Province of Soria
Province of Soria
Provincia de Soria | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
.svg.png) Map of the province of Soria in Spain | |
| Coordinates: 41°40′N 02°40′W / 41.667°N 2.667°W | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Castile and León |
| Capital | Soria |
| Municipalities | 183 (list) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Diputación |
| • Body | Provincial Deputation of Soria |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,306.98 km2 (3,979.55 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 24th in Spain |
| Highest elevation (Moncayo) | 2,315 m (7,595 ft) |
| Population (2025)[2] | |
• Total | 90,183 |
| • Rank | 50th in Spain |
| • Density | 8.7497/km2 (22.662/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Soriano/a |
| Website | dipsoria.es |
The Province of Soria (Spanish: Provincia de Soria) is a province of north-central Spain, in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon, whose capital is Soria.[3] It is the least populous province of Spain and among the least densely populated territories in the European Union, with a population of 90,183 in an area of 10,306.98 square kilometres (3,979.55 sq mi).[2][1][3]
The province was formed in 1833 from part of the historic Old Castile region. Its terrain includes the Duero River plain around the provincial capital, the Moncayo and Urbión mountains to the north, and rolling hills to the south.
The economy comprises agriculture, manufacturing—including automotive components, wood processing and furniture manufacturing—and mining.
History
Earlier a part of the historic Old Castile region, Soria province was constituted in 1833.[3] It is bordered by the provinces of La Rioja, Zaragoza, Guadalajara, Segovia, and Burgos.
Geography
Soria is both by the name of the provincia (province), and the name of its capital city, that province lying in north-central Spain, in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon.[3] Soria, the capital, lies near province center, in a plain of the Duero River, to the south of which, the plain gives way to rolling hills, and to the north lie the Moncayo and Urbión mountains (these together constituting the province's varied terrain).[3] Together, the province contitutes an area of 10,306 square kilometres (3,979 sq mi).[3]
The summit of the Moncayo, coterminous with the province of Zaragoza, is the province's highest point at 2,315 metres above sea level.[4]
Coat of arms
The province's coat of arms bears the motto Soria pura, cabeza de estremadura[5] [Soria the pure, head of the borderland], as Soria was centuries ago on the expanding borders between the northern Christian kingdoms and the territories then held by the Muslims.
Administrative divisions
Soria has 183 municipalities divided in 10 comarcas:
- Comarca de Almazán
- Comarca de Berlanga
- Comarca de Burgo de Osma
- Comarca de Campo de Gómara
- Comarca de El Valle
- Comarca de Pinares
- Comarca de Soria
- Comarca de Tierras Altas
- Comarca del Moncayo
- Tierra de Medinaceli
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1842 | 116,959 | — |
| 1857 | 147,468 | +26.1% |
| 1877 | 158,313 | +7.4% |
| 1887 | 156,959 | −0.9% |
| 1900 | 155,277 | −1.1% |
| 1910 | 162,011 | +4.3% |
| 1920 | 159,392 | −1.6% |
| 1930 | 162,681 | +2.1% |
| 1940 | 165,855 | +2.0% |
| 1950 | 164,575 | −0.8% |
| 1960 | 152,426 | −7.4% |
| 1970 | 117,462 | −22.9% |
| 1981 | 100,719 | −14.3% |
| 1991 | 94,537 | −6.1% |
| 2001 | 90,717 | −4.0% |
| 2011 | 94,610 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 88,796 | −6.1% |
| Source: INE[6] | ||
With a population of 91,652 in 2004 and 93,593 in 2007,[7][3] it was judged, as of a 2005 governmental report, as being the least populous province of Spain, as well as "one of the most sparsely populated territories" in the European Union (with a density of less than 9 inhabitants/km2).[7]: p. 2
As of 2026, the population is 90,183, of which 50.8% are male, and 49.2% are female. Minors make up 14.5% of the population, and seniors make up 26.0%.[2]
Immigration
As of 2025, immigrants make up 17.8% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Morocco, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Bulgaria.[2]
| Country | Population |
|---|---|
 Morocco |
1,774 |
 Ecuador |
1,558 |
 Colombia |
1,518 |
 Venezuela |
1,435 |
 Bulgaria |
1,092 |
 Romania |
1,078 |
 Peru |
1,056 |
 Argentina |
859 |
 Dominican Republic |
857 |
 Bolivia |
651 |
.svg.png){kind=small} Honduras |
399 |
