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BADAJOZ (formerly sometimes written B...

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 181 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BADAJOZ (formerly sometimes written Badajos) , a frontier See also:province of western See also:Spain, formed in 1833 of districts taken from the province of See also:Estremadura (q.v.), and bounded on the N. by See also:Caceres, E. by See also:Cordova and See also:Ciudad Real, S. by See also:Seville and See also:Huelva, and W. by See also:Portugal. Pop. (1900) 520,246; See also:area, 8451 sq. m. Badajoz is thus the largest province of the whole See also:kingdom. Although in many districts there are See also:low ranges of hills, the See also:surface is more often a desolate and monotonous See also:plain, See also:flat or slightly undulating. Its one large See also:river is the See also:Guadiana, which traverses the See also:north of the province from See also:east to See also:west, fed by many tributaries; but it is only at certain seasons that the river-beds fill with any considerable See also:volume of See also:water, and the Guadiana may frequently be forded without difficulty. The See also:climate shows See also:great extremes of See also:heat in summer and of See also:cold in See also:winter, when fierce north and north-west winds See also:blow across the plains. In the hot months intermittent fevers are prevalent in the Guadiana valley. The rainfall is scanty in See also:average years, and only an insignificant proportion of the See also:land is irrigated, while the See also:rest is devoted to pasture, or covered with thin See also:bush and See also:forest. See also:Agriculture, and the cultivation of See also:fruit, including the See also:vine and See also:olive, are thus in, a very backward See also:condition; but Badajoz possesses more livestock than anyotherSpanish province. Its See also:acorn-fed See also:swine are celebrated throughout Spain for their hams and See also:bacon, and large herds of See also:sheep and goats thrive where the pasture is too meagre for See also:cattle. The exploitation of the See also:mineral resources of Badajoz is greatly hindered by lack of water and means of communication; in 1903, out of nearly 600 mines registered only 26 were at See also:work.

Their output consisted of See also:

lead, with very small quantities of See also:copper. The See also:local See also:industries are not of much importance: they comprise manufactures of woollen and See also:cotton stuffs of a coarse description, soaps, See also:oils, See also:cork and See also:leather. The purely commercial interests are more important than the See also:industrial, because of the transit See also:trade to and from Portugal through no less than seven See also:custom-houses. Many parts of the province are inaccessible except by road, and the roads are See also:ill-made, ill-kept and wholly insufficient. The See also:main See also:line of the See also:Madrid-See also:Lisbon railway passes through Villanueva de la See also:Serena, See also:Merida and Badajoz; at Merida it is joined by the See also:railways going north to Caceres and See also:south to Zafra, where the lines from Huelva and Seville unite. After Badajoz, the See also:capital (pop. (Igloo) 30,899), the See also:principal towns are See also:Almendralejo (12,587), See also:Azuaga (14,192), See also:Don Benito (16,565), Jerez de los Caballeros (10,271), Merida (11,168) and Villanueva de la Serena (13,489); these, and also the historically interesting See also:village of See also:Albuera, are described in See also:separate articles. Other small towns, chiefly important as markets for agricultural produce, are See also:Albuquerque (9030), Cabeza del Buey (7566), Campanario (7450), Fregenal de la Sierra (9615), Fuente de Cantos (8483), Fuente del Maestre (6934), Llerena (7049), Montijo (7644), See also:Oliva de Jerez (8348), Olivenza (9066), See also:San See also:Vicente de See also:Alcantara (7722), and Villafranca de los See also:Barros (9954). Very few in-habitants emigrate from this province, where the See also:birth-See also:rate considerably exceeds the See also:death-rate. See also:Education, even See also:primary, is in a very backward condition.

End of Article: BADAJOZ (formerly sometimes written Badajos)

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