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A cork oak (recently stripped) and a green oak side by side in the dehesa of Extremadura
The region of Extremadura is about the same size as Switzerland and is made up of two large, sparsely-populated provinces - Cáceres and Badajoz. Passing through Extremadura you may well encounter areas containing splendid oak trees. They appear at first glance to be a natural landscape with majestic trees scattered over rolling hills, but in fact they are carefully cultivated and managed.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 July 2009 15:23 |
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The Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia is a section of the Betic Cordillera and runs parallel to the Mediterranean sea for around 100km. The temperature range is therefore dramatic with the summits under snow for many months, followed by a hot Mediterranean style summer. This creates special microclimates across the exposed rocky summits, glacial lakes, sheer sided gorges, mixed oak woods, pine woods and fast rivers with wooded banks. Declared a National Park in1998 and encompassing an area of 86,208 hectares it is a popular destination throughout the year. It holds an exceptional variety of animal and plant life due to the combination of altitude and its proximity to the Mediterranean sea.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 July 2009 15:21 |
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The area of “La Axarquia” (pronounced “a shar key a”) lies in the south east corner of Malaga province where it borders with the province of Granada. The origin of the name "Axarquía" is Islamic, meaning "the territories to the east". Many villages are sprinkled throughout this wedge shaped area with the largest town being Velez-Malaga and arguably the most famous is Nerja, due to its stunning cave system. A man made reservoir, “Embalse de la Viñuela” lies near the centre of the open rolling hills of this irrigated agricultural area.
The cultivation of almonds, lemons, olives and grapes gives a feeling of tamed beauty to the land and the protected valleys are used to grow kiwi, cherimoya, avocado, peach, fig and mango fruit trees which thrive in the sub-tropical climate. Small amounts of sugar cane are still grown today, whereas traditionally it was a more important crop. There is a ruined 18th century sugar factory at Maro to which water was fed by the beautiful four story aqueduct called “Las Águilas”.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 July 2009 15:24 |
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