Castile-Leon

Related Topics:
Castile_and_Leon

Comunidad Autónoma de
Castilla y León

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Capital no official capital of the community is defined; Valladolid however is the seat of the Regional Executive 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
castelians and leoneses Statute of Autonomy March 2, 1983 ES CL Parliamentary
representation
– Congress seats
– Senate seats 33
3 President Juan Vicente Herrera Campo (PP) Junta de Castilla y León Castile and Leon (Castilian: Castilla y 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).

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

Parties with parliamentary representation in Castilla y León:

Partido Popular de Castilla y León 48 Autonomical seats, 19 Congress seats.
Partido Socialista de Castilla y León 31 Autonomical seats, 14 Congress seats.
Unión del Pueblo Leonés 3 autonomical seats.

Other Political Parties:

Political Youths:

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, Palencia, Segovia, Soria, Salamanca, Valladolid and Zamora. All these provinces are homonym of their respective provincial capitals.

Although the Statute of Autonomy for Castile and Leon does not specify any city to be the capital of the autonomous community, the city of Valladolid serves that purpose in certain contexts, and is the city of residence for the Regional Executive, the Courts, and several other important arms of the regional parliament and government.

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

Regional High Court: Burgos

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

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

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

Castile-Leon | Castile | Autonomous communities of Spain | NUTS 2 Statistical Regions of Europe

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