Castile and León[a] is anautonomous community in northwesternSpain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a population density below 30/km2. Whilea capital has not been explicitly declared, the seats of the executive and legislative powers are set inValladolid by law, and for all purposes that city (also the most populated municipality) serves as thede facto regional capital.
Checkered banner featuring the castle of Castile and the lion of León in the cathedral of Burgos.
The Statute of Autonomy of Castile and León, reformed most recently in 2007, establishes in the sixth article of its preliminary title the symbols of the community's exclusive identity. These are: thecoat of arms, theflag, thebanner and the anthem. Its legal protection is the same as that corresponding to thesymbols of the State -whose outrages are classified as crime in article 543 of thePenal Code-.[10]
In the articulated statuary, the coat of arms is defined as follows:[10]
The coat of arms of Castile and León is a stamped shield by open royalcrown, barracked in cross. The first and fourth quartering: in the field ofgules, a merloned golden castle of three merlons, drafted of sable and rinse ofazure. The second and third quartering: in a silver field, a rampant lion of purple, lingued, dyed and armed with gules, crowned with gold.
The flag of Castile and León is quartered and contains the symbols of Castile and León, as described in the previous section. The flag will fly in all the centres and official acts of the Community, to the right of the Spanish flag.
Following the same wording, the banner is constituted by the shield quartered on a traditionalcrimson background. The Statute also expresses: "The anthem and the other symbols [...] will be regulated by specific law". After the promulgation of the fundamental norm, this law was not promulgated, so the anthem does not exist, butde iure is a symbol of autonomy.[10]
Several archaeological findings show that in prehistoric times these lands were already inhabited. In theAtapuerca Mountains have been found many bones of the ancestors ofHomo sapiens, making these findings one of the most important to determine the history of human evolution. The most important discovery that catapulted the site to international fame was the remains ofHomo heidelbergensis.
Before the arrival of the Romans, it is known that the territories that make up Castile and León today were occupied by variousCeltic peoples, such asVaccaei,Autrigones,Turmodigi, theVettones,Astures orCeltiberians.[11] The Roman conquest resulted in warring with the local tribes. One particularly famous episode was the siege ofNumantia, an old town located near the current city ofSoria.
With the fall of Rome, the lands were occupied militarily by theVisigoth peoples of Germanic origin. The subsequent arrival of the Arabs was followed by a process known as theReconquista (Reconquest). In the mountainous area ofAsturias, a small Christian kingdom was created that opposed the Islamic presence in the Peninsula. It proclaimed itself an heir of the last Visigoth kings, who in turn had been deeply romanized. This resistance of Visigoth-Roman heritage, supported by Christianity, was becoming increasingly strong and expanding to the south, eventually establishing its court in the city ofLeón, becoming theKingdom of León. To encourage the repopulation of the newly reconquered lands, a number offueros ("letters of repopulation") were granted by the monarchs.
In theMiddle Ages, Christian pilgrimages toSantiago de Compostela were popularized. TheCamino de Santiago, running along the northern part of the region, was a major part of the route of pilgrimage, so it contributed to the spread of European cultural innovations throughout the peninsula. Today the Camino is still an important touristic and cultural attraction.
The legal basis for the kingdom was theRoman law, and because of this the kings increasingly wanted more power, like the Roman emperors. This is very clearly seen in theSiete Partidas ofAlfonso X of Castile, which shows the imperial monism that the king sought. The King did not want to be aprimus inter pares, but the source of the law.
Simultaneously, a county of this Christian kingdom of León, began to acquire autonomy and to expand. This is the primitiveCounty of Castile, which would grow into a powerful kingdom among the Christian kingdoms of the Peninsula. The first Castilian count wasFernán González.
Castle of Gormaz. It was the largest fortress in Europe after its expansion in 956, in the river Duero (Douro) defense line.
León and Castile continued to expand to the South, even beyond theDouro river, seeking to conquer lands under Islamic rule. That was the time of theCantares de gesta, poems which recount the great deeds of the Christian nobles who fought against the Muslim enemy. Despite this, Christian and Muslim kings maintained diplomatic relations. One clear example isRodrigo Díaz de Vivar,El Cid, paradigm of the medieval Christian knight, who fought both for Christian and Muslim kings.
During theLate Middle Ages there was an economic and political crisis produced by a series of bad harvests and by disputes between nobles and the Crown for power, as well as between different contenders for the throne. In theCortes of Valladolid of 1295,Ferdinand IV is recognized as king. The paintingMaría de Molina presents her son Fernando IV in the Cortes of Valladolid of 1295 presides today the Spanish Congress of Deputies along with a painting of theCortes of Cádiz, emphasizing the parliamentarian importance that has all the development of Cortes in Castile and León, despite its subsequent decline. The Crown was becoming more authoritarian and the nobility more dependent on it.
