ESTREMADURA (commonly derived from extrema ora, compare Land’s End, Finistère, <fcc.), a province of Portugal, bounded on the N. and N.E. by Beira, on the S. and S.E. by Alemtejo, and on the W. by the Atlantic Ocean. It lies between 38° 6' and. 40° 15' N. lat., and between 7 43 and 9° 32' W. long., being about 140 miles in length from N. to S. by about 80 miles in breadth. The river Tagus divides it into two nearly equal parts, the northern being the more mountainous, but at the same time the more fertile, of the two. A chain of mountains extending from Beira traverses the northern portion from N.N.E. to S.S.W., and terminates on the coast between the estuary of the Tagus and the sea. This range sends off spurs in various directions. Between. Torres Vedras and Lisbon is an extensive chain of points, some formed by nature and others by art, and stretching in a general direction from E. to W. Along these Lord Wellington constructed a series of defensive works called the “Lines of Torres Vedras,” by means of which he was able successfully to resist the advance of the French invaders. This mountain chain attains a height of 2300 feet, and separates the streams which fall into the Tagus from those that flow directly into the sea. The part lying N.W. and between it and the sea is mostly flat and sandy towards the coast, and either barren or covered with forests of pines. For about 50 miles N. of the mouth of the Tagus, however, or as far as Peniche, the coast consists of rocky cliffs, some of which attain a great elevation. South-east of the ridge, and sloping towards the Tagus, the country is finer and better cultivated. The plains about Tomar and Santarem are very fertile, and abound with olive and other fruit trees. But the finest part of the province is that ...which lies S. of the lines of Torres Vedras towards Lisbon. Here the valleys are covered with villages, country seats, gardens, orchards, and vineyards. In Estremadura the general system of land tenure was formerly that known as “Ingadas,” by which the farmer paid a rent in corn or produce for each yoke of oxen lent out to him by the landlord. A modification of this tenure yet exists, and its results are seen in the bad and backward farming which prevails. South of the Tagus the country is mostly low and flat, and in several places unhealthy. The land rises towards Alemtejo, and several ranges of hills proceeding from that province enter Estremadura. The principal river is the Tagus, which falls into the sea below Lisbon. The Zezere is a large and rapid stream which rises in Beira, and flowing southward falls into the Tagus below Punhete. The Zatas and Almansor both rise in Alemtejo, and flow at a short distance from each other into the eastern of the two branches into which the Tagus is divided above Lisbon. The principal rivers flowing directly to the sea are—in the northern portion, the Lis, Alcoa, Arnoya, and Zizambre, and in the southern the Maroteca and the Sado, the last being the largest. Estremadura is divided into the three districts of Lisbon, Santarem, and Leiria. The population of the province in 1871 was 839,691.
ESTREMADURA, an old province of Spain, divided in 1833 into the provinces of Badajoz and Caceres, lies between 37° 58' and 40° 32' N. lat., and between 4° 32' and 7 β 26' W. long,, being about 180 miles in length from N. to S. by 130 in extreme breadth, and having an area of about 14,280 square miles. It is bounded on the N. by Salamanca and Avila, E. by Toledo and La Mancha, S. by Cordova and Sevilla, and W. by Portugal. The Tagus and the Guadiana cross the province from E. to W., and their respective basins form two natural and nearly equal divisions, — that of the Tagus, being the northern, called Alta or Upper Estremadura, and that of the Guadiana, Baja or Lower Estremadura. These two basins are separated from each other by a range of mountains, of which the eastern and higher portion attains an elevation of from 5000 to 6000 feet above the level of the sea. This natural division corresponds to the division into the provinces of Badajoz and Caceres, the former being Baja Estremadura, and the latter Alta Estremadura. The basin of the Guadiana is bounded on the S. by a continuation of the Sierra Morena, which fills up the southern part of the province with hilly ground, and divides the waters of the Guadiana from those of the Guadalquivir. A branch of this chain proceeds northward from the confines of Cordova to the Guadiana. The basin of the Tagus is bounded on the N. by a range of mountains which proceed westward from Avila along the boundaries between Estremadura and Salamanca, and afterwards enter Portugal. From this northern range a branch proceeds in a S.W. direction between the rivers Alagon and Tietar; from the eastern part of the central range a branch proceeds in a N.W. direction to the Tagus. The climate iu summer is hot, but not unwholesome, except in some swampy places along the Guadiana. There is then but little rain; dew, however, is abundant, and sufficient to moisten the ground; and the nights are cool. Although the high mountains are-covered with snow in the end of November, the winters are not severe. The soil is very fertile, and might be rendered highly productive by a proper use of the waters of the many rivers by which it is intersected. Agriculture, however, is wholly neglected, and the noble plains that might yield abundance of all sorts of products are devoted only to pasturage. Vast numbers of merino sheep come annually from other parts to winter in these plains. Immense herds of swine are reared in the province, and constitute a great source of support to the inhabitants, not only supplying them with food, but also forming a great article of export to other provinces,—the pork, bacon, and hams being in high esteem. The extensive forests of oak, beech, and chestnuts afford an abundance of food for hogs. Olive, fruit, and cork trees are numerous. Garne is abundant, and fish swarm in the rivers and streams. Estremadura has mines of lead, copper, silver, and iron, but these are almost totally neglected; and the manufactures are few. The chief products are corn, wine, oil, hemp, and flax. The population of Estremadura in 1870 was 734,377.
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