The concept of "paraje" , according to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), refers to a site or the disposition or situation of something . The term, however, has another more frequent use in Spanish-speaking countries.
Paraje is usually used to name an uninhabited geographic location or one with a small number of inhabitants . Generally, these are very small towns located in a rural area .
The parajes, therefore, are villages , hamlets or even specific areas found along the route . Their characteristics may vary, although they always share the fact of having a low population density.
The differences between a village and a town or other settlement with a higher population density do not end with issues that can be measured physically, but some of them can be appreciated if we study their roots. For example, it is very common for villages to emerge little by little, as new people arrive in the place, each one with the objective of carrying out a different commercial activity, which until then no other inhabitant carries out.
This speaks to a highly functional and specialized type of organization , which results in healthy growth for all people. In a city, the opposite occurs: unfair competition is common and can become overwhelming for a small entrepreneur, forcing him to close his shop within a few months after destroying his morale with devious tactics, such as price reductions that are impossible for him at first or excessive opening hours to attract more customers while he is not active.
In a locality, the sense of community can be kept alive at levels that have already disappeared in most cities, partly because it would be impossible to know all the inhabitants if the number is counted in tens of millions. This strength in the bond of a locality can lead to a protection of the interests of others that leads to a healthy coexistence, as if it were a large family.
Paraje Macedo , in Argentina , is an example of this type of sector. It is located in the district of General Madariaga , in the province of Buenos Aires , and was born around a railway station that is no longer used. In Paraje Macedo, the Regional Kiwi Festival is celebrated annually, an event that attracts visitors from the surrounding towns.
In the province of Misiones , also in Argentina , there is the Paraje Fontana . It is part of the municipality of Campo Grande and the department of Cainguás .
In Spain , on the other hand, there are several protected areas known as parajes or natural areas . This concept is a synonym for ecological reserve and nature reserve , that is, a semi-protected area that is considered very important for the fauna, flora or wildlife of a given region, or that has certain interesting geological characteristics that are used for educational and research purposes.
The Alto Guadalquivir Natural Site is one of many in Spain: it is located in the province of Jaén , occupying an area of more than 600 hectares .
The Picturesque Site of the Abantos Pine Forest and La Herrería Area , meanwhile, is located in the Community of Madrid . It covers more than 1,100 hectares and was established in 1961 .
There are also the Isla Cristina marshes , located on the Andalusian Atlantic coast, right where the Carreras River flows into the sea, which were declared a natural area in 1989. It covers an area of around 2,145 hectares and occupies part of Isla Cristina and Ayamonte, two municipalities in the area.