In times of theFirst Spanish Republic (1873–1874), thefederal republicans conceived the project to create a federated state of eleven provinces in the valley of the Spanish Douro, that would also have included the provinces ofSantander andLogroño.[citation needed] Very few years before, in 1869, as part of a manifesto, federal republicans representatives of the 17 provinces of Albacete, Ávila, Burgos, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, León, Logroño, Madrid, Palencia, Salamanca, Santander, Segovia, Soria, Toledo, Valladolid and Zamora proposed in the so-calledCastilian Federal Pact the conformation of an entity formed by two different "states": the state of Old Castile -that is presently built for the current Castilian-Leonese provinces and the provinces of Logroño and Santander-, and the state of New Castile -which conforms to the current provinces ofCastile-La Mancha plus theprovince of Madrid-. The end of the Republic, at the beginning of 1874, thwarted the initiative.[citation needed]
Manifestation of 1978 in Valladolid that sued a Statute of Autonomy for the region.
In 1921, on the occasion of the fourth centenary of theBattle of Villalar, theSantander City Council advocated the creation of a Castilian and Leonese Commonwealth of eleven provinces, an idea that would be maintained in later years. At the end of 1931 and beginning of 1932, from León,Eugenio Merino elaborated a text in which the base of aCastilian-Leonese regionalism was put. The text was published in theDiario de León newspaper.[15]
During theSecond Spanish Republic, especially in 1936, there was a great regionalist activity favorable to a region of eleven provinces, and even bases for the Statute of Autonomy were elaborated. TheDiario de León advocated for the formalization of this initiative and the constitution of an autonomous region with these words:
Join in a personality León and Old Castile around the great basin of the Douro, without to fall now into provincial rivalries.
The autonomous community of Castile and León is the result of the union in 1983 of nine provinces: the three that, after the territorial division of 1833, by which the provinces were created, were ascribed to theRegion of León, and six ascribed toOld Castile; however 2 provinces of Old Castile were not included: Santander (current community ofCantabria) and Logroño (currentLa Rioja).
Villalar de los Comuneros, 23 April 1977Villalar de los Comuneros, 23 April 1977
In the case ofCantabria the creation of anautonomous community was advocated for historical, cultural and geographical reasons, while inLa Rioja the process was more complex due to the existence of three alternatives, all based on historical and socio-economic reasons: union with Castile and León (advocated by theUnion of the Democratic Centre political party), union to a Basque-Navarrese community (supported by theSocialist Party andCommunist Party) or creation of an uniprovincial autonomy; the latter option was chosen because it had more support among the population.
After the creation of the Castilian-Leonese pre-autonomous body, which was supported by the Provincial Council of León in its agreement of April 16, 1980, this institution revoked its original agreement on January 13, 1983, just as the draft of the Organic Law entered the Spanish parliament. The Constitutional Court determined which of those contradictory agreements was valid in theSentence 89/1984 of September 28; it declares that the subject of the process is no longer, as in its preliminary phase, the councils and municipalities, but the new body.
After the sentence, there were several demonstrations in León in favor of theLeón alone option (seeLeonesism), one of them according to some sources brought together a number close to 90 000 people,[18] This was the highest concentration held in the city in the Democratic period until the demonstrations rejecting the2004 Madrid train bombings.[19]
In an agreement adopted on 31 July 1981, the Provincial Council of Segovia decided to exercise the initiative so thatSegovia could be constituted as a uniprovincial autonomous community, but in the municipalities of the province the situation was equal between the supporters of the uniprovincial autonomy and the supporters of the union.
The City Council ofCuéllar initially adhered to this autonomic initiative in agreement adopted by the corporation on October 5, 1981. However, another agreement adopted by the same corporation dated December 3 of the same year revoked the previous one and the process was paralyzed pending the processing of an appeal filed by the provincial council against this last agreement; this change of opinion of the city council of Cuéllar tipped the scales in the province towards the autonomy with the rest of Castile and León, but it was an agreement that arrived out of time. Finally the province of Segovia was incorporated into Castile and León along with the other eight provinces and legal coverage was given through theOrganic Law 5/1983 for "reasons of national interest", as provided for in article 144 c of theSpanish Constitution for those provinces that have not exercised their right on time.
Since 2019, theayuntamientos of several municipalities of the province of León (including the capital's) have passed motions to propose the split of the provinces of the region of León from Castile and León and become a standalone autonomous community.[20] As leonesism has traditionally been a fringe movement in the provinces of Zamora and Salamanca, some of these motions have limited to the prospect of a single-province autonomous community exclusively for León ('León solo').[21]
The morphology of Castile and León consists, for the most part, of the northern half of theMeseta Central (Meseta Norte) and a belt of mountainous reliefs. The Meseta Central is a high plateau with an average altitude close to 800 m (2,600 ft)above sea-level; it is covered by deposited clay materials that have given rise to a dry and arid landscape.[citation needed]
The Northern Plateau (Meseta Norte) is constituted by Paleozoic sockets. At the beginning of theMesozoic Era, once theHercynian folding that raised the currentCentral Europe and the Gallaeci zone ofSpain, the deposited materials were dragged by the erosive action of the rivers.
