Montoro is a municipality of

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belonging to the province of Córdoba,

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. Housing lies on a bend of the river Guadalquivir, which envelopes from West, North, and East.

Overview

It is located about east-northeast of the capital of the province, Córdoba. In 2008, the city had an estimated population of 9,895, with 4,897 men and 4,998 women. Montoro is identified with Roman ''Epora'', a civitas foederata belonging to the Conventus Cordubensis in the early Republican era, which became a municipium in the time of Augustus. It is mentioned as the seat of an Islamic fortress (''Ḥiṣn Muntur'') belonging to the Kūra of Córdoba in the 10th century.

Geography

It is integrated into the Alto Guadalquivir region of the province of Córdoba, located from the provincial capital and it is also located in the Guadalquivir valley. The municipal area is crossed by the Autovía del Sur between points 353 and 366, as well as by the national highway N-420 (Córdoba-Tarragona), which separates from the A-4 in this municipality, and the autonomous highway A- 309, which allows communication with Bujalance. The urban center is located in the area of contact between Sierra Morena and the countryside, located on a promontory inside the embedded meander that the Guadalquivir River forms here, it owes its characteristic urban planning to the Muslim period of

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

. Since 2013, the meander of the Guadalquivir River, as it passes through Montoro, has been classified as a natural monument. It is also categorized as ''Monte Público''. The river forms a very pronounced curvature, which is embedded in the Paleozoic materials (period between approximately 500 and 250 million years ago) of the foothills of Sierra Morena, which represents one of the best examples of epigenic meander on a national scale. . This section of the river is part of a Site of Community Interest (SCI), which is currently a Special Conservation Area (ZEC Río Guadalquivir-middle section ES6130015) and constitutes the southern entrance to the ''Sierras de Cardeña y Montoro'' natural park. , being located in a privileged position, since from it you can see the town of Montoro, declared a Historic-Artistic Site since 1969. Its municipal area occupies approximately 581 km², including areas of the mountains to the north and the plains and countryside to the south. A large area of its northern area is a protected natural area, as it is part of the ''Sierra de Cardeña y Montoro'' natural park and the Southwest Special Conservation Zone (ZEC) of the ''Sierra de Cardeña y Montoro'' (ES6130005). Likewise, the Gualdaquivir River as it passes through the municipal area is part of the ZEC Río Guadalquivir-middle section (ES6130015). In addition, the river as it passes through the town center forms a meander that has become a natural monument Meandro de Montoro. The Arenoso River, coming from the mountains, is the most important tributary of the territory. The altitude varies between 782 meters on Cerro de Brezorrubios, in the mountain area, and 143 meters on the banks of the Guadalquivir River. The countryside, south of the river, reaches 335 meters The town is located on a hill, 195 meters above sea level. The municipality of Montoro borders the municipalities of Adamuz, Cardeña, Andújar ( Jaén), Marmolejo (Jaén), Pedro Abad, Bujalance, Villa del Río and Lopera (Jaén).

Climate

Montoro has a hot summer mediterranean climate (''Csa'' on Köppen classification), with very hot dry summers and mild, somewhat wet winters. Precipitation is moderate through the year. Summers are scorching, with the average maximum summer temperature being the highest in all of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in the last 16 years and in recent years the average maximum temperature has consistently exceeded in July and August. Temperatures above occur very often every year. The lowest temperature ever recorded was on 9 February 2012, while the highest temperature was on 14 August 2021, which is also one of the highest ever recorded in Spain. In July 2015, Montoro registered a mean maximum of , with 22 days being above , 19 of them above .

Twin towns

* Antigua Guatemala (

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

) * Rambouillet (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

)

References

External links