Galicia: Your European Partner

The name Galicia derives from the Latin toponym Callaecia, later Gallaecia, related to the name of an ancient tribe that resided north of the Douro river, the Gallaeci or Callaeci in Latin, or Kallaikói (καλλαικoι) in Greek. These Callaeci were the first tribe in the area to help the Lusitanians against the invading Romans, and gave their name to the rest of the tribes living north of them, and to their victor, Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus, who defeated them in 137 BCE and was acclaimed in Rome. Galicia has a surface area of 29,574 square kilometres (11,419 sq mi)Its northernmost point, at 43°47′N, is Estaca de Bares (also the northernmost point of Spain); its southernmost, at 41°49′N, is on the Portuguese border in the Baixa Limia-Serra do Xurés Natural ParkThe easternmost longitude is at 6°42′W on the border between the province of Ourense and the Castilian-Leonese province of Zamora) its westernmost at 9°18′W, reached in two places: the La Nave Cape in Fisterra (also known as Finisterre), and Cape Touriñán, both in the province of A Coruña 2 Galicia has two official languages: Galician (Galician: galego) and Spanish (known in Spain as castellano, "Castilian"), both of them Romance languages, the former originated locally, the latter born in Castile. Galician is recognized in the Statute of Autonomy of Galicia as the lingua propia ("own language") of Galicia. The interior of Galicia is a hilly landscape, composed of relatively low mountain ranges, usually below 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high, without sharp peaks, rising to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in the eastern mountains. There are many rivers, most (though not all) running down relatively gentle slopes in narrow river valleys, though at times their courses become far more rugged, as in the canyons of the Sil river, Galicia's second most important river after the Miño. Galicia is poetically known as the "country of the thousand rivers" ("o país dos mil ríos"). The largest and most important of these rivers is the Minho 3 Topographically, a remarkable feature of Galicia is the presence of many firth-like inlets along the coast, estuaries that were drowned with rising sea levels after the ice age. These are called rías and are divided into the smaller Rías Altas ("High Rías"), and the larger Rías Baixas ("Low Rías"). The Rías Altas. Erosion by the Atlantic Ocean has contributed to the great number of capes. All along the Galician coast are various archipelagos near the mouths of the rías. These archipelagos provide protected deepwater harbors and also provide habitat for seagoing birds. A 2007 inventory estimates that the Galician coast has 316 archipelagos, islets, and freestanding rocks.Among the most important of these are the archipelagos of Cíes, Ons, and Sálvora. Together with Cortegada Island, these make up the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park. 4 Galicia has preserved some of its dense Atlantic forests, where wildlife is commonly found. It is relatively unpolluted, and its landscapes composed of green hills, cliffs and rias are generally very different from what is commonly understood as Spanish landscape. Galicia has 262 inventoried species of vertebrates, including 12 species of freshwater fish, 15 amphibians, 24 reptiles, 152 birds and 59 mammals. The animals most often thought of as being "typical" of Galicia are the livestock raised there. The Galician Pony is native to the region, as is the Galician Blond cow and the domestic fowl known as the galiña de Mos. The latter is an endangered species, although it is showing signs of a comeback since 2001. Galicia's woodlands and mountains are home to rabbits, hares, wild boars and roe deer, all of which are popular with hunters. Several important bird migration routes pass through Galicia, and some of the community's relatively few environmentally protected areas are Special Protection Areas (such as on the Ría de Ribadeo) for these birds. 5 From a domestic point of view, Galicia has been credited for author Manuel Rivas as the "land of one million cows". Galician Blond and Holstein cattle coexist on meadows and farms. Galicia has more than 2800 plant species. Plant endemics are represented by 31 taxons. Also, Galicia is one of the more forested areas of Spain, but the majority of Galicia's plantations, usually growing eucalyptus or pine, lack any formal management. Wood and wood products (particularly softwood pulp) figure significantly in Galicia's economy 6 The lands of Galicia are ascribed to two different areas in the Köppen climate classification: a south-east area (roughly, the province of Ourense) with tendencies to have some summer drought, classified as a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb), similar to the climate of the coastal regions of Oregon and Washington, with mild