During thealpine orogeny, the materials that formed the plateau broke through multiple points. From this fracture rose themountains of León, with mountains of not much height and, constituting the spine of the Plateau (Meseta), the Cantabrian Mountains and the Sistema Central, formed by materials such as granite or metamorphic slates.
Thekarst complex ofOjo Guareña, consisting of 110 km of galleries[22] and its caves formed incarbonatic materials ofConiacian which are situated on a level of impermeablemarls, is the second largest of the peninsula.
The main hydrographic network of Castile and León is constituted by theDouro river and its tributaries. From its source in thePicos de Urbión, in Soria, to its mouth in the Portuguese city ofPorto, the Douro covers 897 km. From the north descend thePisuerga, theValderaduey and theEsla rivers, its tributaries more plentiful and by the east, with less water in its flows, highlight theAdaja and theDuratón. After passing the town ofZamora, the Douro is confined between the canyons of theArribes del Duero Natural Park, bordering withPortugal. On the left bank are important tributaries such asTormes,Huebra,Águeda,Côa and Paiva, all fromSistema Central. On the right they reach theSabor, the Tua and theTâmega, born in theGalician Massif. After the Arribes area, the Douro turns west into Portugal until it empties into theAtlantic Ocean.
Other watersheds
Several rivers of the community pour their waters into theEbro basin, in Palencia, Burgos and Soria (Jalón river), that ofMiño-Sil in León and Zamora, that of theTagus in Ávila and Salamanca (riversTiétar andAlberche andAlagón respectively) andCantabrian basin in the provinces through which the Cantabrian Mountains extends.
Of glacial origin, theSanabria Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in Spain.[24]
In addition to the rivers, the Douro basin also hosts a large number of lakes and lagoons such as theNegra de Urbión Lake, in thePicos de Urbión, theGrande de Gredos Lake, in Gredos, theSanabria Lake, in Zamora or theLa Nava de Fuentes Lake in Palencia. Also emphasize a great amount of reservoirs, fed by the water coming from the rains and the thaw of the snowy summits. Thus, Castile and León, despite not having abundant rainfall, is one of the communities in Spain with the highest level of water dammed.
Many of these natural lakes are being used as an economic resource, boosting rural tourism and helping to conserve ecosystems. The Sanabria Lake was a pioneer in this.
Castile and León has a continental Mediterranean climate, with long, cold winters, with average temperatures between 3 and 6 °C in January and short, hot summers (average 19 to 22 °C), but with the three or four months of summer aridity characteristic of the Mediterranean climate. Rainfall, with an average of 450–500 mm per year, is scarce, accentuating in the lower lands.
Climatic factors
30 December 2016 in Salamanca. Radiation fog episodes and frosts are common in the region throughoutanticyclonic configurations in Winter.[25]
In Castile and León thecold extends almost continuously for much of the year, being a very characteristic element of itsclimate. The coldest periods of winter are associated with invasions of a continentalpolar front and strata of marine arctic air, rare is that they do not reach temperatures of the order of -5 ° to -10 °C. Likewise, in situations ofanticyclone, in the interior of the region they cause persistent fogs, creating prolonged cold situations due to radiation processes. The intense "cold waves" of the winter central months are typical, showing a particular tendency to occur from the second fortnight of December to the first of February. During its course the most extreme minimum temperatures occur, whose values vary between -10 ° and -13 °C of its westernmost sector and -15 ° and -20 °C of the central plains and high moorlands. The lowest recorded records reach -22 °C ofBurgos, -21.9 °C inCoca (Segovia), -20.4 °C inÁvila, -20 °C inSalamanca and -19.2 °C inSoria. The high altitude of theMeseta and its mountains accentuates the contrast between winter and summer temperatures, as well as day and night temperatures.[26]
Maritime winds are stopped by the mountainous barriers that surround Castile and León, stopping also the precipitations and causing the rains to fall very unequally in the Castilian and Leonese territory. While in the middle of the Douro basin there is an annual average of 450 mm, in the western regions of the mountains of León, theCantabrian Mountains and the southern area of the provinces of Ávila and Salamanca, rainfall reaches 1500 mm per year, with a maximum of 3400 mm per year in the western part of theSierra de Gredos, in the Candelario-Bejar Massif, which makes this area the rainiest not only from Spain, but from the Iberian Peninsula.[27]
Climatic regions
Although Castile and León is framed within the continental climate, in its lands different climate domains are distinguished:[28]
According to theKöppen climate classification, a large part of the autonomous community falls within the Csb or Cfb variants, with the average of the warmest month below 22 °C but above 10 °C for five or more months.
