Extremadura Region

Extremadura is located in the South-West of the Iberian Peninsula. It is divided in two provinces (Cáceres and Badajoz) with an overall extension of 41.634 Km2.
Two big basins (Tajo River, in the North, and Guadiana River, in the South), flow from East to West in Extremadura. A complete system of reservoirs, with a capacity of 19.639 Hm3, supports most of the energetic and agricultural activities in Extremadura.
Extremadura is a land of contrasts which provide the region with a great variety of nuances. The Mediterranean Climate with some Atlantic influences, with very hot summers and not too cold winters, provides for a great variety of open spaces and favours the exploitation of natural resources and the respect for the environment.
Extremadura is one of the 17 Regions with legislative competencies in Spain. It exercises its powers through the following democratic institutions:

The socio-economic context of Extremadura is conditioned by its low population density (just over one million inhabitants). It has historically been characterized by a poor agricultural-livestock economy, high levels of emigration and a high unemployment rate (17%).
Businesses in Extremadura are characterized by the fact that less than 1 % enterprises existing in the region have more than 50 workers. The regional economy today is characterized by the importance of the services sector in contrast to the traditional weight that agriculture has had in the region. This evolution is due, among other reasons, to the specialization of farmers, to the mechanization of the land works, and to the strength of the tourism sector that has grown considerably by promoting rural tourism. The main industrial subsectors are the energy sector, the agro-industrial sector, the cork industry, the textile industry and the ornamental stone industry.
The peripheral situation of the region with regards to the large economic centers of the peninsula and the inadequate structuring of the traditional transport and communication infrastructures have also presented great challenges for the development of the region.
As the region lost the train of the industrial revolution, the main agents involved in Regional Development decided to invest great efforts in order to develop a Global Strategy of Regional Socioeconomic Development. The Regional Administration has provided the material and human resources necessary for the region to become a reference point with relation to R&D and the Information Society.
The actions carried out to reach these objectives have taken place at three different levels: firstly on the Regional Administration (hard and software, training of personnel), secondly in the productive sector (aids for companies to adopt new technologies), and thirdly on private users (by offering a diverse selection of mechanisms and tools).
From the socio-economic structure described and the above considerations, we can conclude that the choice of developing the new instruments of the information society will contribute to overcome the peripheral character that currently defines the region.