Torrelodones


Torrelodones is a municipality in the northwest of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain. It is situated 29 kilometers northwest from the city of Madrid. Because of its location between the Sierra de Guadarrama and the metropolitan area of the capital, it is linked to two districts in Madrid: the agricultural area of Guadarrama and the metropolitan area of Madrid.
It lies at an average altitude of 845 meters. According to the 2014 census, 22,838 people live in the municipality, distributed among seven towns.
The people of Torrelodones earn among the highest per capita incomes of the Community of Madrid. Services, hotels, and construction are the main economic activities. In 2012 it had about 22,680 inhabitants. With over three colleges and four developments, Torrelodones is usually divided into two parts: the "Torrelodones town", where there is the Town Hall, and the "Torrelodones colony", where there are schools, homes and small businesses.
Torrelodones is bordered to the north by Hoyo de Manzanares, to the south by Las Rozas de Madrid, to the west by Galapagar, and to the east by Madrid.
Historically the municipality was named "Torrelodones". That name led to the current name of the town Torrelodones. The name comes from, for one side, the Muslim watchtower that Muslims used during Al-andalus age to guard the city from the attacks of Christian people during the Iberian peninsula's reconquest. For the other side, "Lodon" is a type of tree that was really abundant in that zone whose scientific name is Celtis australis.

Symbols

The town's badge, or coat of arms, was approved in 1979 by the "Real Decreto 3086/1979", of December 17. Its official description in Spanish is:
EscudoPartido, primero, de plata. la torre de azur; se• gundü, de azur, la banda de oro, engolada en dragantes del mismo metal y en punta, de plata, el almez o lodón frutado de sable. Al timbre, corona real cerrada.
This literally translates as: "Badge divided, first, of silver, the tower on azure, second, in azure, the gold band, with dragon heads of the same metal, and in peak, of silver, the hack berry of saber. On the top, a royal crown closed."
The town's flag was approved by Madrid's community on the 12th of February 1992, and was designed by Julian Nieto Martin. The flag's description is:
"Rectangular flag, of 2:3 ratio divided diagonally in 2 equal portions from the right top corner to the bottom left corner, blue on the top and yellow on the bottom; in the middle the officially approved coat of arms."

Urban geography

Boundaries

Torrelodones is bounded by the following:
Torrelodones' population is spread in seven officially recognized different towns: Torrelodones, Los Robles, Los Peñascales, Los Bomberos, La Estacion, La Berzosilla, El Gasco. There are othersneighborhoods isolated apart from those seven towns but they are not officially recognized as so.

Urban habitat

Torrelodones is divided in two parts: Torrelodones-pueblo, and Torrelodones-colonia.
Torrelodones-pueblo has the historical part of the municipality. It was developed in the early Middle Ages around a street that still exists now, called Calle Real. Through the twentieth century the town started to expand with the construction of new buildings, new business and small stores.
In the late nineteenth century the Torrelodones-colonia part arose around the railway station; it is still developing. It consisted of small townhouses, apartments and villas.
Both the Torrelodones-pueblo and the Torrelodones-colonia are the main social, administrative and economic centers of the municipality. They hold the 64% of the population and the vast majority of businesses, industries and services available in the village.

Climate

Torrelodones's weather is continental Mediterranean. It has cold winters with temperatures less than 5 °C, frequents frosts at nights and occasionally snows. Summers are warm, around 25 °C, and with maximum temperatures that can reach over 35 °C. The annual rainfall is more than 400mm.

Flora

The municipality has much Mediterranean flora that is typical of Spain.
Trees there mainly are Holm oaks, with the occasional presence of junipers, oaks and pine trees, and spontaneous pine reforestation.

Wildlife

Torrelodones joins two protected ecological spaces: Sierra de Hoyo and Monte del Pardo.
Animals that live here include birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. All of them are included in the Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas and the Catálogo Regional de Especies Amenazadas de Fauna y Flora de la Comunidad de Madrid.
; Birds
Águila imperial ibérica. is the most important bird.
Other birds include Picogordo, curruca mosquitera, curruca zarcera, curruca mirlona, papamoscas gris, oropéndola, collalba rubia, chochín, pito real, mochuelo, autillo, abubilla, carbonero común, alcaudón real, alcaudón común, abejaruco, estornino, rabilargo, El petirrojo, el ruiseñor, el mirlo, el verdecillo, el verderón, el pardillo, and el zorzal.
There are also some species for hunting, such as la perdiz, la codorniz, la tórtola and la paloma torcaz.
Among the raptor birds are aguilucho ratonero and al elanio azul.
; Mammals
The municipality shelters, especially in protected zones, ardilla roja, erizo europeo, conejo, liebre ibérica, comadreja, gineta, zorro, jabalí, el ratón de campo, el ratón casero, el lirón careto, la musaraña gris, el topo ibérico, and topillo de Cabrera.
; Reptiles and amphibians
Torrelodones hosts reptiles such as la lagartija colirroja, la lagartija cenicienta, la lagartija ibérica, el lagarto ocelado, la salamanquesa común, la culebrilla ciega, la culebra de collar, la culebra viperina and la culebra de escalera.
Among the amphibians are el sapo corredor, el sapo de espuelas, el sapo partero ibérico, el sapillo pintojo ibérico, and el gallipato.
; Invertebrates
There are countless species of invertebrates.
On record are two species of endangered Lepidoptera: el arlequín and la doncella de ondas.