Posted
on June 9, 2015
Today
is the special day of the “autonomous community” of La Rioja, in
northern Spain.
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| La Rioja is shown here in red. |
Spain
is organized quite differently than the United States is. Spain is
divided into provinces – but there are also those autonomous
communities (which are also either provinces or divided into
provinces). Altogether, Spain AND its autonomous communities are
divided into 50 provinces.
The
autonomous communities were created in 1978; the “autonomous”
part means that these regions are guaranteed self-rule. That means
that Spain is much more decentralized than a nation like the United
States. The autonomous communities still have to honor the limits of
the Spanish constitution, but they are much more independent than,
say, California.
However,
since 1986, Spain has been a member of the European Union. The EU
has both economic and political agreements.
What
is La Rioja like?
Mountains and valleys.
Rivers.
Wine.
La
Rioja is in the Iberian mountains, which separate Spain from France.
Seven rivers pour out of the mountains into the Ebro River; because
of this, La Rioja is sometimes called “zone of the seven valleys.”
One of these rivers is Oja. Since the Spanish word for “river” is
rio, I think you can see where the province got its name.
The
province is especially known for its wines. There is even a “battle
of wine”! In addition to art shows, music concerts, and sporting
events, the people of La Rioja often spend today wine tasting and
feasting.
Also
on this date:
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ahead:
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