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101-625: It covers part of the Ebro valley towards its north and the Iberian Range in the south. The community is a single province, so there is no provincial deputation , and it is organized into 174 municipalities. It borders the Basque Country (province of Álava ) to the north, Navarre to the northeast, Aragón to the southeast ( province of Zaragoza ), and Castilla y León to the west and south (provinces of Burgos and Soria ). The area

202-440: A key part of the religion. These new ideas enabled the amassing and translation of Greek concepts to disseminate like never before. During the 12th century, Europe enjoyed great advances in intellectual achievements, sparked in part by the kingdom of Castile's conquest of the great cultural center of Toledo (1085). There Arabic classics were discovered, and contacts established with the knowledge and works of Muslim scientists. In

303-411: A permanent capital (neither did Spain until the 16th century), so the cortes were celebrated in whichever city the king chose to stay. In the earliest Leonese and Castilian Cortes, the inhabitants of the cities (known as "laboratores") formed a small group of the representatives and had no legislative powers, but they were a link between the king and the general population, something that was pioneered by

404-532: A personal union, creating for the first time since the 8th century a single political unit, referred to as España (Spain) . "Los Reyes Católicos" started policies that diminished the power of the bourgeoisie and nobility in Castile, and greatly reduced the powers of the Cortes (General Courts) to the point where they became rubber-stamps for the monarch's acts. They also brought the nobility to their side. In 1492,

505-657: A rather dry climate. Summers of the Ebro Valley most often mirror those of a semiarid climate ; some of them see more breaks of storms or showers, yet others are more arid , bringing drought save where advanced irrigation is used. The valley flood plains experience annual rainfall between 300 and 600 mm (12–24 in), with maxima in fall and spring. It is often covered with chaparral vegetation. Summers are hot and winters are cold. The dry summer season has temperatures of more than 35 °C (95 °F), occasionally reaching over 40 °C (104 °F). In winter,

606-514: A reduced Castile. In 931 the county was reunified by Count Fernán González , who rose in rebellion against the Kingdom of León , successor state to Asturias, and achieved an autonomous status, allowing the county to be inherited by his family instead of being subject to appointment by the Leonese king. The minority of Count García Sánchez led Castile to accept Sancho III of Navarre , married to

707-476: A vast sheep pasturage; the fact that the greater part of Spanish sheep-rearing terminology was derived from Arabic underscores the debt. The 8th and 9th centuries was preceded by a period of Umayyad conquests, as Arabs took control of previously Hellenized areas such as Egypt and Syria in the 7th century. It was at this point they first encountered Greek ideas, though from the beginning, many Arabs were hostile to classical learning. Because of this hostility,

808-552: A war with his brother-in-law Vermudo. At the Battle of Tamarón Vermudo was killed, leaving no surviving heirs. In right of his wife, Ferdinand then assumed the royal title as king of León and Castile, for the first time associating the royal title with the rule of Castile. When Ferdinand I died in 1065, the territories were divided among his children. Sancho II became King of Castile, Alfonso VI , King of León and García, King of Galicia, while his daughters were given towns: Urraca

909-596: A wider river valley among limestone rocks when it reaches La Rioja and Navarre . Southern tributaries rise on the nearby watershed , the Sistema Ibérico , a mountain range among those of Spain's centre. North of the headwaters is the Cantabrian mountain range (south of Bilbao and Santander ). Much of the total water volume of the Ebro comes from its northern tributaries, which drain about 2 ⁄ 3 of

1010-705: Is dryland farming of wheat , barley and grape ; irrigated cultivation of asparagus , capsicum and other crops; and animal husbandry of sheep . Types of industry include wine production and conserves (in Logroño, Cenicero, Haro and Calahorra); textiles and footwear (in Logroño, Arnedo, Cervera del Río Alhama and Ezcaray); furniture manufacturing (in Ezcaray, Logroño and Nájera); rubber, plastics, chemical products and transport machinery; and chorizo , made in Casalarreina. Exports are directed mostly towards

1111-468: Is 62.57 people per km. It is the least populous autonomous community in Spain. Its capital, Logroño, with approximately 151,113 inhabitants, is its most populous city. La Rioja has 174 municipalities . According to the same INE data, there are more men than women in 150 of them, in two the numbers are the same and in 22 there are more females than males. In the latter set, the differences are small, except in

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1212-838: Is a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula , in Spain . It rises in Cantabria and flows 930 kilometres (580 mi), almost entirely in an east-southeast direction. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea , forming a delta in the Terres de l'Ebre region, in southern Catalonia . In the Iberian peninsula, it ranks second in length after the Tagus and second in discharge volume , and drainage basin , after

1313-627: Is an end from extreme temperatures accompanied by slow-growing dwarf juniper species to unvegetated desert steppes as in "llanos de Belchite" or "Calanda desert". The mountain vegetation is mostly coniferous forests that are drought-adapted, and hardier trees in the oak genus ( Quercus ), typically less tolerant, in the wetter highlands. Halophiles ( extremophiles as to salt) abound in zones of endorheic lagoons and their feeder creeks. Tamarix -covered, these include endemic species of bryophytes , chenopodiaceas, plumbaginaceae , ruppiaceaes, Carex , lythraceaes, asteraceaes, and others. Their presence

