Estremadura

Estremadura, region, W Portugal, formerly a province, now divided between the provinces of Estremadura and Ribatejo, with a small part in Beira Litoral. Estremadura province consists of S Leira, N Setúbal, and most of Lisboa districts. The capital of the province is Lisbon. Wide plains flank the fertile and heavily wooded Tagus River valley. There are grainfields, orchards, and vineyards; copper, iron, marble, coal, and salt are found in the province. Fishing is important along the coast.

Estremadura: see Extremadura, Spain.

or Estremadura

Historical region and autonomous community (pop., 2001: 1,058,503), west-central Spain. Covering an area of 16,075 sq mi (41,634 sq km), it encompasses the southwestern provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. Its capital is Mérida. During the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the name Extremadura was used to refer to the zones outside of Moorish territory. From the late Middle Ages the term was applied to an area approximating the modern region. The countryside remains partitioned into latifundios (large estates); wheat, grapes, and olives are important crops.

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Estremadura is a historical province of Portugal. It is located along the Atlantic Ocean coast in the center of the country and includes Lisbon, the capital.

Estremadura should not be confused with Extremadura, an autonomous community of Spain.

The name of both regions comes from the fact that they were at the "extreme" border of Christendom during a phase of the Reconquest. The meaning is therefore similar to the marches.

Estremadura was the seat of one of the early civilizations of Iberian Chalcolithic. See Vila Nova de São Pedro.

See also

• Estremadura VR