Meaning of Countryside
A countryside is a large piece of land with land that is used for farming. The term has its most remote etymological origin in the Latin word campanĭa. For example: “On the trip we went through vast fields full of crops”, “My grandfather has a house in the countryside”, “The northern countryside suffers the consequences of the drought”.
The concept is often used as a synonym for field, a territorial extension that is on the outskirts of a city or that refers to the land that can be worked: “When I was a boy I worked in the countryside”, “After about three kilometers of countryside, you will find the first houses of the town ”, “ If you want to relax, I suggest you spend a few days in the countryside ”.
The notion of countryside is used to name various regions of Spain. In the province of Cádiz, the Campiña de Jerez is the name of a region that is subdivided into two municipalities (San José del Valle and Jerez de la Frontera) and has more than 200,000 residents.
La Campiña de Jaén, whose capital is called Andújar, is a region that belongs to the province of Jaén and has about 68,000 residents and an area of just over 1,741 square kilometers.
La Campiña de Sevilla, meanwhile, is within the 7 natural regions into which Seville is historically divided. It is the largest region, with about 5,000 square kilometers of surface.
The municipalities that shape this region are none other than Los Palacios and Villafranca, Écija, Los Molares, Osuna, Carmona, Fuentes de Andalucía, La Luisiana, Estepa, Marchena, La Puebla de Cazalla, Paradas, Utrera, La Campana, Arahal, Alcalá de Guadaira and El Viso del Alcor.
These population centers are known not only for their wealth of heritage but also for their exquisite cuisine. This we can underline that it is made up of such tasty foods as polvorones and mantecados, two sweets that are typical of Christmas parties especially.
The Campiña del Henares (which is subdivided into the Campiña de Guadalajara and the Campiña de Alcalá), the Campiña Sur of the province of Córdoba and the Campiña Sur of the province of Badajoz are other Spanish regions that are identified with the concept of countryside.
In addition to all the above, we cannot forget the fact that the term in question is also the surname of one of the most important voices that the Spanish scene has had throughout its history. We are referring to the soprano Fidela Campiña, who was born in Almería in 1894 and is known for having stepped on the best operatic stages in the world such as the Metropolitan in New York, La Scala in Milan or the Royal Theater in Madrid.
We also have to underline that there is a colloquial expression that uses the concept that we are now analyzing in the same way. It is the adverbial phrase “to close off the countryside.” With it, what comes to be expressed is that a person in question has made a firm decision about something, remains in its purpose, and that means that no agreement can be reached with him on the relevant issue.
