Province of Ourense

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Ourense (province))
Jump to: navigation, search
Provincia de Ourense
Neve (8575893386).jpg
Flag of Ourense
Coat of arms of Ourense
Coat of arms
Ourense in Spain.svg
Country  Spain
Autonomous community Galicia
Capital Ourense
 • Body Deputación de Ourense
 • President José Manuel Baltar Blanco (PPdeG)
 • Total 7,273 km2 (2,808 sq mi)
Population (2008)
 • Total 336,009
 • Rank 36th
Demonym ourensán (m), ourensá (f)
ISO 3166 code ES-OR
Parliament 14 deputies (out of 75)
Congress 4 deputies (out of 25)
Senate 4 senators (out of 19)

Ourense is a province of northwestern Spain, in the southeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Pontevedra in the west, Lugo in the north, León and Zamora in the east, and by Portugal in the south. With an area of 7,278 square km it is the only landlocked province in Galicia. The provincial capital, Ourense, is the largest population centre, with the rest of the province being predominantly rural.


Orense is the name and traditional Castilian spelling recommended by the Royal Spanish Academy and commonly used among Spanish speakers.[1] Nevertheless, Ourense (in Galician) is the official name adopted by Parliament in Spain, according to Law 2/1998.[2]


Ourense is surrounded by mountains on all sides. These mountains historically isolated the province from the more populated Galician coast. Until a highway was built in recent years linking Ourense with Vigo in the west and Benavente in the east, the only quick way for people to enter or leave the province was by railway.

The principal river system is the Miño-Sil, the fertile valleys of which produce corn (maize) and grapes for wine. Due to the many rapids these rivers are not navegable, but they have been harnessed for hydroelectric power. The Sil flows through a deep canyon and has become a sought-after tourist site for its river cruises and spectacular views.

The Limia is an important river that begins north of Xinzo de Limia and flows south towards Portugal. The Tâmega River, another important Portuguese river begins north of Verín.

The mountainous terrain and isolation have kept the province economically challenged and encouraged much emigration to the rest of Spain and to the New World. There is some wine production along the Miño valley and near Verín. There is also considerable pig breeding and potato growing, especially around the area of Xinzo da Limia, in the drained lakebed of Antela, which until the 1960s was the largest fresh-water lake in Spain.

Protected areas[edit]

The province has several protected areas with different qualifications: Natural parks:


Of the province's population of 343,768 (2002), three-tenths live in the capital Ourense 107,732hab. (INE 2009). There are 92 municipalities in Ourense. Other than the capital the most important are O Barco de Valdeorras, Verín, Ribadavia, Allariz, A Rua, O Carballiño, Viana do Bolo, and Xinzo de Limia.

Ourense province population c. 1900
District population
City of Ourense 15,194
Towns, Villages and Hamlets 389,117
All the province (Total): 404,311
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911) s:User:Tim Starling/ScanSet PNG demo


Industries include chemical manufacture, milk production, water bottling near Verín, and clothing manufacture near the capital city of Ourense. One of the largest poultry processing companies is also located in the industrial zone near that city.

Although not a major tourist center, tourism contributes somewhat to the economy: the spectacular scenery of the river valleys attracts holidaymakers, there are several preserved medieval towns (Allariz and Ribadavia).

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ "Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas". Real Academia Española. Retrieved 1 May 2012. 
  2. ^ "Boletín Oficial del Estado". Ministerio de la Presidencia. Retrieved 1 May 2012. 

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 42°10′N 7°30′W﻿ / ﻿42.167°N 7.500°W﻿ / 42.167; -7.500