In several areas of the Meseta Central the climate is classified as Csa (warm Mediterranean[broken anchor]), by exceeding 22 °C during the summer.
In high elevations of the Cantabrian Mountains and mountain areas, there is acold temperate climate with average temperatures under 3 °C in the coldest months and dry summers (Dsb or Dsc).
Castile and León has many protectednatural sites. Actively collaborates with theEuropean Union programNatura 2000. There are also somespecial protection area for birds or SPA.The solitaryevergreen oaks andjunipers (Juniperus sect. Sabina) that now draw the Castilian-Leonese plain are remnants of theforests that covered these same lands long ago. The agricultural holdings, due to the need of land for the cultivation of cereal and pastures for the immense herds of the Castilian Plateau, supposed thedeforestation of these lands during theMiddle Ages. The last Castilian and Leonese forests of junipers are found in the provinces of León, Soria and Burgos. They are not very leafy forests that can form mixed communities with evergreen oaks,Portuguese oaks orpines.
Castile and León presents a great diversity of fauna. There are numerous species and some of them are of special interest because of their uniqueness, such as some endemic species, or because of their scarcity, such as thebrown bear. There have been counted 418 species of vertebrates, which make up 63% of all vertebrates that live in Spain. Animals adapted to life in the high mountains, inhabitants of rocky places, inhabitants of fluvial courses, species of plains and forest residents form the mosaic of the Castilian-Leonese fauna.
The isolation to which the high summits are subject leads to the existence of abundant endemisms such as theSpanish ibex, which in Gredos constitutes a unique subspecies in the Peninsula. TheEuropean snow vole is a graceful smallmammal of grayish brown color and long tail that lives in open spaces over the limit of the trees.
Small and large mammals such assquirrel,dormouse,talpids,European pine marten,Beech marten,fox,wildcat,wolf, quite abundant in some areas,boar,deer,roe deer and, only in the Cantabrian Mountains, some specimens ofbrown bear tend to frequent the deciduous forests, although some species also extend to coniferous forests and scrubland. The wildcat is slightly larger than a domestic cat, has a short and stout tail, with dark rings and striped fur. TheIberian lynx, however, lives almost exclusively in areas of Mediterranean scrubland.
Small reptiles such as theladder snake, thecoronella girondica and theaesculapian snake are also found in this environment. Thesmooth snake can be found from sea level to 1,800 m in height and in the community it tends to live on the heights. Further up, in the rocky areas of the subalpine floor at about 2,400 m altitude theIberian rock lizard lives, one of the few reptiles adapted at this point.
In the mountain rivers live theotter anddesman and in its waters thetrout,anguillidae, thecommon minnows and some of the increasingly scarce autochthonous river crabs. The otter and the desman are two mammals with aquatic habits and very good swimmers. Theotter feeds mainly on fish, while the desman seeks its food among the aquatic invertebrates that inhabit the riverbed. In lower sections of calmer waters swimbarbel s andcarps. Among the amphibians, thesalamanders and as remarkable species: theAlmanzor salamander (Salamandra salamandra almanzoris) and theGredos toad (Bufo bufo gredosicola), which are two endemic subspecies to the Sistema Central.
Among the birds that populate the open Mediterranean forests live two endangered species: theblack stork and theSpanish imperial eagle. The black stork, much rarer than its congener thewhite stork, is of solitary habits and lives far from man. The Spanish imperial eagle nests in the trees and feeds mainly on rabbits, but also birds, reptiles and carrion.
Thebustard frequents the open plains with rain-fed crops; It is large and has a grayish head and neck and a brown back. In the Castilian-Leonese wetlands during the winter many specimens ofgreylag goose, which breeds in northern Europe and visits the area in winter, are concentrated.
The autonomous community has a very low population density, around 25.38 inhabitants/km2, a record that is more than three times lower than the national average, which indicates that it is a sparsely populated and demographically decline, especially in rural areas and even in small traditional cities. The demographic characteristics of the territory show an aging population, with a low birth rate and mortality that approaches the state average.
In the year 2000, the population of Castile and León totaled 2 479 118 people, that is, 6.12% of the Spanish total. Its natural growth was one of the lowest in Spain: -7223 (-2.92 gross rate), as a result of the difference between the 25 080 deaths (10.12 of the gross rate) and the 17 857 births ( 7.20 gross rate). The number of inhabitants in 1999 was slightly higher (2 488 062), so that, despite the negative growth, the relative numerical stability is partly due to the increase inimmigration: of 22 910 immigrants in 1999 it went to 24 340 in 2000. In that year, 59 children under the age of one year died.
Thelife expectancy is higher than the Spanish average: 83.24 for women and 78.30 for men, a superiority that in 1999 was repeated in the register, since women added 1 260 906 and the males 1 227 156. A study by the University of Porto (Portugal) cites Castile and León as one of the European regions where old people could expect to live longer.[31]
In 1999, the age distribution gave the following results: 317 783 people from 0 to 14 years old; 913 618 between 15 and 39 years old; 576 183 from 40 to 59 years and 677 020 over 60 years.
