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Soria (province)

Soria
Province
Flag of Soria
Flag
Coat of arms of Soria
Coat of arms
Map of Spain with Soria highlighted
Map of Spain with Soria highlighted
Coordinates: 41°40′N 02°40′W / 41.667°N 2.667°W / 41.667; -2.667Coordinates: 41°40′N 02°40′W / 41.667°N 2.667°W / 41.667; -2.667
Country Spain
Autonomous community Castile and León
Capital Soria
Area
 • Total 10,303 km2 (3,978 sq mi)
Area rank Ranked 23rd
  2.04% of Spain
Population (2009)
 • Total 95,101
 • Rank Ranked 50th
 • Density 9.2/km2 (24/sq mi)
  0.20% of Spain
Demonym(s) Spanish: Soriano/a
Official language(s) Castilian
Parliament Cortes Generales
Website dipsoria.es

Soria is a province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. Most of the province is in the mountainous Sistema Ibérico area.

It is bordered by the provinces of La Rioja, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Segovia, and Burgos. Soria is the least populous of all of Spain's provinces, with a density of around 9 inhabitants/km²—one of the lowest in the European Union. The average population density of provinces in Spain and European Union are 83.6 and 116 inhabitants per square km respectively.

Of the province's population of 91,487 (2002), nearly 40% live in the capital, Soria. 26.7% of its population was above 65 years of age while the nation's average is 16.9%. There are 183 municipalities in Soria, of which nearly half are hamlets of under 100 people and of which only 12 have more than 1000 people. The cathedral town of the province is El Burgo de Osma.

The province's most important agricultural products are cereals. In the 1950s there were a total of 70,000 hectares cultivated land, but excessive fragmentation and lack of mechanization resulted in a very low productivity. In 1960, while the agricultural sector accounted for 69% of workers in the province, 70% of farms were used exclusively for animal rearing. There are currently about 100,000 hectares of land in the province dedicated to the cultivation of wheat and other 100,000 hectares for barley cultivation.

The indigenous forest resources are also being exploited for timber, resin and collecting mushrooms. Marble quarries are located in Espejón while Sierra de Toranzo and Ólvega have iron mines. Magnetite sources are also being exploited in Borobia. The capital city Soria is an important tourist destination. While the agricultural sector has a very high contribution to GDP of the province, the industrial sector represents a small proportion, just over 20% of GDP. Apart from these the province also has important food, wood processing, furniture production and auxiliary automotive components industries.


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