Editing Province of Ávila

{{Short description|Province of Spain}}
{{more footnotes|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Province of Ávila
| native_name            = {{native name|es|Provincia de Ávila}}
| type                   = [[Provinces of Spain|Province]]
| image_skyline          = 
| image_alt              = 
| image_caption          = 
| image_flag             = Bandera de la provincia de Ávila.svg
| flag_size              = 
| flag_alt               = 
| image_shield           = Coat of Arms of Ávila Province.svg
| shield_size            = 
| shield_alt             = 
| motto                  = 
| anthem                 = 
| image_map              = Avila in Spain.svg
| map_alt                = 
| map_caption            = Map of Spain with Ávila highlighted
| pushpin_map            = 
| pushpin_map_caption    = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|40|35|N|5|00|W|region:ES_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki|display=it}}
| coordinates_footnotes  = 
| subdivision_type       = Country
| subdivision_name       = [[Spain]]
| subdivision_type1      = [[Autonomous community]]
| subdivision_name1      = [[Castile and León]]
| established_title      = 
| established_date       = 
| seat_type              = Capital
| seat                   = [[Ávila, Spain|Ávila]]
| government_type        = 
| government_footnotes   = 
| leader_party           = PP
| leader_title           = President
| leader_name            = Carlos García González
| area_footnotes         = 
| area_total_km2         = 8048
| area_rank              = [[List of Spanish provinces by area|Ranked 30th]]
| area_note              = 1.60% of Spain
| elevation_footnotes    = 
| elevation_m            = 
| population_footnotes   = 
| population_total       = 158265
| population_as_of       = 
| population_rank        = [[List of Spanish provinces by population|Ranked 47th]]
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym     = {{langx|es|abulense}}
| population_note        = 0.37% of Spain
| blank_name_sec2        = 
| blank_info_sec2        = 
| blank1_name_sec2       = [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|Congress seats]]
| blank1_info_sec2       = 
| blank2_name_sec2       = [[Spanish Senate|Senate seats]]
| blank2_info_sec2       = 
| blank3_name_sec2       = 
| blank3_info_sec2       = 
| time_zone              = 
| utc_offset             = 
| time_zone_DST          = 
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| timezone1              = 
| utc_offset1            = 
| timezone1_DST          = 
| utc_offset1_DST        = 
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| postal_code            = 
| area_code_type         = 
| area_code              = 
| website                = {{URL|http://www.diputacionavila.es}}
| footnotes              = 
}}
'''Ávila''' ({{IPA|es|ˈaβila|lang|es-Ávila.ogg}}) is a [[Provinces of Spain|province]] of central-western [[Spain]], in the southern part of the [[Autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous community]] of [[Castile and León]]. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of [[Toledo Province|Toledo]] and [[Cáceres Province|Cáceres]], on the west by [[Salamanca Province|Salamanca]], on the north by [[Valladolid Province|Valladolid]], and on the east by [[Segovia Province|Segovia]] and [[Madrid Province|Madrid]]. Ávila has a population of 158,265 (2018) and is ranked 47th out of 50 of Spanish provinces in population. Its capital is [[Ávila]].{{fact|date=September 2021}}

==Geography==
{{One source section
| date = July 2024
}}{{stack|[[File:Provincia de Ávila relieve.jpg|240px|thumb|Relief map]]}}
Ávila is naturally divided into two sections, differing completely in soil and climate. The northern portion is generally level; the soil is of indifferent quality, strong and [[Wiktionary:marl#Etymology|marly]] in a few places, but rocky in all the valleys of the Sierra de Ávila; and the climate alternates from severe cold in winter to extreme heat in summer. The population of this part is mainly agricultural. The southern division, however, is one mass of rugged granitic sierras, interspersed with sheltered and well-watered valleys, abounding with rich vegetation.{{fact|date=September 2021}}

The winter, especially in the elevated region of the Paramera and the wastelands of Ávila, is long and severe, but the climate is not unhealthy.{{clarifyme|date=September 2021}}{{fact|date=September 2021}}

The principal mountain chains are the Guadarrama, separating this province from Madrid; the Paramera and [[Sierra de Ávila]], west of the Guadarrama; and the vast wall of the [[Sierra de Gredos]] along the southern frontier, where its outstanding peaks rise from around {{convert|6000|to|8000|ft}}. [[Pico Almanzor]] is the highest point. The ridges which [[Wiktionary:ramify#English|ramify]] from the Paramera are covered with valuable forests of beeches, oaks and firs, presenting a striking contrast to the bare peaks of the Sierra de Gredos.{{fact|date=September 2021}}

The main rivers stemming from the [[Sierra de Gredos]] are the [[Alberche]], the [[Tiétar River|Tiétar]], and the [[Tormes]].{{Sfn|Klemm|2008|p=39}} The first two belong to the [[Tagus basin]], while the latter belongs to the [[Douro]] catchment area. Meanwhile, the [[Adaja]], another Douro tributary whose source lies at the cut-off point of the [[Sierra de Ávila]] and La Serrota, carries little water in the Summer.{{Sfn|Klemm|2008|p=39}}

==History==
{{One source section
| date = July 2024
}}
The first recorded inhabitants of Ávila were the [[Celts]], who left behind a number of large stone statues of bulls called Verracos, with the largest number of surviving examples in Ávila. The area of the province was conquered by the Romans around 192 B.C. After the Roman Empire fell, the area became part of the Visigothic Kingdom, and it is from this period we have many of the earliest records of the towns of Ávila.

The population of the territory comprising the current-day province of Ávila greatly decreased since the late 16th century and the first half of the 17th century, taking over nearly two centuries to recover the late 16th century population.{{Sfn|Llopis Agellán|Cuervo Fuente|2004|p=39}}

{{Historical populations
|1528|105270
|1591|143165
|1752|102707
|1787|118318
|1860|168365
|source={{Harvnb|Llopis Agellán|Cuervo Fuente|2004|p=52}}
}}

==See also==
*[[List of municipalities in Ávila]]

==References==
;
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
* {{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVcMfMHz9TsC&pg=PA39|first=Albert|last=Klemm|title=La cultura popular de Ávila|editor-first=Pedro|editor-last=Tomé|location=Madrid|year=2008|publisher=[[Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas]]|isbn=978-84-00-08673-2}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Llopis Agellán|last2=Cuervo Fuente|year=2004|pages=39–66|first1=Enrique|first2=Noemí|title=El movimiento de la población en la provincia de Ávila, 1580-1864|journal=Áreas. Revista Internacional de Ciencias Sociales|issue=24|url=https://digitum.um.es/digitum/bitstream/10201/20127/1/3%20Movimiento%20poblacion%20Avila.pdf|issn=0211-6707|publisher=[[University of Murcia|Universidad de Murcia]]|location=Murcia}}
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Ávila (province)}}

{{commons category-inline|Province of Ávila}}

{{Provinces of Spain}}
{{Municipalities in Ávila}}
{{Portal bar|Spain}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avila, Province of}}
[[Category:Province of Ávila| ]]