Situation of the comarca of Campoo in Cantabria

Campoo is a comarca of Cantabria (Spain) located in the High Ebro, with a surface little bigger than 1,000 km², and including the municipalities of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, Campoo de Enmedio, Campoo de Yuso, Valdeolea, Valdeprado del Río, Valderredible, Reinosa, Las Rozas de Valdearroyo, Santiurde de Reinosa, Pesquera, and San Miguel de Aguayo. Their inhabitants are called Campurrians (Campurrianos, in Spanish). Its highest elevation is the Cuchillón peak (2,225 m above sea level), and the lowest is Pesquera (560 m), with the capital, Reinosa at 850 m. This is a list of the comarques (singular comarca) of Catalonia. ... Anthem: Himno de Cantabria Capital Santander Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 15th  5,321 km²  1. ... The Ebro (Greek: Έβρος, Latin: Iberus, Spanish: Ebro, Catalan: Ebre) is Spains most voluminous and second longest river. ... Reinosa is a municipality in Cantabria, Spain. ... A red Spanish wine, balanced and fruity, initially produced in the town of Pesquera in Ribera del Duero. ... The full name of Mission San Jose, in San Antonio, Texas, is Mision San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, named in part for the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo. ...

Originally, as it is gathered in the Book of Merindades of Castile (from circa 1352), the Merindad of Aguilar de Campoo comprised municipalities of the south of present Cantabria, as well as of northern Province of Palencia and Burgos, with its capital being the Palentine Aguilar de Campoo, ancient capital also of the vast Marquesse of Aguilar de Campoo. Later the capital was moved to Reinosa, which still has this status. The "Palentine Campoo" was left, after the provincial division, with Aguilar as the most important township, and included nowadays into the large comarca of Palentine Mountains. Merindad is a Castilian or Spanish Medieval administrative term that refers to a territorial division smaller than a province but larger than a municipality. ... Events June 4 - Glarus joins the Swiss Confederation. ... Anthem: Himno de Cantabria Capital Santander Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 15th  5,321 km²  1. ... Palencia province. ... Burgos province Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. ... Palencia is a city in the northwest of the Tierra de Campos of central Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. ... Aguilar de Campoo is a town located in the province of Palencia, Spain. ... Reinosa is a municipality in Cantabria, Spain. ...

Geography

View from the ascent to Alto Campoo ski station.

Campoo is placed in a transition zone between the Eurosiberian and the Mediterranean regions of the Iberian Peninsula (see Forests of the Iberian Peninsula). Its climate is generally cold and humid, influenced by the Continental (as it is open to the Meseta) and Oceanic climates, the last one smoothed by the Ísar ranges and the Cantabrian Mountains. This climate combination can be observed in very cold winters and gentle summers, with no extreme temperatures. With Reinosa in the middle, we can find a more Mediterranean zone, comprising Valderredible and Valdeolea, and to the North, near the end of the Besaya River, the climate becomes clearly Oceanic. Forest of cork oaks in the south of Portugal (Algarve) Furthest extent of the Iberian woodlands. ... A continental climate is the climate typical of the middle-latitude interiors of the large continents of the Northern Hemisphere in the zone of westerly winds; similar climates exist along the east coasts and southwest coasts of the same continents, and also at higher elevations in certain other parts of... World map showing the oceanic climate zones. ... Cantabrian Mountains (Span. ... A Mediterranean climate is a climate that resembles the climate of the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ...

