General Information
Between the Ebro depression and the Iberian mountain range
The autonomous region of La Rioja lies in the north of Spain. It borders the Basque Country and Navarre in the north, Aragon in the east, and Castile and Leon in the south and east.
This one province autonomous region lies between the Ebro depression and the Iberian mountain range, and includes the Demanda sierra with its San Lorenzo peaks (2,262 m) and the Cameros Nuevo sierra (1,877 m). Demanda sierra decreases further inland until it merges with the Central Plateau. Bordering with Soria in the south, the Picos de Urbion and the Sierra Cebollera reach heights of over 2,000 metres. The plains stretch over the central part of the region forming the Ebro depression, where the river Ebro flows through the northern reaches of the region. The river continues its route along Conchas de Haro in the west and exits La Rioja through Alfaro in the east. Other rivers that flow from the Ebro basin are the Oja, Glera, el Najerilla, el Iregua, el Leza, el Cidacos and el Alhama rivers.
Transportation
Excellent connection network
In spite of its mountainous terrain, La Rioja has an excellent infrastructure.
La Rioja is a very important communications hub in the Iberian Península. It is a major trading route between the Mediterranean coast and Aragon for the north of Spain. The infrastructure is blessed with dual carriageways and fast roads. These motorways link it with Zaragoza-Barcelona, with the Basque Country and with Castile and Leon via Burgos. All the region's towns are connected by road and rail.
Administration
Regional Assembly
The Autonomy Statute of La Rioja came into force in 1982. This is the institution that governs the inhabitants of this one province autonomous region, whose capital is Logroño.
Legislative power is in the hands of the Regional Assembly. The Assembly is made up of 33 elected members, with elections every four years. Executive power falls to the regional government.
Population
Almost 300,000 inhabitants
The population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2004, after having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 293,553.
Most of the population of the region is located around the villages and cities that lie in the Ebro river valley. The mountain areas are, however, sparsely populated. The population density of the region has grown favourably in the twentieth century. The population did not really start growing until the fifties. Years later given the fact that so many people emigrated from the region, the population stopped growing up until the final years of the century.
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