1414-535: Is attributable to its ability to colonise disturbed habitats that would deter the edible iberian crayfish . The semiaquatic rodent Myocastor coypus is beginning to expand in some northwest tributaries of the head damaging crops and protected national parks in the Basque Country . Fish caught in all lower reaches of the Ebro are high in mercury and the European Union prohibits their sale, notably

1515-470: Is bordered by the Basque Country (province of Álava ), Navarre , Aragón (province of Zaragoza ), and Castile and León (provinces of Soria and Burgos ). The river Ebro flows through this region, as does the river Oja , after which it is named. The Ebro runs through the north of the community. The entire right bank (which is to the south) belongs to La Rioja. There are only three municipalities, Briñas , San Vicente de la Sonsierra and Ábalos on

1616-501: Is causing the erosion of the coastline and lack of sediment replenishment. The unstable surface is due to weather changes and tidal surges . The river floods from time to time, although advance warning can now be given as a result of monitoring within the catchment area. The river flow in Zaragoza during floods, from the end of the 19th century is as follows: The Ebro poured 1,874 million cubic metres (1,519,000 acre-feet ) into

1717-574: Is of international importance for 8 of its plant species and 69 of its vertebrate fauna. It has some 95 breeding species of birds, is also very important for a wide range of overwintering species, and serves as an essential stopover point for large numbers of migratory birds. The Ebro delta has the world's largest colony of Audouin's gulls . In 2006 it held a record number of more than 15,000 pairs, its highest to date. The introduction of American crayfish Procambarus clarkii has resulted in economic losses, introduced elsewhere for cultivation, its success

1818-541: Is placed above the Spanish average in the list of communities with the lowest levels of school failure, with 85% of students being able to obtain the ESO title, despite its schools having the highest proportion of enrolled immigrants. 6,208 euros are spent per pupil, making it the tenth ranked community in this regard. The majority of educational institutions in the community are public, followed by subsidized and private schools,

1919-427: Is related to the marine origin of the valley and the extensive marine deposits. Just as it enters Catalonia, the valley narrows, and the river becomes constrained by mountain ranges, making wide bends. 3 massive dams have been built in this area: Mequinenza dam ( Province of Zaragoza , 1955), Riba-roja dam (1955), and Flix dam (1948), the latter two in the province of Tarragona . In the final section of its course

2020-465: Is the most important river in Spain in terms of length, 928 km (577 mi), and area of drainage basin, 85,550 km (33,030 sq mi). However, the mean annual flow decreased by approximately 29 percent during the 20th century due to many causes: the construction of dams, the increasing demands for irrigation and the evaporation (higher than the rainfall, due to low rainfall, high sunshine and strong and dry winds) from reservoirs in

2121-746: The Douro . It is the longest river entirely within Spain; the other two mentioned flow into Portugal . The Ebro flows through many cities ( Spanish : ciudades ): Reinosa in Cantabria ; Frías and Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León ; Haro , Logroño , Calahorra , and Alfaro in La Rioja ; Tudela in Navarre ; Alagón , Utebo , and Zaragoza in Aragon ; and Flix , Móra d'Ebre , Benifallet , Tivenys , Xerta , Aldover , Tortosa , and Amposta in

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2222-590: The European Union , United States and Canada . La Rioja hosts the annual Battle of Wine festival in the village of Haro . Another famous local festival is the Toro de fuego , where a metal frame in the shape of a bull is carried among festival goers, which also takes place in Haro. According to the INE the population of La Rioja (as at 2018) is 315,675 inhabitants, with 155,758 men and 159,917 women. Its population density

2323-713: The Logroño-Agoncillo Airport . Rail journeys to Madrid, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Valladolid, Oviedo, Bilbao, La Coruña, Vigo are possible, since the Castejón-Miranda line crosses the region from east to west. The main railway station is that at Logroño. Roads between La Rioja and neighboring regions are primarily through the AP-68 . Additional highways have been built, such as the Autovía A-12 which connects Pamplona to Logroño since 2006, and in

2424-655: The Palacio de los Vivero in Valladolid began the familial union of the two kingdoms. They became known as the Catholic Monarchs (los Reyes Católicos) . Isabella succeeded her brother as Queen of Castile and Ferdinand became jure uxoris King of Castile in 1474. When Ferdinand succeeded his father as King of Aragon in 1479, the Crown of Castile and the various territories of the Crown of Aragon were united in

2525-523: The Second Punic War . One of the earliest Cistercian monasteries in Spain, Real Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Rueda ( lit.   ' Royal ' Monastery of Our Lady of the Wheel), is located on the banks of the Ebro in Aragon . Established in 1202, the edifice survives intact. The monastery is strongly connected to the Ebro, since it used one of the first large waterwheels built for

