Tierra de Campos

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Tierra de Campos

| native_name =

| native_name_lang = es

| settlement_type = Comarca and Natural region

| image_skyline = Moforlogiaagrária.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Cultivated fields in northern Valladolid Province

| image_flag =

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| nickname =

| motto =

| image_map =

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| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Spain}}

| subdivision_type1 = Autonomous community

| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Castile and León}}

| subdivision_type2 = Province

| subdivision_name2 = León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia

| seat_type = Capital

| seat = Palencia (unofficial)

| parts_type = Municipalities

| parts_style = list

| p1 = See text

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| elevation_m = 740

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| population_density_km2 = auto

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| blank_name_sec1 = Largest municipality

| blank_info_sec1 = Palencia

| timezone1 = CET

| utc_offset1 = +1

| timezone1_DST = CEST

| utc_offset1_DST = +2

| postal_code_type =

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| area_code_type = Dialing code

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}}

File:Mapa de la Tierra de Campos.svg

File:Tierra de Campos-iCLe.PNG

File:AbastasPalencia.jpg.]]

Tierra de Campos ("Land of Fields") is a large historical and natural region or greater comarca that straddles the provinces of León, Zamora, Valladolid and Palencia, in Castile and León, Spain. It is a vast, desolate plain with practically no relief, except for some wide undulations of the terrain.

Originally it was known as "Gothic Plains" (Campi Gothici or Campi Gothorum), as the area had been settled by Visigoths who fled from Aquitaine Gaul after its conquest by the Franks. It was first mentioned under this name in Codex Vigilanus (Codex Albeldensis), and described as extending "from the river Douro, to the Christian Kingdom".{{cite web|last=Vaca Lorenzo|first=Ángel|work=STVDIA HISTORICA. HISTORIA MEDIEVAL|title=LA TIERRA DE CAMPOS Y SUS BASES ECOLÓGICAS EN EL SIGLO XIV|url=http://campus.usal.es/~revistas_trabajo/index.php/Studia_H_Historia_Medieval/article/viewFile/4382/4396}}, page 3, Campos quos dicunt Goticos usque adflumen Dorium eremauit, et xpistianorum regnum extendit

Despite the strong identity of its inhabitants, this historical region has not been able to achieve the necessary legal recognition for its administrative development. Therefore, its municipalities have resorted to organizing themselves in a mancomunidad,[http://www.tierradecampos.com Mancomunidad de Tierra de Campos]

the only legal formula that has allowed the region to manage its public municipal resources meaningfully. Palencia is widely considered to be the capital of the Tierra de Campos.

Geography

File:Palomares 1.jpg in Tierra de Campos]]

"Tierra de Campos" is located on a fertile, elevated plateau with an average height of around {{convert|720|m|ft}}, its geography is typical of the Meseta Central. The ground is mostly made up of quite compact clay. The climate is continental with long, cold winters and short, hot summers. Rivers naturally irrigating the area are sparse and traditionally the land in Tierra de Campos has been used for dryland farming. The Channel of Castile, which cuts across this comarca, was developed for transport purposes but developed into an irrigation system. Some of the wetlands in Tierra de Campos, like the Laguna de la Nava de Fuentes and the Lagunas de Villafáfila, are important for the ecology of the region.[http://www.tierradecampos.com/patrimonio_natural_en_tierra_de_campos_valladolid.php La Tierra de Campos, Patrimonio Natural]

There are few natural forested areas left. The Tierra de Campos is the place with the highest concentration of bustard in the Iberian Peninsula, and possibly in the world.[http://www.proyectoavutarda.org Proyecto Avutarda - Bustard Project]

There is no unanimous agreement regarding the precise boundaries of the Tierra de Campos. Since it is a natural and traditional region, no official limits have ever been assigned. One of the most widely accepted system of boundariesJusto González Garrido, Tierra de Campos. Región Natural, 1941. has been the following:

Municipalities

=León Province=

=Zamora Province=

=Valladolid Province=

=Palencia Province=

Maps of Tierra de Campos areas in different provinces

File:Comarca de Tierra de Campos (Provincia de Zamora, España).svg|Tierra de Campos Zamorana

File:Comarca_Tierra_de_campos_(Palencia).svg|Tierra de Campos in Palencia

File:Comarcas de Valladolid.svg|Tierra de Campos of Valladolid; in purple

File:Mapa Comarcas de León.svg|Tierra de Campos Leonesa; in brown.

See also

References

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