The terrain can be divided into two distinct parts.
On the one side there is the plateau, an extensive flat land with very few mountains.
The flatness of the plateau is often broken by mountains such as the Toledo mountains, that include summits such as Villuercas (1,601 m) and Rocigalgo (1,447 m).
The most mountainous part of the area that encircles the plateau around the region's borders, include foothills along the massifs of the Central mountain range, the Iberian mountain range and the Sierra Morena.
Within Castille-La Mancha are the southern foothills of the Gredos sierra, the mountainous areas of Cuenca that stretch out towards the Iberian range, the mountainous terrain of Ciudad Real, that stretches out towards Sierra Morena, and the southern sierras of Albacete.
Some of Spain's most important rivers run through Castille-La Mancha.
The Tagus and the Guadiana are two of the most important that head westwards along the region. The Jucar river, which is the third most important river of the area heads eastwards.
A particularly notable feature in the geography of the mountainous area of Cuenca are the rock formations of the The Enchanted City (La Ciudad Encantada), The Majadas Passageways (Los Callejones de las Majadas) and Las Torcas, all created by erosion.
Population
The population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2001, after having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 1,755,053.
The population density through the provinces is as follows: Albacete: 367,283, Ciudad Real: 478,581, Cuenca: 201,526, Guadalajara: 171,532 and Toledo: 536,131. The most populated cities are: Toledo, Albacete, Talavera de la Reina and Ciudad Real.
Administration
The autonomous region of Castille-La Mancha is made up of the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo.
The Autonomy Statute was approved for Castille-La Mancha in 1982.
The capital of the region is Toledo.
Article 8 of the Autonomy Statute states: “The region is governed by the autonomous regional council of Castile-La Mancha.
The regional council is made up of: the Regional Assembly of Castile-La Mancha, the President of the Assembly and the Government Council”.
Weather
The climate in Castile-La Mancha is essentially Mediterranean with some features similar to a continental climate.
The different mountainous terrains clearly determine the type of climate within the region. Although it is technically included in the Mediterranean climate, it is true to say that, particularly in the central part, it has characteristics which belong to a continental climate, although the lower altitude of this southern meseta or plateau allows longer summers and milder winters than on the northern meseta.
The mountainous areas have a Mediterranean climate, with abundant rainfall that is converted into snow on the higher peaks. Just as in the northern plateau, there is a central area where the rainfall decreases to around 300 or 400mm.
Infrastructures
Castille-La Mancha's transport network is connected by rail and road.
Air links are from Madrid-Barajas airport which is 20 or 25 minutes (58km) from Guadalajara and some 40 minutes (71km) from Toledo.
The roads in Castille-La Mancha are based on a network of motorways, A-roads and smaller country roads.
The main intersections are found in Castile and La Mancha and link Madrid-Zaragoza (N-II), Madrid-Valencia (N-III), Madrid-Andalucía (N-IV), Madrid-Badajoz (N-V) and the main road that links Madrid-Toledo.
All the towns are connected either by road or rail. The railways are run by RENFE (Spanish train provider).
The new high-speed train (AVE) that connects Madrid with Seville travelling from north to south along the region, has promoted a notable economic and social growth in the area of Castille-La Mancha, with stations in Ciudad Real and Puertollano.
New rail links have been planned to connect the mainland from west to east, cutting across the region.
The terrain can be divided into two distinct parts.
On the one side there is the plateau, an extensive flat land with very few mountains.
The flatness of the plateau is often broken by mountains such as the Toledo mountains, that include summits such as Villuercas (1,601 m) and Rocigalgo (1,447 m).
The most mountainous part of the area that encircles the plateau around the region's borders, include foothills along the massifs of the Central mountain range, the Iberian mountain range and the Sierra Morena.
Within Castille-La Mancha are the southern foothills of the Gredos sierra, the mountainous areas of Cuenca that stretch out towards the Iberian range, the mountainous terrain of Ciudad Real, that stretches out towards Sierra Morena, and the southern sierras of Albacete.
Some of Spain's most important rivers run through Castille-La Mancha.
The Tagus and the Guadiana are two of the most important that head westwards along the region. The Jucar river, which is the third most important river of the area heads eastwards.
A particularly notable feature in the geography of the mountainous area of Cuenca are the rock formations of the The Enchanted City (La Ciudad Encantada), The Majadas Passageways (Los Callejones de las Majadas) and Las Torcas, all created by erosion.
Population
The population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2001, after having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 1,755,053.
The population density through the provinces is as follows: Albacete: 367,283, Ciudad Real: 478,581, Cuenca: 201,526, Guadalajara: 171,532 and Toledo: 536,131. The most populated cities are: Toledo, Albacete, Talavera de la Reina and Ciudad Real.
Administration
The autonomous region of Castille-La Mancha is made up of the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara and Toledo.
The Autonomy Statute was approved for Castille-La Mancha in 1982.
The capital of the region is Toledo.
Article 8 of the Autonomy Statute states: “The region is governed by the autonomous regional council of Castile-La Mancha.
The regional council is made up of: the Regional Assembly of Castile-La Mancha, the President of the Assembly and the Government Council”.
Weather
The climate in Castile-La Mancha is essentially Mediterranean with some features similar to a continental climate.
The different mountainous terrains clearly determine the type of climate within the region. Although it is technically included in the Mediterranean climate, it is true to say that, particularly in the central part, it has characteristics which belong to a continental climate, although the lower altitude of this southern meseta or plateau allows longer summers and milder winters than on the northern meseta.
The mountainous areas have a Mediterranean climate, with abundant rainfall that is converted into snow on the higher peaks. Just as in the northern plateau, there is a central area where the rainfall decreases to around 300 or 400mm.
Infrastructures
Castille-La Mancha's transport network is connected by rail and road.
Air links are from Madrid-Barajas airport which is 20 or 25 minutes (58km) from Guadalajara and some 40 minutes (71km) from Toledo.
The roads in Castille-La Mancha are based on a network of motorways, A-roads and smaller country roads.
The main intersections are found in Castile and La Mancha and link Madrid-Zaragoza (N-II), Madrid-Valencia (N-III), Madrid-Andalucía (N-IV), Madrid-Badajoz (N-V) and the main road that links Madrid-Toledo.
All the towns are connected either by road or rail. The railways are run by RENFE (Spanish train provider).
The new high-speed train (AVE) that connects Madrid with Seville travelling from north to south along the region, has promoted a notable economic and social growth in the area of Castille-La Mancha, with stations in Ciudad Real and Puertollano.
New rail links have been planned to connect the mainland from west to east, cutting across the region.