Carrascas

Carrascas is a toponym used for several small localities in the Iberian Peninsula. The name derives from carrasca, the Spanish term for the holm oak (Quercus ilex) or for scrubland dominated by evergreen oaks, a landscape feature common in rural areas where such settlements developed.

In Spain, various villages or hamlets bear the name Carrascas or Las Carrascas, typically within larger municipalities in regions with historical oak woodlands. In Portugal, similar toponymic forms exist that reference holm oak groves. These places are usually small and rural, with limited administrative status, often identified within a municipality rather than as independent towns.

Ecology and landscape: The carrasca refers to the holm oak, an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region. Holm oaks tolerate drought and have historically supported pastoral and agricultural practices, including systems such as the dehesa in parts of Spain and Portugal. When used in place-names, the term carrasca evokes the landscape that once characterized the site and may reflect the environmental history of the locality.

See also: Carrasca (singular), a related toponym and term for the tree; Carrascal or Carrascosa, related place-name forms found in Iberian toponymy.