region

After historic rains and floods in Andalusia and Extremadura, it is the turn of another region: the Mediterranean

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Right now, as I write these lines, Catalonia is closed hard due to strong gusts of wind. From 12 midnight to 8:00 p.m., all educational and sports activities and non-urgent health care are suspended. But it is not the only bad news that comes from the Mediterranean: the flow of the Júcar has been shot as it passes through Cuenca (that is, before any important tributary flows into it) and has already entered the red level. We are talking about an account that, discounting Tous (which is at 34% and is for security reasons), has all its reservoirs above 70% capacity. What is happening in the Mediterranean? Beyond the last storms. Yes, it is true: the reservoirs are in an unbeatable moment after the accumulated rains since January 1 exceed three times the normal value (for the average of the years 1991-2020). In fact, the water reserve has experienced the best week of growth since records began: in just seven days, the levels have grown by 10.1%. The problem is that reservoirs and aquifers are not the only places where water accumulates. Therefore, changing patterns is a poisoned gift. Let’s not fool ourselves, it’s still raining in many areas of the country. Less than the previous weeks, but it’s still raining. However, as explains Andrea Danta“the first day without widespread rain in Spain will come as a consequence of a progressive reorganization of atmospheric circulation that will begin at the end of this week and will be consolidated as of Sunday, February 15.” And that, paradoxically, will also have its problems. It’s time to think about the snow. And, when we talk about Júcar, for example, it is inevitable to remember that as of February 2026 the Iberian system () has exceptional thicknesses well above normal at this time. And that snow is going to melt (As will also happen with that of the Pyrenees). And, inevitably, it will end up in the Mediterranean. As is evident, there are many things to take into account: we do not know what will happen in the coming months and how long the thaw will last. But, a priori, problems with the current water situation are almost guaranteed. And that not only translates floods or flash floods. The problems go much further because they break the predictability and constancy of water flows and that affects ecosystems, agriculture and in hydroelectric production. But what is urgent is what is urgent. And the urgent thing is to control the river beds. Something that, in the short term, is increasingly difficult. That is why we are in the middle of a situation of active hydrological surveillance that goes far beyond the Guadalquivir and the Guadiana. In the Ebrothe Arga, Aragón, Gállego (left bank) and the Tirón and Najerilla (right bank) are especially monitored. Inside Cataloniathe upper reaches of the Segre, Llobregat and Ter are monitored. Neither in Júcar nor in Turia active notices that transcend Cuencabut the entry of new fronts and the melting of ice can generate many problems downstream. Image | Water Alternatives In Xataka | After a succession of historic storms, the question is obvious: is Spain becoming a rainy country?

an unfinished highway that isolates half the region

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The A-43 highway, which should connect Ciudad Real with Extremadura, has been stumbling for almost 30 years. Just like counted The Ciudad Real Tribune, the project first appeared in the General State Budgets in 1997, but has not yet materialized. The connection between Ciudad Real and Extremadura is still in an administrative stage, and it has not really been decided which route it will take to the final point. Very curiously, and as the media reminds us, the Romans solved this same dilemma two thousand years ago: by passing through the south. Why it is important. The N-430, which currently connects both regions, is the only unturned national highway in the entire corridor that crosses the peninsula from east to west. Just as it they remembered In El Periódico de Extremadura, it is “a road with great intensity of traffic, volume of goods and accidents with fatalities.” In June 2025, more than 1,500 people demonstrated in Santa Amalia under the slogan “No more deaths on our road.” In detail. The Ministry of Transport approved last October the public information file for the first Extremaduran section of the A-43, between Torrefresneda and Santa Amalia. There are 11 kilometers with a budget of 78.31 million euros. The new route will start at the junction with the A-5 and will connect with the N-430 east of Santa Amalia, including three junctions, seven overpasses and three viaducts. However, this section is just a fraction of what is expected, since the final objective is to connect Extremadura with the Valencian Community. Furthermore, the decision on which direction to take from Ciudad Real to Extremadura has not yet been definitively made. The Government has been debating for years about whether to follow the N-430 north of Ciudad Real or go through Puertollano to the south. It has also been considered not to build a highway and to carry out maintenance works for this national highway and adapt it. The lesson of the romans. The project Itiner-eled by researchers from Spain and Denmark, has mapped 300,000 kilometers of Roman roads throughout the empire. In Ciudad Real, according to publish La Tribuna, the Roman roads anticipated the layout of current highways such as the A-4, the A-43 between Manzanares and Tomelloso, or the N-420. To connect with Extremadura, Rome chose the southern option. Just like they count From La Tribuna, the old road left towards Poblete, as the A-41 does today, passing through Caracuel de Calatrava, Villamayor, the mining city of Sisapo and continuing to Almadén before reaching Mérida. Two millennia ago the northern option was ruled out due to the difficulty of the terrain. And now what. While the Romans have laid out paths that have lasted for centuries, in Spain we still have doubts about how to tackle the problem of the A-43, a project that has been in vain for almost 30 years. The approved section between Torrefresneda and Santa Amalia is progress, but insufficient to solve the isolation of the region. It remains to define the route in Ciudad Real, budget the remaining kilometers and carry out the works. Cover image | Wikimedia Commons and Google Maps In Xataka | Mérida is not a city used to being at the forefront of technology. That is going to change with the electric car