In the Híjar mountains is the source of the river of the same name, whose discharge is the main water contribution to the Ebro river, which is born in the locality of Fontibre. This river is dammed near Reinosa, to make one of the largest reservoirs of the hydrographic basin of the Ebro ^[1], acting as main regulator of the Navarre and Riojan irrigated lands. In these same mountain ranges, risen from tectonic movements during the time from the end of the Cretacous to the Oligocene (alpinotype orogeny), are the highest peaks of the comarca, the Cuchillón (2,225 m) and the Tres Mares (Three Seas; 2,180 m), so called because from its skirts rivers flow to all three Spanish river basins. The Ebro (Greek: Έβρος, Latin: Iberus, Spanish: Ebro, Catalan: Ebre) is Spains most voluminous and second longest river. ... Capital Pamplona (Basque: Iruña) Official language(s) Spanish; Basque co-official in the north of community. ... Capital Logroño Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 16th  5 045 km²  1,0% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 17th   301 084  0,7%  59,68/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  â€”  riojano/a Statute of Autonomy June 9, 1982 Parliament  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate seats  4  1 President Pedro Sanz... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... The Oligocene epoch is a geologic period of time that extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present. ... // Orogeny (Greek for mountain generating) is the process of mountain building, and may be studied as a tectonic structural event, as a geographical event and a chronological event, in that orogenic events cause distinctive structural phenomena and related tectonic activity, affect certain regions of rocks and crust and happen within...

The Tres Mares is the point where the mountain ranges of Ísar and Híjar start, forming at its base a glacial valley open to the whole comarca. From its summits can be seen the Bay of Biscay to the north, the near Picos de Europa to the northwest, the Cantabrian and Palentine Mountains to the southwest, the Meseta Central to the south, and the Pas valleys with the Encartaciones mountains to the east. Map of the Bay of Biscay. ... The Picos de Europa is a range of mountains some 20km far inland from the northern coast of Spain. ... Cantabrian Mountains (Span. ... Spain is located in southwestern Europe and comprises about 84 percent of the Iberian Peninsula. ... The Pas River is located in the Cantábrica region in the northern part of Spain. ...

Flora and Fauna

Cattle and horse livestock on Campurrian pastures.

Umbrañal beech grove (La Lomba)

In the northern slope of the mountains, beech and oak groves of the Saja-Besaya Natural Park spread out; an important nature reserve abundant with deers, roe deers and golden eagles. The presence of Iberian wolves is not very rare, and brown bears have been sighted, thus considering this zone as an important nexus of communication between isolated populations of this plantigrade. There are also important colonies of griffon vultures in Polientes and the Híjar ridges. Other interesting species of animals that populate the comarca are: eagle owls, martens, badgers, stoats and desmans. In addition, the Ebro swamps house a remarkable aquatic avifauna. Among its flora, as well as the mentioned oak and beech groves, there are very important populations of hollies and birchs, and also excelents specimens of taxus, all of which are protected by the Spanish law. Species Fagus crenata - Japanese Beech Fagus engleriana - Chinese Beech Fagus grandifolia - American Beech Fagus hayatae - Taiwan Beech Fagus japonica - Japanese Blue Beech Fagus longipetiolata - South Chinese Beech Fagus lucida - Shining Beech Fagus mexicana - Mexican Beech or Haya Fagus orientalis - Oriental Beech Fagus sylvatica - European Beech Beech (Fagus) is a genus... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... Binomial name Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, 1758 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest species of deer in the world. ... Binomial name Capreolus capreolus (Linnaeus, 1758) The European Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) is a deer species of Europe, Asia Minor, and Caspian coastal regions. ... Binomial name Aquila chrysaetos Linnaeus, 1758 World distribution of the golden eagle Light green = Nesting area Blue = Wintering area Dark green = All year distribution The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758 Ursus arctos range map. ... Human skeleton, showing plantigrade habit In mammals, plantigrade locomotion means walking with the podials and metatarsals flat on the ground. ... Binomial name Gyps fulvus Hablizl, 1783 The Griffon Vulture, Gyps fulvus is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. ... Binomial name Bubo bubo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of horned owl resident in much of Europe and Asia. ... Binomial name Martes martes (Linnaeus, 1758) This article is about the European Pine Marten. ... Binomial name Meles meles Linnaeus, 1758 The Eurasian or European badger, Meles meles, is a mammal indigenous to most of Europe (excluding northern Scandinavia, Iceland, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and Cyprus) and to many parts of Asia, from about 15° to 65° North, and from about 10° West to 135° East. ... Binomial name Mustela erminea Linnaeus, 1758 Range map The stoat (Mustela erminea) is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. ... Binomial name Galemys pyrenaicus (Geoffroy, 1811) The Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) is a small half-aquatic mammal that lives in the Pyrenees to the Iberian peninsula. ... Binomial name Ilex aquifolium L. The European Holly Ilex aquifolium is a holly native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa and southwest Asia. ... Species Many species; see text and classification Birch is the name of any tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. ... Species Taxus baccata - European Yew Taxus brevifolia - Pacific (or Western) Yew Taxus canadensis - Canadian Yew Taxus chinensis - Chinese Yew Taxus cuspidata - Japanese Yew Taxus floridana - Florida Yew Taxus globosa - Mexican Yew Taxus sumatrana - Sumatran Yew Taxus wallichiana - Himalayan Yew Taxus is a genus of yews, small coniferous trees or shrubs...

