La Siberia
Encyclopedia
La Siberia is a comarca
in the northeastern portion of the province of Badajoz in the autonomous community
of Extremadura, Spain. Its capital is the municipality of Herrera del Duque
. The comarca is bordered on the north by the provinces of Cáceres
and Toledo
, on the west by Las Vegas Altas
comarca, on the south by La Serena
comarca, and on the east by the province of Ciudad Real. The district contains 18 municipalities with a combined area of 2943 km² (1,136.3 sq mi) and a population of 29,214 people.
La Siberia dates back to prehistory
, when inhabitants were hunters and gatherers, semi-nomadic in nature. Rupestrian (made of rock) cave paintings and stone tools have been found from this era. The most prolific paintings in the area (though not in La Siberia itself) are those in the Maltravieso Cave from the Aurignacian
era. Human remains and ceramics have also been found in the cave.
dominate the north, and the flatter Sierra Morena
runs through the south. Two major rivers flow through the region, creating vast peneplain
s in the less mountainous areas. Poor soil as a result of erosion in the peneplains makes the region poorly suited for agriculture, so most of the population relies on livestock as their principal economic activity. The Guadiana River flows the entire length of the comarca from northeast to southwest, going on to form most of the southern portion of the border between Spain and Portugal
. The region's inhabitants have created several reservoirs along the Guadiana, providing locals with ample water resources. The largest of the reservoirs are the Cijara, the García de Sola, and the Orellana. Also, in the southern portion of La Siberia flows the Zujar River, which contains two large reservoirs - the Zujar and the La Serena, the latter being the largest in Spain and the second largest in Europe. The combined maximum capacity of these five reservoirs is approximately 6.395×109 m3 (2.258×1011 cu ft), or about 12% of Spain's water resources; La Serena alone holds 6% of the country's water. The region is well-known for its abundant water resources; because of all the reservoirs, La Siberia contains the longest inland coastline of any region of Spain and also the largest amount of freshwater in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula
.
, and pine.
Almost all of the region has been declared a Special Protection Area
(SPA) for birds because of the large populations of endangered species such as Eurasian Black Vulture
s and owls. Large populations of partridges
, pigeons, doves, and many other species of birds also inhabit the area.
Hunting small game is a common pastime in La Siberia; the most-prized animal being the red-legged partridge
. Other small game includes phasianidae
, quail
, columbidae, rabbits, hares, and foxes. Larger game is also hunted in the region, the most frequent being deer, wild boar, mouflon
, and ibexen.
Fishing is also popular in the comarca. Fish native to the area include Common Barbel, Iberian Nase
, tench
, and brown trout
. Species that have been introduced by locals include carp
, black bass
, and pumpkinseed
.
to the north and a Mediterranean climate
to the south - making this area a transition zone. Most of the area lies in the Mediterranean zone, but the far north has a continental climate. Summers are long and hot while winters are short and moderately cold.
La Siberia has an average high of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F) and an average low of 9.9 °C (49.8 °F). The hottest month is July with an average high/low of 34.3 °C (93.7 °F)/17 °C (62.6 °F), and the coldest month is January with an average high/low of 13.9 °C (57 °F)/3.2 °C (37.8 °F).
The region only receives 463 mm (18.2 in) per year, lower than Spain's average, 639.5 mm (25.2 in). The wettest month of the year is December, receiving 73 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation, and the driest month is July, receiving only 4 mm (0.15748031496063 in).
Comarcas of Spain
In Spain traditionally and historically, some autonomous communities are also divided into comarcas .In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian , sing comarca.*Galician , sing. comarca....
in the northeastern portion of the province of Badajoz in the autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Extremadura, Spain. Its capital is the municipality of Herrera del Duque
Herrera del Duque
Herrera del Duque is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 3681 inhabitants....
. The comarca is bordered on the north by the provinces of Cáceres
Cáceres (province)
The province of Cáceres is a province of western Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Extremadura. It is bordered by the provinces of Salamanca, Ávila, Toledo, and Badajoz, and by Portugal....
and Toledo
Toledo (province)
Toledo is a province of central Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. It is bordered by the provinces of Madrid, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Badajoz, Cáceres, and Ávila....
