Las Hurdes

Las Hurdes is a comarca in the Sistema Central, at the northern end of the province of Cáceres in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, Spain. A well-known historical region, Las Hurdes is currently a Site of Community Importance of the European Union.DescriptionLas Hurdes covers an area of 470km2, bordered with Sierra de Gata to the west, Sierra de Francia (Salamanca Province) of Castile-Leon to the north and Trasierra/Tierras de Granadilla to the south. It is a relatively high mountain region with low population density. Its territory is linked to the neighboring valley of Las Batuecas, in whose lower fringes lies the Las Mestas alquería which is historically part of Las Hurdes.The average weather patterns of the region mark the climate in Las Hurdes as Mediterranean/Continental with Atlantic influence. Despite being usually included as part of the "humid" section of Spain ("España húmeda"), the physical conditions and natural vegetation are semiarid. There are seven rivers cutting stony valleys in Las Hurdes: The Río Malo or Ladrillar, Batuecas, Hurdano, Malvellido, Esperabán, Ovejuela and the Río de Los Ángeles.