LEON, one of the old kingdoms of Spain, lying between N. Lat. 40. 10. and 43., W. Long. 4. and 7., and divided into the modern provinces of Leon, Zamora, and Salamanca. It is bounded by Asturias on the N., Old Castile on the E., Estremadura on the S., and Galicia and Portugal on the W.; area 15,027 square miles. The whole region is included in the basin of the Douro, with the exception of a small portion at the N.W. angle, which is drained by the Sil, an affluent of the Minho. Leon is inclosed by the two great mountain ranges that pass along its northern and southern frontiers. The Asturian Mountains on the N. form part of the great Pyrenean chain, and send off various offshoots into Leon, especially one great chain extending in a S. and S.W. direction through the northern part of the province, and separating the basin of the Douro from that of the Minho. The southern range forms part of the great central chain of the peninsula, and the highest of its summits, the Sierra de Gredos, rises to the height of 10,552 feet. There is a small range which leaves the southern chain, and runs N.W. across the southern part of the province. From these hilly regions flow down a considerable portion of what constitutes the volume of the Douro, including the Esla, with its tributaries, from the mountains of Asturias, and the Tormes from the southern range. Iron is the chief mineralogical production, and is manufactured in various ways. The soil is good, but much in want of irrigation. The mountainous parts of the province are richly wooded, and its oaks are reputed the best in Spain. The plains are very fertile, and produce abundant crops of wheat, maize, flax, &c., though the agriculture is very imperfect. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in tending sheep and cattle. The mules and asses of the province are celebrated throughout Spain.
The Leonese are a hardy set of people, inured to mountain life, and jealous of any innovation that comes from the plains. They are ill-housed, ill-educated, and ill-fed. Industry is altogether in a wretched state, and consequently there is very little trade. The means of communication are few and bad, the roads being in a barely passable condition. Pop. (1849) 708,833.
Leon was anciently inhabited by the Vettones and Calaici, and formed part of Hispania Tarraconensis. In the eighth century it was consolidated into a kingdom by Don Pelayo and his successors, and in the eleventh incorporated with the kingdom of Castile by Ferdinand the Great. After some fruitless attempts to regain its independence, it was finally subjugated in the thirteenth century by Ferdinand III.
The modern province of Leon comprises the northern part of the old province, and is bounded on the N. by Asturias, E. by Old Castile, S. by Valladolid and Zamora, and W. by Galicia. Its greatest length is 120 miles, and its mean breadth 60 miles. The surface is hilly, and generally affords good pasturage for cattle, and it is traversed by a number of streams, of which the most considerable are Upper Douro, the Esia, and Sil. Area 5871 square miles. Pop. in 1849, 288,833.