2626-484: The Terres de l'Ebre ('Ebro Lands') region, Catalonia , is at 340 km (130 sq mi), or 20km² less, one of the largest wetlands of the western Mediterranean. Designated a Ramsar site , it has entirely grown on soils washed downriver—the historical rate of growth of the delta is demonstrated by the town of Amposta . Recorded and thus confirmed as a seaport in the Roman Warm Period in

2727-636: The Vascones (lower country, extending also north and east of it). It was part of the province of Hispania Tarraconensis . In medieval times, La Rioja was often a disputed territory. The Visigoths created the Duchy of Cantabria that probably included most of La Rioja, as a border march against the Vascones . After the Muslim invasion of AD 711, La Rioja fell into the Muslim domains of Al Andalus . Most of

2828-690: The province of Tarragona ( Catalonia ). The source of the river Ebro is in the Cantabrian Mountains , in Fontibre , Cantabria ( Fontibre is from Latin Fontes Iberis , i.e. 'source of the Ebro'). Close by is a large artificial lake , Embalse del Ebro , created by its damming. The upper Ebro rushes through rocky gorges in Burgos Province . Flowing roughly eastwards it passes las conchas de Haro and begins forming

2929-550: The 20th century, or in the 21st century, the researcher Eduardo Aznar Martínez. In addition, there are texts by older authors such as Florián de Ocampo in the 16th century or Rodrigo Méndez Silva in the 17th century, which give an account of the popular etymology of the toponym. The first written appearances of this toponym as Rioga or Riogam date back to the 11th century, and it can also be found with different spellings such as Rioxa, Riogia, Rivo de Oia, Rivogio or in its definitive form Rioja in texts of later centuries. On

3030-459: The 4th century, it is now well inland from the mouths. The rounded form of the delta attests to the subsequent balance between sediment deposition by the Ebro and removal of this material by wave erosion . The modern delta is in intensive agricultural use for rice, fruit (in particular citrus), and vegetables. The Ebro delta also has numerous beaches, marshes, and salt pans that provide habitat for over 300 species of birds. The Ebro delta

3131-582: The 6th century King of Persia, Anushirvan (Chosroes I) the Just was the introduction of many Greek ideas into his kingdom. Aided by this knowledge and the juxtaposition of beliefs, the Abbasids considered it valuable to look at Islam with Greek eyes, and to look at the Greeks with Islamic eyes. Abbasid philosophers also advanced the idea that Islam had, from the very beginning, stressed the gathering of knowledge as

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3232-478: The 9th-century County of Castile ( Spanish : Condado de Castilla , Latin : Comitatus Castellae ), as an eastern frontier lordship of the Kingdom of León . During the 10th century, the Castilian counts increased their autonomy, but it was not until 1065 that it was separated from the Kingdom of León and became a kingdom in its own right. Between 1072 and 1157, it was again united with León, and after 1230,

3333-521: The Council of Burgos in 1080 the traditional Mozarabic rite was replaced by the Roman one. Upon his death, Alfonso VI was succeeded by his daughter, the widowed Urraca, who then married Alfonso I of Aragon, but they almost immediately fell out. Alfonso tried unsuccessfully to conquer Urraca's lands, before he repudiated her in 1114. Urraca also had to contend with attempts by her son from her first marriage,

3434-519: The Ebro from the mountain range, which is why La Rioja is sometimes called: "Zone of the seven valleys". They are, from east to west, Alhama , Cidacos , Leza, Iregua, Najerilla , Oja and Tirón , although the headwaters of the Alhama and Cidacos originate in Soria and those of Najerilla-Neila and Tirón are from Burgos. Sometimes Linares (a tributary of Alhama) is added, grouping Tirón with its tributary,

3535-479: The Ebro that Wels catfish have not colonized were not affected. The ecology of the river also now has the problem of a major increase in aquatic vegetation, seaweed and algae. Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile ( / k æ ˈ s t iː l / ; Spanish : Reino de Castilla : Latin : Regnum Castellae ) was a polity in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages . It traces its origins to

3636-605: The Kingdom of Castile conquered the last Moorish state of Granada, thereby ending Muslim rule in Iberia and completing the Reconquista. On Isabella's death in 1504 her daughter, Joanna I , became Queen (in name) with her husband Philip I as King (in authority). After his death Joanna's father was regent, due to her perceived mental illness, as her son Charles I was only six years old. On Ferdinand II's death in 1516, Charles I

3737-555: The Kingdom of León from his father Alfonso IX , having previously received the Kingdom of Castile from his mother Berenguela of Castile in 1217. In addition, he took advantage of the decline of the Almohad empire to conquer the Guadalquivir Valley whilst his son Alfonso X took the taifa of Murcia . The Courts from León and Castile merged, an event considered as the foundation of the Crown of Castile, consisting of

