Castile-Leon
From Free net encyclopedia
| |||||
| Image:Locator map of Castille-Leon.png | |||||
| Capital | Valladolid | ||||
| Area – Total – % of Spain | Ranked 1st 94,223 km² 18,6% | ||||
| Population – Total (2005) – % of Spain – Density | Ranked 6th 2,510,849 5.7% 26.65/km² | ||||
| Demonym – English – Leonese | castilians and leoneses castellanus y llïoneses; | ||||
| Statute of Autonomy | March 2, 1983 | ||||
| ISO 3166-2:ES | CL | ||||
| Parliamentary representation – Congress seats – Senate seats | 33 3 | ||||
| President | Juan Vicente Herrera Campo (PP) | ||||
| Junta de Castilla y León | |||||
Castile and Leon (Spanish: Castilla y León, Astur-leonese: Castiella y Llión, Galician: Castela e León), known formally as the Autonomous Community of Castile and León is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. Its territory corresponds to the historical region of León and most of the historical region of Old Castile (Spanish: Castilla la Vieja). The autonomous community of Castile and León is the largest in Spain. It covers an area of 94,223 km² with an official population of 2.5 million (2005).
Contents |
History and Politics
The Autonomous Community was established in 1983 from the region of León and most provinces from the region of Old Castile. The arrangement was met with opposition from some groups, mainly from the provinces of León and Segovia. In fact, these two provinces joined the Autonomous Community only as a result of two sentences of the Spanish Constitutional Court.
Charter of the Curia Regis, 1188
The tradition of the Regional Courts of Castile and León is traced back to the Royal Council (Latin: Curia Regis) of León (1188). The Leonese Curia Regis was a king's summons of the estates of the realm. Although the practical outcome of the Curia Regis of 1188 is still disputed, its charter seems to be an early movement towards the rule of constitutional law, much like the Magna Carta.
Main Political Parties
- Partido Popular de Castilla y León
- NNGG - Nuevas Generaciones del Partido Popular de Castilla y León
- Partido Socialista de Castilla y León
- Juventudes Socialistas de Castilla y León
- Unión del Pueblo Leonés
- Conceyu Xoven
- Candidatura Independiente-El Partido de Castilla y León
- Unidad Regionalista de Castilla y León
- Convergencia Democrática de Castilla y León (CDCL)
- Tierra Comunera
- Juventudes Comuneras
- ADEIZA-UPZ Agrupación De Electores Independientes de Zamora-UPZ
Geography
Castile and León borders on Asturias and Cantabria to the north, Aragon, the Basque Country, and La Rioja to the east, the autonomous community of Madrid and Castile-La Mancha to the southeast, Extremadura to the south, and on Portugal and Galicia to the west.
Castile and León roughly overlaps with the Spanish part of the Douro River basin, on the northern half of the Meseta Central, a vast plateau in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula. It also extends to some adjoining valleys, such as El Bierzo (León) and many secluded mountain valleys: Laciana (León), Valle de Mena (Burgos), Valle del Tiétar (Ávila), etc.
Road Communications
The region is the land communication hub of northern Spain. It is crossed by the International E-road E80 (Lisbon - Gürbulak, Iran). This is the main road connection between Portugal and the rest of Europe.
Castilla and León is also crossed by two major ancient routes:
- The Way of St. James (Spanish: Camino de Santiago), now a hiking trail and a motorway, from East to West.
- The roman Via Lata (Spanish: Vía de la Plata), now a main road, through the West of the region.
Airports
The last years have seen a vast improvement in accesibility from the rest of Europe, mainly through the operations of low-cost airlines at the airports of Villanubla (Valladolid), Virgen del Camino (León) and Burgos. The main airports of the neighbouring regions of Asturias and Madrid (Barajas) are close as well, if not yet with a direct communication through public transportation.
Regional Administration and Government
Castile and León is divided into nine provinces: Ávila, Burgos, León (Astur-leonese: Llión), Palencia, Segovia, Soria, Salamanca, Valladolid and Zamora. All these provinces are homonym of their respective provincial capitals.
The Statute of Autonomy does not define a regional capital.
Autonomous Executive
The executive of Castile and León is known as the Junta de Castilla y León in Spanish.
It has one head of the Regional Executive (Spanish: Presidente de la Junta) and twelve departments: Two Vicepresidencias and ten ministries (Spanish: Consejerías).
- Seat of the Regional Executive: Valladolid
- Seat of the Accounting Committee: Palencia
Regional Legislature
The Regional Courts of Castile and León (Spanish: Cortes de Castilla y León) is the elected legislature of the Autonomous Community.
- The provisional home of the legislature is the Castle of Fuensaldaña, near Valladolid. A new parliament building is being constructed in Valladolid.
Regional Judicature
Other regional bodies
Ombudsman
The Ombudsman of Castile and León (Spanish: Procurador del Común) is appointed by the Regional Courts.
- Seat of the Ombudsman of Castile and León: León
Consultive Committee
The Consultive Committee of Castile and León (Spanish: Consejo Consultivo) is a group of five legal analysts. They are appointed by the Regional Courts and the Junta. The Committee delivers reports on legal issues both to the Regional Government and to incumbent municipal governments.
- Seat of the Consultive Committee: Zamora
Education
Universities
- Catholic University of Ávila
- Miguel de Cervantes european University (Valladolid)
- Pontificial University of Salamanca
- SEK University (Segovia)
- University of Burgos
- University of León
- University of Salamanca
- University of Valladolid
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
There are six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Castile and León:
- Gothic-style cathedral of Burgos
- Old city and aqueduct of Segovia
- Old city and wall of Ávila
- Old city of Salamanca
- Las Médulas in the province of León , Roman gold mines
- Caves of Atapuerca near the city of Burgos, where fossils of the one of the earliest known hominids in Europe have been found
See also
External links
- Cortes de Castilla y León (Regional Parliament) (in Spanish)
- Junta de Castilla y León (Regional Government) (Mostly in Spanish)
- Consejo Consultivo de Castilla y León (in Spanish)
- The Cortes of Castile-León, Joseph F. O'Callaghan (historical)
- Tourist Information
- Statute of autonomy (in Spanish)
- Information on walking the Camino de Santiago - which passes through the Leon area
| Template:Spain/Castile-Leon | Administrative Structure of Spain | Image:Flag of Spain.svg |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomous Communities: Andalusia | Aragon | Asturias | Balearic Islands | Basque Country | Canary Islands | Cantabria | Castile–La Mancha | Castile–Leon | Catalonia | Extremadura | Galicia | Madrid | Murcia | Navarre | La Rioja | Valencia | ||
| Autonomous Cities: Ceuta | Melilla | ||
| Plazas de soberanía menores: Islas Chafarinas | Peñón de Alhucemas | Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera | ||
