Badajoz

Capital of Badajoz province in Extremadura, southwest Spain, situated on the River Guadiana at the Portuguese frontier; population (2001) 133,500. Textiles, pottery, leather, and soap are manufactured. Badajoz has a 16th-century bridge and a 13th-century cathedral.

Originally a Celtic settlement, Badajoz was successively in the hands of the Romans and the Visigoths, and in 1031 became the capital of a Moorish kingdom. It became Portuguese in the 12th century, and was taken by Alfonso IX of Castile and León in 1229. During the Peninsular War, Badajoz surrendered to the French in 1811, but was recaptured by the Duke of Wellington's forces the following year.

Luis de Morales (1517–1586), Spain's first native-born painter of note, and Manuel de Godoy (1767–1851), Spanish prime minister (1792–1808), were born here.

Badajoz

Province of western Spain in southern Extremadura autonomous community; area 21,657 sq km/8,362 sq mi; population (1991 est) 645,900. Situated on an arid, rolling plateau with low agricultural productivity, Badajoz is the largest – and traditionally one of the poorest – of the Spanish provinces. The River Guadiana flows through it. High crop yields are obtained in the area of the Plan Badajoz, a huge irrigation and hydroelectric power generation scheme launched in the 1950s, but this only covers about 4% of the area of the province. The capital is Badajoz.