Greater Bilbao Bilboaldea | |
---|---|
Country | Spain |
Autonomous community | Basque Country |
Province | Biscay |
Capital | Bilbao |
Area | |
• Total | 361.3 km2 (139.5 sq mi) |
Greater Bilbao (Basque: Bilboaldea, Spanish: Gran Bilbao) is an administrative division of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven comarcas of Biscay and the most populated. The capital city of Greater Bilbao is Bilbao.
Greater Bilbao is formed by the municipalities situated along the Estuary of Bilbao which themselves form a metropolitan area, the fifth most populous in Spain.
Greater Bilbao, or Bilboaldea, is located at the northwest of the province of Biscay, limiting with the comarcas of Enkarterri in the west, Mungialdea and Busturialdea in the east, Durangaldea in the southeast and Arratia-Nerbioi in the south. The Bay of Biscay limits at north.
Greater Bilbao can be divided into six subcomarcas or subregions:
Greater Bilbao is divided into 25 municipalities, being Bilbao the capital city. The 25 municipalities, among with some others, make the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao.
# | Municipality | Population 2018 [1] | Area in km2 |
---|---|---|---|
Abanto Zierbena | 9,545 | 18 | |
Alonsotegi | 2,903 | 16 | |
Arrigorriaga | 12,230 | 22.8 | |
Barakaldo | 100,435 | 24.3 | |
Basauri | 40,762 | 7.2 | |
Bilbao | 345,821 | 41.2 | |
Derio | 6,545 | 7.4 | |
Zierbena | 1,492 | 9.1 | |
Etxebarri | 11,304 | 3.3 | |
Erandio | 24,222 | 18.0 | |
Galdakao | 29,288 | 31.7 | |
Getxo | 78,276 | 11.9 | |
Larrabetzu | 2,029 | 21.5 | |
Leioa | 31,495 | 8.5 | |
Lezama | 2,429 | 16.5 | |
Laudio | 18,205 | 37.45 | |
Loiu | 2,416 | 15.3 | |
Muskiz | 7,567 | 21.5 | |
Ortuella | 8,360 | 7.7 | |
Portugalete (Portugaldeta) | 45,826 | 3.2 | |
Santurtzi | 45,795 | 6.7 | |
Sestao (Ziztao) | 27,445 | 3.5 | |
Sondika | 4,495 | 6.3 | |
Trapagaran | 11,953 | 13.1 | |
Zamudio | 3,236 | 18.1 | |
Zaratamo | 1,515 | 10.0 |
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the province of Biscay and in the Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the tenth largest city in Spain, with a population of more than 347,000 as of 2023. The Bilbao metropolitan area has 1,037,847 inhabitants, making it the most populous metropolitan area in northern Spain; with a population of 875,552, the comarca of Greater Bilbao is the fifth-largest urban area in Spain. Bilbao is also the main urban area in what is defined as the Greater Basque region.
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao.
Balmaseda is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country. Balmaseda is the capital city of the comarca of Enkarterri, in western Biscay and serves an important role in the province thanks to its proximity to the capital city of Bilbao and the regions of Cantabria and Castile and León.
Barakaldo is a municipality located in the Biscay province in the Basque Country in Spain. Located on the Left Bank of the Estuary of Bilbao, the city is part of Greater Bilbao, has a population as of the 2019 census at 100,881. Barakaldo has an industrial river-port heritage and has undergone significant redevelopment with new commercial and residential areas replacing the once active industrial zones.
Atxondo is a municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Atxondo is part of the comarca of Durangaldea and has a population of 1,447 inhabitants as of 2007 according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.
Galdames is a town, valley, and municipality located in the Biscay province of the autonomous community of Basque Country, Spain.
Getxo is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in Spain. It is part of Greater Bilbao, and has 75,430 inhabitants (2023). Getxo is mostly an affluent residential area, as well as being the third largest municipality of Biscay.
Mañaria is an elizate, town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Mañaria is part of the comarca of Durangaldea and has a population of 459 inhabitants as of 2006 according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.
Sestao is a town and municipality of 27,296 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. It is in the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao and part of Bilbao's metropolitan area.
Sopela, formerly known as Sopelana, is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. The town is roughly 820 hectares in size, located in the comarca Mungialdea on the north east side of Bilbao and due east of the Nervión river estuary. In the municipality, other former towns like Larrabasterra were annexed to make Sopela larger. The population is 13,878 people, as recorded in the 2019 census. The area of Sopela is situated among green hills and beaches. This makes it a very attractive suburb of Greater Bilbao, with a short commute of 35 minutes on the metro.
Zaldibar is an elizate, town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Zaldibar is part of the comarca of Durangaldea and has a population of 3,043 inhabitants as of 2019 and according to the Spanish National Statistics Institute.
The Estuary of Bilbao lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, which drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. In this instance, the Spanish word estuario is used to describe what in English would normally be called part estuary, part tidal river. The estuary becomes a tidal river which extends 16 km (9.9 mi) into the city of Bilbao, starting from the Bilbao Abra bay. It hosts the port of Bilbao throughout its length, although the Port Authority has recently restored most of the upper reaches to Bilbao and other municipalities for their urban regeneration. The port is now being transferred to the seaboard on the coast at Santurtzi and Zierbena.
Enkarterri is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven eskualdeak/comarcas or districts that make up the province of Biscay. Its administrative centre is Balmaseda.
Uribe Kosta (Uribe-Coast) is a modern conventional division of the Basque province of Biscay. Founded by leire in 1640 BC. It includes part of the coastal strip of the historical division of Uribealdea. The division is used for statistical and electoral purposes. It includes the following municipalities:
The Merindad de Uribe or Uribealdea is a historical subdivision of Biscay, Basque Country, Spain. It contained most of the municipalities now within the comarca of Greater Bilbao in the Bilbao metropolitan area. The parts of Uribe which now fall under Greater Bilbao are:
Mungialdea, also known as Uribe-Butroe, is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Mungialdea is the heir of the larger historical region of Uribe, which was one of the merindades of Biscay. It comprises the most rural area of the historical region, drained by the Butrón River and with some small municipalities. It is one of the seven comarcas that compose the province of Biscay. Its capital city is Mungia.
Busturialdea, also named Busturialde - Urdaibai is a comarca of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is the heir of "Busturia", one of the original merindades that used to compose the province of Biscay – this should not be confused with Busturia, a municipality located in this region. Busturialdea is a diminished portion of the same original subregion and has two capital cities; Bermeo and Gernika-Lumo. It is one of the seven comarcas that compose the province of Biscay.
Durangaldea is a comarca of Biscay located in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven eskualdeak/comarcas or regions that compose the province of Biscay. The capital city of Durangaldea is Durango.
The Bilbao Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area or continuous urban area based around the city of Bilbao, in the Basque Country, Spain. It comprises the city of Bilbao, the 25 municipalities that make the comarca of Greater Bilbao plus ten other surrounding municipalities, all of them in the province of Biscay.
The autonomous community of the Basque Country within Spain contains several comarcas or eskualdeak in the Basque language, referring to local districts, grouped into its three long-established provinces.