The electric car needs cheap batteries. And a Spanish region is closer to giving it to them: Extremadura

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It’s just the go-ahead but it’s a key go-ahead. It is what will allow Yuneng International Spain New Energy Battery Material SLU to launch a project in Mérida to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP/LiFePO₄). In other words, Mérida will be key to producing essential materials for the manufacture of LFP batteries. Batteries that aspire to be essential in the popularization of the electric car. Merida. It was the place chosen by Yuneng International Spain New Energy Battery Material SLU to build a factory that can produce lithium iron phosphate. The project will be located in the Expacio Mérida business park and will extend across 467,000 square meters after the Government of Extremadura has confirmed the approval of the environmental declaration for this factory. The project aims to have financing of 800 million euros and generate 500 jobs to produce the planned capacity of 50,000 tons per year of these materials. In the first phase they will mobilize between 116 and 125 million euros of investment creating about 160 direct jobs, they point out in Motorpassion. Why is it key? The production of lithium iron phosphate is essential for LFP batteries. Batteries are made up of modules and these, in turn, are made up of cells. In each cell there is an anode and a cathode. It is in the cathodes of LFP batteries where lithium iron phosphate sheets are located. Without them, the batteries would not work. In batteries of this type there are small lithium particles on the anode (negative pole). These particles move to the cathode (positive pole) through a liquid electrolyte found inside. This is when the electric current is generated which is then used by the motors to move the wheels. LFP Batteries. LFP batteries are one of the big promises of the electric car to make models cheaper and popularize this technology. It is a technology that offers less autonomy than NMC (cathode formed by nickel, cobalt and manganese) or NCA (nickel, cobalt and aluminum) because they have lower energy density. However, these batteries are cheaper because lithium and iron are cheaper than nickel or cobalt. And, in addition, they are safer and better resist load cycles so they will be more durable. This is essential for smaller cars, which will have less autonomy and must undergo a greater number of charging cycles but with the backpack of not being able to raise its price. Estremadura. In recent years, Extremadura has become relevant in the electric car supply chain. In addition to this lithium and iron phosphate production plant, in Navalmoral de la Mata (Cáceres) it is already rising a plant to produce complete batteries. This factory was designed to produce NMC batteries but has pivoted to produce LFP accumulatorsso both industries can be connected when the time comes. Additionally, the region is rich in lithium. Next to Cáceres it is believed that there are one of the largest deposits in Europe. The mine that should exploit this deposit has encountered the opposition from some neighbors and environmental platforms which has paralyzed the project. However, up to three of the seven projects that the European Commission wants to carry out in Spain for the exploitation of minerals and rare earths They are in Extremadura. The cheap electric car. To popularize the electric car, China has been betting on LFP batteries for years. In Europe, most electric cars have opted for batteries that include nickel or cobalt because they allow greater charging and discharging power and autonomy but are more expensive. Over the years, this has changed. Renault works with LFP batteries for the entry-level range of electric cars such as the Twingo or the Renault 5 (in the future). Tesla also uses them in the more modest versions of Model 3 and Model Y. In Spain, CATL is going to manufacture this type of batteries in Zaragoza for the smaller Stellantis cars. And Volkswagen too has this type of accumulator in mind for its most affordable electric cars that will come out of the Martorell line. Photo | Mercedes and Google Maps In Xataka | Europe has its hope in the 25,000 euro electric car and Volkswagen already knows who will manufacture it: Spain

the only autonomous community that continues to be a leader in its region thanks to jotas, folklore and walks in the countryside