, on the west by Las Vegas Altas
Las Vegas Altas
Las Vegas Altas, also known as Vegas Altas del Guadiana, is a comarca in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. Its capital and administrative center is the metroplex formed by the municipalities of Don Benito and Villanueva de la Serena...
comarca, on the south by La Serena
La Serena, Spain
La Serena is a comarca located in the east of Extremadura, Spain, in the province of Badajoz. The main town is Castuera....
comarca, and on the east by the province of Ciudad Real. The district contains 18 municipalities with a combined area of 2943 km² (1,136.3 sq mi) and a population of 29,214 people.
Municipalities
La Siberia contains 18 municipalities:- Herrera del DuqueHerrera del DuqueHerrera del Duque is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. , the municipality has a population of 3681 inhabitants....
(capital) - BaternoBaternoBaterno is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 391 inhabitants....
- Casas de Don PedroCasas de Don PedroCasas de Don Pedro is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2007 census , the municipality has a population of 1734 inhabitants....
- CastilblancoCastilblancoCastilblanco is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 1146 inhabitants....
- Esparragosa de LaresEsparragosa de LaresEsparragosa de Lares is a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It has a population of 1,066 and an area of 209 km²....
- Fuenlabrada de los MontesFuenlabrada de los MontesFuenlabrada de los Montes is a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It has a population of 2,046 and an area of 192 km²....
- GarbayuelaGarbayuelaGarbayuela is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 531 inhabitants....
- GarlitosGarlitosGarlitos is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 725 inhabitants....
- Helechosa de los MontesHelechosa de los MontesHelechosa de los Montes is a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It has a population of 775 and an area of 309 km²....
- Navalvillar de PelaNavalvillar de PelaNavalvillar de Pela is a Spanish municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. It has a population of 4,816 and an area of 251.2 km².-External links:* *...
- Puebla de AlcocerPuebla de AlcocerPuebla de Alcocer is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 1269 inhabitants....
- El RiscoRisco, BadajozRisco is a Spanish municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. It has a population of 167 and an area of 39.5 km².-External links:*...
- Sancti-SpiritusSancti-Spíritus, BadajozSancti-Spíritus is a municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. It has a population of 250 and an area of 33.50 km²....
- SiruelaSiruelaSiruela is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 2,214 inhabitants....
- TalarrubiasTalarrubiasTalarrubias is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the municipality has a population of 3216 inhabitants....
- TamurejoTamurejoTamurejo is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 265 inhabitants....
- ValdecaballerosValdecaballerosValdecaballeros is a municipality located in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 1264 inhabitants....
- Villarta de los MontesVillarta de los MontesVillarta de los Montes is a Spanish municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura. It has a population of 595 and an area of 123.3 km².- External links :*...
History
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, when inhabitants were hunters and gatherers, semi-nomadic in nature. Rupestrian (made of rock) cave paintings and stone tools have been found from this era. The most prolific paintings in the area (though not in La Siberia itself) are those in the Maltravieso Cave from the Aurignacian
Aurignacian
The Aurignacian culture is an archaeological culture of the Upper Palaeolithic, located in Europe and southwest Asia. It lasted broadly within the period from ca. 45,000 to 35,000 years ago in terms of conventional radiocarbon dating, or between ca. 47,000 and 41,000 years ago in terms of the most...
era. Human remains and ceramics have also been found in the cave.
Geography
La Siberia is a land of varying terrain. The foothills of the Montes de ToledoMontes de Toledo
The Montes de Toledo are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They divide the drainage basin of the Tagus from the basin of the Guadiana.-Description:...
dominate the north, and the flatter Sierra Morena
Sierra Morena
The Sierra Morena is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.It stretches for 400 kilometres East-West across southern Spain, forming the southern border of the Meseta Central plateau of the Iberian Peninsula, and providing the watershed between the valleys of the Guadiana to the...
runs through the south. Two major rivers flow through the region, creating vast peneplain
Peneplain
A peneplain is a low-relief plain representing the final stage of fluvial erosion during times of extended tectonic stability. The existence of peneplains, and peneplanation as a geomorphological process, is not without controversy, due to a lack of contemporary examples and uncertainty in...
