central Spain

Iberian plateau heartland

Central Spain is the inland plateau region surrounding Madrid, characterized by extreme temperatures, sparse population outside the capital, and historically Castilian culture.

The term appears in travel writing, geography, and discussions of Spanish regional identity: We spent a week exploring central Spain's medieval towns.

MadridSpain's governmental seat
ToledoCity in Spain or Ohio
ReconquistaIberian Christian territorial recovery
SegoviaCastilian provincial capital
roast suckling pigCooked young swine, whole

bullfighting · Don Quixote · windmill country · Manchego cheese · tourism · textile industry · olive groves · Salamanca · Camino de Santiago · Visigoths · red deer · livestock farming · tapas · lavender fields · wild boars · golden eagle · Castile · La Mancha

Opposites

geographic position within Spain

central SpainGalicia

Historic European region name

Catalonia · Valencia · northern Spain · Asturias · Murcia

coastal vs. interior

central SpainPortugal

Iberian Peninsula republic

Lisbon · Barcelona

Family

central, center, centre, centrally, centrality, centralize, centralization, centrist, centric

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G