3838-687: The Miranda de Ebro charter of 1099. The territory was centred on the fortified site of Logroño: the 12th-century church Iglesia de Santa Maria de Palacio recalls its origin as a chapel of the administrative palace. Logroño was a borderland disputed between the kings of Navarre and the kings of Castile from the 10th century; From 1134 the Navarrese under García Ramírez ("the Restorer") and his son Sancho VI ("the Wise") fought bitterly with Castile for

3939-721: The Oja. All the rivers of these valleys form tributaries that go on to form many valleys in their own right, such as those of Linares, Ocon, Jubera, Tuerto, Brieva, Viniegras and San Millán. There is an almost unlimited number of grandiose canyons, quite splendid in nature, such as Aguas Buenas, Nieva, Manzanares, Ardancha, Navajún, Valderresa, Ollora, Tobia, San Martín and others. In the highlands, oaks , beech and pine are grown. There are also thickets of juniper , boxwood , sloes , holly and cistus . Thyme , rosemary , common juniper , and holm oak are present. There are grand hillsides with fine pasture for livestock, cattle and sheep. In

4040-701: The Wels catfish's introduction in the Mequinenza reservoir in 1974, it has spread to other parts of the Ebro and its tributaries, especially the Segre . Some endemics species of iberian barbels , genus Barbus in the Cyprinidae , have declined drastically, having once been abundant, especially in the Ebro. Competition and predation by Wels catfish caused its complete disappearance in the middle channel Ebro around 1990. Barbel species from mountain stream tributaries of

4141-518: The ancient Cantabrian hill town of Amaya , west and south of the Ebro river, which offered an easier defense from the Muslim military expeditions and command of the main highway, still functional from the Roman Empire , passing by, south of the Cantabrian ridge all the way to Leon. Subsequently, the region was subdivided, separate counts being named to Alava, Burgos, Cerezo & Lantarón, and

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4242-610: The autonomous community was 8.5 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 0.7% of Spanish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 29,200 euros or 97% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 102% of the EU average. La Rioja is known for its production of Rioja DOCa wines (although the Rioja viticultural region extends slightly into the neighboring administrative regions of Álava and Navarra ). There

4343-510: The basins of the rivers Tirón and Oja , with some divergences in its exact location by different authors. Gradually and as a result of various historical events, the toponym was extended from the Middle Ages , to name a larger region, consisting of seven river valleys , located between the Tirón in the west and the Alhama in the east, which flow into the Ebro , namely La Rioja today. La Rioja

4444-554: The capital where there are 4,868 more women than men. According to the 2007 PISA report, education in La Rioja is of the highest quality in Spain, close to that of other European countries with better overall educational levels in terms of student knowledge. In the Ministry of Education's 2009 report La Rioja was in first position among the autonomous communities as it relates to general aspects of primary and secondary education. It

4545-421: The capital. The etymology of the toponym Rioja is complex and has been much discussed. The main theories point to different origins: the traditional popular one that makes it correspond to the river Oja , the one that points to the term Rivalia that would be translated as "land of streams", the one that points as germ a nominal tautology in the term rivo Ohia that would mean "river of fluvial bed"; and

4646-839: The central Pyrenees and the Iberian System discharge large amounts of water, especially in spring during the thawing season of the mountain snow. The biomes are diverse in these Mediterranean climate zones: Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub . Hinterlands are particularly distinctive on account of extensive sclerophyll shrublands known as maquis , or garrigues. The dominant species are Quercus coccifera (in drier areas) and Quercus ilex . These trees form monospecific communities or communities integrated with Pinus , Mediterranean buckthorns , Myrtus , Chamaerops humilis , junipers , Pistacia , Rosmarinus , Thymus , and so on. The hinterland climate becomes progressively more continental and drier, and therefore there

4747-518: The contiguous maritime valleys of Mena and Encartaciones in nearby Biscay ; some of those settlers had abandoned those exposed areas of the Meseta a few decades earlier, and taken refuge in the much denser and more intractable woods of the Atlantic valleys, so they were not that foreign to them. A mix of settlers from the Cantabrian and Basque coastal areas, which were recently swelled with refugees,

4848-538: The delta from 27 March 2007 to 11 April 2007, with an average of 117 million cubic metres (95,000 acre-feet) per day. Academics and local government have criticised ecological impacts of: In past times numerous lagoons , endorheic saltwater ponds , and freshwater swamps and marshes were drained, dried or filled. Almost entire riparian forests were cleared for crops or for pulpwood forest plantations. Due to these changes numerous plant and animal species have disappeared. Due to dams and hydraulic canalization,

4949-659: The dividing line between Roman (north) and Carthaginian (south) expansions after the First Punic War (264–241 BC). When the Roman Republic , fearful of Hannibal 's growing influence in the Iberian Peninsula, made the city of Saguntum (considerably south of the Ebro) a protectorate of Rome, Hannibal viewed the treaty violation as an aggressive action by Rome and used the event as the catalyst to

