FIGUEIRA DE CASTELO RODRIGO
N 40.899504, W 6.966692
Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo is a Portuguese village belonging to Guarda district, in Beira Alta province, Centro region (Beiras Region) and Beiras and Serra da Estrela sub-region, with about 2,200 inhabitants.
It is the seat of a municipality with an area of 508.58 km² and 6 260 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 10 parishes. The municipality is limited to the north by the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, to the east by Spain, to the south by Almeida, to the southwest and west by Pinhel, and to the northwest by Vila Nova de Foz Côa.
It is located in Terras de Riba-Côa, with vast landscapes, plateaus, forts (castles) next to the Côa Valley and in the foothills of the majestic Serra da Marofa.
The municipality of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, as a whole, is characterized by low annual rainfall, reaching values in the order of 500 liters per m² and high annual thermal amplitudes, largely due to the existence of hot and dry summers and cold and cold winters. prolonged. The region of Barca de Alva, north of Escalhão, is the warmest, due to the Douro influence, and, at the same time, the one with the highest annual thermal amplitudes, in the order of 21 ° C.
Snowfall usually occurs in January and February, while frosts can start in December and last until May. During long winters, light rain may fall or dew may form, the freezing of which gives rise to stalactite formations that hang from the eaves of the roofs and from the branches of the trees, known as the syncellum. In the slopes exposed to the north and east winds, which are the dominant ones, the cold is usually icy and sharp, which has often led to the generalization of the idea that the whole region is located in the so-called «Terra Fria».
Seasonal variations are unclear and the intermediate seasons are short, and fog can form in both autumn and spring.