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It is a unique phenomenon among regional television stations: together with TV3but with much more modest programming (and budget), it is the only channel of its type that is the most seen in its autonomy above the national generalist television networks. Neither Telemadrid, nor Canal Sur, nor TVG can boast of such a feat: what Aragonese people like to see most is television that talks about Aragon. A special case. Aragon TV It began its official broadcasts on April 21, 2006 after a long and complex political and technical process that lasted more than two decades, from the first legislative attempts in the 1980s to the final implementation. The first attempts to create autonomous television ran into multiple obstacles, both political and legal. This extensive process made the late birth of Aragón TV a unique case in the field of Spanish regional television. Grow without stopping. A few days ago we saw this amazing tweet from @hugo_cnm which visually made the situation very clear in terms of audience: Basically, Aragón TV has experienced a sustained growth in audience, reaching a historical record in 2024 with 11.6% annual screen share, an outstanding figure for regional television. In the recent months of 2025, it continued to grow with shares greater than 12%, leading key schedules such as after-dinner hours and surpassing other regional channels (except TV3 in Catalonia, which is the most watched with shares closer to 13-14%). In addition, its news programs reach peaks of up to 30% or more in share, being the most viewed in Aragon and with a quality recognized nationally. Aragon against Catalonia. As we sayTV3 has a more notable general audience, but there are days like last October 11, to which the aforementioned tweet refers, in which Aragón TV soars, reaching 27.1% on recent key days (now we will see why), and with very strong audiences in slots such as after-meal (18.9%). ETB2 and Canal Sur Andalucía complete the podium in the most viewed regional list. What Aragón TV does stand out above all its competitors is that it is the autonomous one with greater penetration and loyaltyfar exceeding the average of the autonomous communities in Spain.​ But… what does Aragón TV broadcast? The network stands out for entertainment programs with a strong local component such as ‘Oregon TV‘, one of its historic and longest-running formats (almost 20 seasons), which makes humor with native content, in the style of its clear reference, ‘Polónia’. Another successful program is ‘Jotalent‘, a talent show focused on the Aragonese jota, which scored an 18.7% share in its last season with 200,000 viewers between DTT and internet. Or ‘Giving it my all’, also focused on regional dance and songs. But beyond humor and information, Aragón TV offers a varied range of cultural, social and leisure programs, often focused on rural life: ‘Here and now’ (morning show with more than 36% of share), ‘Pasados ​​por agua’, ‘Aragón Connection’, ‘The countryside is ours’, and programs on gastronomy, routes, history, environment and Aragonese heritage. It is a programming that contrasts with the usual general programming, and where the demand for rural life plays an important role. Without getting wet. Aragón TV also responds to an avowed editorial strategy that avoids delving into territorial or political controversies (something, without a doubt, much easier to carry out than on TV3), focusing on inform and entertain from close proximity and the representation of the average Aragonese. Its programming is oriented towards the proximity and plurality of the territory, with strong dishes that burst the audiometerssuch as the retransmission of the Pilar Festival: during the ten days of the festivities, Aragón TV averaged a 20% screen share. On October 12, Pillar Daythe broadcast of the Offering of Flowers reached 29.9% of sharethe network’s third best historical record, with 692,000 unique viewers. In the first section of the Offering, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the audience reached an impressive 44.5%, and in the second section, 30.8% with peaks of up to 60.5% share. The news program Aragón Noticias 1 achieved a season record with a 43.8% share on that day. To all this we must add more than 500,000 views on its digital platforms. In Xataka | In the midst of the housing crisis, in Zaragoza they have had an idea: build a building in pieces like a giant LEGO

The rains in the Mediterranean have arrived at a very delicate time for the reservoirs of the region