 Cuba |
336 |
 Brazil |
288 |
 Ukraine |
279 |
 The Gambia |
211 |
Economy
As reported in 2001, there were a total of 70,000 hectares cultivated land in the 1950s, but excessive fragmentation and lack of mechanization resulted in very low productivity.[8] In 1960, 70% of farms in the agricultural sector were used exclusively for animal rearing, and that sector as a whole accounted for 69% of workers in the province. As of this date, the province's most important agricultural products were cereals. As of 2013, there were about 100,000 hectares of land in the province dedicated to the cultivation of "soft wheat", and other 100,000 hectares for barley cultivation.[9]
As well, indigenous forest resources were, as of this date, being exploited—for mushroom collecting, and for timber and resin; apart from these, the province also had important associated food industries.[7]: p. 3-7
As of 2005, the agricultural sector of Soria province contributed substantially to its GDP ("10 points higher than the national average" for Spain's provinces), while its industrial sector added, as of that year, just over 20% of its GDP.[7]: p. 3 The province also had, as of that date, important auxiliary automotive component, wood processing, and furniture production industries.[7]: p. 3
With regard to mining, marble quarries are located in Espejón, while Sierra de Toranzo and Ólvega have iron mines, and magnetite sources are also being exploited in Borobia.[10]
The capital city Soria is an important tourist destination.
References
- 1 2 "Información Geográfica Destacada" [Geographical information data] (in Spanish). IGN.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Annual population census 2021-2025". INE.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rodriguez, Vicente & Eds. Encycl. Brit. (5 May 2026). "Soria / Province, Spain". Encyclopædia Britannica (EB; Britannica.com). Chicago, IL: EB, Inc. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
Soria, provincia (province) in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Castile-León, north-central Spain. It was formed from part of the historic region of Old Castile in 1833. The terrain is varied: to the north are the Moncayo and Urbión mountain ranges; in the centre, around Soria city, the provincial capital, is a flat plain watered by the Duero River; and in the south, this same plain gives way to rolling hills... Area 3,979 square miles (10,306 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 93,593.
- ↑ "Estas son las preguntas más frecuentes de los internautas sobre el Pico Urbión". Heraldo-Diario de Soria. 21 December 2024.
- ↑ "Escudo official". Dipsoria (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
- ↑ "INEbase. Alterations to the municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842". INE.
- 1 2 3 4 5 La Moncloa Staff (2007) [2005]. "Plan de Actuación Específico para Soria, 2005" [Specific Action Plan for Soria, 2005] (PDF). Web Oficial del Presidente del Gobierno y el Consejo de Ministros [Official website of the President of the Government and the Council of Ministers] (La Moncloa; LaMoncloa.gob.es) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ Ruiz, Emilio (2001). Historia Economica de Soria. CSIC. p. no. unspecified.
- ↑ Villarroel, Isabel G. (30 December 2013). "Soria Registró en 2013 una Veintena Menos de Profesionales Agrarios" [Soria Recorded in 2013 a Score Fewer Agricultural Professionals]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Valladolid, Spain: El Norte de Castilla. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ DdS Staff (9 November 2013). "Respaldo Unánime a la Mina de Borobia y al Desarrollo Industrial" [Unanimous Support for the Borobia Mine and Industrial Development]. Diario de Soria (DdS; DiariodeSoria.es) (in Spanish). Soria, Spain: Soriana de Ediciones S.A. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
[tagline] De Miguel enfatiza que es un 'proyecto vital que garantiza empleo para tres generaciones' [De Miguel emphasizes that it is a 'vital project that guarantees employment for three generations'] / El portavoz de la PPSO ofreció algunos datos, como los 175 millones de toneladas de mineral que atesora la zona... que crea 350 puestos de trabajo y puede llegar al millar... [The PPSO spokesperson presented several key figures: the 175 million tons of ore contained within the area... the creation of 350 jobs—a figure that could eventually reach one thousand...]
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