Province of León

León
Llión

The Palacio de los Guzmanes in the city of León, seat of the regional parliament or Diputación

Flag	Coat of arms

Map of Spain with León highlighted

Coordinates: 42°40′N 6°00′W / 42.667°N 6.000°WCoordinates: 42°40′N 6°00′W / 42.667°N 6.000°W

Country

Capital

Area

• Total

15,581 km² (6,016 sq mi)

Area rank

Ranked 7th

3.08% of Spain

Population (2008)

• Total

500,200

• Rank

Ranked 30th

• Density

32/km² (83/sq mi)

1.08% of Spain

Demonym(s)

English: Leonese
Spanish: Leonés/Leonesa

Official language(s)

Spanish, Leonese and Galician special protection status

Parliament

Cortes Generales

Website

dipuleon.es

León (/leɪˈɒn, -ˈoʊn/; Spanish: León [leˈon]; Galician: León [le'oŋ] ; Leonese: Llión [ʎiˈoŋ]) is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northwestern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.

About one quarter of its population of 500,200 (2008) lives in the capital, León. The weather is cold and dry during the winter.

There are Roman Catholic cathedrals at León and Astorga. The province shares the Picos de Europa National Park (in the Picos de Europa mountain range) with Cantabria and Asturias. It has 211 municipalities.

History

The province of León was established in 1833 with the new Spanish administrative organisation of regions and provinces to replace former kingdoms. The Leonese Region was composed of the provinces of León, Salamanca and Zamora.

Until 1833, the independently administered Kingdom of León, situated in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula, retained the status of a kingdom, although dynastic union had brought it into the Crown of Castile. The Kingdom of León was founded in 910 A.D. when the Christian princes of Asturias along the northern coast of the peninsula shifted their main seat from Oviedo to the city of León. The Atlantic provinces became the Kingdom of Portugal in 1139.

The eastern, inland part of the kingdom was joined dynastically to the Kingdom of Castile first in 1037–1065, again 1077–1109 and 1126–1157, 1230–1296 and from 1301 onward. (See Castile and León#Historic union of the Kingdoms of Castile and León.) León retained the status of a kingdom until 1833, being composed by Adelantamientos Mayores, where Leonese Adelantamiento consisted of the territories between the Picos de Europa and the Duero River.

In 1188 the Kingdom of León developed what may have been the first Parliament in Europe after the Parliament of Iceland. In 1202 its parliament approved economic legislation to regulate trade and guilds.

Language

The Leonese language is recognized by the Statute of Castile and León. The Provincial Government of León signed accords with language associations for promoting Leonese. Leonese is taught in León city, Mansilla de las Mulas, La Bañeza, Valencia de Don Juan or Ponferrada for adult people, and in sixteen schools of León city. The City Council of León writes some of its announcements in Leonese in order to promote the language.

In the western part of the El Bierzo, the westernmost region of the province, Galician language is spoken and taught at schools. It is also officially recognized by the Statute of Castile and León.

Cuisine

Embutidos

Cecina de León: from beef. In the Leonese language, cecina means "meat that has been salted and dried by means of air, sun or smoke". Cecina de León is made of the hind legs of beef, salted, smoked and air-dried in the province of León, and has PGI status.
Botillo: from pig. Traditionally made in the western Leonese regions, botiellu in Leonese or botelo in Galician, is a dish of meat-stuffed pork intestine. It is a culinary specialty of the county of El Bierzo and also of the region of Trás-os-Montes in Portugal. This type of embutido is a meat product made from different pieces left over from the butchering of a pig, including the ribs, tail, and bones with a little meat left on them. These are chopped; seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and other spices; stuffed in the cecum of the pig; and partly cured via smoking. It can also include the pig's tongue, shoulder blade, jaw, and backbone, but never exceeding 20% of the total volume. It is normally consumed cooked, covered with a sheet. It also has a PGI status.

Cheese

Queso de Valdeón (Valdeón cheese): a blue cheese produced in Posada de Valdeon, traditionally wrapped in chestnut or sycamore maple leaves before being sent to market.

Wines

Bierzo: in the west of the Province of León and covers about 3,000 km². The area consists of numerous small valleys in the mountainous part (Alto Bierzo) and of a wide, flat plain (Bajo Bierzo). The Denominación de Origen covers 23 municipalities.
Tierra de León: in the southeast of the Province of León.

