SALAMANCA is a province with an Atlantic coastline in Spain. It belongs to the region Castilla y Leon in the autonomous community of the same name. Its coordinates are 40 degrees 58 minutes North and 5 degrees 40 minutes west. Its area is 386 square kilometers. It has a current population of 160,000. Its current mayor is Julian Lanzarote. Salamanca’s sister cities are Coimbra in Portugal, Nimes in France and Wurzburg in Germany.

Salamanca has no international airport but there are domestic flights daily from Barcelona and Madrid. There are also buses connecting to Madrid and to the rest of Spain in all directions. It is ideal to visit there every September during the feast of their patron saint, Virgen de la Vega.

Just like the rest of Spain which is relatively Catholic, Salamanca’s churches are considered tourist attractions. The following are a list of Salamanca’s architectural glories, including the religious ones – Plaza Mayor, Catedral Vieja, Catedral Nueva, the 11th century University of Salamanca, La Casa de las Conchas (made of shells and constructed during the 15th century) and the Roman Bridge which was constructed in 89. Even if the University of Salamanca is that old, its current offerings are modern and conform to today’s quality of education. In Plaza Mayor meanwhile, there are lots of restaurants and bars lining up in the area.

Salamanca is so popular among tourists that many facilities are currently undergoing construction for their comfort. Among them is the 166 million euro Salamanca hospital. In a recent bidding, Madrid-based Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas SA was awarded the contract which will take about six years to complete. The hospital will be operational by 2014.

It’s not just the support services industry which is experiencing a surge in their business in Salamanca. Delivers of basic services as well have found a new market in Salamanca. Farmers in the region are now contemplating to hold a periodic market day in Salamanca to advertise their harvest for the season and beyond. In fact, all the ingredients for gastronomic delights found in Salamanca are locally produced. Among the end products which end up in local restaurant menus in such bars that have mentioned earlier are chorizo, salchichon, lomo iberico, jamon, cherries, figs, strawberries, lentils, chickpeas, beans, morucha beef, hare, partridge, pheasant, cochinillo al fuego, chanfaina, roasted lamb, roasted veal, roasted goat, hornazo, tapas, amarguillos, mazapan, bollo maimon and chochos.

But the food and beverage sector does not just limit itself to giving quality food to the people of Salamanca and to its tourists. There are other aspects in the food technology industry which are dedicated to the preservation of food. Take for instance this case. The bioethanol plant in Salamanca owned by Ebro Puleva is one of the most prolific businesses of its kind in all of Spain.

And factories are not just limited to food-related production. In Salamanca, the largest solar electric plant in Spain can be found. Aptly called Planta Solar de Salamanca, the 70,000 KV plant’s construction is supervised by Avanzalia Solar, the ultimate owner of the endeavor.