Gijón

Gijón, city (1990 pop. 264,948), Oviedo prov., N Spain, in Asturias, on the Bay of Biscay. This major seaport, the largest city in Asturias, is an industrial and commercial center exporting large quantities of coal and iron. It has steel, iron, chemical, petroleum, glass, and food and tobacco industries. Of pre-Roman origin, Gijón was one of the first places recaptured from the Moors early in the 8th cent. The city flourished under the first Asturian kings. In 1588 the defeated Spanish Armada took refuge there. Of interest are Roman baths; 14th-, 15th-, and 16th-century palaces; a 15th-century church; and several 17th-century mansions. Colunga, on the coast to the east, has a significant dinosaur museum.

Gijón (Asturian: Xixón), is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history. The name was originally applied to a small peninsula presently referred to as Cimavilla, literally "top of village," between two beaches, one of which has a recreational port today. The main port, one of the largest in the north of Spain, is called "El Musel". Gijón has a barely growing population of approximately 277,000 (2006).

Geography

The city is situated on the central Asturian coast, from sea level to an altitude of 513 metres at Picu Samartín and 672 metres at Peña de los Cuatro Jueces, bordered on the West by Carreño, the East by Villaviciosa, and to the South by Siero and Llanera

The city is situated along the Asturian coast and is distinguished by the peninsula of Cimavilla (the original settlement) which separates the beach of San Lorenzo and adjacent neighborhoods to the east from the beaches of Poniente and Arbeyal, the shipyards, and the recreational port and the Port of El Musel to the west. It is close to the other main Asturian cities, Oviedo and Avilés.

Districts

As a municipality, Gijón / Xixón is divided in 26 districts or parroquias rurales:

1. Serín 2. San Andrés de los Tacones 3. Fresno 4. Puao 5. Veriña 6. Jove / Xove 7. Gijón / Xixón (capital) 8. Somió 9. Cabueñes 10. Deva 11. Caldones 12. Valdornón 13. Fano 14. Llavandera 15. Samartín de Güerces 16. Leorio / Llorio 17. La Pedrera 18. Ruedes 19. L'Abadía Cenero 20. Porceyo 21. Tremañes 22. Roces 23. Granda 24. Castiello Bernueces 25. Vega 26. Santurio

As a district itself, Gijón / Xixón (numbered 7) is divided in four big areas (Centre, East, West and South) and several barrios and places within each one (Cimavilla, Begoña, Los Campos, La Calzada, El Natahoyo, Pumarín, Viesques, etc.)

Access

The A-66 motorway (Ruta de La Plata), A-8 (Autopista del Cantábrico) and the AS-1 (Autovía Minera) are the main highway accesses. By train, Gijón has daily service to Madrid, La Coruña, Santander, and Barcelona. Cruise ships call at El Musel, and the Airport of Asturias is located in the not far away municipality of Castrillón with daily flights to major Spanish and European cities.
A subway system, called Metrotren, is currently under construction to improve the public transport in Gijón.
There are 22 regular lines of bus and 4 "night lines" of bus called "Buho" and special lines in special events like the Feria Internacional de Muestras de Gijon (Gijon International Exposition Fair) or the Semana Negra (literally Black Week) , the city's famous one-week Festival based on Hardboiled literature.

Climate

Gijón has an Atlantic humid maritime climate, with mild temperatures and high humidity throughout the year. The summers are very warm, with both overcast and sunny days and winters are moderate with significant rains and wind.

Culture

During the early years of the 19th century the very small town, then, of Gijón was best known for its college or high-school known as the "Real Instituto Asturiano" founded by Jovellanos. Gijón has a wide range of museum options. The Museo de la Gaita (Museum of the Bagpipe) contains bagpipes from around the world, focusing on the Asturian musical heritage and bagpipes. There are also several other museums:

• Revillagigedo Palace and Museum (At Marqués square, near the City Hall)
• Nicanor Piñole Museum (An art museum)
• Evaristo Valle Museum (Local painter museum placed in a mansion at the outskirts)
• Museo del Ferrocarril (Railroad Museum, near Poniente Beach)
• Juan Barjola Museum (A museum about a local painter, also interested in avant-garde art)

The City Hall's sports and culture programs for citizens is wide, including the innovative Abierto Hasta el Amanecer (literally From Dusk Till Dawn) nocturnal program, which tries to involve teens in cultural and sportive activities as an alternative to weekend nightlife. Gijon has 13 libraries in its Cultural City Centers, which feature a wide network of swimming pools and gyms.

Sports

Gijón´s professional soccer team, Sporting de Gijón, plays in the Spanish National League and is presently in the first division. Men´s basketball team, Gijón Baloncesto, competes in the Spanish third professional basketball league (LEB-2). American football and baseball are played in Gijón at top level, with the Gijón Mariners and El Llano Baseball Club playing at the most important spanish leagues in those sports.

Not far from Gijón, there are several ski resorts in Asturias, the main being Valgrande-Pajares.

Gijón has 13 public sport centers (in Spanish: Centros Municipales Integrados) with swimming pools, gyms and saunas. Swimming pools are free for children up to age 14.

The city's marina houses an important fleet of yachts and is the base for many water sports, being Royal Astur Yacht Club the most important yacht club in town.

Economy

For much of the twentieth century the town was heavily dependent on mature heavy industries, but at the end of the Franco era, tertiary sector employment began to expand rapidly along with the city's population which by 2007 stood officially at 277,897 for Gijón proper, and approximately 380,000 for the total Gijón agglomeration.

The port is at the centre of many of the local businesses. Apart from directly port related activities, the economy is based on tourism, steel (Arcelor), other metallurgy, livestock rearing and fisheries.

El Musel, the Port of Gijón

El Musel is the leading port in the Spanish dry bulk traffic, sixth in the general ranking of Spanish ports and the fourth in benefits. It is equipped with the most advanced installations, and it is adequate and suitable for any kind of traffic.

It is connected by the FC de Langreo railway with coal and iron ore mines on the 50km route to Laviana, now subsumed by FEVE.

References

External links

• Gijon Municipality
• Official Touristic website of Gijón
• Non-official Website of Gijón Basket (professional basketball team)
• Official Toponyms - At City Council official website.
• Official Toponyms: Laws - BOPA Nº 229 - Martes, 3 de octubre de 2006 & DECRETO 105/2006, de 20 de septiembre (BOPA Errata corrections)
• Official site Sporting de Gijon