Province of Badajoz

The province of Badajoz is a province of western Spain located in the autonomous community of Extremadura. It was formed in 1833. It is bordered by the provinces of Cáceres in the north, Toledo, Ciudad Real in the east, Córdoba in the south-east, Seville, and Huelva in the south and Portugal in the west. With an area of , it is the largest province in Spain. The other province of Extremadura, Cáceres, is the second largest with 19,868 km2 in area. The province has a relatively lower population density in comparison to other provinces in Spain. , the province has a population of 669,943 inhabitants. Its capital is the city of Badajoz. History The province enjoyed great prominence during the Roman empire when Mérida was made one of the capital cities. When the Visigoth period ended and the Moors had invaded Spain, the Ibn-al-Aftas dynasty established a great cultural and scientific centre in the province. Many of the explorers who set out to conquer the New World were from this province.