s in the less mountainous areas. Poor soil as a result of erosion in the peneplains makes the region poorly suited for agriculture, so most of the population relies on livestock as their principal economic activity. The Guadiana River flows the entire length of the comarca from northeast to southwest, going on to form most of the southern portion of the border between Spain and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The region's inhabitants have created several reservoirs along the Guadiana, providing locals with ample water resources. The largest of the reservoirs are the Cijara, the García de Sola, and the Orellana. Also, in the southern portion of La Siberia flows the Zujar River, which contains two large reservoirs - the Zujar and the La Serena, the latter being the largest in Spain and the second largest in Europe. The combined maximum capacity of these five reservoirs is approximately 6.395×109 m3 (2.258×1011 cu ft), or about 12% of Spain's water resources; La Serena alone holds 6% of the country's water. The region is well-known for its abundant water resources; because of all the reservoirs, La Siberia contains the longest inland coastline of any region of Spain and also the largest amount of freshwater in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
.
Flora and fauna
With a population density of just under 10 PD/sqkm, much lower than Spain's average of 70 PD/sqkm, the area's landscape is dominated by a very diverse collection of trees, the most dominant being the oak. Other types of trees include quercus faginea, chestnut, ash, willow, eucalyptusEucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
, and pine.
Almost all of the region has been declared a Special Protection Area
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
(SPA) for birds because of the large populations of endangered species such as Eurasian Black Vulture
Eurasian Black Vulture
The Cinereous Vulture is also known as the Black Vulture, Monk Vulture, or Eurasian Black Vulture. It is a member of the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers.This bird is an Old World vulture, and is only distantly related to the...
s and owls. Large populations of partridges
Red-legged Partridge
The Red-legged Partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French Partridge, to distinguish it from the Grey or English Partridge....
, pigeons, doves, and many other species of birds also inhabit the area.
Hunting small game is a common pastime in La Siberia; the most-prized animal being the red-legged partridge
Red-legged Partridge
The Red-legged Partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French Partridge, to distinguish it from the Grey or English Partridge....
. Other small game includes phasianidae
Phasianidae
The Phasianidae is a family of birds which consists of the pheasants and partridges, including the junglefowl , Old World Quail, francolins, monals and peafowl. The family is a large one, and is occasionally broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae, and the Perdicinae...
, quail
Common Quail
The Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix, is a small bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is widespread and is found in parts of Europe, .- Description :It is a small rotund bird, essentially streaked brown with...
, columbidae, rabbits, hares, and foxes. Larger game is also hunted in the region, the most frequent being deer, wild boar, mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
, and ibexen.
Fishing is also popular in the comarca. Fish native to the area include Common Barbel, Iberian Nase
Iberian Nase
The Iberian Nase is a species of ray-finned fish in the Cyprinidae family.It is found in Portugal and Spain.Its natural habitats are rivers and intermittent rivers.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, tench
Tench
The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...
, and brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
. Species that have been introduced by locals include carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, black bass
Black bass
Micropterus , is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is M. dolomieu, the smallmouth bass...
, and pumpkinseed
Pumpkinseed
The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...
.
Climate
La Siberia lies between two climate zones - a continental climateContinental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
to the north and a Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
to the south - making this area a transition zone. Most of the area lies in the Mediterranean zone, but the far north has a continental climate. Summers are long and hot while winters are short and moderately cold.
La Siberia has an average high of 23.3 °C (73.9 °F) and an average low of 9.9 °C (49.8 °F). The hottest month is July with an average high/low of 34.3 °C (93.7 °F)/17 °C (62.6 °F), and the coldest month is January with an average high/low of 13.9 °C (57 °F)/3.2 °C (37.8 °F).
The region only receives 463 mm (18.2 in) per year, lower than Spain's average, 639.5 mm (25.2 in). The wettest month of the year is December, receiving 73 mm (2.9 in) of precipitation, and the driest month is July, receiving only 4 mm (0.15748031496063 in).
External links
- Official website of La Siberia
- Information about La Siberia and Extremadura
- Diputación de Badajoz, Comarcas