The active population in 2001 was 1 005 200 and occupied 884 200 people, with which the unemployment was 12.1% of the active population. For sectors of the employed population, 10.9% worked inagriculture, 20.6% in theindustry, 12.7% in construction, and 63,1% in the services sector.
Calle Mayor street ofPalencia. The city is within the most dynamic axis of the community.
Many of the people of the territory, who devoted themselves mostly toagriculture andlivestock, gradually abandoned the area, heading towards urban areas, much more prosperous. This situation was further aggravated at the end of theSpanish Civil War, with a progressive rural emigration. During the 1960s and 1980s, large urban centers and provincial capitals suffered a slight demographic increase due to a thorough urbanization process, although, despite this, the Castilian-Leonese area continues to suffer serious depopulation. Only the provinces ofBurgos,Valladolid andSegovia are gaining population in recent years.
There is also an increase in the population of metropolitan areas around cities such asValladolid,Burgos orLeón. Due to this phenomenon, cities such asLaguna de Duero orSan Andrés del Rabanedo have seen their population increase rapidly in a few years. The metropolitan area of the city of Valladolid is, by far, the largest in the autonomous community, with more than 430 000 inhabitants.
However, in absolute terms the autonomous community is losing population and aging. In 2011, it was one of only fourautonomous communities that lost population along withAsturias,Galicia andAragon.
In 1960 the urban population meant 20.6% of the total population of Castile and León; in 1991 this percentage had risen to 42.3% and in 1998 it was approaching 43%, which indicates the progressive rural depopulation. The phenomenon is also reflected in the number of municipalities with less than 100 inhabitants, which was multiplied by seven between 1960 and 1986. Outside the provincial capitals, the largest towns areMiranda de Ebro andAranda de Duero in the province of Burgos,Ponferrada andSan Andrés del Rabanedo in the province of León,Béjar in the province of Salamanca,El Espinar andCuéllar in the province of Segovia,Arévalo in the province of Ávila,Benavente in the province of Zamora,El Burgo de Osma in the province of Soria,Aguilar de Campóo in the province of Palencia andMedina del Campo andLaguna de Duero in the province of Valladolid.
Of the 2248 municipalities of this community, the 2014 registry registered 1986 with less than 1000 inhabitants; 204 from 1001 to 5000; 35 from 5001 to 10 000; 8 of 10 001 to 20 000; 6 of 20 001 to 50 000; 5 of 50 001 to 100 000 and 4 municipalities with more than 100 000 inhabitants. The latter are: Valladolid (306 830 hab.), Burgos (177 776 hab.), Salamanca (148 042 hab.) And León (129 551 hab.) Among the least populated are, between others:Jaramillo Quemado (Burgos), with 4 inhabitants,Estepa de San Juan (Soria), with 7,Quiñonería (Soria), with 8 andVillanueva de Gormaz (Soria), with 9.
There is a table below showing the largest municipalities in terms of population according to the municipal census of theINE of 2024:
Catholicism is the predominant religion in the community. According to the barometer of theCentro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) conducted in October 2019, 76.8% of Castilian-Leonese are considered Catholics (43.2 Non-Practising and 33.6% Practising), andnon-believers 20.3%.
Actual attendance at a church is on average less than these figures show. According to the same study, only half of self identifying Catholics go to mass regularly with those considered "practicing" Catholics attending more regularly than those considered "non practicing".[32]
As of 2022, the region had a foreign population of 146,655.[33] The largest groups of foreigners were those of Moroccan, Romanian, Bulgarian and Colombian citizenship.[33]
Spanish is the only official and preponderant language throughout the territory. The phenomena ofleísmo andlaísmo are considered to be deviations characteristic of the varieties of Spanish spoken in the region, later irradiating to other territories.[34]
The concurrence of some peculiar geographical, social, historical and economic characteristics is legally recognized forEl Bierzo (an area that was a province on its own in theproject of initial provincial division, though it disappeared in the1833 territorial division of Spain), and thecomarca ofEl Bierzo was created in 1991, with its center inPonferrada.[41] It is the only Castilian-Leonese territory recognized by law outside the normal provincial division, and it is administered by a Comarcal Council. Castile and León also includes theexclave of Treviño, surrounded by theBasqueprovince of Araba/Álava.
