Valdepiélagos

Valdepiélagos
Municipality
View of Valdepiélagos
Coat of arms
Municipal location within the Community of Madrid.
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Community of Madrid
Comarca	Campiña Madrileña
Government
• Mayor	Juan Pablo Herradas Calleja (CIV)
Area
• Total	679 sq mi (1,759 km2)
• Land	679 sq mi (1,759 km2)
Elevation	2,441 ft (744 m)
Population (2018)
• Total	574
• Density	8,410/sq mi (3,246/km2)
Time zone	UTC+1(CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2(CEST)

Valdepiélagosis amunicipalityof theCommunity of Madrid,Spain.It received the title ofvilla(town) on 3 May 1801.

Etymology

The origins of the wordValdepiélagosare obscure, nevertheless linguists and historians have proposed two different versions about this name:

• Valdepiélagoscomes from the transposition ofval(archaic short form ofvallemeaningvalley), prepositionde(of), andpiélago(from Latinpelagus,sea), which is a poetic word to name a sea or ocean or, in a figurative sense (as it seems in this case) an abundance of waters. According to this theory, the meaning of Valdepiélagos would bevalley of many waters.
• Valdepiélagoswas also the place chosen by the ancient residents of nearbyTalamanca de Jaramafor laying the skins of animals under the sun in order to dry them before they could be further worked on. Thus, the name would consist ofval+de+piel(which meansskinin Spanish) +lagos(lakes,again in reference to the numerous currents and waters). This explanation is consistent with the local place names in the area, with towns often being named after the trade commodity they produced.

Location and road access

The town of Valdepiélagos is situated on the north-eastern limit of the Community of Madrid, bordering theprovince of Guadalajarato the north and east, and the municipality ofTalamanca de Jaramato the south and west.

Regarding to road access, two motorways traverse the municipality: the M-120 which runs fromMesonestoTalamanca de Jarama;and the M-125 running fromEl Cubillo.

Access from the city ofMadridcan be achieved by entering the A-1 motorway heading to Burgos and then taking the Exit 50 to get to the N-320 heading toGuadalajara.Access from Guadalajara itself is made by taking the N-320 in the opposite direction.

The village is connected with some buses of line 197 (Madrid (Plaza de Castilla) -Torrelaguna) and line 197 E (Talamanca de Jarama- Valdepiélagos - Torrelaguna)

Climate

Valdepiélagos' altitude of 744 meters above sea level and its location near the center of theIberian Peninsulalead to a harshcontinental climateyielding hot summers (with mean temperatures around 24 °C and high temperatures above 35 °C) and cold winters with mean temperatures around 5 °C, where chill is present although snow is not abundant. Spring and autumn feature milder temperatures.

Raining season is from spring to autumn, with an average of 530 liters per square meter falling yearly.

Vegetation

Vegetation in Valdepiélagos is diverse and corresponds to the type found in the zone of central Spain with its continental climate:

• Countryside vegetation:mainlythickets,gorsebushes,thyme,rosemary,lavender,bramble...
• Riparian vegetation:predominantlyblack poplarsandwillows.Also noteworthy are theelms,and more specifically the remains of a large elm grove which opened at the entrance to the village and that was decimated byDEDback in the early 80s.
• Crop vegetation:essentiallywheat,olive treesandbarley,in that order.

Economy

Valdepiélagos' economy is based upon the following pillars:

• Agriculture:with wheat, olives and barley being grown.
• Animal husbandry:declining in the last years, today only a single flock of sheep remains.
• Trade:with consumer goods businesses like a bakery, a butcher shop, an automobile workshop, supermarkets, bars...
• Other:for example construction orSMEs.

View of part of theEcoaldeain Valdepiélagos.