temperatures and rainfall usual throughout the year; and the western and northern coastal regions, the provinces of Lugo, A Coruña, and Pontevedra, which are characterized by their Oceanic climate (Csf), with a more uniform precipitation distribution along the year, and milder summers.In comparison to the other regions of Spain, the major economic benefit of Galicia is its fishing Industry. Galicia is a land of economic contrast. While the western coast, with its major population centers and its fishing and manufacturing industries, is prosperous and increasing in population, the rural hinterland — the provinces of Ourense and Lugo — are economically dependent on traditional agriculture, based on small landholdings called minifundios. However, the rise of tourism, sustainable forestry and organic and traditional agriculture are bringing other possibilities to the Galician economy without compromising the preservation of the natural resources and the local culture. 7 Traditionally, Galicia depended mainly on agriculture and fishing. Reflecting that history, the Community Fisheries Control Agency, which coordinates fishing controls in European Union waters is based in Vigo. Nonetheless, today the tertiary sector of the economy (the service sector) is the largest. The secondary sector (manufacturing) includes shipbuilding in Vigo and Ferrol, textiles and granite work in A Coruña. A Coruña also manufactures automobiles, but not nearly on the scale of the automobile manufacturing in Vigo. The Centro de Vigo de PSA Peugeot Citroën, founded in 1958, makes about 450,000 vehicles annually (455,430 in 2006), a Citroën C4 Picasso made in 2007 was their nine-millionth vehicle. Arteixo, an industrial municipality in the A Coruña metropolitan area, is the headquarters of Inditex, Europe's largest textile company and the world's second largest. Of their eight brands, Zara is the best-known; indeed, it is the best-known Spanish brand of any sort on an international basis. Galicia was late to catch the tourism boom that has swept Spain in recent decades, but the coastal regions (especially the Rías Baixas and Santiago de Compostela) are now significant tourist destinations. 8 URBANIZATION The principal cities are: 9 Vigo is a city in the south-west Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean. The city of Vigo has 297,124 inhabitants, with an extended metropolitan population of 468,654, making it the 14th-largest metropolitan area of Spain. In 2010 there were 16,735 foreigners living in the city, representing a 5.6% of the total population. The main nationalities are Portuguese (16%), Brazilians (11%) and Colombians (7%). Vigo's climate is usually classified as oceanic (Köppen climate classification Cfb); however, the summers tend to be warmer (and drier) and the winters milder than most areas of similar classification. Vigo is served by Vigo-Peinador Airport with flights to Paris, London, Brussels and several domestic destinations. Due to increased passenger numbers in recent years, the terminal 10 with the parking facilities is being expanded to provide the airport with a capacity of four million people by year. A ferry service operates between the Port of Vigo and Cíes Islands, part of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park, the only National Park in Galicia. The main beach in the central island was declared best beach in the world in 2007 by the British newspaper The Guardian. European route E01 goes through the town. This highway goes south through Lisbon and north to the A Coruña area. A-52 goes inland, east to Ourense. Also at the center of the city is undertaking the construction of the AVE train station to connect the city with high speed. It has commissioned the development of a blueprint and a feasibility study for possible construction of a metro. Meanwhile, urban transport is carried out through buses by Vitrasa progestin, which has the largest number of buses northwest Spain. Vigo is one of the leading industrial areas in Galicia, with car factories, shipyards, and auxiliary industry. Situated in Vigo is Galicia's leading employer, PSA Peugeot Citroën, which in 2007 produced a total of 545,000 vehicles, of which more than 82% were sold outside Spain. Vigo has the largest fishing port in Europe as well, the home port of the world's largest fishing company, Pescanova and the most important center of the Galician canned fish industry. The headquarters of the European Fisheries Agency are placed in here. The publishing industry, especially in Galician, is very prominent in the city, with Editorial Galaxia and Editorial Xerais among others. 11 Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James. In 1985 the city's Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Under the Köppen climate classification, Santiago de Compostela has a humid oceanic climate, with dryer.

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