Ribera region. A vast area of Navarre formed by the lower basins of the Ega, Arga-Aragón and the banks of the Ebro, whose main characteristics are its long horizons, strong sunshine and radiant light. The Ribera par excellence is the one whose centre is Tudela. Here, the characteristics we have mentioned are present in all their splendour. This regional concept can also be extended to the whole area up the Ebro via Azagra, San Adrián, Lodosa, etc., which shares the local characteristics of the Navarrese-Riojan region. Generally, for those who come down from the mountains or from Pamplona or jump from the Cantabrian area, the riverside is also the Tafalla-Olite area. And the same bank of the Aragón with Santacara, Mélida and Carcastillo. The north-eastern area as far as Cáseda, Sangüesa and Lumbier could be described as sub-ribera. Tudela, the centre of the Ribera proper, is accompanied by a constellation of important villages, especially in the south and west: Cortes, Buñuel, Ribaforada, Fustiñana, Cabanillas, Ablitas, Cascante, Murchante, Fitero, Cintruénigo, Corella, Castejón, Cadreita, Valtierra, Arguedas and Murillo las Limas. This necklace of rich villages has uber-rich areas of irrigated land and expanses of olive trees and cereals. Here agriculture is on a large scale. But neither should we forget the intensive and extensive rearing of livestock, its large canning industry and a series of new industrial agricultural and livestock facilities and various products, totally unrelated to this traditional industry. To the northwest of Tudela are the Bardenas, a steppe region bordered to the east by the judicial districts of Sos and Ejea (Aragon), to the north by that of Tafalla, and to the west and south by that of Tudela. A vast region measuring 35 by 25 kilometres, some 480,000 robadas. Used for thousands of years for pasture and forestry, some parts have gradually been ploughed up.