or Estremadura
Historical region and autonomous community (pop., 2001: 1,058,503), west-central Spain.
Covering an area of 16,075 sq mi (41,634 sq km), it encompasses the southwestern provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. Its capital is Mérida . During the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula , the name Extremadura was used to refer to the zones outside of Moorish territory. From the late Middle Ages the term was applied to an area approximating the modern region. The countryside remains partitioned into latifundios (large estates); wheat, grapes, and olives are important crops.