The new territorial arrangement approved by Law 7/2013, on Planning, Services and Government of the Territory of the Community of Castile and León, establishes that the geographical spaces delimited for the provision of services are thebasic unit of territorial planning and services (UBOST) -urban or rural- and functional areas -stable or strategic-.[45] Also, the new ordination determines that themancommunities of common interest are entities for the fulfillment of their specific purposes, which may be declared when their territorial scope substantially agrees with an UBOST or several contiguous ones.[46]
This ordination is still in the implementation phase, and in September 2015 the draft map dividing the autonomous community was presented in 147 rural UBOST and 15 urban UBOST.[47]
The Statute of Autonomy does not explicitly establish one capital. Initially theCortes were installed provisionally inBurgos; the possibility of fixing a capital inTordesillas was also discussed, although the final decision was to install theCortes provisionally in thecastle of Fuensaldaña.
One reason for the lack of the official capital is that the merger of Castile and León as one autonomous community caused uproar in the latter, which wanted to be separate. Other autonomous bodies are in the capitals of other provinces of the region. TheHigh Court of Justice of Castile and León is inBurgos, the Court of Audits is inPalencia, the Advisory Council is inZamora, the Ombudsman is inLeón.[50]
In March 2009, theJunta of Castile and León apologised for school textbooks that named Valladolid as capital, saying that it was an honest confusion of its status as a seat.[51] In February 2010, thePeople's Party in Valladolid City Hall rejected aSpanish Socialist Workers' Party proposal for the city to become the official capital, saying it could "provoke eight motions against it" from the other provincial capitals.[52] In September 2019, José Antonio de Santiago Juárez of Valladolid's PP made a proposal of the same matter, which was opposed by the party leadership.[50]
During the first legislature, theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party was the party with the most representation in Cortes, being the first president of the community the SocialistDemetrio Madrid. Since the 1990s, regional policy has been framed by a series of absolute majorities of thePeople's Party, which continues to comfortably govern at present. Other national parties with presence in the community, either locally or regionally, areUnited Left (previously asCommunist Party of Spain) andUnion, Progress and Democracy, with a significant presence in the provinces ofÁvila andBurgos. PreviouslyDemocratic and Social Centre ofAdolfo Suárez also managed to be in the regional political life occupying the reformist center of the political spectrum.
A 2024 law passed by the regional Castile and León coalition (including Vox and the People's Party) omitted any mention of General Franco as a dictator, which sparked criticism.[53]
The roots of modern human rights theories has its origins in Castile and León. TheSchool of Salamanca was an intellectual movement of 16th-century where humanism raised, being its major contributorFrancisco de Vitoria.
TheValladolid debate was the first moral debate in European history to discuss the rights and treatment of Indigenous people by European colonizers.
Castile and León is the only autonomous region in Spain without a specific regional law protecting LGBTQ+ citizens.[54] Several LGBTQ+ organizations exists in the region, such as Segovia Entiende,[55] Espacio Seguro LGBTQ+ Burgos,[56] Chiguitxs LGTB+ Palencia,[57] Arco Ávila,[58] Awen León[59] or Fundación Triangulo Castilla y León.
Since 2022 the Festival Zorrilla's Fest[60] is celebrated annually in Valladolid during Pride Week to promote LGBTQ+ artists and local LGBTQ+ engagement. Since then artists such as Samantha Hudson, Putochinomaricón, Javiera Mena or Tremenda Jauría have performed in the Festival.
The first transgender person in Spain to reach Professor level at University is Marina Sáenz, in the Law School of Valladolid University.[61]
Abortion law is applied as in the rest of the country, but women might suffer difficulties due to the high proportion of medical practitioners objecting to practise abortions.[62]
TheGross domestic product (GDP) of the autonomous community was 57.9 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 4.8% of Spanish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,800 euros or 85% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 97% of the EU average.[63]
In July 2009, in fullGreat Recession, unemployment reached 14.14% of the population,[64] when in 2007 it was half, 6,99%.[65] According to the survey of the employment of the fourth quarter of 2014, the employment rate is 54.91% and the unemployment rate is 20.28%, while the national figure is 59,77% of employment and 23.70% of unemployed. Below the regional average of unemployment are Segovia (14.33%), Valladolid (16.65%), Soria (16.96%) and Burgos (18.76%), while above Salamanca (21,25%), León (22.65%), Palencia (23.22%), Ávila (25.33%) and Zamora (26.62%).[66]
The unemployment rate stood at 14.1% in 2017 and was slightly lower than the national average.[67]
The fields of Castile and Leon are arid and dry although very fertile, predominating in them thedryland farming. Despite this, irrigation has been gaining importance in the areas of the valleys ofDouro,Esla,Órbigo,Pisuerga andTormes. The scarce orography and the improvement of communications has favored the entry of technical innovations throughout the process of agricultural production, especially in areas such as theprovince of Valladolid or theprovince of Burgos where the production per hectare is one of the highest in Spain. The most fertile Castilian-Leonese area coincides with the Esla valley, in León, in the fields ofValladolid andTierra de Campos, a district that extends betweenprovince of Zamora,province of Valladolid,province of Palencia andprovince of León.
Use of arable land
TheMeseta Central is a large plateau ranging a considerable part of the region ofCastile. In the image a landscape of the Meseta Central viewed from thecastle of Gormaz.
