Asturias (/æˈstʊəriəs,ə-/; Spanish:[asˈtuɾjas]; Asturian: Asturies[asˈtuɾjes;-ɾjɪs]) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.It is coextensive with the province of Asturias and contains some of the territory that was part of the larger Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages. Divided into eight comarcas (counties), the autonomous community of Asturias is bordered by Cantabria to the east, by León (Castile and León) to the south, by Lugo (Galicia) to the west, and by the Cantabrian Sea to the north.
Asturias is situated in a mountainous setting with vast greenery and lush vegetation, making it part of Green Spain. The region has a maritime climate. It receives plenty of annual rainfall and little sunshine by Spanish standards and has very moderate seasons, most often averaging in the lower 20s Celsius. Heat waves are rare due to mountains blocking southerly winds. Winters are very mild for the latitude, especially near sea level.
Ortegal is a comarca in the north of the GalicianProvince of A Coruña, Spain. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea to the north, the Province of Lugo to the east, the comarca of O Eume to the south, and comarca of Ferrol to the west. It covers an area of 394.3 km, which accounts for 1.33% of all the land area in Galicia. The overall population of this region was 13,916 at the 2011 census; the latest official 2022 census was 11,466.
Cantabrian Sea in the context of Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range (Spanish: Cordillera Cantábrica) are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif in Galicia, along the coast of the Cantabrian Sea. Their easternmost end meets the Sistema Ibérico.
The Bidasoa (Basque:[bi'd̪as̺oa]; Spanish:[biða'soa]; French: Bidassoa, pronounced[bidasɔa]) is a river in the Basque Country of northern Spain and southern France that runs largely south to north. Named as such downstream of the village of Oronoz-Mugairi (municipality of Baztan) in the province of Navarre, the river actually results from the merger of several streams near the village Erratzu, with the stream Baztan that rises at the north-eastern side of the mount Autza (1,306 m) being considered the source of the Bidasoa. It joins the Cantabrian Sea (Bay of Biscay) between the towns of Hendaye and Hondarribia.
The river is best known for establishing the borderline at its lower tract. This stretch is crossed not only by aircraft at low height but by important European communication axes, namely AP8 E5 E80 - E70 A63 (motorway, connection at the Biriatu toll), main roads N1 - N10 (connection at the roundabout of Saizar by the river) and major French and Spanish railway networks,—Renfe and SNCF. Besides these major lines, other regional ones cross it too, e.g. regional railway EuskoTren (terminus in Hendaye) and another double bridge (pedestrians/vehicles) joining the towns on the border, i.e. the historical Santiago Bridge (Way of St. James). At this stage of the river, urban landscape prevails (built-up area).
Cantabria belongs to Green Spain, the name given to the strip of land between the Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Mountains, so called because of its particularly lush vegetation, due to the wet and temperate oceanic climate. The climate is strongly influenced by Atlantic Ocean winds trapped by the mountains; the average annual precipitation is about 1,200 mm (47 inches).
Cantabrian Sea in the context of Frías, Province of Burgos
Frías is a town located in the northern part of the province of Burgos, in Castile and León, Spain. In 2010 it had a population of only 275 inhabitants.
Frías is a historic medieval town on a hill above the river Ebro, which has been a strategic point to cross river Ebro in the routes communicating with the Cantabrian Sea. Today the town is a popular tourist spot. It has an impressive castle dominating the river and the twelfth-century bridge across it. It is considered to be the smallest "city" in Spain, having been given that title in 1435.
Gijón (Spanish:[xiˈxon]) or Xixón (Asturian:[ʃiˈʃoŋ]) is a port city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the central-northern part of Asturias; it is approximately 24 km (15 mi) north-east of Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, and 26 km (16 mi) from Avilés. With a population of 270,219 as of 2024, Gijón is the 16th-largest city in Spain.
Gijón forms part of a large metropolitan area that includes twenty councils in the center of the region, structured with a dense network of roads, highways and railways and with a population of 835,053 inhabitants in 2011, making it the 7th-largest in Spain.