Geography of Galicia

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Galicia Galicia Topo.svg
Galicia

The geography of Galicia (Spain) is characterized by the contrast between the low altitude coastal relief and, further inland, by the higher altitude of the Galician Massif which itself offers contrasts between the morphology of the high northern plains and the southern mountains and valleys.

Contents

Limits

The territory of Galicia is between 43°47 N (Estaca de Bares) and 41°49 N (Portela do Home, border with Portugal) in latitude. In longitude, the territory lies between 6º42 W and 9º18 W.

Coast

The Galician coast has 1,500 kilometres (930 mi) and has many incoming and outgoing and small islands, and in general is steep declines or little soft. Alternate locations with different characteristics, as in the Rías Baixas' Corrubedo or the Cantabrian Mariña de Lugo. The first features a coastal dune in a low profile, and the second a high geological deposition zone on its original level. Most of the population lives along the Atlantic estuaries in the major urban centers and their areas of influence. The estuaries are important fisheries, helping the Galician coast be one of the most important fishing areas in the world [ according to whom? ]. They also attract many tourists to the magnificent views and beaches.

Capes

Cape Ortegal Cabo Ortegal (Spain).jpg
Cape Ortegal

Galician most known capes are:

Islands

Galicia's coast is surrounded by islands such as: Cíes Islands (consisting of the island of Faro, Monteagudo and the San Martiño), the islands of Ons (consisting of the island of Ons and Onza), the archipelago Sálvora (comprises the islands of Sálvora, Vionta and Sagres) and other islands as Cortegada, Arousa, the Sisargas, or Malveiras, most of which belong to the National Park of the Atlantic Islands. There are also many smaller islands and islets. It is estimated that on the coast of Galicia there are 316 islands, islets and rocks. [1]

Mountains

Serra dos Ancares Candin 04 Ancares by-dpc.jpg
Serra dos Ancares

The main mountain ranges of the Galician Massif are Serra do Eixe, Serra da Lastra and Serra do Courel, located in the eastern parts, bordering with Castile and León. Noteworthy mountain ranges are O Xistral (northern Lugo), the Serra dos Ancares (on the border with León and Asturias), O Courel (on the border with León), O Eixe (the border between Ourense and Zamora), Serra de Queixa (in the center of Ourense province), O Faro (the border between Lugo and Pontevedra), Cova da Serpe (border of Lugo and A Coruña), Montemaior (A Coruña), Montes do Testeiro, Serra do Suído, and Faro de Avión (between Pontevedra and Ourense); and, to the south, A Peneda, O Xurés and O Larouco, all on the border of Ourense and Portugal.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galicia (Spain)</span> Autonomous community in the northwest of Spain

Galicia is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, and Pontevedra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Lugo</span> Province of Spain

Lugo is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Ourense, Pontevedra, and A Coruña, the principality of Asturias, the State of León, and in the north by the Cantabrian Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Ourense</span> Province of Spain

Ourense is a Spanish province, in the southeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Pontevedra to the west, Lugo to the north, León and Zamora, to the east, and by Portugal to the south. With an area of 7,278 square km., it is the only landlocked province in Galicia. The provincial capital, Ourense, is the largest population centre, with the rest of the province being predominantly rural.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Pontevedra</span> Province in Galicia, Spain

Pontevedra is a province of Spain along the country's Atlantic coast in southwestern Europe. The province forms the southwestern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, and Ourense, the country of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean. The official languages of the Pontevedra province are Spanish and Galician. There is a public institution called the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra, whose head office is in Pontevedra city, that provides direct services to citizens such as technical, financial and technological support to the councils of the 62 municipalities of the province of Pontevedra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantabrian Sea</span> Sea in the southern Bay of Biscay off the coast of Spain

The Cantabrian Sea is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwest side of the Atlantic coast of France. It extends from the cape Estaca de Bares in the province of A Coruña, to the mouth of the river Adour, near the city of Bayonne on the coast of the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in French Basque Country.