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The Mediterranean basin is living a new episode of heavy rains. The extreme of the episode led yesterday to the State Meteorology Agency (AEMET) to Issue several red notices For extreme risk, while numerous yellow and oranges notices remain in force today. Despite the obvious risk that this is, there is the circumstance that rainfall arrives at a delicate time for one of the hydrographic basins of the region. The arrival of the rains. The Mediterranean basin rains They monopolize the looks of meteorologists. Aemet today maintains several notices associated with storms and rainfall in much of the eastern coast, notices that also cover interior provinces. Notices that, during the morning they will still remain in the Balearic Islands. A delicate moment in the safe. After several years of drought, almost a year of high rainfall between autumn of 2024 and Spring of 2025 served to allow most of the country’s hydrographic basins to recover water. Many even saw unprecedented filling levels in years. This It wasn’t exactly The case of the Segura Basin. The state of The reservoirs of this basin From southeast peninsular improved with respect to 2024, but did not reach the filling level of 2023 or its average of the last 10 years. Such is the situation, that a few days ago, the Segura Hydrographic Confederation He pointed out that the scarcity index index had crossed the threshold of the pre -alder and was approaching the border of the alert situation. A dry August. Except in some specific areas, August has been A dry month on the peninsula (Not so much in the island communities), even by this point of the year. Precipitation in peninsular Spain were around 34% lower than those that could be expected for a month of August, and that has been noted in the water reserve. The Spanish reservoirs went from being, on average, 67% of its capacity At the end of July to be at 59.3% At the beginning of September. Of course, summer is a time when Reserve descent Water is expected, but weather has not helped stop this trend. In the case of the Safe Basin, the Last data availablethose of last week, indicate that the reservoirs of this environment are found at 22.5% of its capacity, making it the dry basin in the country. It is also at a distance from the next, that of Guadalete-Barbate, which was last week to 44.5% of its capacity. We will have to wait. One of the areas where orange notices have been issued for important risk is precisely that of the Vega del Segura, in Murcia, where they are expected 30 mm accumulated in an hour. Other areas of this basin have also seen yellow or orange warnings are activated during yesterday and today. In Xataka | A Norway reservoir began to release millions of liters of water without anyone ordering it. Months later, we already know why Image | SUPERCHILUM, CC by-SA 4.0 / ECMWF