Sweets

Mantecadas de Astorga
Hojaldres de Astorga
Lazos de San Guillermo
Nicanores de Boñar

Municipalities

List of municipalities in León

Shires (comarcas)

Map of Comarcas de León.

Notes and references

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Province of León.

Provinces of Spain

Municipalities in the Province of León
100,000+	León
50,000+	Ponferrada
10,000+	Astorga Bembibre La Bañeza San Andrés del Rabanedo Villablino Villaquilambre
under 10,000	Acebedo Algadefe Alija del Infantado Almanza Ardón Arganza Balboa Barjas Benavides Benuza Bercianos del Páramo Bercianos del Real Camino Berlanga del Bierzo Boca de Huérgano Borrenes Boñar Brazuelo Burón Bustillo del Páramo Cabañas Raras Cabreros del Río Cabrillanes Cacabelos Calzada del Coto Campazas Campo de Villavidel Camponaraya Candín Carracedelo Carrizo de la Ribera Carrocera Carucedo Castilfalé Castrillo de Cabrera Castrillo de la Valduerna Castrocalbón Castrocontrigo Castropodame Castrotierra de Valmadrigal Cea Cebanico Cebrones del Río Chozas de Abajo Cimanes de la Vega Cimanes del Tejar Cistierna Congosto Corbillos de los Oteros Corullón Crémenes Cuadros Cubillas de Rueda Cubillas de los Oteros Cubillos del Sil Cármenes Destriana El Burgo Ranero Encinedo Escobar de Campos Fabero Folgoso de la Ribera Fresno de la Vega Fuentes de Carbajal Garrafe de Torío Gordaliza del Pino Gordoncillo Gradefes Grajal de Campos Gusendos de los Oteros Hospital de Órbigo Igüeña Izagre Joarilla de las Matas La Antigua La Ercina La Pola de Gordón La Robla La Vecilla Laguna Dalga Laguna de Negrillos Las Omañas Llamas de la Ribera Los Barrios de Luna Lucillo Luyego Magaz de Cepeda Mansilla Mayor Mansilla de las Mulas Maraña Matadeón de los Oteros Matallana de Torío Matanza Molinaseca Murias de Paredes Noceda del Bierzo Oencia Onzonilla Oseja de Sajambre Pajares de los Oteros Palacios de la Valduerna Palacios del Sil Peranzanes Pobladura de Pelayo García Posada de Valdeón Pozuelo del Páramo Prado de la Guzpeña Priaranza del Bierzo Prioro Puebla de Lillo Puente de Domingo Flórez Páramo del Sil Quintana del Castillo Quintana del Marco Quintana y Congosto Regueras de Arriba Reyero Riaño Riego de la Vega Riello Rioseco de Tapia Roperuelos del Páramo Sabero Sahagún San Adrián del Valle San Cristóbal de la Polantera San Emiliano San Esteban de Nogales San Justo de la Vega San Millán de los Caballeros San Pedro Bercianos Sancedo Santa Colomba de Curueño Santa Colomba de Somoza Santa Cristina de Valmadrigal Santa Elena de Jamuz Santa Marina del Rey Santa María de Ordás Santa María de la Isla Santa María del Monte de Cea Santa María del Páramo Santas Martas Santiago Millas Santovenia de la Valdoncina Sariegos Sena de Luna Sobrado Soto de la Vega Soto y Amío Toral de los Guzmanes Toreno Torre del Bierzo Trabadelo Truchas Turcia Urdiales del Páramo Val de San Lorenzo Valdefresno Valdefuentes del Páramo Valdelugueros Valdemora Valdepiélago Valdepolo Valderas Valderrey Valderrueda Valdesamario Valdevimbre Valencia de Don Juan Vallecillo Valverde de la Virgen Valverde-Enrique Vega de Espinareda Vega de Infanzones Vega de Valcarce Vegacervera Vegaquemada Vegas del Condado Villabraz Villadangos del Páramo Villadecanes Villademor de la Vega Villafranca del Bierzo Villagatón Villamandos Villamanín Villamartín de Don Sancho Villamañán Villamejil Villamol Villamontán de la Valduerna Villamoratiel de las Matas Villanueva de las Manzanas Villaobispo de Otero Villaornate y Castro Villaquejida Villarejo de Órbigo Villares de Órbigo Villasabariego Villaselán Villaturiel Villazala Villazanzo de Valderaduey Zotes del Páramo

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