TOLEDO, a province of Spain, forming a part of the ancient kingdom of Old Castile. It extends in north latitude from 39° 3' to 40° 54', and in west longitude from 3° 1' to 5° 32', and comprises 734 Spanish square leagues, or about 9060 English square miles. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Madrid and Guadalaxara, on the east by Cuenca, on the south by La Mancha, on the southwest by Estremadura, and on the north-west by Avila and Salamanca. The land is lofty and mountainous, with wide and uniform plains, almost destitute of trees. The soil is mostly calcareous and sandy, and on the hills stony, but
Toleration highly productive in situations in which it can be duly watered. The mountains of this province form a distinct chain, which shoots from Cuenca, commences with small hills in the vicinity of Tarazona and Tembleque, then turns to the south, and by Madrilajos gradually attains the height of 2500 feet. It next turns to the west, and forms the Sierra of Yevernes; and then, under the name of Guadalupe, enters the province of Estremadura. The several spurs from this chain are called by various names.
The chief river of the province is the Tagus, which receives a great number of tributary streams within it, and others in Estremadura, through which province it passes in its course to Lisbon, where it terminates. It is not navigable in Toledo, though, with little expense, it might be easily made so. The river Guadiana enters the province in the south-east part, and is soon lost in the sands, and does not re-appear till it enters La Mancha. It then continues its course as a considerable stream by Badajoz, having its water increased by various tributary rivers and rivulets, till it enters the sea at Ayamonte, on the south-east frontier of Portugal. Notwithstanding these rivers, the want of water is a subject of complaint, as there are few or no wells. According to the latest, not very satisfactory, statement by Canga Arguelles, the population in 1797 was 370,641 persons, composing 74,128 families, occupying 68,953 dwellings, but leaving 4979 ruined or unoccupied houses. The description of the people, as given by the same author, is as follows: Nobles, 1480; labouring proprietors, 11,215; labouring tenants, 7155; day-labourers, 37,075; artisans, 10,127; traders and merchants, 797; public officers, 682; domestic servants, 6969; secular ecclesiastics, 2929; regular ecclesiastics, or monks and friars, 2969; and females in convents, 1569.