The region with the largest energy deficit in Spain is staying data centers

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Spain is being filled with data centers. A report The Iberian Peninsula reveals from the real estate consultant CBRE has the interest of large technology companies. The fact is striking, but it is even more the fact that the great focus of these technology is in a region that a priori It would not seem ideal For these facilities: Madrid. Hyperscalers. The cbre study cited In five days It points out this unique concentration in Spain of various data centers projects of the so -called “hyperscales” (Hyperscalers). A Hyperscaler is a Mass provider of cloud services that operates a gigantic network of data centers distributed throughout the planet. Amazon is a good example of this type of companies, but there are more, and they all seem to focus their attention on the Iberian Peninsula. Big Tech bet on Spain … Elliot Zounon, responsible for the report, explained how “there is no investor, a large operator or technological that does not have in its strategic plans to establish its data center project in the Iberian market.” But especially for Madrid. Especially striking was the deployment of projects that indicated the current and future capacity expected in the Community of Madrid, and which amounts to a total of 203 MW. Some of the most important companies in the sector, such as Microsoft, Google, Oracle, IBM, Kyndryl or Ovhcloud have data centers in the community. Various projects with an investment of 23.4 billion euros Until 2028 they propose sensitive growth in this area, and it is expected that by 2026 the capacity of Madrid ascends at 222 MW. Madrid, near the “flap-d”. In the European Union this market has been dominated by the group called Flap-Dwhich is an acronym for Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris, to which in recent times Dublin has joinedwith a capacity of 328 MW. Madrid is part of the so-called Tier-2, a kind of “second division” of cities with a lot of capacity in data centers. The capital is ahead of Milan, Zurich, Berlin and Oslo, and is also in this Barcelona group, which occupies the tenth position of the TIER-2 with 42 MW installed. And the energy, what? This proliferation of data centers in the Community of Madrid is paradoxical, especially since it is the region that produces less energy from all over Spain and It depends almost completely on external supply. In 2024 Madrid produced 1,334 GWh, more or less the same as in 2021, while its annual electricity consumption in 2024 was of 27,487 GWh. Thus, the community concentrates 11% of the national electricity demand. Of course: Spain is becoming a real Power Exporter Powersomething that favors that role in Madrid as a focus of attention for the creation of future data centers. Emptied Spain produces, the big cities consume. The truth is that the situation of the Madrid energy deficit is logical if we take into account that it brings together a great population and industry density. Here, as in other great Spanish capitals, Energy inequality is clear: while energy occurs in much more depopulated regions – the example of Aragon with wind It is remarkable – that energy ends up taking advantage of in large cities. Our country He has opted very strong for renewablesbut Madrid is a separate case: for not, in Madrid There are no wind farms. Not everything is megawatts. The choice of Madrid not only depends on the gross megawatts, but also on a combination of intangible advantages that technological ones take into account. The capital concentrates interconnection nodes and a dense network of operators that facilitate the exchange of data traffic (something crucial for cloud services and AI applications). The presence of corporate venues also influences, as does the fact that logistics costs are reduced against remote locations that can have cheaper energy, but are more isolated in terms of network and services. The human factor. There is also the Welfa Market and its technical profiles. For companies, deploy infrastructure near where talent is compensated, and professionals in the sector They usually establish their residences in large cities like Madridprecisely because there and other capitals it is where the job offer is concentrated. The same happens in the case of that “first division” of large capitals with data centers in Europe. Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam and Paris also agglutinate that range of technical profiles. The risk of being an energy black hole. Its practically zero self -production converts the Community of Madrid into a kind of “energy black hole”: it absorbs resources generated far and depends totally on the strength of the Spanish network, which recently suffered a worrying one – although it is difficult to be repeated– General blackout. But. Even with that energy deficit, hyperscalars reach these agreements with long -term contracts (PPAS, Power Purchase Agreements), previous agreements with networks and even investments in renewables. The idea is to disconnect the location decision of these data centers where the local energy production is. Madrid must of course ensure its capacity for interconnection and supply – perhaps with network reinforcement if necessary – but energy production in Spain (even Pull energy in the trash) It is a guarantee for this type of facilities. Image | Kyndryl | Community of Madrid In Xataka | Spain was supposed to have a “antiapagones” plan. It has encountered an insurmountable obstacle: politics

Andalusia has become hostile land for avocado. So an unexpected region is taking over: Galicia