The Xunta de Galicia is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-President(s) and the specialized ministers (Conselleiros).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Vigo</span> Public university in Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain

The University of Vigo is a public university located in the city of Vigo in the Province of Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain. There are three campuses:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rías Baixas</span>

The Rías Baixas are a series of four estuarine inlets located on the southwestern coast of Galicia, Spain. They are the Ría de Muros e Noia, the Ría de Arousa, the Ría de Pontevedra, and the Ría de Vigo. The northernmost Rías Baixas begin below Cape Finisterre while the southernmost rias border the Portuguese coast, taking up the southern part of the Province of Coruña and the entire Province of Pontevedra. Its capital is the city of Pontevedra. Due to unique conditions, the Rías Baixas are rich in marine life which helps the fishing and aquaculture industry of the area. Beaches, marinas, distinctive towns, and plenty of water activities also attract tourists, providing another source of income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minho (river)</span> River in Spain, Portugal

The Minho or Miño is the longest river in Galicia, sharing the border with Portugal, with a length of 340 kilometres (210 mi). By discharge, it is the fourth river of the Iberian peninsula, after the Douro, Ebro, and Tagus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galicians</span> Celtic Romance ethnic group

Galicians are a Celtic-Romance ethnic group from Spain that is closely related to the Portuguese people and has its historic homeland is Galicia, in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. Two Romance languages are widely spoken and official in Galicia: the native Galician and Spanish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cíes Islands</span>

The Cíes Islands are an archipelago off the coast of Pontevedra in Galicia, Spain, in the mouth of the Ria de Vigo. They were declared a Nature Reserve in 1980 and are included in the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park created in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serra dos Ancares</span>

The Serra dos Ancares is a mountain range of the Galician Massif in north-west Spain, extending in a south-westerly direction from the western end of the Cantabrian Mountains in Asturias.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ría de Arousa</span>

The Ría de Arousa is a ria, a saline estuary, that forms a firth situated on Galicia, Spain. It is one of the five Rías Baixas. The Ría de Arousa estuary is the largest of the estuaries of Galicia. It is part of the Rias Baixas and is located between the estuary of Muros and Noia to the north and the Pontevedra estuary to the south. The peninsulas of Barbanza, in the province of A Coruña, and O Salnés, in the province of Pontevedra, are those who define their coasts on the north and south, respectively. Ría de Muros and Noia is located in north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park</span>

The Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park is the only national park located in the province of Pontevedra, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It comprises the archipelagos of Cíes, Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada. The park covers a land area of 1,200 ha and a sea area of 7,200 ha. It is the tenth most visited national park in Spain. It was the thirteenth national park to be established in Spain. Since 2021 it has been designated as a protected Ramsar site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galician wine</span>

Galician wine is Spanish wine made in the autonomous community of Galicia in the northwest corner of Spain. It includes wine made in the provinces of A Coruña, Ourense, Pontevedra and Lugo. Within Galicia are five Denominacións de Orixe (DO): Monterrei, Rías Baixas, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro and Valdeorras. In recent years, the region has seen a resurgence in its wine industry led by the international acclaim being received by the Rías Baixas region for its Albariño wines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galician Massif</span>

The Galician Massif is a system of mountain ranges in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located in Galicia with its southeastern end reaching into the provinces of Zamora and León of Castile and León. Its highest point is Pena Trevinca at 2,127 metres (6,978 ft). Another important peak is Cabeza de Manzaneda.

The Galician Regionalist Association was an active regionalist political organization in Galicia between 1890 and 1892.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galician Coalition</span> Political party in Spain

Galician Coalition is a political party in Galiza with a Galician nationalist and centrist ideology. Since 2012 CG is part of the coalition Compromiso por Galicia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Topographical relief of Spain</span>

The topographical relief of Spain is characterized by being quite high, with an average altitude of 660 meters above sea level, quite mountainous compared to other European countries and only surpassed by Switzerland, Austria, Greece and the microstates of Andorra and Liechtenstein. In peninsular Spain, the terrain is articulated around a large Meseta Central that occupies most of the center of the Iberian Peninsula. Outside the plateau, there is the depression of the Guadalquivir river, located in the southwest of the peninsula, and the Ebro river depression, located in the northeast.

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