Province of Ciudad Real

The province of Ciudad Real (pronounced [θjuˈðað reˈal]) is a province in the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It is bordered by the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, Jaén, Córdoba, Badajoz, and Toledo. It is partly located in the old natural region of La Mancha. Its capital is Ciudad Real. It is the third biggest province of Spain, after Cáceres and Badajoz. The historical comarca Campo de Calatrava is located in the centre of the province.

History

Ciudad Real was one of the 49 provinces in which Spain was divided in the territorial reorganization of 1833, taking its name from its largest city and capital. Its limits corresponded more or less to the historical province of La Mancha, which was part of the kingdom of Toledo.

The autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha came into being on 15 November 1978, as one of several autonomous regions to be established by the Spanish central government. The new, hyphenated name was chosen in an effort to join together two distinct regions, that of the historic Castilla, which extended beyond the new autonomous region, and that of the smaller historic province of La Mancha. Initially a "pre-autonomous" region, the reorganisation proposal finally took effect one week after the Statute of Autonomy of Castilla–La Mancha was approved on 10 August 1982. Under this new arrangement, Castilla-La Mancha was subdivided into five provinces, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo, each named after its largest town and capital city. The province of Ciudad Real was further subdivided into six comarcas (administrative districts), these being Valle de Alcudia, Campo de Calatrava, Mancha, Montes, Montiel and Sierra Morena.

Geography

The province of Ciudad Real is located in central Spain and is the third largest province in the country with an area of 19,813 km² (7,650 sq mi). To the north lies the Province of Toledo, to the northeast the Province of Cuenca, to the east the Province of Albacete, to the south lie the Provinces of Córdoba and Jaén, and to the west the Province of Badajoz. To the northwest of the province is a separate area, the exclave of Anchuras, which is sandwiched between the Province of Badajoz and the Province of Toledo. The provincial capital is Ciudad Real. The province is part of the plateau of La Mancha, an elevated but fertile area averaging 500 to 600 metres (1,600 to 2,000 ft) above sea level, the highest elevation being in the comarca of Campo de Montiel at 900 metres (2,950 ft). The main river, crossing the province from east to west, is the Guadiana, and its right bank tributary, the Cigüela.

Most of the province is an arid plain, cool in summer and very cold in winter with wide daily fluctuations. The area is agricultural, with wheat, barley, oats, sugar beet, grapes and olives being grown. Cattle are raised here and there are large flocks of sheep. In the valleys formed by the upper reaches of the Guadiana and Cigüela is a wetland area called La Mancha Húmeda. The lagoons and marshes have a resident population of wetland birds and are visited by migrating wildfowl in autumn and spring.

The Tablas de Daimiel National Park is located in the province of Ciudad Real, and the Cabañeros National Park is shared with the neighbouring Province of Toledo.

In the centre of the province is the Campo de Calatrava, a volcanic field. It covers an area of 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) and has more than three hundred individual structures. It is composed of pyroclastic cones, lava domes and maars, and rises to 1,117 m (3,665 ft). The last known eruption was around 3,600 BC.

See also

• List of municipalities in Ciudad Real