Province of Valladolid
Province of Valladolid
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| From top to bottom and from left to right: The Castle of Peñafiel, Canal of Castile, typical landscape of the province, a pine forest, center of a Castilian town, Castle of La Mota and a wine cellar. | |
Map of Spain with Valladolid highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 41°35′N 4°40′W / 41.583°N 4.667°W | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Castile and León |
| Capital | Valladolid |
| Area | |
• Total | 8,110 km2 (3,130 sq mi) |
| • Rank | Ranked 28th |
| 1.61% of Spain | |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 525,398 |
| • Rank | Ranked 29th |
| • Density | 65/km2 (170/sq mi) |
| 1.11% of Spain | |
| Demonym | Spanish: Vallisoletano/a |
| ISO 3166 code | ES-VA |
| Official language(s) | Spanish |
| Parliament | Cortes Generales |
| Website | diputaciondevalladolid.es |
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Valladolid (Spanish: [baʎaðoˈlið] ⓘ) is a province of northwest Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It has a population of 525,398 across a total of 225 municipalities, an area of 8,110 km2 (3,130 sq mi), meaning a population density of 64.77 people per km2.
The capital is the city of Valladolid. It is bordered by the provinces of Zamora, León, Palencia, Burgos, Segovia, Ávila, and Salamanca. It is the only Spanish province surrounded entirely by other provinces of the same autonomous community. It is the only peninsular province which has no mountains.
Because the extensive plain on which the province lies is important to overland transport, it is a major communications hub. From a national point of view it connects Madrid with the north of Spain, from Vigo in Galicia to San Sebastián in the Basque Country, and from an international point of view, it is on the shortest land route connecting Porto in the north of Portugal with Hendaye in the south of France.
The cuisine of the province is similar to that of Castile—with meats and roasts occupying a central place. One of the most typical dishes is lechazo, a dish made from unweaned lambs, similar to veal. Suckling pig, black pudding, sausages, sheep's milk cheeses, and breads are also traditional. The province has five wines with a denomination of origin.
The province once served as the capital of the Castilian court and the former capital of the Empire during the reigns of Emperor Carlos I, Philip II and Philip III, with many castles and strongholds from that time remaining present to this day. The capital has an important historical and artistic heritage, and is home to one of the more important museums of sculpture of Europe. The province of Valladolid is specially recognized for its processions of Holy Week, as much in the capital as in the localities of Medina de Rioseco and Medina del Campo. In addition, the province has two UNESCO world heritage sites within its category Memory of the World Programme: the Treaty of Tordesillas and the Archivo General de Simancas.