Castile-La Mancha: the land of Don Quixote

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Castile-La Mancha (Castilla-La Mancha) is a region of central Spain born from the division of the old historical region of Castilla la Nueva into two new entities: the Comunidad de Madrid and Castile-La Mancha. The region that has Toledo as its capital is made up of the 5 provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Toledo.

Located in the center of Spain, it is not bathed by the sea, it borders to the south with Andalusia, and Murcia. While to the east with the Valencian Community and Aragon, to the north with Castile-León and with the region of Madrid and finally to the west with Extremadura. The region has a predominantly agricultural economy where cereals, vines and olives are widely grown, and breeding is also important.

Geographically, the territory of Castile-La Mancha is largely formed by the southern section of Meseta Central, La Mancha, a semi-desert plateau which is located at an average height between 600 and 700 meters. The two main rivers that cross it are the Tagus and the Guadiana. Mountain ranges rise all around the Meseta. To the north are the mountains of the Central System with the Sierra de Gredos, to the north-east are the mountains of the Iberian System, finally to the south are the Sierra Morena and the Toledo Mountains.

DON QUIXOTE AND THE WINDMILLS

Castile-La Mancha is famous for being the region of Don Quixote of La Mancha, the main work of the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. In the collective imagination, the region is remembered for its windmills, olive groves and vineyards.

Among the things to visit in Castile-La Mancha are interesting to visit the numerous castles (Belmonte, Molina de Aragón, Zorita de los Canes, Alarcón, Almansa, Torija, Campillo de Dueñas). The small medieval towns of the region (Sigüenza, Uclés) and the area of the windmills between Campo de Criptana and Consuegra. Rural tourism is also highly developed, and the region has two national parks (Parque Nacional de las Tablas de Daimiel, Parque Nacional de Cabañeros) and 5 natural parks.

The region contains 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The historic city of Toledo. The walled city of Cuenca. The prehistoric art of the Mediterranean basin in the Iberian Peninsula (numerous sites in different regions of Spain).

CASTILE-LA MANCHA