Torrelodones
| Torrelodones | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Nickname(s): "Torre" | |||
 Location in the Community of Madrid, Spain | |||
| Coordinates: 40°34′40″N 3°55′40″W / 40.57778°N 3.92778°W | |||
| Country | Spain | ||
| Autonomous community | Community of Madrid | ||
| Province | Madrid | ||
| Comarca | Madrid metropolitan area | ||
| Administrative Divisions | 3 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Elena Biurrun ((VxT)) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Land | 21 km2 (8 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 845 m (2,772 ft) | ||
| Population (2014) | |||
| • Total | 22,838 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 28250 | ||
| Area code(s) | +34 (Spain) + 91 (Madrid) | ||
| Website | www.ayto-torrelodones.org (Spanish) | ||
Torrelodones is a municipality in the northwest of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain. It is situated 29 kilometers northwest from the city of Madrid. Because of its location between the Sierra de Guadarrama and the metropolitan area of the capital, it is linked to two districts in Madrid: the agricultural area of Guadarrama and the metropolitan area of Madrid.
It lies at an average altitude of 845 meters. According to the 2014 census, 22,838 people live in the municipality, distributed among seven towns.
The people of Torrelodones earn among the highest per capita incomes of the Community of Madrid. Services, hotels, and construction are the main economic activities. In 2012 it had about 22,680 inhabitants. With over three colleges and four developments, Torrelodones usually divided into two parts: the " Torrelodones people" where we find the Town Hall, and the " Torrelodones colony " where we can find schools, homes and small businesses.
Coordinates: 40°34′40″N 3°55′40″W / 40.57778°N 3.92778°WTorrelodones bordered to the north with Hoyo de Manzanares, to the south with Las Rozas de Madrid, to the west with Galapagar, and to the east with Madrid (through El Monte de El Pardo).
Historically the municipality was named "Torrelodones" (Lodones' Tower). That name led to the current name of the town Torrelodones. The name comes from, for one side, the Muslim watchtower that Muslims used during Al-andalus age to guard the city from the attacks of Christian people during Iberian peninsula's reconquest. For the other side "Lodon" (hack berry) is a type of tree that was really abundant in that zone whose scientific name is "Celtis australis".
Symbols
Town's badge, or coat of arms was approved in 1979 by the "Real Decreto 3086/1979", of December 17. Its official description in Spanish by with it is described is:
«EscudoPartido, primero, de plata. la torre de azur; se• gundü, de azur, la banda de oro, engolada en dragantes del mismo metal y en punta, de plata, el almez o lodón frutado de sable. Al timbre, corona real cerrada.»
it literally says : << Badge divided, first, of silver, the tower on azure, second, in azure, the gold band, with dragon heads of the same metal, and in peak, of silver, the hack berry of saber. On the top, a royal crown closed.>>
The town's flag. It was approved by Madrid's community on the 12th of February 1992; designed by Julian Nieto Martin.
The flag's description is:
<<Retangular flag, of 2:3 ratio divided diagonally in 2 equal portions from the right top corner to the bottom left corner, blue on the top and yellow on the bottom; in the middle the officially approved coat of arms.>>
Urban geography
Boundaries
Torrelodones confine with the following:
- To the north with the municipality of Hoyo de Manzanares through "La Berzosa" and some paths and roads that belong to the "Parque Regional de la Cuenca Alta del Manzanares".
- To the south with Las Rozas de Madrid through Las Matas, Los Peñascales and the neighborhood of "Molino de la Hoz".
- To the west with the municipality of Galapagar through several neighborhoods involved in "Parque Regional del Curso Medio del río Guadarrama y su entorno". Both municipalities are separated by Guadarrama river.
- To the east with Community of Madrid through the Monte de El Pardo.
Towns
Torrelodones population is spread in seven officially recognized different towns: Torrelodones (center), Los Robles, Los Peñascales, Los Bomberos, La Estacion, La Berzosilla, El Gasco. There are others neighborhoods isolated apart from those seven towns but they are not officially recognized as so.
| Towns | Coordinates | Population (2009) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torrelodones (center) | 40°34′35″N 3°55′46″O | 8272 | |||
| Los Robles | 40°35′7″N 3°55′14″O | 1292 | |||
| Los Peñascales | 40°34′19″N 3°53′52″O | 4218 | |||
| Los Bomberos | 40°34′12″N 3°55′35″O | 1262 | |||
| La Estación | 40°34′36″N 3°56′58″O | 5336 | |||
| La Berzosilla | 40°35′12″N 3°56′51″O | 528 | |||
| El Gasco | 40°34′3″N 3°56′44″O | 323 | Total | 21231 | |
Urban Habitat
Torrelodones is divided in two parts: Torrelodones-pueblo (Torrelodones town), and Torrelodones-colonia (Torrelodones colony).