People

The inhabitants of Campoo are called Campurrians (Campurrianos in Spanish) and their language is Spanish, influenced by an Astur-Leonese dialect.

The traditional costume is characteristic for its "albarcas", footwear similar to Asturian clogs, which are exquisitely carved in birch wood (nowadays they are industrially made in beech). Another typic Campurrian accesory is the "palo pinto", a rod made of hazelnut tree wood and engraved by fire, and which is used to help in wlaking up the mountains and to beat the livestock. The word clog, as applied to footwear, has these meanings:- A type of shoe or sandal made predominantly out of wood. ...

The Campurrian economy has traditionally been connected to cattle, the Campurrians having also good reputation as carters and masons. The Campurrian carters were in charge of making the exchange of merchandising between the Castilian Mesa and the capital of the province (until the administrative reorganization of 1982, Santander was part of Old Castile, and also its capital), constantly redoing the route of the Foramontanos^[2] that repopulated Castile. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

Culture

The day of Campoo is celebrated the last Sunday of September, as part of Saint Matthew festivities. The main act of the day is a cart parade that show scenes of the traditional everyday life, pulled by oxen and Tudanca cows. Other important festivities are the ones of Los Campanos in Abiada, celebrated the first Sunday of September to commemorate the end of summer by bringing the cows down to the valley from the summer passes, full of regalia; and Las Nieves on August 15 in Naveda. August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ...

In the comarca there are plentiful buildings of "highlander" romanesque architecture, among which the Cervatos's and San Martín de Elines's collegiate churchs, the Santa María la Mayor church of Villacantid stand out; other remarkable churches are those of Bolmir y Retortillo, San Andrés and San Martín de Valdelomar. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A collegiate church was a church served and administered by a body of canons or prebendaries, similar to a cathedral, although they were not the seat of a bishop. ...

In the Campurrian civil architecture the abundant noble houses stand out, with carved ashlars and sunny spots (Mazandrero, Naveda, Celada, Pesquera, etc.) In military architecture one piece must be remarked, the Argüeso castle^[3], built on the 12th century and where Don Íñigo López de Mendoza, Marquis of Santillana, lived and from where he managed the Lordship of Campoo and his marquessate of Argüeso in the 15th century. Other interesting buildings are the tower^[4] of the Bustamantes in the Costana, and also the ones of Ruerrero, of San Martín de Hoyos, of Ríos de Proaño, and the tower of the Gómez-Bárcenas in San Miguel de Aguayo. Ashlar is dressed stone work of any type of stone. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Íñigo López de Mendoza, marqués de Santillana (August 19, 1398 - March 25, 1458), Castilian poet, was born at Carrión de los Condes in Old Castile. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ...

The city of Julióbriga ruins^[5], 4 km away from Reinosa, in Retortillo, deserve a special mention. The city was founded by the IV Roman Legion in the 1st century BC upon an old Cantabrian castro. Also, an important battle took place in this area: the Battle of Aracillum (Aradillos), and important chapter in the romanization of Cantabria, which took over 200 years, one of the longest of the whole history of the Roman Empire. The comarca of Campoo was again important in another war episode two thousand years later, during the Spanish Civil War, when the Navarre Brigades broke the resistance of the Popular Front in the Híjar ridges, provoking the republican loss of Santander. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 1st century BC started on January 1, 100 BC and ended on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero. ... A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for military advantage. ... Combatants Spanish Republic With the support of: Soviet Union[1] Nationalist Spain With the support of: Italy Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco Gonzalo Queipo de Llano Emilio Mola José Sanjurjo Casualties 500,000[2] The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict... The Popular Front (Spanish Popular Front) was an electoral coalition and pact signed in January 1936 by various left-wing political organisations, instigated by Manuel Azaña for the purpose of contesting that years election. ...

