Extremadurans

Extremadurans

Regions with significant populations
In Extremadura.
Languages
Extremaduran, Spanish, Fala, Portuguese
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Latin peoples, including other peoples from the Iberian Peninsula

Extremadurans (Spanish: extremeños, Extremaduran: estremeñus, Portuguese: estremenhos) are an ethnic group living in Extremadura,in the south-west of Spain.

Extremadura has historically been, and still is, the poorest part of Spain, although the gap between Extremadura and other places in Spain has been reduced. Its landscape (and the landscape of the surrounding territories) is dominated by the dehesa, a kind of man-made pastureland wooded with sparse cork trees and holm oaks, used for the grazing of livestock.

The dialect of Extremadura belongs to the southern dialects of Spanish, with strong similarities to the speech from Andalusia or Murcian. However, in northern Extremadura these southern features merge with some Leonese features, forming the Extremaduran language, which is nowadays seriously endangered. In the rest of the territory, the influence of Leonese on the language is marginal.

There are some towns or villages in Extremadura where Portuguese is spoken, such as Olivenza, Cedillo and Herrera de Alcántara. Olivenza and Cedillo belonged to Portugal until two centuries ago, but Herrera de Alcántara never did.

In three villages located in a small valley of the northwestern part of Extremadura near the border with Portugal, the Fala language is spoken, which is a Romance language from the Galician-Portuguese subgroup mixed with Extremaduran.

Historically, Extremadura has long been one of the poorest regions in the country. As a result, many of its people emigrated to Latin America during the colonial era (1492-1820s), leaving a mark on Latin music in the Americas ever since.

See also

• Extremadura
• Nationalities of Spain
• Languages of Spain
• Extremaduran language
• Fala language
• Extremaduran cuisine
• Music of Extremadura