón de Ardoz. It is also the location of the headquarters of the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, the Spanish Space Agency.

There is also a military airbase in Torrejón de Ardoz. This base receives business jets, and its runway can be seen to the right when landing at Madrid's Barajas airport. For years, the United States Air Force occupied the base under agreements made with Francisco Franco, protecting NATO's southern flank. One of the election platforms of Felipe González's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) was to close the base to the American fighter wing. González having been elected, the lease of the then 401st Tactical Fighter Wing (now the 401st Air Expeditionary Wing) was not renewed and the F-16 fighter wing left the base in the early 1990s.

History

There is no certainty of the origin of Torrejon de Ardoz, but it probably dates from the 12th century, associated to fortifications built to protect Alcalá de Henares.[1]

In 1843 it was the place of a short battle between general Ramón Narvaez and senator Antonio Seoane, as part of the rebellion against Espartero.[2]

During the opening stages of the Spanish Civil War, the fields between Torrejón and Paracuellos del Jarama were the site of the Paracuellos massacre, in which many Nationalist soldiers and alleged civilian supporters were killed by Republican militiamen.

Recently, it was the birthplace of former Toronto Raptors forward Jorge Garbajosa, Real Madrid midfielder Guti and professional wrestler Glenn Jacobs, better known by his ring name Kane.

Climate

Climate data for Torrejon de Ardoz
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9
(48)
11
(51)
15
(59)
17
(62)
23
(73)
27
(80)
31
(87)
31
(87)
26
(78)
19
(66)
12
(53)
9
(48)
19
(66)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1
(33)
1
(33)
4
(39)
5
(41)
9
(48)
13
(55)
16
(60)
15
(59)
13
(55)
8
(46)
3
(37)
1
(33)
7
(45)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 38
(1.5)
51
(2)
30
(1.2)
38
(1.5)
36
(1.4)
25
(1)
10
(0.4)
10
(0.4)
33
(1.3)
61
(2.4)
71
(2.8)
53
(2.1)
456
(18)
Source: Weatherbase [3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Torrejón Townhall website (in spanish)
  2. ^ Torrejón Townhall website (in spanish)
  3. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Torrejon de Ardoz, Spain". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.

40°27′N 3°29′W / 40.450°N 3.483°W / 40.450; -3.483