Don Benito () is a Spanish town and municipality in the province of Badajoz, Extremadura, near the left bank of the river Guadiana. According to the 2014 census,Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) the municipality has a population of 37,011.
History Don Benito dates from the 15th century, when it was founded by refugees from Don Llorente, who deserted their own town due to the danger of floods from the Guadiana.
On 28 March 1809, the 9 km separating Don Benito from Medellín was the site of a major French victory against Spanish troops during the Peninsular War.
By 2021, the municipal government of Don Benito worked alongside that of Villanueva de la Serena to fuse the two neighbouring municipalities into a single one, paving the way for a 2022 non-binding consultation. On 8 November 2021, the Council of Ministers sanctioned the celebration of the consultation, to be held on 20 February 2022. Both municipalities approved the merging, in the case of Don Benito by a whisker (a 66.2% of yes votes relative to the 66.0% threshold set in advance).
Demographics
Geography Don Benito has 37,048 inhabitants, and is part of an urban area with Villanueva de la Serena (26,071 inhabitants) 5 km away.
The municipality is composed by the town of Don Benito and seven villages: Settlement Population (2012) Don Benito 32,783 Conquista del Guadiana 133 Gargáligas 549 Hernán Cortés 921 Ruecas 718 El Torviscal 549 Valdehornillos 664 Vivares 731
Climate Don Benito has a hot summer mediterranean climate (Köppen classification: Csa), bordering on a cold semi-arid climate (BSk). The winters are mild, although temperatures very occasionally drop below during the coldest nights of the year. Summers are hot to very hot and temperatures often exceed and occasionally exceed .
Precipitation is moderately scarce throughout the year, averaging annually. Autumn is the season with the most rainfall, while the summers are dry.
Transport The town is served by a railway station on the Ciudad Real-Badajoz railway, part of an international line that links Madrid with Lisbon. It has been interested, along with the nearby Villanueva de la Serena, by a project of a tramway, not yet finalized. "The circular tramway Don Benito-Villanueva in the future". El Periódico Extremadura, 29-9-2007 "The project of the Don Benito-Villanueva tramway will be taken by the regional board". Hoy, 12-2-2008 The town is also the southern terminus of the EXA2 motorway from Miajadas.
Famous residents Florinda Chico (1926-2011), actress Jesús Gil Manzano (b. 1984), referee Juanma Gómez (b. 1981), footballer Pedro Porro (b. 1999), footballer
Twin towns Fquih Ben Salah, Morocco See also List of municipalities in Badajoz
References
External links
Don Benito official website Roman Villa of La Majona in Don Benito