Of the 200,678 people (2002) in the province, nearly a third live in the capital, Zamora.

The Capital - Zamora
It is a communications and agricultural marketing and processing center. Because of its strategic position, control of the city was contested during the Middle Ages, first between the Christians and Moors, then between León and Castile. Parts of the medieval fortifications are still preserved. There is a fine 12th-century Romanesque cathedral.