Salamanca Information
The province of Salamanca situated in the South-west corner of Castile & León on the borders with extremadura and Portugal, covers an area of 12,336 sq. km (4,763 sq. m.). Lying on Spain's Northern Plateau (meseta), it forms part of the Duero river system where Paleozonic soils, poorly suited to cultivation, have resulted in a landscape of pastures, dotted with trees and bushy undergrowth. Winters tend to be relatively long, with minimum temperatures averaging around 6ºC (42,8ºF), while the shortish summers are marked by average highs that never climb above 20ºC - 22ºC (68ºF-71ºF).
The city is large enough (180.000 inhabitants) to be able to offer the advantages of a real city, but at the same time it keeps the intimacy of a village. In Salamanca, the inhabitants speak the "purest" Spanish in Spain - Castilian. For this reason Salamanca is enormously popular with people all over the world who want to learn Spanish. Contacts are made easily. You don't have to make rendezvous as you are bound to see everyone in the Plaza Mayor, one of the finest squares in Spain and known as the living room of the Salamantinos. As there is such a varied range of nationalities, it is tempting to keep to fellow don Quijote students. Salamanca is however, a real university city, Spanish students are everywhere and you can go practically everywhere on foot.