CASTILE (kas-tel'), an ancient king dom of Spain, the nucleus of the Span ish monarchy, extends over a large part of the peninsula from the Bay of Biscay southward. It is divided into New Cas tile and Old Castile. The former (Cas tilla la Nueva) occupies nearly the center of the peninsula; area, 28,010 square miles. It is traversed from E. to W. by three lofty mountain chains nearly parallel to each other—the Sierra Gua darrama, the mountains of Toledo, and Sierra Molina, and the Sierra Morena. Between these chains, which form the great watersheds of the province, lie two extensive plains or plateaux, almost without wood, and arid and barren in appearance. Dryness, indeed, is the curse of the whole country, and there is a great deficiency of method alike in agriculture and industries. The inhabit ants are of a grave, manly character, with much of the old Spanish pride and probity, but devoid of enterprise, and content to live on from day to day as their fathers did before them. This
ancient province now forms the five provinces of Madrid, Ciudad-Real, Cu enca, Guadalajara, and Toledo. Pop. about 2,400,000.
Old Castile (Castilla la Vieja) stretches from the Bay of Biscay to New Castile; area, 25,405 square miles. It is traversed by three mountain chains—the Sierra de Guadarrama, the Sierra de Deza, and the Cantabrian Mountains. It is less dry than New Castile, and grain, particularly wheat, is raised in great abundance. The pastures both of the mountains and the plains are excellent, and much merino wool is produced. Old Castile now forms the provinces of Bur gos, Logrono, Santander, Soria, Segovia, Avila, Palencia, and Valladolid. Pop. about 1,900,000.