Extremadura

carte régions espagne Lusitania, an ancient Roman province approximately including current day Portugal (except for the northern area today known as Norte Region), and a central western portion of the current day Spain, covered in that times today's Autonomous Community of Extremadura.

Extremadura was the source of many of the most famous Spanish conquerors ("conquistadores") and settlers in America. Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Pedro de Alvarado, Pedro de Valdivia, etc. were all born in Extremadura and many towns and cities in America carry a name from their homeland: Mérida is the administrative capital of Extremadura, and also an important city in Mexico and Venezuela, Medellín is now a little town in Extremadura, but also the second largest city in Colombia, Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico, its name due to a transcription mistake of Alburquerque, another town in Extremadura. The two Spanish astronauts up to date, Miguel López-Alegría and Pedro Duque, also have family connections in Extremadura.

Extremadura should not be confused with Estremadura, a historical province of Portugal. During the Reconquest, "Extremadura" was the word used to name the land bordering the Christian frontier opposed to Moorish resistance; so for a time Extremadura was the name for the present province of Salamanca (the present Cáceres was called "Transierra Leonesa", and the present Badajoz was a Moorish kingdom with the same name).

Extremadura

Caceres, Badajoz