5050-407: The dynamics of the river have been altered and new scroll-bars , new oxbow lakes , and new abandoned meanders will not now be created. Over a period of time, many of these phenomena tend to dry out or fill in with sediments. Some small representatives of these river dynamics and wetlands are protected. The Ebro Delta Natural Park, covering 7,802 hectares (19,280 acres), was finalised in 1986 and

5151-556: The eastern frontier of the Kingdom of Asturias , protected by castles, towers , or castra , in a territory formerly called Bardulia . The County of Castile, bordered in the south by the northern reaches of the Spanish Sistema Central mountain system, was just north of modern-day Madrid province. It was re-populated by inhabitants of Cantabria , Asturias , Vasconia and Visigothic and Mozarab origins. It had its own Romance dialect and customary laws. From

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5252-546: The ecologic and economic resources of the delta. The Greeks called the river Ἴβηρ ( Ibēr ), abir , ah'ir and the Romans called it the Hibēr , Ibēr , or Ibērus flūmen , leading to its current name. The Iberian Peninsula and the Hibērī or Ibērī (the people of the area) were named after the river. It is not known with any certainty whether the Greeks used a local native name for

5353-553: The edge of the water, turning the landscape, like spears magical pointing towards the unreal and mysterious country of the riverbed." Gypsum and silica are mined. Arnedillo is a spa town . During the Early Cretaceous period, the geographical area of Cameros was part of a flooded plain that drained periodically, leaving behind muddy areas where dinosaur tracks marked the path. Eventually they were dried and covered with new sediment layers whose weight pressed down on

5454-475: The first half of the 9th century until the middle of the century, in which it came to be paid more attention, it was administered and defended by the monarchs of Leon, due to the increased incursions from the Emirate of Córdoba . Its first repopulation settlements were led by small abbots and local counts from the other side of the Cantabrian ridge neighbor valleys, Trasmiera and Primorias and smaller ones, from

5555-430: The first half of the century a translation program , called the "School of Toledo", translated many philosophical and scientific works from the Classical Greek and the Islamic worlds into Latin. Many European scholars, including Daniel of Morley and Gerard of Cremona , travelled to Toledo to gain further knowledge. The Way of St. James further enhanced the cultural exchange between the kingdoms of Castile and León and

5656-399: The first reference to the name "Castile" (Castilla) can be found in a document written during AD 800. In the Al-Andalus chronicles from the Cordoban Caliphate , the oldest sources refer to it as Al-Qila, or "the castled" high plains past the territory of Alava , further south than it and the first encountered in their expeditions from Zaragoza . The name reflects its origin as a march on

5757-500: The future will reach Burgos . Other major road routes include: The current President of La Rioja is Gonzalo Capellán of PP . The autonomous community has its own Parliament . Other organs include the Consejo de Gobierno (council of government) and the Tribunal Superior de Justicia (high court of justice). Ebro The Ebro ( Spanish and Basque [ˈeβɾo] ; Catalan : Ebre , Western: [ˈeβɾe] , Eastern: [ˈeβɾə] )

5858-419: The huge Wels catfish . The zebra mussel , an invasive species , is expanding upstream in the Ebro's waters. Due to its rapid rate of reproduction, the species adversely affects the port's underwater machinery as well as that of dams and hydroelectric plants, in addition to competing with native species. Following the introduction of Wels catfish, many fish species' numbers are in clear and rapid decline. Since

5959-449: The innocence of Alfonso in the matter of the murder of his brother is well known. During the first years of the 12th century, Sancho, the only son of Alfonso VI, died, leaving only his daughter. Because of this, Alfonso VI took a different approach from other European kingdoms, including France . He gave his daughters, Elvira, Urraca, and Theresa in marriage to Raymond of Toulouse, Raymond of Burgundy, and Henry of Burgundy respectively. In

6060-520: The king of Galicia, to assert his rights. When Urraca died, this son became king of León and Castile as Alfonso VII . During his reign, Alfonso VII managed to annex parts of the weaker kingdoms of Navarre and Aragón which fought to secede after the death of Alfonso I of Aragon. Alfonso VII refused his right to conquer the Mediterranean coast for the new union of Aragón with the County of Barcelona (Petronila and Ramón Berenguer IV). The centuries of Moorish rule had established Castile's high central plateau as

6161-412: The kingdoms of Castile, León, taifas and other domains conquered from the Moors , including the taifa of Córdoba , taifa of Murcia, taifa of Jaén and taifa of Seville . The House of Trastámara was a lineage that ruled Castile from 1369 to 1504, Aragón from 1412 to 1516, Navarre from 1425 to 1479, and Naples from 1442 to 1501. Its name was taken from the Count (or Duke) of Trastámara. This title

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6262-401: The kings of Pamplona-Navarra, involving great battles. It was decided in favour of the Navarrese after the imprisonment of the Count's family in Cirueña, in 960. La Rioja briefly formed the independent Kingdom of Viguera from 970 to about 1005, at which point it became a part of the Kingdom of Pamplona . Sancho Garcés moved the capital of the Kingdom of Pamplona to Nájera (La Rioja), creating