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In Spain, avocado has ceased to be an exotic food to become the new king of the shopping basket. Its demand grows without stopping: only in 2023, tropical fruits became the most consumed in the country, surpassing even the citrus of life. But while the surface dedicated to avocado cultivation in Spain is already 24,000 hectares –With Andalusia at the head-, the south begins to resent. Missing water. There are plenty of extreme temperatures. And the producers look for alternatives in the north and there Galicia enters. A new tropical map. The image of an avocado is not associated, precisely, the wet green of the peninsular northwest. But data and real experiences begin to tell another story. Because in Galicia the avocado not only grows: it is standing strongly. As he collects A report from the voice of Galiciain the province of Pontevedra there were already at least seven hectares cultivated in 2022, and everything indicates that this figure has been doubled since then. “It is a very interesting production that is already being introduced into many Galician cooperatives,” says Higinio Mougán, director of Agaca, the Galician Association of Agrifood Cooperatives. Attracted by high market prices – and for a demand that does not stop growing – Galician farmers such as those of the Horsal Cooperative are already betting on this crop. However, they do it cautiously since not everything is as easy as planting and waiting to collect. But is it land of avocados? In theory, yes. Galicia presents a soft climate, without prolonged frost and with generous rainfall. Characteristics that, like The CSIC Iñaki Hormaza researcher ensures For the Galician medium, “they look more like the climate originally from avocado than that of some areas of Andalusia.” Which does not mean that there are no risks. Temperatures of more than 35º in summer, strong coastal winds, floodable floors or the possibility of unexpected frosts remain limiting factors. “It is not a crop to launch without prior study,” says Pablo Porto, coach of Vivaz Plant, a company that has developed plantations at Baixo Miño. The terrain must have good drainage, be protected from the wind and have deep and aerated soils. And that without talking about the productivity challenges – less than 1% of the flowers bear fruit – or post -harvest, which alerts the damage for forced collection on temporary days. There is evidence that it works. 300 kilometers east, in Asturias, The story of Ángel Sordo and his centenary avocado In Porrúa it is almost legend. Planted in 1906, this tree is still standing more than a century later and is considered the oldest in Europe. “Its cup reaches 30 meters in diameter,” a living emblem of what could be a new agricultural border. Inspired by this legacy, entrepreneurs such as Andrés Ibarra founded Aguacastur to explore the potential of avocado in the Cantabrian. His discovery was revealing: thousands of scattered trees, some with up to four flowers per year. And no, the cold did not kill them. Thanks to environmental humidity, even -5º temperatures did not cause severe damage. “It is a matter of time that the cultivation of avocados in the north becomes a reality,” said Ibarra. A change that accelerates as the South loses viability. A northern axarchy. As my partner explainedthe comparison is not accidental. The Malaga Axarchy has been the avocado mecca in Spain for decades. But droughts, overexploitation of the vineyuela aquifer and heat waves are changing the script. Is the north – with its water, its temperate climate and its lower urban pressure – the future of tropical fruit in Spain? It would not be the first time. Galicia was the land of Olivos in the past and nobody knows well why it ceased to be. And now, what? The interest is there. Plantations grow. Cooperatives are organized. But the Galician avocado path – like that of every crop that ventures in new lands – will not be free of obstacles. Green gold has arrived in Galicia. And this time, it seems that it has come to stay. Image | Unspash and Unspash Xataka | Very few countries in the world are dedicated to the industrial production of avocados. Now an unexpected one has joined: Japan

There is a region in Latin America that has more oil than all Saudi Arabia. And yet it produces 12 times less

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To the east of Venezuela, the Orinoco oil strip wants to return to its golden age, but faces political, economic and technical challenges. Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserve in the world: 300,878 million barrels. To put it in perspective, Saudi Arabia has in its territory a reserve of 267,000 million barrels. A Treasury. The Venezuelan crude is concentrated in the Orinoco oil strip, a region of 55,314 square kilometers east of the country that extends over the Orinoco River basin. The Orinoco oil girdle It is rich in heavy and extrapeted oil, a type of dense and viscous crude that requires more expensive and challenging refining processes to transform into usable products, such as gasoline and diesel. The twenty -first country in oil production. The Orinoco oil strip has been known since January 1936, when the American company Standard Oil of New Jersey did the first well: “La Canoa-1”, in the state of Anzoátegui. But gigantic. Despite its age, the Orinoco oil strip remains the largest crude oil reserve. And yet, he has been unable to lift his head for years due to the political and technical and economic sanctions that surround it. In its oil peak, Venezuela produced three million barrels per day. Today is the Twenty -first country in the world In oil production with 770,000 barrels a day, from behind even neighboring Colombia. The United States, Saudi Russia and Arabia lead the ranking with 8-12 million barrels per day. A challenge and an opportunity. The sanctions on Venezuelan oil, led by the United States government, rose for six months in October 2023, which allowed a shy return of foreign companies to the Orinoco oil strip. The moratorium evidenced that the Venezuelan oil sector has problems beyond the political; structural problems. After years of negligence, corruption and economic crisis, Venezuelan oil needs foreign investment to modernize the expensive infrastructure with which it extracts and processes heavy crude. Although the sanctions were activated last year as a pressure measure of the Biden administration against the government of Nicolás Maduro, now foreign companies have the opportunity to obtain individual licenses to mitigate their effect, which shows some sprout of hope for a country in which oil remains an economic engine. The Petroleum Momentum of Latin America. The modernization of infrastructure, the attraction of foreign investment and the stabilization of the economy are crucial steps, but we do not know if enough to recover all the economic potential of the Orinoco oil strip. The context seems flattering. Latin American countries are involved in A “gold fever” of oil in which the most extreme case is that of the also Guyana neighbor, which has seen a growth of 33% of GDP thanks to the reserves discovered in its coasts in 2015. Meanwhile, Brazil has climbed to the 8th place in the world production of oil and Mexico is in the 11th place. What if falling? The question that floats in the air is the same for all these countries, what will happen to their investments when the expected drop in oil demand By effect of energy transition? For now, much of the world moves as if we were going to continue burning oil for many years. Maybe that is the answer. Images | EFOFAC, Wilfredor In Xataka | The Falkland Islands rest over 500 million barrels of oil. Now the United Kingdom wants to authorize its extraction *An earlier version of this article was published in July 2024

