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Finistere. In popular speech it is more commonly used than the names of the modern divisions mentioned above, which were created in the 19th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century. As, however, there are many racial, economic and historic See also:

DIFFERENCES, CALCULUS OF (Theory of Finite Differences)

differences between Portuguese and See also:

SPANISH

Spanish Estremadura, the two provinces are separately described below. I. Portuguese Estremadura is bounded on the N. by See also:

BEIRA

Beira, E. and S. by See also:

ALEMTEJO (i.e. " Beyond the Tagus ")

Alemtejo, and W. by the Atlantic Ocean. Pop. (1900) 1,221,418; area, 6937 sq. m. The greatest length of the See also:

province, from N. to S., is 165 m.; its greatest breadth, from E. to W., is 72 M.

The See also:

general uniformity of the See also:

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

coast-See also:

LINE

line is broken by the broad and deep estuaries of the Tagus and the See also:

SADO

Sado, and by the four conspicuous promontories of Cape Carvoeiro, Cape da Roca, Cape Espichel and Cape de Sines. The Tagus is the See also:

GREAT

great navigable waterway of Portuguese Estremadura, flowing from See also:

north-See also:

east to See also:

south-See also:

west, and fed by many See also:

minor tributaries, notably the Zezere on the right and the Zatas on the See also:

LEFT

left. It divides the See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country into two nearly equal portions, wholly dissimilar in See also:

SURFACE

surface and See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character. South of the Tagus the land is almost everywhere See also:

low, See also:

FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat and monotonous, while in several places it is rendered unhealthy by undrained marshes. The Sado, which issues into See also:

SETUBAL (formerly called in English St Ubes and in French St Yves)

Setubal See also:

Bay, is the only important See also:

RIVER

river of this region. North of the Tagus, and parallel with its right See also:

BANK

bank, extends the See also:

mountain See also:

CHAIN (through the O. Fr. citable, chcene, &c., from Lat. catena)

chain which is known at its See also:

NORTHERN

northern extremity as the Serra do See also:

AIRE

Aire and, where it terminates above Cape da Roca, as the Serra da See also:

CINTRA

Cintra. This See also:

ridge, which is buttressed on all sides by lesser See also:

groups of hills, and includes See also:

PART

part of the famous lines of Torres Vedras (q.v.), exceeds 2200 ft. in height, and constitutes the See also:

WATERSHED

watershed between the right-See also:

hand tributaries of the Tagus and the Liz, Sizandro and other small See also:

rivers which flow into the Atlantic. On its seaward See also:

side, except for the line of sheer and lofty cliffs between Cape Carvoeiro and Cape da Roca, the country is mostly flat and sandy, with extensive heaths and See also:

PINE (Lat. Pinus, Gr. srlrur)

pine forests; but along the fertile and well-cultivated right bank of the Tagus the river scenery, with its terraced hills of vines, See also:

OLIVES, MOUNT OF, or MOUNT OLIVET ("Opus 'EXc uwos or riov 'EXauav; mod. Jebel-et-Tur)

olives and See also:

FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit trees, often resembles that of the See also:

RHINE (Lat. Rhenus, Ger. Rhein, Fr. Rhin, Dutch Rhyn, or Rijn)

Rhine in See also:

Germany. The natural resources of Portuguese Estremadura, with its inhabitants, See also:

INDUSTRIES

industries, See also:

commerce, communications, &c., are described under PORTUGAL; for on such matters there is little to be said of this central and most characteristic province which does not apply to the whole See also:

KINGDOM

kingdom. See also:

SEPARATE

Separate articles are also devoted to Lisbon, the See also:

capital, and See also:

ABRANTES

Abrantes, Cintra, Leiria, See also:

MAFRA

Mafra, Santarem, Setubal, See also:

THOMAR

Thomar, Torres Novas and Torres Vedras, the other See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief towns. The See also:

WOMEN

women of Peniche, a small fishing See also:

VILLAGE

village on the promontory of Cape Carvoeiro, have See also:

long been celebrated throughout Portugal for their skill in the manufacture of See also:

FINE

fine laces. 2.

