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Province of Ávila

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Province of Ávila
Provincia de Ávila
Province
Flag of Province of Ávila
Flag
Coat of arms of Province of Ávila
Coat of arms
Location of the Province of Ávila in Spain
Location of the Province of Ávila in Spain
Coordinates: 40°35′N 5°00′W / 40.583°N 5.000°W / 40.583; -5.000
CountrySpain
Autonomous communityCastile and León
CapitalÁvila
Municipalities248 (list)
Government
 • TypeDiputación
 • BodyProvincial Deputation of Ávila [es]
 • PresidentCarlos García González (PP)
Area
[1]
 • Total
8,049.04 km2 (3,107.75 sq mi)
 • Rank30th in Spain
 1.6% of Spain
Highest elevation
(Almanzor)
2,592 m (8,504 ft)
Lowest elevation
(Tiétar)
400 m (1,300 ft)
Population
 (2025)[2]
 • Total
160,738
 • Rank46th in Spain
 • Density19.9698/km2 (51.7216/sq mi)
 0.3% of Spain
Demonymabulense
Websitewww.diputacionavila.es

The Province of Ávila (Spanish: Provincia de Ávila [ˈaβila] ⓘ) is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. Its capital is the city of Ávila. It is bordered on the south by the provinces of Toledo and Cáceres, on the west by Salamanca, on the north by Valladolid, and on the east by Segovia and Madrid.

It has a population of 160,738 in an area of 8,049.04 square kilometres (3,107.75 sq mi) across its 248 municipalities.[2][1]

History

[edit]

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.[3]

Geography

[edit]
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 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.[citation needed]

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.[clarification needed][citation needed]

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 6,000 to 8,000 feet (1,800 to 2,400 m). Pico Almanzor is the highest point. The ridges which 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.[citation needed]

The main rivers stemming from the Sierra de Gredos are the Alberche, the Tiétar, and the Tormes.[4] 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.[4]

Altitude ranges from the 400 metres above sea level in the Tiétar river trough to the 2592 metres of the Pico Almanzor.[5]

Municipalities

[edit]

The province has 248 municipalities:

Demographics

[edit]

As of 2025, the population is 160,738, of which 50.3% are male, and 49.7% are female. Minors make up 14.2% of the population, and seniors make up 27.2%.[2]

Immigration

[edit]

As of 2025, immigrants make up 12.7% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Morocco, Colombia, Peru, Romania, and Venezuela.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Información Geográfica Destacada" [Geographical information data] (in Spanish). IGN.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Annual population census 2021-2025". INE.
  3. ↑ Llopis Agellán & Cuervo Fuente 2004, p. 39.
  4. 1 2 Klemm 2008, p. 39.
  5. ↑ "La provincia y comarcas" (PDF). Boletín Oficial de la Provincia de Ávila (221): 8. 18 November 2009.
  6. ↑ "INEbase. Alterations to the municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842". INE.
Bibliography
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Province of Ávila at Wikimedia Commons
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