6363-416: The latter of which are very scarce at the primary and secondary levels. The bachillerato is free in public schools and at a cost in charter schools. In La Rioja the portion of the population with higher education is 30.6%, with two institutions offering studies at this level: the University of La Rioja and an online university, the International University of La Rioja. La Rioja has connections by air via

6464-494: The left bank (known as the Riojan Sonsierra), although Logroño, Agoncillo , Alcanadre , Rincón de Soto and Alfaro also have parts of their respective municipal territories on that bank. Because of their proximity, the Álava area between the Ebro and the Sierra de Cantabria is called Rioja Alavesa . The climate is mainly continental . The Rioja Alta comarca receives more precipitation than Rioja Baja. The average temperature ranges from 11.8–31.8 °C (53.2–89.2 °F) and

6565-399: The lower areas there are oaks, olive and almond trees. Near the Ebro, in the plains, the land is used for cereal, sugar beet and potatoes, while the hills are covered with vast vineyards of the wine that has brought worldwide fame to this region. All Riojan rivers, including the Ebro, have a row of poplars and cottonwood. About the Riojan Alamos Ana Maria Matute has written: "... see them on

6666-475: The lower layers, causing them to solidify into rocks over millions of years. Erosion has been wearing down the upper layers making many of these rock formations visible, bringing into view the fossilized footprints. La Rioja is notable for the number and conservation of these sites, in addition to those found in the north of Soria , such as Yanguas , Santa Cruz de Yanguas and other highland locations. Geographical comarcas: The Gross domestic product (GDP) of

6767-407: The monarch " by the grace of God ", as the legal formula explained. Nevertheless, rural and urban communities began to form assemblies to issue regulations to deal with everyday problems. Over time, these assemblies evolved into municipal councils, known as variously as ayuntamientos or cabildos , in which some of the inhabitants, the property-owning heads of households ( vecinos ), represented

6868-399: The mountain range the Sierra de la Demanda runs northwards, into the heart of La Rioja, incorporating Monte San Lorenzo which, at 2,271 m (7,451 ft), is the highest peak in the province. Other mountains include Sierra de Camero Viejo , Sierra de Camero Nuevo , Sierra de Cebollera , and Picos de Urbión . The Ebro is the main river passing through the community. Emerging from

6969-407: The mouth. In addition to decreased mean annual flow, the increased river regulation in the Ebro basin has produced daily and seasonal changes in the flow pattern. With regards to the sediment load, several authors conclude that the sediment load was reduced by more than 99 percent during the last century. The drastic reduction in sediment transport implies a sediment deficit in the delta, which

7070-482: The narrow channel between the rocks of the Conchas de Haro , it reaches La Rioja, through which it runs for 120 km (75 miles), before continuing its journey to the Mediterranean. In the Conchas de Haro the altitude of the river is 445 m (1,460 ft) and when it leaves the community, in the Sotos del Ebro Natural Reserve in Alfaro , it is 260 m (850 ft) high. The river therefore flows very quickly through La Rioja. Seven rivers descend rapidly towards

7171-403: The other hand, the oldest document found in which its demonym appears dates from the 13th century, with the spellings riogeñ and riogensi , that is, Riojan ( Spanish : riojano ). In the first written appearances of this toponym in the 11th century, the westernmost area of the present-day Spanish region is designated under the same name; therefore, the primitive Rioja was the territory around

7272-506: The precipitation ranges between 300–500 mm (12–20 in) as an annual average. The wind called Cierzo is very frequent around La Rioja during the winter. The mountains in La Rioja are part of the Iberian System . This mountain range extends to the south of the Ebro river, parallel to it at a distance of about 40 to 60 km (25 to 37 miles), with altitudes ranging between 1,000 and 2,000 m (3,300 and 6,600 feet). From

7373-619: The production of power in Spain. The monastery also diverted flow from the Ebro to create a circulating, hydrological central heating system for its buildings. The Ebro in 1938 was the starting ground of one of the most famous Republican offensives of the Spanish Civil War . Known as the Battle of the Ebro , the offensive ended in defeat for the Republican forces, although they enjoyed success in its first stages. They were not able to reach their objective of Gandesa . The Ebro

7474-540: The province changed its name to La Rioja, and following the adoption of the Estatuto de San Millán in 1982, during the reorganization following the Spanish transition to democracy , it was constituted as a uni-provincial autonomous community . It is the second-smallest autonomous community in Spain and has the smallest population; half of its 174 municipalities have populations under 200. Nearly half of its citizens live in

7575-601: The recovery of the former Pamplonese domains. The region was awarded to Castile in a judgement by Henry II of England and annexed in 1177. Its importance lay in part in the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela , the Camino de Santiago , which crossed the River Ebro on the stone bridge, the Puente de Piedra . In the 18th century, the territory remained divided between the intendences of Burgos and Soria . The region