Castile and León has an agricultural area close to 5,783,831 hectares, which is more than half of the total area of its total territory. Most of the farmland is dryland, due to the climate and the low rainfall. Only 10% of the area is irrigated, with plots of intensive production, much more profitable than dryland crops.
Despite the decline of the population in rural areas, the Castilian-Leonese agricultural production still represents 15% of the Spanish primary sector and its average occupation is lower than that of other autonomous communities.
Castile and León constitutes one of the main Spanish cereal areas. As the popular saying says: "Castile, granary of Spain". Although the most traditional crop was wheat, the production of barley has gained ground since the 1960s. These two cereals are followed, in number of hectares cultivated and volume of production, rye and oats. In addition to legumes, such as carob and chickpeas, sunflower cultivation has spread in the southern countryside.
The vineyard (56,337 ha) saw the number of hectares cultivated during the last three decades of the 20th century decrease considerably; However, the application of the most modern aging techniques has notably improved the Castilian-Leonese wines, which compete in quality with those of La Rioja and begin to be known outside the Spanish borders. The main viticultural areas of the region areRibera del Duero (DO),Rueda (DO),Toro (DO),Bierzo (DO),Arribes (DO) andTierra de León (DO). Irrigated land is planted with sugar beet, a product that has been subsidized by the regional authorities, potatoes, alfalfa and vegetables. In the province of León, corn, hops and legumes are also sown.
Livestock represents an important part of the final agricultural production. Next to the small livestock units, which proliferate in the regions of pre-eminent agricultural dedication or in the mountain areas, now appears a modern livestock activity, with cattle, pig and sheep farms, of development. These farms are oriented both to the production of meat and to the supply of milk to the cooperatives that channel their subsequent commercialization, since the dairy production of Castile and León -more than one and a half million liters per year- is the second largest in Spain, only surpassed by Galicia.
Thus, small livestock farms tend to disappear, largely due to the effect of rural depopulation and the consequent loss of labor. Transhumant grazing is conserved in some areas; large herds, mainly sheep, travel every year hundreds of kilometers from the flat lands to the land with mountain pastures as in theEl Bierzo, the Cantabrian valleys of province of León, thesierra de Gredos or Picos de Urbión. It is hard work that every time has less labor, having previously constituted a testimony of first importance on the history and cultural roots of the Castilian and Leonese people.
The sheep herd is the most numerous, with 5,425,000 heads, followed by domestic pig (2,800,000) and cattle (1,200,000). A long way away is the goats (166,200 heads) and horses (71,700 horses, mules and donkeys). The highest production of meat corresponds to that of pigs (241,700 t), followed by bovine (89,400 t) and poultry (66,000 t); in wool production Castile and León leads the national balance with 7,500 t. Within the section of ProtectedGeographical indication (I.G.P), highlightsLechazo de Castilla y León, based inAranda de Duero.
Forest exploitation
In Castile and León there are about 1,900,000 hectares of non-arboreal, representing 40% of the total forest area. This deforestation is mainly due to the hand of the man who, over the centuries, has made forests disappear, giving way to areas of non-arboreal vegetation. Little by little, with the abandonment of rural areas and the reforestation policy of the Castilian and Leonese governments, this situation has been reversed.
Renault factory in ValladolidAciturri Aeroengines plant in Miranda de Ebro
During 2000, the Castile and León industry occupied 18% of the active population and contributed 25% of GDP. The most developed industrial axis is that ofValladolid-Palencia-Burgos-Miranda de Ebro-Aranda de Duero, where there is an important car industry, paper industry, aeronautics and chemistry, and is where most of the industrial activity of the Castilian-Leonese territory is concentrated. The food industry derived from the farm and livestock, with flour, sunflower oil and wines, among others is also important, especially in theRibera del Duero comarca, especially inAranda de Duero.
InSoria thelogging industry and furniture manufacturing is also relevant to the regional economy.
The president of the Castilian-Leonese employers' association is currentlyGinés Clemente, owner of theAciturri Aeronáutica, based inMiranda de Ebro. It is a leading international aeronautical group, with contracts with groups such asBoeing andAirbus, which makes Castile and León a benchmark in the sector.
In Castile and León, the mining activity acquired great importance in the Roman times, when a road was drawn, theVía de la Plata, to transfer the gold extracted in the deposits ofLas Médulas, in the Leonese comarca ofEl Bierzo, the route started fromAsturica Augusta (Astorga) toEmerita Augusta (Mérida) andHispalis (Seville).
