Province of A Coruña

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A Coruña
Province
Location of the Province of A Coruña within Spain
Location of the Province of A Coruña within Spain
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Country  Spain
Autonomous community Galicia
Capital A Coruña
Government
 • Body Diputación da Coruña
 • President Diego Calvo Pouso (Popular Party)
Area
 • Total 7,950 km2 (3,070 sq mi)
Area rank 32nd
Population
 • Total 1,139,121
 • Rank 10th
 • Density 140/km2 (370/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Coruñés (m), Coruñesa (f)
Postal code 15---
ISO 3166 code ES-C
Parliament 24 deputies (out of 75)
Congress 9 deputies (out of 350)
Senate 4 senators (out of 264)
Website http://www.dicoruna.es/

The province of A Coruña (Spanish: La Coruña, pronounced: [la koˈɾuɲa], and Corunna in English[1]) is the most North-western Atlantic-facing province of Spain, and one of the four provinces which constitute the autonomous community of Galicia. This province is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and North, Pontevedra Province to the South and the Lugo Province to the East.

History

In recent years, Ferrol and A Coruña have become popular stops for transatlantic steamships en route to the Mediterranean.

The history of this province starts at the end of the Middle Ages during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. During those years this province was far smaller than today. This is because in the 1833 territorial division of Spain the entire Province of Betanzos together with half of the Mondoñedo were amalgamated into one single province with its capital city in A Coruña. That was going to be the beginning of a love hate relationship between the major cities caught in between: Ferrol, Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña. Due to this unusual situation, the dioceses of these parts of Galicia do not match any longer with the administrative divisions. In addition, the capital city of the province has never had a cathedral, but both Ferrol and Santiago de Compostela have one. The City of Santiago de Compostela is not the provincial capital, but has always been the capital of Galicia and historically a rival to Toledo for being the most important city in Spain ecclesiastically speaking.

Since 1833, the province has always been the one with the largest population and largest coast. Until the second half of the 20th century, this province was both the religious and cultural centre of the entire region. The University of Santiago de Compostela was the only university in North-western Spain until the arrival of democracy after the death of General Francisco Franco.

Population

A Coruña Province Population c. 1787
District population
City of Coruña 13,575
City of Ferrol (Civilian Pop. Only) 24,993
Santiago de Compostela 15,584
Towns, Villages and Hamlets c.229,123
All the Province (Total): 283,275
(Ferrol - Urban History, 2004) [1]
A Coruña Province Population c. 1833
District population
City of Coruña 23,000
City of Ferrol (Civilian Pop. Only) 13,000
Santiago de Compostela 28,000
Towns, Villages and Hamlets c.233,000
All the Province (Total): c.297,000
(U. P. Gazetteer By Th.Baldwin, 1847) [2]
A Coruña Province Population c. 1900
District population
City of Coruña 43,971
City of Ferrol (Civilian Pop. Only) 25,281
Santiago de Compostela 24,120
Towns, Villages and Hamlets 580,184
All the Province (Total): 653,556
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911) s:User:Tim Starling/ScanSet PNG demo

Main sights

The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages which still gathers thousands of pilgrims each year from all over the world.

Parks

Transport

Airports and airfields

Railway

Economy

Ports

Sport

See also

References

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  2. (Spanish) Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park