Location: Places >> Europe >> Spain - España >> EXTREMADURA: Badajoz, Caceres, Merida, Plasencia, Trujillo, Valle del Jerte...

EXTREMADURA: Badajoz, Caceres, Merida, Plasencia, Trujillo, Valle del Jerte...

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Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. It includes the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. Extremadura borders Portugal to the west, and it is an important area for wildlife, particularly with the major reserve at Monfragüe, which has recently been recognised as a National Park, or the project of International Tagus River Natural Park (Parque Natural Rio Tajo internacional). To the north it borders Castile and León (provinces of Salamanca and Ávila); to the south, it borders Andalusia (provinces of Huelva, Seville, and Córdoba); and to the east, it borders Castile-La Mancha (provinces of Toledo and Ciudad Real).
There are various theories about the origins of the name. According to one, the name of Extremadura comes from Latin Extrema Dorii ("The ends of the Duero"), which designates that the territory is situated to the south of the basin of the Duero (and its tributaries). However, another well-respected theory is that the word Extremadura was used generically during the Reconquista in order to designate the lands situated on the borders of the Christian kingdoms to the north (in particular, the kingdoms of León and Castile) with Al-Andalus. The Extremadura name would therefore be given to the borderlands of Castile, which later turned to the province of Soria (whose capital's shield says Soria pura cabeza de Estremadura), also known as Extremadura castellana.
This should not be confused with the former Portuguese province of Estremadura, although the etymological origin may be the same.
To the north of Extremadura rise the sierras of the Sistema Central, composed of the Sierra de Gredos, the Sierra de Béjar where it reaches its highest altitude in the Calvitero at 2401 m and Sierra de Gata which separates Extremadura from Castile.

In the center is the Sierra de las Villuercas and the Sierra de San Pedro, which form part of the Montes de Toledo

To the south rises the Sierra Morena which separates Extremadura from Andalusia.
The climate of Extremadura is Mediterranean, except to the north, where it is continentalized , and to the west, where the influence of Atlantic makes the climate milder.

In general, it is characterized by its very hot and dry summers, with great droughts, and its long and mild winters due to the oceanic influence because of its proximity to the Atlantic coast of Portugal.

The only language that is officially recognized is Spanish, however other languages are also spoken:

* Portuguese, with many varieties: Oliventine Portuguese in Olivenza, Portuguese of Herrera de Alcántara, Portuguese of Cedillo, as well as Portuguese of Valencia de Alcántara and La Codosera. The majority of these varieties of Portuguese are endangered. Some Extremaduran schools teach these as a foreign language, but not usually to the level of fluency.

* A Fala, a Galician-Portuguese language, is a specially protected language and is spoken in the valley of Jálama.

* The Extremaduran language, is related to Leonese[3] and is severely endangered. It is taught neither publicly nor privately.

Lusitania, an ancient Roman province approximately including current day Portugal (except for the northern area today known as Norte Region), and a central western portion of the current day Spain, covered in those times today's Autonomous Community of Extremadura. Mérida (capital of Extremadura), became the capital of the Roman Lusitania province, and one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire.

Extremadura was the source of many of the most famous Spanish conquerors ("conquistadores") and settlers in America. Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Pedro de Alvarado, Pedro de Valdivia, Francisco de Orellana, Pedro Gomez Duran y Chaves and Vasco Nunez de Balboa were all born in Extremadura and many towns and cities in America carry a name from their homeland: Mérida is the name of the administrative capital of Extremadura, and also of important cities in Mexico and Venezuela; Medellín is now a little town in Extremadura, but also the name of the second largest city in Colombia; Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico and its name is due to a transcription mistake of Alburquerque[citation needed], another town in Extremadura. The two (to date) Spanish astronauts, Miguel López-Alegría and Pedro Duque, also have family connections in Extremadura. King Ferdinand II of Aragon died in the village of Madrigalejo, Cáceres in 1516. Pedro de Valdivia founded numerous cities in Chile with names from small villages in Extremadura, such as Valdivia and La Serena. The capital Santiago de Chile was founded as "Santiago de Nueva Extremadura" (Santiago of New Extremadura).

Lusitania, an ancient Roman province approximately including current day Portugal (except for the northern area today known as Norte Region), and a central western portion of the current day Spain, covered in those times today's Autonomous Community of Extremadura. Mérida (capital of Extremadura), became the capital of the Roman Lusitania province, and one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire.

