The autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha covers an area of 79,463 km˛ which is 15.7% of the spanish territory. It has an official population of 1,894 667 (2005). Castilla-La Mancha is divided into five provinces, each with a capital of the same name: Albacete Ciudad Real Cuenca Guadalajara Toledo Castile-La Mancha is bordered by Castile and León, Madrid, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Andalusia, and Extremadura. It is one of the most sparsely populated of Spain's autonomous communities. The largest plain in the Iberian Peninsula, it is made up of plateaux averaging 500 to 600 metres in altitude, centring on the province of Ciudad Real. The region is watered by the Guadiana, Záncara, Cigüela, and Júcar rivers. La Mancha includes the Lagunas de Ruidera and Parque Nacional de las Tablas de Daimiel.