Torrelodones-pueblo has the historical part of the municipality. It was developed in the early Middle Ages around a street that still exist nowadays called "Calle Real" (Real street). Through the twentieth century the town started to expand with the construction of new buildings, new business and small stores.
In late XIX century it arose the Torrelodones-colonia part around the railway station that it is still developing. It consisted in small townhouses, apartments and villas.
Both the Torrelodones-pueblo and the Torrelodones-colonia are the main social, administrative and economic centers of the municipality. They hold the 64% of the population and the vast majority of businesses, industries and services available in the village.
Climate
Torrelodones's weather is continental Mediterranean. Cold winters with temperatures inferiors than 5 °C, frequents frosts at nights and occasionally snows. Warm summers around 25 °C and with maximum temperatures that can get over 35 °C.The annual rainfall is superior than 400mm.
| Torrelodones average climatic parameters in the period 1961-2003 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dic | Annual |
| Total rainfall (mm) | 57.8 | 46.7 | 34.8 | 51.1 | 51.8 | 30.1 | 10.8 | 10.7 | 33.6 | 56.0 | 80.1 | 60.0 | 523.6 |
Flora
The municipality has much Mediterranean flora that is typical of Spain.
Trees there mainly are Holm oaks, occasional presence of junipers, oaks and pine trees, and spontaneously pine reforestation.
Wildlife
Torrelodones joins two protected ecological spaces: "Sierra de Hoyo" and "Monte del Pardo"
Among the animal species that live we can differentiate between birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. All of them included in the "Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas" , and in the "Catálogo Regional de Especies Amenazadas de Fauna y Flora de la Comunidad de Madrid".
- Birds
"Águila imperial ibérica". (Aquila adalberti) (Spanish imperial eagle), as the most important bird.
"Picogordo" (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), "curruca mosquitera" (Sylvia borin), "curruca zarcera" (Sylvia communis), "curruca mirlona" (Sylvia hortensis), "papamoscas gris" (Muscicapa striata), "oropéndola" (Oriolus oriolus), "collalba rubia" (Oenanthe hispanica), "chochín" (Troglodytes troglodytes), "pito real" (Picus viridis), "mochuelo" (Athene noctua), "autillo" (Otus scops), "abubilla" (Upupa epops), "carbonero común" (Parus major), "alcaudón real" (Lanius meridionalis), "alcaudón común" (Lanius senator), "abejaruco" (Merops apiaster), "estornino" (Sturnus unicolor), "rabilargo" (Cyanopica cooki), "El petirrojo" (Erithacus rubecula), "el ruiseñor" (Luscinia megarhynchos), "el mirlo" (Turdus merula), "el verdecillo" (Serinus serinus), "el verderón" (Carduelis chloris), "el pardillo" (Carduelis cannabina), and "el zorzal" (Turdus spp.)
And also some species for haunting. Such as "la perdiz" (Alectoris rufa), "la codorniz" (Coturnix coturnix), "la tórtola" (Streptopelia turtur) y "la paloma torcaz" (Columba palumbus).
Among the raptors birds, should also be mentioned: "aguilucho ratonero" (Buteo buteo), "al elanio azul" (Elanus caeruleus)
- Mammals
The municipality shelter, especially in protected zones, "ardilla roja" (Sciurus vulgaris), "erizo europeo" (Erinaceus europaeus), "conejo" (Oryctolagus cuniculus), "liebre ibérica"(Lepus granatensis), "comadreja" (Mustela nivalis), "gineta" (Genetta genetta), "zorro" (Vulpes vulpes), "jabalí" (Sus scrofa), and three different species of buts; "el ratón de campo" (Apodemus sylvaticus), "el ratón casero" (Mus domesticus), "el lirón careto" (Eliomys quercinus), "la musaraña gris" (Crocidura russula), "el topo ibérico" (Talpa occidentalis), and "topillo de Cabrera" (Microtus cabrerae)
- Reptiles and Amphibians
Torrelodones hosts reptiles as "la lagartija colirroja" (Psammodromus algirus), "la lagartija cenicienta" (Psammodromus hispanicus), "la lagartija ibérica" (Podarcis hispanica), "el lagarto ocelado" (Lacerta lepida), "la salamanquesa común" (Tarentola mauritanica), "la culebrilla ciega" (Amphisbaenia), "la culebra de collar" (Natrix natrix), "la culebra viperina" (Natrix maura) y "la culebra de escalera" (Elaphe scalaris).
Among the amphibians we can find "el sapo corredor" (Bufo calamita), "el sapo de espuelas" (Pelobates cultipes), "el sapo partero ibérico" (Alytes cisternasii), "el sapillo pintojo ibérico" (Discoglossus galganoi), and "el gallipato" (Pleurodeles waltl).
- Invertebrates
There are countless species of invertebrates.
On record for two species of endangered Lepidoptera: "el arlequín" (Zerynthia rumina), and "la doncella de ondas" (Euphydryas aurinia).
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