The Extremadura Regional Government has authored its own Linux distribution, gnuLinEx. Following the last board meeting of the Government held June 25, 2006, the councillor for Infrastructures and Technological Development, Luis Millán de Vázquez de Miguel, announced (Spanish) that a version of gnuLinEx, adapted for the public administration, will be established as the obligatory operating system in workplaces of the civil servants of the Junta and that the operating system will be gradually introduced to all administrative organizations of the Junta de Extremadura.

These western Spaniards have some things in common with their Portuguese neighbors to the west.

Each year a bicycle race touring the region takes place. It is called the "Vuelta a Extremadura," and 2008 is its 21st running.

-Info from Wikipedia, more in here

WELCOME TO EXTREMADURA!!
This Group is for CouchSurfers from Extremadura and also for those who are coming here to exchange information, to facilitate meetings, to arrange hosting of CouchSurfers...

*If you are new to the Group, please, READ THE GUIDELINES before posting a message.

**PLEASE DO NOT CREATE SUBGROUPS, UNTIL THIS GROUP GROW UP, we have to make this group active.

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USEFUL LINKS ABOUT TOURISM IN EXTREMADURA

Way of St James Info across Extremadura (in Spanish)
Wikipedia Info about Way of St James (English)
Tourist Information Offices around Extremadura
www.turismoextremadura.com
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¡¡BIENVENIDO A EXTREMADURA!!
Este grupo es para CouchSurfers de Extremadura y también para aquellos que vienen aquí para intercambiar información, para organizar encuentros, para organizar la acogida de CouchSurfers ...

*Si eres nuevo en el grupo, por favor, lee las guías de actuación antes de postear.

**POR FAVOR, NO CREÉIS SUBGRUPOS, HASTA QUE EL GRUPO CREZCA, tenemos que hacer este grupo activo.

Members: 357
Members in Sub-Groups: 4
Posts: 14266239
Created: Jul 29, 2008
Type: Public
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Members

Name		Joined
	Esther Diez moderator Porque hí, porque soy extremeña y porque jacho, jigo, jigueras	06/01/2010
	PABLO_81 moderator I am from Extremadura and loooove this land	09/23/2008
	Miguel García Galván I'm from Badajoz	04/27/2013
	Joao Manuel	06/07/2011
	Alessandro Catena porque he estado en Cáceres durante 9 meses y pronto volveré ahí	08/26/2012
	Andrew Principe I am living and working in Cáceres from October until June and looking for new friends. Viviré y trabajaré en Cáceres desde octubre hasta junio y busco amigos.	10/24/2010
	Estela Herguido Sevillano ¡Me voy a vivir a Cáceres!	01/16/2013
	EspeGH Because I live in Plasencia	01/22/2013

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		EXTREMADURA: Comparte coche,Share your carneed a lift, partilha o tuo carro.	4	5

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Group Posts

Page: 12345>>

Title	By	Replies	Date
Flagged posts	Moderator	1	10/04/2010
coming to merida	HEADINGEAST	-	05/16/2013
CACERES: Festival Womad?	Natalia CS	5	05/10/2013
Viernes por la noche y el finde en Caceres / Friday night and the weekend in Caceres (I think!!!)	DAVELIKES2SMILE	1	05/01/2013
muy urgente!	Marion Liemberger	-	04/30/2013
Barranquismo	Mario P G	-	04/11/2013
"Primavera Viva" Tierras de Granadilla:senderismo, submarinismo, vela, piragüismo,cicloturismo,ornitología...	EspeGH	-	04/11/2013
Visitare Caceres del 12 de Abril al 14 de Abril	Diego Abellan Garcia	-	03/31/2013
alguien para mostrar noche de caceres hoy	Xosé Manöel Fernandez Gil	-	03/30/2013
cerezos del jerte	Javier Molinero	26	03/26/2013
Buscando couch para 28-31 Marzo	Xosé Manöel Fernandez Gil	-	03/24/2013
Connecting Cáceres!	Yésius Kesius	6	03/20/2013
Reunión del grupo Extremadura	Quini Pérez Guedejo	7	03/20/2013
Coche de Madrid a Badajoz el 16 de marzo	Libertad Iglesias Martin	-	03/14/2013
Deporte solidario.	Miriam SANZ	1	03/08/2013
Ayuda!! / Help with my english!!	Claudia Flores	5	02/25/2013
Hola chicas y chicos!!!	Joanna Matysiak	11	02/18/2013
Madrid-Badajoz 16 de marzo	Libertad Iglesias Martin	-	02/14/2013
fin de en badajoz	Antonella Frasca Caccia	3	02/07/2013
Badajoz bus station	Ernest Kovach	-	02/06/2013
Caceres esta semana	PROF.COWS	2	01/26/2013

Page: 12345>>