[bah-th
ah-hawth] 
| a city in SW Spain. 101,710. |
| Ba·da·joz (bä'də-hōz', -thä-hōth') A city of southwest Spain on the Guadiana River near the Portugal border. An ancient fortress city, it rose to prominence under the Moors as the seat (1022-1094) of a vast independent emirate. Population: 145,000. |
Badajoz
provincia (province) in the Extremadura comunidad autonoma (autonomous community), extreme western Spain. Badajoz is bordered by Portugal to the west. Along with the province of Caceres, Badajoz makes up the autonomous and historic region of Extremadura. The climate is characterized by long, hot, dry summers. The terrain is almost entirely flat but rises in the south and southwest near the Sierra Morena, and in the northeast it joins the foothills of the mountains of Toledo province. It is crossed from east to west by the Guadiana River, the most important tributary of which is the Zujar. Typifying the wider central plain is the Barros Plain, the largest cereal-, wine-, and oil-producing region of Extremadura; its main centre is Almendralejo. Other regions in the province produce wool, and livestock raising is important. Industry, primarily agricultural processing (tomatoes), is concentrated in Badajoz city, Merida, Almendralejo, and Villanueva de la Serena. Most services and administrative offices are concentrated in Badajoz (the provincial capital) and Merida (the regional capital). The province's extensive forests are only minimally exploited.
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