About Guadarrama, Madrid

Guadarrama is a town in the Community of Madrid in Spain (pop: 14318, 2008 census).
 
Founded by the Arabs, Guadarrama achieved the status of "villa" under Fernando V of Castile (II of Aragon) on November 22, 1504. Fernando VI ordered the building of the road to Corunna through the Pass of Guadarrama, which saw intensive fighting during the Spanish Civil War. As a result after the Spanish Civil War Guadarrama had to be rebuilt almost completely.
 
Guadarrama has become important as a tourist location and a second residence for Madrid inhabitants.  The Sierra de Guadarrama is visited by Madrileños seeking colder temperatures.
 
The Sierra de Guadarrama (for Spanish: Guadarrama mountain range) is a mountain chain spanning half of the Sistema Central (a mountain range in the center of the Iberian Peninsula), located between the Sierra de Gredos in the province of Ávila, and Sierra de Ayllón in the province of Guadalajara. The range spreads in southwest - northeast direction, extending into the province of Madrid to the south, and towards the provinces of Ávila and Segovia to the north. The chain as a whole measures approximately 80 km in length, with its highest peak, Peñalara, reaching 2,428 m above sea level (7,965 ft).
 
The vegetation of the mountain range is characterized by an abundance of pine forests and copses of oak and Holm oak in its lower slopes, while the summits are dominated by shrub-filled pastures. The mountains abound with a variety of mammal life such as deer, roe deer and fallow deer, wild boar, badger, various types of weasel, European wild cat, fox and hare. There are also a great variety of waterfowl species in the mountain lakes and reservoirs, as well as birds of prey such as the eastern imperial eagle and the Eurasian black vulture.
 
 
Guadarrama, see Wikipedia (as of Feb. 13, 2009, 08:28 GMT).
Sierra de Guadarrama, see Wikipedia, (as of Feb. 13, 2009, 08:27 GMT).








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