7676-516: The religious Caliphs could not support scientific translations. Translators had to seek out wealthy business patrons rather than religious ones. Until Abbasid rule in the 8th century, however, there was little work in translation. Most knowledge of Greek during Umayyad rule was gained from scholars of Greek who remained from the Byzantine period, rather than through widespread translation and dissemination of texts. A few scholars argue that translation

7777-469: The rest of Europe. The 12th century saw the establishment of many new religious orders, like the rest of Europe, such as Calatrava , Alcántara and Santiago ; and the foundation of many Cistercian abbeys . Alfonso VII restored the royal tradition of dividing his kingdom among his children. Sancho III became King of Castile and Ferdinand II , King of León. The rivalry between both kingdoms continued until 1230 when Ferdinand III of Castile received

7878-515: The rest. By the 14th century these councils had gained more powers, such as the right to elect municipal magistrates and officers ( alcaldes , speakers, clerks, etc.) and representatives to the parliaments ( Cortes ). Due to the increasing power of the municipal councils and the need for communication between these and the King, cortes were established in the Kingdom of León in 1188, and in Castile in 1250. Unlike other kingdoms, Castile didn't have

7979-421: The river basins. This situation has a direct impact on the deltaic system at the mouth of the river because its hydrological dynamics are mainly controlled by the river discharge. The decrease in river discharge has meant introduction of the salt wedge further into the river. The mean annual river flow is approximately the critical flow which determines the formation and the break-up of the salt wedge. Thus, when

8080-614: The river bends southwards and flows through spectacular gorges. The calcareous cliffs and high, rocky hills of the Serra de Cardó almost abut the river separating the Mediterranean coastal strip. After passing the gorges, the Ebro bends again eastwards near Tortosa before discharging in a delta on the Mediterranean Sea close to Amposta in the province of Tarragona . The Ebro Delta (Catalan: Delta de l'Ebre ), in

8181-479: The river discharge is between 300 and 400 m /s (11,000 and 14,000 cu ft/s), the salt wedge can occupy the last 5 km (3 mi) of the estuary, but when the discharge is between 100 and 300 m /s (3,500 and 10,600 cu ft/s), the salt wedge can advance up to 18 km (11 mi) from the mouth. For less than 100 m /s (3,500 cu ft/s), the salt wedge quickly advances to its maximum extent, reaching 32 km (20 mi) from

8282-519: The river. Nor is it known what the word " Ibēr " or " Hibēr " might mean. In modern Basque the word ibar means 'valley' or 'watered meadow', while ibai means 'river', but there is no proof relating the etymology of the Ebro River with these Basque words. There are rivers in the Balkans called Ibar (Montenegro and Serbia) and Evros (Bulgaria and Greece). In antiquity , the Ebro was used as

8383-553: The sister of Count García, as feudal overlord. García was assassinated in 1028 while in León to marry the princess Sancha, sister of Bermudo III of León . Sancho III, acting as feudal overlord, appointed his younger son (García's nephew) Ferdinand as Count of Castile, marrying him to his uncle's intended bride, Sancha of León. Following Sancho's death in 1035, Castile returned to the nominal control of León, but Ferdinand, allying himself with his brother García Sánchez III of Navarre , began

8484-467: The so-called kingdom of Nájera-Pamplona which was, due to its large size, the first Spanish Empire. After the independence of Castile in 1035, this new kingdom fiercely fought against Pamplona for the possession of Bureba , La Rioja and other territories. In 1076, after the murder of Sancho IV , Navarre was divided among Castile and Aragon. Castile obtained La Rioja, together with other Navarrese lands. The name "La Rioja" first appears in written records in

8585-472: The southern slopes of the Pyrenees mountains, which run along the border with France . All of Andorra's drainage basin is in the Ebro, through the Segre . Downstream from Cantabria the climate in the Ebro basin – the valley being isolated from sea air masses by surrounding mountains – becomes Mediterranean/Atlantic influenced and continental . This implies summer/winter seasonal contrast and

8686-465: The surface is organically poor and quick-draining: calcareous, pebbly, stony layers. These are in places salt-rich, seeing some saltwater endorheic lagoons. Karst geological processes shaped the landscape of layers of soluble carbonate rock of extensive limestone bedrock formed in an ancient seabed. The valley expands and the Ebro's flow then becomes slower as its water volume increases, flowing across Aragon. There, larger tributaries flowing from

8787-417: The temperatures often drop below 0 °C (32 °F). In some areas the vegetation depends heavily on moisture produced by condensation fog . It is a continental Mediterranean climate with extreme temperatures. There are many ground frosts on clear nights, and sporadic snowfalls . The natural topsoils across the plains are, outside of historically well-forested zones, thin. The subsoil being close to

8888-668: The territory was reconquered in 923 by Sancho I of Pamplona , acting for the Kingdom of Pamplona together with the Kingdom of León and the Counts of Castile, feudal lords of the Leonese King. The lower region around Arnedo came under control of his allies the Banu Qasi of Tudela . The territory to the east of the Leza River remained under Muslim control. Later, there was a dispute between Count Fernán González of Castile and