Spanish Estremadura is bounded on the N. by See also:

Leon and Old See also:

CASTILE, or CASTILLE (Castilla)

Castile, E. by New Castile, S. by See also:

ANDALUSIA, or ANDALUCIA

Andalusia, and W. by the Portuguese province of Beira and Alemtejo, which separate it from Portuguese Estre.nadura. Pop. (1900) 882,410; area, 16,118 sq. m. Spanish Estremadura consists of a tableland separated from Leon and Old Castile by the lofty Sierra de Gredos, the See also:

plateau of Bejar and the Sierra de Gata, which See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form an almost continuous barrier along the northern frontier, with its summits ranging from 6000 to more than 85oo ft. in See also:

ALTITUDE (Lat. altitudo, from altus, high)

altitude. On the south the comparatively low range of the Sierra Morena constitutes the frontier of Andalusia; on the east and west there is a still more See also:

GRADUAL (Med. Lat. gradualis, of or belonging to steps or degrees; gradus, step)

gradual transition to the plateau of New Castile and the central plains of Portugal. The tableland of Spanish Estremadura is itself bisected from east to west by a line of mountains, the Sierras of See also:

San Pedro, Montanchez and Guadalupe (4000 6000 ft.), which separate its northern See also:

HALF

half, drained by the river Tagus, from its See also:

SOUTHERN

southern half, drained by the See also:

GUADIANA (anc. Anas, Moorish Wadi Ana)

Guadiana. These two halves are respectively known as Alta or Upper Estremadura (the modern Caceres), and Baja or Lower Estremadura (the modern Badajoz). The Tagus and Guadiana flow from east to west through a monotonous country, level or slightly undulating, often almost uninhabited, and covered with a thin growth of shrubs and grass. Perhaps the most characteristic feature of this tableland is the vast heaths of See also:

GUM (Fr. gomme, Lat. gommi, Gr. Kµµ1, possibly a Coptic word; distinguish " gum," the fleshy covering of the base of a tooth, in O. Eng. gbma, palate, cf. Ger. Gaumen, roof of the mouth; the ultimate origin is probably the root gha, to open wide, seen in

gum-cistus, which in See also:

SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring See also:

COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour the whole 'landscape with leagues of yellow blossom, and in summer See also:

CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change to a See also:

brown and arid See also:

WILDERNESS

wilderness. The See also:

CLIMATE

climate in summer is hot but not unhealthy, except in the swamps which occur along the Guadiana. The rainfall is scanty; See also:

dew, however, is abundant and the nights are cool. Although the high mountains are covered with See also:

SNOW (in O. Eng. sndw; a common Indo-European word; cf. in Teutonic languages, Ger. Schnee, Du. sneeuw; in Slavonic snieg', Lith. snegas; Gr. vi4a, Lat. nix, nivis, whence the Romanic forms, Ital. neve, Fr. neige, &c.; Ir. and Gael. sneachd; the original

snow in See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November, the winters are not usually severe.

The See also:

SOIL

soil is naturally fertile, but drought, floods and locusts render See also:

agriculture difficult, and See also:

sheep-See also:

FARM

farm'ng is the most important of Estremaduran industries. (See SPAIN: Agriculture.) In the 19th century, however, this See also:

INDUSTRY (Lat. industria, from indu-, a form of the pre, position in, and either stare, to stand, or struere, to pile up)

industry lost much of its former importance owing to See also:

FOREIGN

foreign competition. Immense herds of See also:

SWINE

swine are bred and constitute a great source of support to the inhabitants, not only supplying them with See also:

food, but also forming a great See also:

ARTICLE (from Lat. articulus, a joint)

article of export to other provinces —the pork, See also:

bacon and hams being in high esteem. The See also:

BEECH

beech, See also:

OAK (O. Eng., (lc)

oak and See also:

CHESTNUT (nux Castanea)

chestnut See also:

woods afford an abundance of food for swine, and there are numerous plantations of See also:

OLIVE (Olea europaea)

olive, See also:

cork and fruit trees, but a far greater area of See also:

FOREST

forest has been destroyed.

End of Article: ESTREMADURA, or EXTREMADURA

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