La Mancha

For other uses, see Mancha.
For the contemporary autonomous community, see Castilla-La Mancha. For the French department, see Manche.
La Mancha
Natural region
La Mancha's traditional windmills like these, still standing at Campo de Criptana, were immortalized in the novel Don Quixote.
La Mancha's traditional windmills like these, still standing at Campo de Criptana, were immortalized in the novel Don Quixote.
In red, location of the natural region of La Mancha. In dark gray, present-day Castilla–La Mancha autonomous community territories not included in historical La Mancha.
In red, location of the natural region of La Mancha. In dark gray, present-day Castilla–La Mancha autonomous community territories not included in historical La Mancha.
Coordinates: 39°24′04″N 3°00′54″W / 39.40111°N 3.01500°W / 39.40111; -3.01500
CountrySpain
Elevation
610 m (2,000 ft)

La Mancha (Spanish pronunciation: [la ˈmantʃa]) is a natural and historical region in the Spanish provinces of Albacete, Cuenca, Ciudad Real, and Toledo. It is a fertile plateau (610 m or 2000 ft) that stretches from the mountains of Toledo to the western spurs of the Cuenca hills, bordered to the south by the Sierra Morena and to the north by the Alcarria.[1] The La Mancha historical comarca constitutes the southern portion of Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community and makes up most of the present-day administrative region.

  1. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mancha, La" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 542.