SORIA

town, capital of Soria province, in the Castile-Len comunidad autnoma (autonomous community), north-central Spain, on the western bank of the Duero (Portuguese: Douro) River, about 110 miles (175 km) northeast of Madrid. Restored by Alfonso I the Warrior of Aragon after the Moorish invasion, the city was later given to Alfonso VII of Castile. Medieval Soria was ruled by the unique Doce Linajes (12 noble families that governed in turn). The churches of Santo Domingo and San Nicols, the Colegiata (collegiate church) de San Pedro, the cloister of the Convent of San Juan del Duero, and other ecclesiastical buildings are fine specimens of Romanesque architecture. Commercial activities include food processing, sawmilling, and the manufacture of cement, soap, and tiles. Pop. (1981) 31,800. province, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of Castile-Len, north-central Spain. Formed from part of Old Castile in 1833, it has an area of 3,972 square miles (10,287 square km). The terrain is varied: to the north are the Moncayo and Urbin mountain ranges; in the centre, around Soria city, the provincial capital, is a flat plain watered by the Duero (Portuguese: Douro) River; and in the south, this same plain gives way to rolling hills. Cereals and grapes are grown in areas irrigated by the Duero, and timbering and sheep grazing are carried on. Pop. (1988 est.) 97,984.