The autonomous community of Castile and León is the largest in Spain. It covers an area of 94,223 km˛ with an official population of 2.5 million (2005), which is just 5.7% of the population. Castile and León is divided into nine provinces, each with a capital of the same name: Ávila Burgos León Palencia Segovia Soria Salamanca Valladolid Zamora Castilla y León is a huge plateau in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula.It includes the Spanish part of the Duero River basin, one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in the province of Soria across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto. There are six UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Castile and León: The region is the land communication hub of northern Spain. It is crossed by the International E-road E80. Recently budget airlines at the airports of Villanubla (Valladolid), Virgen del Camino (León) and Burgos have improved access to the rest of Europe. The main airports of the neighbouring regions of Asturias and Madrid (Barajas) are close as well, if not yet with a direct communication through public transportation