This map distributes the “heart” of Europe over the Iberian Peninsula. And reveals the key to the success of the region

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Maps are useful, fascinating and sometimes almost almost An art form. However, they do not always allow us to understand real dimensions and distances well. Especially when we talk about broad territories. A map published in Urbanity.one (and shared by Madrid projects) With a peculiar approach: its author has taken some of the main cities of Central Europe, the metropolis of the one known as “Blue Banana”and has distributed them on a plane of the Iberian Peninsula respecting The real distances. The result reminds us of two things. The first, the considerable size That has Spain. The second, how close the cities of Central Europe, a crucial factor to understand the history and economic development of the region. As a picture is worth more than a thousand words, at the end of the 1980s the Geographer Roger Brunet decided to invent A visual metaphor to refer to the most populous and urbanized region in Europe. He called her The “Blue Banana”. Maybe it sounds strange, but it makes enough sense when a map is taken. If the cities of the European industrial axis are connected, covering from England to the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and northern Italy, that is: the drawing of A huge banana Located more or less between Manchester, Munich, Zurich and Rome. How big is that “Banana” imaginary? The first response to mind is obvious: very much, right? In Madrid it projects They have shared However, a map that helps to understand that this abstract axis is actually much smaller than what intuition suggests. At least if we compare it with Spain. The reason is very simple. Its author has selected the metropolis that are distributed by that theoretical axis that structures Europe Central and has arranged them on a map of the Iberian Peninsula respecting the real distances between them. The result It shows that Cambridge would be more or less where Vigo is, Rotterdam would stay up to Valladolid, Bremen in Pamplona, ​​Stuttgart almost where Alicante is and Paris would more or less occupy the place of Badajoz. In the center of the Peninsula, in Madrid, it would be located (kilometer up, kilometer down) Düsseldorf and the Barcelona space would occupy by Linz, an Austrian city. The cast may be striking, but it arrives with pulling Google Maps and its measurement tool for Check the distances. Between London and Paris there are about 340 km in a straight line, just under those that separate Madrid and Granada. If we pull a straight line from Rome to Munich would measure approximately 700 kilometers, a little less than Barcelona to Córdoba. Comparisons are interesting for several reasons. The main one is that they remind us The great size of Spain. The Iberian Peninsula measures just over 583,000 km2 and Spain occupies approximately 505,000taking into account the 12,500 km2 of island surface. That makes our country one of the most extensive of the community club, together with France and Sweden and Germany. A wide disposition of land is both an opportunity and a challenge in aspects as a distribution of the population or provision of services. The other great conclusion left by the map Shared by Madrid projects It is the close thing that are actually the Central European metropolis and their main industrial poles, population centers and strategic axes of political decision -making, a proximity that has influenced the development and integration of Europe. Images | Urbanity.one and Madrid projects (x) In Xataka | The demographic debacle in Europe, exposed on this map with a misleading guest: Monaco

We have just discovered a Mayan city of more than 2,800 years in Guatemala. And rethink the history of the region