8989-524: The town, but the Castilian king was assassinated in 1072 by Bellido Dolfos, a Galician nobleman. The Castilian troops then withdrew. As a result, Alfonso VI recovered all his original territory of León, and became the king of Castile and Galicia. This was the second union of León and Castile, although the two kingdoms remained distinct entities joined only in a personal union . The oath taken by El Cid before Alfonso VI in Santa Gadea de Burgos regarding

9090-513: The union became permanent. Throughout that period, the Castilian kings made extensive conquests in southern Iberia at the expense of the Islamic principalities . The Kingdoms of Castile and of León, with their southern acquisitions, came to be known collectively as the Crown of Castile , a term that also came to encompass overseas expansion. According to the chronicles of Alfonso III of Asturias ,

9191-466: The very diverse ones that indicate that it would have its origins in the Basque language , for example as union of the words herria and ogia being translated as "land of bread". Numerous authors from different periods have proposed different theories about it, such as the friar Mateo Anguiano in the 18th century, Ángel Casimiro de Govantes in the 19th century, Menéndez Pidal or Merino Urrutia in

9292-493: Was classified as a wetland area of international interest by Spain's Bureau Mar in 1962. Since a phased-introduction law (1983 to 1986) Spain has designated 7,736 hectares (29.87 sq mi) as the Ebro Delta Natural Park (Catalan: Parc Natural del Delta de l'Ebre ) to protect its natural resources. A network of canals and irrigation ditches dug by agricultural and conservation groups help to maintain

9393-428: Was created by royal decree as part of the administrative reform of Riego , taking in the whole of the historical territory of La Rioja. However, Ferdinand VII soon annulled these decisions and restored most of the previous territorial divisions. In the 1833 reorganization , a province of Logroño was again formed within the region of Castilla la Vieja . The province increased its territory temporarily in 1841. In 1980

9494-552: Was created, changing the name of the province to La Rioja in 1980 as a prelude to its constitution under a single provincial autonomous community in 1982. The name "Rioja" (from Río Oja ) is first attested in 1099. The region is well known for its wines under the brand Denominación de Origen Calificada Rioja . In Roman times, the territory of La Rioja was inhabited by the tribes of the Berones (central country), Autrigones (upper country, extending also north and west of it) and

9595-413: Was given Zamora, and Elvira was given Toro . Sancho II allied himself with Alfonso VI of León and together they conquered, then divided, Galicia. Sancho later attacked Alfonso VI and invaded León with the help of El Cid , and drove his brother into exile, thereby reuniting the three kingdoms. Urraca permitted the greater part of the Leonese army to take refuge in the town of Zamora. Sancho laid siege to

9696-495: Was led under the protection of Abbot Vitulus and his brother, Count Herwig, as registered in the local charters they signed around the first years of the 800s. The areas that they settled did not extend far from the Cantabrian southeastern ridges, and not beyond the southern reaches of the high Ebro river valleys and canyon gores. The first count of a wider and more united Castile was Rodrigo in 850, under Ordoño I of Asturias and Alfonso III of Asturias . He settled and fortified

9797-560: Was more widespread than is thought during this period, but this remains the minority view. The main period of translation was during Abbasid rule. The 2nd Abbasid Caliph Al-Mansur moved the capital from Damascus to Baghdad. Here he founded a great library, containing Greek Classical texts. Al-Mansur ordered this collection of world literature translated into Arabic. Under al-Mansur, and by his orders, translations were made from Greek, Syriac, and Persian. The Syriac and Persian books themselves were translations from Greek or Sanskrit. A legacy of

9898-470: Was once occupied by pre-Roman Berones , Pellendones and Vascones . After partial recapture from the Muslims in the early tenth century, the region became part of the Kingdom of Pamplona , later being incorporated into Castile after a century and a half of disputes. From the eighteenth century the Rioja region remained divided between the provinces of Burgos and Soria, until in 1833 the province of Logroño

9999-518: Was proclaimed as king of Castile and of Aragon (in authority) jointly with his mother Joanna I as the Queen of Castile (in name). As the first monarch to reign over Castile and Aragon, Charles I may be considered as the first operational King of Spain . Charles I also became Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire in 1519. As with all medieval kingdoms, supreme power was understood to reside in

10100-773: Was taken by Napoleonic forces in the Peninsular War and remained solidly in French hands until 1814. In the 1810 project of Llorente it was to be a part of the prefecture of Arlanzón with its capital in Burgos . The Cortes of Cádiz declared La Rioja an independent province at the time of the Liberal Constitution of 1812 , and during the Liberal Triennium in January 1822 the province of Logroño

10201-463: Was used by Henry II of Castile , of the Mercedes, before coming to the throne in 1369, during the civil war with his legitimate brother, King Peter of Castile . John II of Aragón ruled from 1458 to 1479 and upon his death, his daughter became Queen Eleanor of Navarre and his son became King Ferdinand II of Aragon . The marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile , in 1469 at

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