A sparsely populated Extremaduran comarca shaped by rolling serranías, vast reservoirs, and centuries of frontier history.
La Siberia
La Siberia is a rural comarca in the northeast of the province of Badajoz, in Extremadura, Spain. Its territory encompasses rolling serranías, deep river valleys, and a remarkable chain of large reservoirs along the Guadiana and Zújar rivers, giving the region more inland coast than almost any other area in Spain. The comarca grew out of seventeen small municipalities historically grouped under the judicial districts of Herrera del Duque and Puebla de Alcocer, and today is divided between two mancomunidades, including the Mancomunidad de Municipios Siberia with eleven municipalities and its seat at Talarrubias.
The landscape is dominated by Mediterranean oak woodland of holm oak and cork oak, extensive pine and eucalyptus plantations around the embalses, and open serranías that host one of Spain's most important populations of griffon vulture. Despite its modest population and centuries of rural depopulation, La Siberia stands out for its reservoirs (Cíjara, García de Sola, Orellana, Zújar, and La Serena), its archaeological record of prehistoric rock art and Roman settlements, and its long frontier history between Christian and Muslim kingdoms along the Guadiana.
In 2019, UNESCO recognized the area as the La Siberia Biosphere Reserve, lifting a candidacy that had previously faltered when several municipal councils withdrew support following agricultural opposition. The comarca remains a quiet but ecologically distinctive corner of interior Spain, defined by the interplay of mountain, water, Mediterranean forest, and a deeply rooted rural culture.