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The jungle of Peténnorth of Guatemala, he continues to surprise historians who are dedicated to exploring pre -Columbian history. There, near the border of Mexico, archaeologists have discovered a fascinating “Urban triangle” formed by three old cities that stand out for their architecture and heritage. Among all the most surprising is “the grandparents”, an important Mayan ceremonial center of More than 2,800 years of antiquity that takes its name of two pieces discovered by the experts: sculptures of an elderly couple who were probably used for rituals related to the cult of ancestors. The experts They recognize That the findings open the door to rethink what we know about ceremonies, society and pre -Hispanic politics in northern Guatemala. Beyond Uaxactun. For centuries the Mayan civilization extended in the south of what is today Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras, shaping a rich culture that dates back At least 2,000 ACreached its splendor during the 5th century of our era and declined in the post -classic stage, from X to XIII. During that wide period the Maya created great populations, as uaxactúna site located in the Petén region, in Guatemala. For some time, Guatemalan archaeologists have looked, however, beyond Uaxactún, towards the jungles of Petén, in search of old pre -Columbian cities. Hence, in 2009 they would boost the Uaxactún Archaeological Project (Paru), which explores a vast area of ​​around 1,200 square kilometers (km2) around the old Mayan city. Thanks to him and after more than a decade and a half of work, experts have cataloged about 176 deposits, from small archaeological vestiges to broader settlements. “An urban triangle”. That the researchers have found 176 sites does not mean that they have excavated them all. Over the last years they have observed three attention three, Mayan cities that have been studied thanks to the involvement of several Slovak institutions, including the Enoius University. Their conclusions have just been submitted and reveal Something amazing: an “Urban Triangle so far unknown” that lived its splendor in the Middle Preclassic (800-500 BC) and late and is formed by three cities that barely are far five kilometers each other. The discovery is interesting both for archaeological vestiges themselves and for the horizons they open. “The findings allow to rethink the understanding of the ceremonial and socio -political organization of the pre -Hispanic Petén,” They stand out from the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala. The three archaeological sites that have captured the attention of Guatemalan and Slovak experts and make up that new Mayan urban triangle are Petnal, Cambrayal and the grandparents, the most fascinating of all. A new archaeological jewel. Grandparents is a city dating from the Middle Preclassic (800-500 AC), reaches an extension of some 16 km2 and is located about 21 km northwest of Uxactún. In the opinion of the local authorities, it implies “one of the oldest and most important ceremonial centers of the preclassic in Petén.” In fact they expect light to contribute on the origins of Mayan civilization. His name is due to one of the most curious pieces found by archaeologists: human form sculptures that represent an ancestral couple and that experts relate to ancient worship rituals to ancestors. The initial dating places them towards 500 and 300 BC Architecture for stars. The sculptures however are only a small part of the archaeological treasure of the grandparents. In A statementthe Ministry of Culture highlights its “remarkable architectural planning”, with radial pyramids, triadic groups and sculpted monuments with an iconography of the region. “In addition to the sculptures, grandparents houses a type of architectural set known as group E, used as astronomical observatory,” They clarify. “The disposition of its buildings allows you to register with precision solstices and equinoxes.” Experts have known the Eaxactun Group E for years, but they believe that the one located in the grandparents could be even older. That without having the rest of the vestiges discovered. At the foot of the sculptures of the two ancestors, a human burial was located and not far from there remains of several felines, in addition to offerings of vessels, shells, arrow points and a trail from which archaeologists hope to obtain “valuable information” about the old Mayan settlement. Completing the triangle. The grandparents is the main course of the new findings presented by Guatemala, but not the only one. Another of the outstanding deposits is Petnal, a city that was equipped with a pyramid of 33 meters high decorated with preclassic murals. At their highest point, archaeologists have also discovered a well -preserved stay that still retains remains of painting on stucco with reddish, white and black tones, “another extraordinary discovery”, experts celebrate. Because of its characteristics and architecture, however they believe that, unlike grandparents, which probably acted as a “ceremonial center”, Petnal exercised political center. 57 meters of channels. The third city that completes the urban triangle of Petén is Cambrayal, equipped with a network of 57 meters long channels that part of a palace and extends through the facade. Interestingly, archaeologists believe that the channels, stuped, were not used to bring water to the rooms, but to evict waste, just like a primitive drainage system. Another piece discovered in Cambrayal by experts is a sculpture similar to others located on the southern coast. The Ministry of Culture of Guatemala Point out that the three cities share more than proximity and distribute throughout the petén. They all had a more or less similar story: the settlements remained inhabited during much of the preclassic, ended up abandoned and with the passage of the centuries they enjoyed a second golden age after being rediscovered, rebuilt and again populated, already during the stage called late classic. Images | Ministry of Culture of Guatemala In Xataka | 60 years ago we discovered a hidden gold in the jungle of Peru. Now we know that it was really much more

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