Centuries later, after theSpanish Civil War, mining was one of the factors that contributed to the economic development of the region. However, the production of iron, tin and tungsten decreased notably from the 1970s, while bituminous coal and anthracite mines were maintained thanks to the domestic demand for coal for thermal power plants. The economic reconversion that affected theLeonese mining basin andPalencian mining basin during the 1980s and 1990s resulted in the closure of numerous mines, social impoverishment, with a sharp increase of unemployment and the beginning of a new migratory movement towards other Spanish regions. Despite the investments of the Mining Action Plan of the Junta de Castilla y León, traditional coal mining operations have entered into a severe crisis.
Energy sources
Aldeadávila Dam, which with 1,146 MW is the most powerful in the country.
Castile and León is a net producer of electric energy, with a generation/demand ratio in 2021 of 197% (27,016 GWh vs. 13,670 GWh).[71]
In addition to the northern basin, in those of the Douro and Ebro rivers there are numerous hydroelectric plants that allow Castile and León to be one of the first autonomous communities producing electricity. Among others are those of Burguillo, Rioscuro, Las Ondinas, Cornatel, Bárcena,Aldeadávila I and II,Saucelle I and II,Castro I and II,Villalcampo I and II, Valparaíso andRicobayo I and II.
The total installed hydraulic power amounts to 3,979 MW[72][73] and annual production in 2010 was 5,739 GWH.[73] Only in the systemSaltos del Duero there are more than 3000 MW installed. In this way, Castile and León is the first Spanish autonomous community in installed capacity and the second in production.[73]
The nuclear power is 466 MW, having produced 3,579.85 GWh in 2009. Theonly nuclear plant in Castile and León on 1 August 2017, was definitively and irrevocably closed.
The region stands out for the importance of the production ofrenewable energy. Castile and León is the community that covers the largest proportion of its electricity demand throughrenewable energies: 82,9% in 2009.[75] Traditional hydroelectric power It has been added with force since the late 1990s and 2000wind power, with more than 100 parks in operation and a production of 5,449 GWh in that same year. By provinces, it is at the topBurgos with 46, and a total of 3,128 MW of installed power.
Among the non-renewable energies is also thenatural gas (194 MW of installed power) and fuel-diesel fuel (69 MW).
The provinces of Valladolid and Burgos are the most economically advanced regions, with a GDP per capita higher than the national average. Even so, the average GDP per capita of the community of Castile and León is slightly below than average, at 21,244 euros per inhabitant.
The region also has a wide network ofParadores, hotels of great quality that usually accommodate buildings of great historical value in privileged places to stimulate tourism in the area.
The city of Ávila is one of the places in Castile and León declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Since 1988, the foundationLas Edades del Hombre has been organizing various exhibitions of religious art in various parts of the national and international geography, highlighting for its interest the exhibitions held in Castile and León. The idea of carrying out these exhibitions was conceived in a chimney ofAlcazarén with the writerJosé Jiménez Lozano and the priest of Valladolid José Velicia. The first "Las Edades del Hombre" were held in the Church of Santiago Apóstol of Alcazarén, with a small exhibition of sacred paintings. Later, and with the support of important personalities, the first known exhibition was held among the public, which was that of Valladolid. In 2012 the initiative was developed under the name ofMonacatus in the town ofOña, being one of the most multitudinous editions with about 200 000 visitors.[78] The last sample so far has taken place in the municipality ofArévalo, in 2013. With the title ofCredo, the exhibition has revolved around the faith and has received more than 226 000 visitors.[79]
Castile and León also exports a lot of wine, beingProvince of Valladolid the one that more bottles sells abroad. As regards imports, vehicles and their accessories, such as engines or tires, are in the lead. The Region also imports mainly products from France, Italy, United Kingdom, [Germany, [Portugal and the United States and exports mostly to the countries of the European Union and to Turkey, Israel and United States.
^The Treviño enclave is thought to have been Basque-speaking up to the 17th or 18th century.[38] In 2012, only about one quarter of the inhabitants had been born in the enclave,[39] while about half of them had been born in the Basque Country,[39] due to recent demographic movements;[39] these movements are connected to the increase of Basque speakers.[39]
^Castilla y León Junta (2010).Castilla y León : las aguas minerales y termales : panorámica actual y perspectivas de futuro. Madrid: Instituto Geológico y Minero de España.ISBN978-84-7840-851-1.OCLC1026278787.
^Felix, Lira (23 February 2019)."Castilla y León no tiene capital" [Castile and León has no capital].La Crónica de Salamanca (in Spanish). Retrieved4 March 2021.
^abc"Lluvia de megavatios",El Norte de Castilla (newspaper), 2011,Hydraulic production exceeded 5,739 Gwh in the region. By installed power, Castile and León is the leading Spanish region, with a total of 3,979 megawatts (MW) of power, ahead of Galicia
^Ha entrado en vigor la nueva Ley de carreteras de Castilla y León que regula la planificación, proyección, construcción, conservación, financiación, uso y explotación de las carreteras con itinerario comprendido íntegramente en el territorio de la Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla y León y que no sean de titularidad del Estado.[2]Archived 29 April 2009 at theWayback Machine
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