Present time

Halfway during the 1970s, the comarca underwent a depopulation and demographic ageing process, specially due to the decline of the national company "La Naval" (Forges and Steels of Reinosa), which maintained a previously thriving industry, with credited international prestige in naval and weaponry construction. Notwithstanding, after a traumatic industrial conversion and an important development in tourism, this Cantabrian comarca has experienced an outstanding economic development and demographic recovery. The communication between Santander and the Meseta by means of the Meseta Motorway allows to foresee the consolidation of this development. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979. ... A67 or A-67 may refer to: A67 road, a major road in England Benoni Defense, in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings Category: ...

Nowadays, its main economic resources are the aforementioned tourism and siderurgy industry, as well as the alimentary livestock (specially cattle, but also horses). The growing development of the tourism infrastructure, in spite of being one of the main economic engines of Campoo, is starting to make pressure in the ecologic balance of the zone, which houses a large amount of protected species in a, until recently, very well conserved environment. This fact has caused the proliferation of ecologist associations involved in the achievement of sustainable development, as the only way to preserve the richness of these valleys. Siderurgy (from Latin sidus - star and Greek ergon - work) is a process consisting of extracting iron from iron ore by heating, first mixed with combustibles then separated in a melting pot. ... Sustainable development is defined by its proponents as balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. ...

See also

• Alto Campoo ski station

General view of the resort from Tres Mares peak. ...

References

1. ^ (Spanish) The Ebro's Reservoir in Arija's wiki
2. ^ (Spanish) Notebooks of Campoo - The Foramontans
3. ^ (Spanish) Notebooks of Campoo - The Argüeso Marquessate
4. ^ (Spanish) Notebooks of Campoo - Medieval Towers
5. ^ (Spanish) Notebooks of Campoo - Julióbriga

Bibliography

General

• Enciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Espasa.
• Menéndez-Pidal, Ramón. Historia de España. Ramón Menéndez Pidal / Madrid : Espasa-Calpe, 1989
• Pérez de Urbel, Justo. La España del siglo X : castellanos. y leoneses, navarros y gallegos, musulmanes y judíos, forjadores de historia / Madrid, Alonso, 1983
• Sánchez-Albornoz, Claudio. España : Un enigma histórico / Barcelona, Edhasa, D. L. 2001

Monographic

• El Conde Fernán González. Fray Justo Pérez de Urbel.
• Fueros de Brañosera dados por el conde Muñio Nuñez en 15 de octubre del año de 824. MyR. 16-18.
• Iglesias, J. M. Regio Cantabrorum. / Santander, Caja Cantabria. Oct.1999
• Muñíz, Juan A. Cántabros. La génesis de un pueblo. / Santander, Caja Cantabria.

External links

The House of Culture "Sánchez Díaz"^[6] of Reinosa has been publishing in paper the series "Notebooks of Campoo" from 1995; a rigorous and well documented work about the most diverse aspects of Campoo, and written by experts in different matters. Recently this notebooks have been digitalized and uploaded to the Internet. Some of them can be read in the following links: Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

• (Spanish) Notebooks of Campoo
• (Spanish) The destruction of the archives
• (Spanish) Mountains of Campoo
• (Spanish) Medieval towers
• (Spanish) The Foramontans
• (Spanish) La Naval of Reinosa

Other

• (Spanish) Government of Cantabria
• (Spanish) Palencia Tourism
• (Spanish) Cantabria 102 municipalities
• (Spanish) SideNor (Siderurgy of the North)
• (Spanish) CanTur(Cantabrian Tourism)