La Rioja
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La Rioja | |
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La Rioja (in Spanish) | |
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Website | Gobierno de La Rioja |
La Rioja (Spanish:
It covers part of the
The area was once occupied by pre-Roman
The region is well known for
History
Roman and Muslim periods
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 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
Medieval period
Most of 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.[citation needed]
Later there was a dispute between Count
Sancho Garcés moved the capital of the Kingdom of Pamplona to Nájera (La Rioja), creating the so-called kingdom of Nájera-Pamplona which was, due to its large size, the first Spanish Empire.[
From 1134 the Navarrese under
Province of Logroño
In the 18th century, the territory remained divided between the intendences of
Autonomous community
In 1980 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.[5] 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 the capital.
Etymology
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 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 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 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 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.[6]
Geography
La Rioja is bordered by the
, 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,
Climate
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 the precipitation ranges between 300–500 mm (12–20 in) as an annual average.[7] The wind called Cierzo is very frequent around La Rioja during the winter.
Mountains and mountain ranges
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 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.
Hydrography
The Ebro is the main river passing through the community. Emerging from 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.[original research?]
Seven rivers descend rapidly towards 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,
and those of Najerilla-Neila and Tirón are from Burgos. Sometimes Linares (a tributary of Alhama) is added, grouping Tirón with its tributary, 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.
Flora and fauna
In the highlands
are present. There are grand hillsides with fine pasture for livestock, cattle and sheep. In 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
Natural resources
Gypsum and silica are mined. Arnedillo is a spa town.
Dinosaur footprints
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 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.[9]
Comarcas
Geographical comarcas:
- Rioja Alta
- Rioja Media
- Tierra de Cameros
- Comarca de Logroño
- Rioja Baja
Economy
The
Agriculture
There is
Industry
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 the European Union, United States and Canada.
La Rioja hosts the annual
Demographics
According to the
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 the capital where there are 4,868 more women than men.
Vertical bar chart demographic of La Rioja between 1857 and 2018 |
Legal population (1857-1897) according to the population census published by the
Instituto Nacional de Estadística in the nineteenth century. Legal population (1900-1991) or Resident population (2001) according to the population census published by the
Instituto Nacional de Estadística . Population according to the municipal register of 2018 published by the
Instituto Nacional de Estadística . |
Major cities
Rank | Name
|
Pop. | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Logroño Calahorra |
1 | Logroño | 151,113 | Arnedo Haro | |||||
2 | Calahorra | 23,923 | |||||||
3 | Arnedo | 14,815 | |||||||
4 | Haro | 11,309 | |||||||
5 | Lardero | 10,193 | |||||||
6 | Alfaro | 9,460 | |||||||
7 | Nájera | 8,047 | |||||||
8 | Villamediana de Iregua | 7,973 | |||||||
9 | Santo Domingo de la Calzada | 6,231 | |||||||
10 | Autol | 4,469 |
Education
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.[13]
It 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.[14]
6,208 euros are spent per pupil, making it the tenth ranked community in this regard.
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.[16]
Transportation
La Rioja has connections by air via the
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 the future will reach Burgos. Other major road routes include:
- N-111
- N-232
- N-120
- Autopista AP-69(proposed)
- Piqueras Tunnel
- Puerto de Oncala
- Puerto de Piqueras
Government and politics
The current
Monuments
- Monastery of Santa María la Real of Najera
- Concatedral de Santa María de la Redonda
- Catedral de Santo Domingo de la Calzada
- Iglesia de Santo Tomás
- Abbey of Santa María de San Salvador of Cañas
-
Portal of Church of San Bartolomé (Logroño)
Notable people
- Ángel Iturriaga Barco
- Celso Morga Iruzubieta
- Dani Aranzubia
- Domingo de Silos
- Fausto Elhuyar
- Fortunato Pablo Urcey
- Francisco Javier de Lizana y Beaumont
- Gonzalo de Berceo
- Gustavo Bueno
- José Ortiz-Echagüe
- Juan José Elhuyar
- Manuel Bretón de los Herreros
- Martín Fernández de Navarrete
- Práxedes Mateo Sagasta
See also
- List of presidents of the Parliament of La Rioja
- Dulzaina, a popular musical instrument from La Rioja.
- Jota (music), a popular dance practiced in some comarcas of La Rioja.
- Caparrones, one of the most important dishes in Riojan cooking.
- History of Rioja wine
- Etymology of La Rioja
References
- ^ "Contabilidad Regional de España" (PDF). www.ine.es.
- ^ "ISO 3166-2 NEWSLETTER Date issued: 2010-02-03 No II-1 Corrected and reissued 2010-02-19" (PDF). Iso.org. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Javier García Turza. La Rioja entre Navarra y Castilla. Del mundo agrario al espacio urbano. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ "Gobierno de la Rioja". Archived from the original on 2007-04-17. Retrieved 2007-04-07. Statute of Autonomy (in Spanish)
- ISBN 84-8125-033-3.
- ^ "weather in la rioja" (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Guía de La Rioja" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ "Fósiles de La Rioja permiten reconstruir totalmente el dinosaurio 'Baryonix' (Fossils of La Rioja allow the full reconstruction of the 'Baryonix' dinosaur)" (in Spanish). 26 July 2006.
- ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat.
- ^ "Datos de población por municipios del INE (INE population data by municipalities)" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "Continuous Register Population by Population Unit".
- ^ a b V. Soto (21 April 2010). "La Rioja mantiene la mejor educación de España tras la evaluación de diagnóstico del Ministerio" (in Spanish). Logroño. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ Juan Antonio Gómez Trinidad (1 February 2006). "El fracaso escolar en La Rioja es del 15%" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ Valeriano Sarto Fraj (21 September 2009). "El concierto de Bachillerato para no segregar" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ Website of UNIR - International University of La Rioja. Retrieved 15 May 2017. See also Spanish Wikipedia article.
External links
- Government of La Rioja Archived 2002-02-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
- Tourism in La Rioja