ESTREMADURA or EXTREMADURA, an ancient ter ritorial division of central and western Portugal, and of western Spain; comprising the modern districts of Leiria, Santarem and Lisbon, in Portugal, and the modern provinces of Badajoz and Caceres in Spain. Pup. (1920) 2,662,782; area, 23,055 sq.m. The name of E.stremadura appears to be of early Romance or Late Latin origin, and probably was applied to all the far western lands (extrema ora) bordering upon the lower Tagus, as far as the Atlantic ocean. It is thus equivalent to Land's End, or Finisterre.
I. Portuguese Estremadura is bounded on the N. by Beira, E. and S. by Alemtejo, and W. by the Atlantic ocean. Pop. (1920) area, 6,937 sq.m. The greatest length of the province, from N. to S. is 163 m.; its greatest breadth, from E. to W., is 72 m. The general uniformity of the coast-line is broken by the broad and deep estuaries of the Tagus and the Sado, and by the four conspicuous promontories of Capes Carvoeiro, da Roca, Espichel and Sines. The Tagus is the great navigable waterway of Portuguese Estremadura, flowing from north-east to south west, and fed by many minor tributaries, notably the Zezere. South of the Tagus the land is almost everywhere low, flat and monotonous. The Sado, which issues into Setubal Bay, is the only important river of this region. North of the Tagus, and parallel with its right bank, extends the mountain chain which is known at its northern extremity as the Serra da Aire and, where it terminates above Cape da Roca, as the Serra de Cintra. On its seaward side, except for the line of sheer and lofty cliffs between Cape Carvoeiro and Cape da Roca, the country is mostly flat and sandy, with extensive heaths and pine forests. The natural resources of Portuguese Estremadura, with its inhabitants, indus tries, commerce, communications, etc., are described under PORTUGAL. Separate articles are also devoted to Lisbon, the capital, and Abrantes, Cintra, Leiria, Mafra, Santarem, Setubal, Thomar, Torres Novas and Torres Vedras, the other chief towns. The women of Peniche, a small fishing village on the promontory of Cape Carvoeiro, have long been celebrated throughout Portugal for their skill in the manufacture of fine laces.
2. Spanish Extremadura :s bounded on the N. by Leon and Old Castile, E. by New Castile, S. by Andalusia, and W. by the Portuguese province of Beira and Alemtejo, which separate it from Portuguese Estremadura. Pop. (1920) 1,118,078; area, 16, 118 sq.m. Spanish Extremadura consists of a tableland separated from Leon and Old Castile by the lofty Sierra de Gredos, the plateau of Bejar and the Sierra de Gata, which form an almost continuous barrier along the northern frontier, with its summits ranging from 6,000 to more than 8, Soo ft. in altitude. On the south the comparatively low range of the Sierra Morena consti tutes the frontier of Andalusia; on the east and west there is a still more gradual transition to the plateau of New Castile and the central plains of Portugal. The tableland of Spanish Extremadura is itself bisected from east to west by a line of mountains, the Sierras of San Pedro, Montanchez and Guadalupe (4,00o-6,000 ft.), which separate its northern half, drained by the river Tagus, from its southern half, drained by the Guadiana. The Tagus and Guadiana flow from east to west through a monotonous country, level or slightly undulating, often almost uninhabited, and covered with a thin growth of shrubs and grass. Perhaps the most char acteristic feature of this tableland is the vast heaths of gum-cistus and lavender.
The climate in summer is hot but not unhealthy, except in the swamps which occur along the Guadiana. The soil is naturally fertile, but drought, floods and locusts render agriculture difficult, and sheep-farming is the most important of Extremaduran indus tries. (See SPAIN : Agriculture.) Immense herds of swine are bred and constitute a great source of support to the inhabitants—the pork, bacon and hams being in high esteem. The beech, oak and chestnut woods afford an abundance of food for swine, and there are numerous plantations of olive, cork and fruit trees. See CACERES and BADAJOZ. In character and physical type, the people of this region are less easily classified than those of other Spanish provinces. Their failure to develop a distinctive local type of character and civiliza tion is perhaps due to the adverse economic history of their country. The two great waterways which form the natural outlet for Estremaduran commerce flow to the Atlantic through a for eign and, for centuries, a hostile territory. Like other parts of Spain, Extremadura suffered severely from the expulsion of the Jews and Moors (1492-1610). Many ancient palaces at Trujillo and Caceres recall the fact that Cortes (1485-1547), the con queror of Mexico and Pizarro (c. 1471-1541), the conqueror of Peru, were both born in Estremadura, but their exploits, far from bringing permanent prosperity to their native province, only encouraged the emigration of its best inhabitants.