Cantabria
Encyclopedia
Cantabria is a Spanish
historical region and autonomous community with Santander
as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community
(province of Biscay
), on the south by Castile and León
(provinces of León, Palencia
and Burgos), on the west by the Principality of Asturias
, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.
Cantabria belongs to Green Spain
, the name given to the strip of land between the Cantabrian Sea
and the Cantabrian Mountains
, so called because of its particularly lush vegetation, due to the wet and moderate oceanic climate
. The climate is strongly influenced by Atlantic Ocean
winds trapped by the mountains; the average precipitation is about 1,200 mm (47 inches).
Cantabria is the richest region in the world for archaeological sites from the Upper Paleolithic
period, although the first signs of human occupation date from Lower Paleolithic
. The most significant site for cave paintings is that in the cave of Altamira, dating from about 16,000 to 9000 BC and declared, along with nine other Cantabrian caves, as World Heritage Site
s by UNESCO
.
The modern Province of Cantabria was constituted on 28 July 1778. The Organic Law
of the Autonomy Statute of Cantabria
was approved on 30 December 1981, giving the region its own institutions of self government.
Numerous authors, including Isidore of Seville
, Julio Caro Baroja
, Aureliano Fernández Guerra, Joaquín González Echegaray, and Adolf Schulten
, have explored the etymology of the name "Cantabria", yet its origins remain uncertain. It is generally accepted that the root cant- comes from Celtic
for "rock" or "stone", while -abr was a common suffix used in Celtic regions. Thus, "Cantabrian" could mean "people who live in the rocks" or highlanders
, a reference to the steep and mountainous territory of Cantabria.
Towards the south are higher mountains, the tops of which form the watershed between the drainage basins of the Rivers Ebro
, Duero and the rivers that flow into the Bay of Biscay. These peaks generally exceed 1,500 m from the Pass of San Glorio in the west to the Pass of Los Tornos in the eastern part: Peña Labra, Castro Valnera
and the mountain passes of Sejos, El Escudo and La Sía. The great limestone masses of Picos de Europa
also stand out in the southwest of the region: most of their summits exceed 2,500 m, and their topography is shaped by the former presence of glacier
s.
Because of the gulf stream
, Cantabria, as well as the rest of "Green Spain", has a much more temperate climate than might be expected for its latitude, which is comparable to that of Oregon
.
The region has a humid oceanic climate
, with warm summers and mild winters. Annual precipitation
is around 1,200 mm at the coasts and higher in the mountains.
The mean temperature is about 14 °C. Snow is frequent in higher zones of Cantabria between the months of October and March. Some zones of Picos de Europa, over 2,500 metres high, have an alpine climate
with snow persisting year round.
The driest months are July and August, although droughts are unknown because rain is frequent and temperatures never get particularly high.
The mountainous relief of Cantabria has a dominant effect on local microclimate in Cantabria. It is the main cause of the peculiar meteorologic situations like the so-called "suradas" (Ábrego
wind), due to the foehn effect: the south wind coming down from the mountains blows strongly and dry, increasing the temperature closer to the coast. This causes a decrease in air humidity and rainfall.
These conditions are more frequent in autumn and winter, and the temperatures are commonly higher than 20 °C. Fires are often helped by this type of wind: one example is the fire that destroyed part of the city of Santander in the winter of 1941.
In the southern part of the mountain range, conditions are different: the wind there is fresher and more humid, and there is more rain.
. They also generally flow
year round due to constant rainfall. Nevertheless, the rate of flow is modest (20 m³/s annual average) compared to the other rivers of the Iberian peninsula
. The rapidness of their waters, caused by their steep descents, gives them great erosive
power, creating the narrow V-shaped valleys characteristic of Green Spain.
The environmental condition of the rivers is generally good, although increasing human activity due to rising population in the valleys continues to pose a challenge.
The main rivers of the region, sorted by drainage basin
, are:
Cantabria is the only autonomous community whose rivers flow into every one of the seas which surround the Iberian Peninsula
: The Cantabrian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The variation in the altitude of the region, which in a short distance ranges from sea level to 2,600 metres in the mountains, leads to a great deal of diversity in vegetation and a large number of biomes.
Cantabria has vegetation typical of the Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula. It is characterized by forests of leafy deciduous
trees such as oak and European beech
. Nevertheless, human intervention dating back to ancient times has favored the creation of pastures, allowing the existence of large areas of grassland and prairies suitable for grazing cattle. These grasslands are mingled with plantations of eucalyptus
and native oak.
The southern part of Cantabria, including the comarca
of Campoo the fringes of the Castilian plateau, is characterized by the transition to drier vegetation. Another diversifying factor which contributes to local variation within the region is the Mediterranean ecotone
, giving rise to species unique to the region, such as the Holm Oak
and arbutus trees
, which are found in poor limestone soils with little moisture.
In Cantabria there are several zones of plant life:
Both in relative and absolute terms the use of woods for forestry has increased in Cantabria, and is now almost 70% of all woods in the region.
Along with these characteristics it would also be necessary to mention peculiarities of the comarca of Liébana
, which has a microclimate
very similar to the Mediterranean
, allowing to grow cork oak
s, vine
s and olive
s, and which is still very well conserved from human activity.
The other remarkable comarca is Campoo
, at the South of Cantabria, with an optimum growth of Pyrenean Oak, now in an expansive process due to an abandonment of crops. Moreover, big repopulations of conifers such as Scots Pine
s are taking place in the gentle slopes of the comarca.
Despite its small size, there are seven natural areas in this autonomous community designated as Natural
or national park
s:
The most important of these is the Picos de Europa National Park, which affects Castile and León and Asturias in addition to Cantabria, the three autonomous communities sharing its management.
Santoña, Victoria and Joyel marsh
es are also Special Protection Area
s for the birds (ZEPA).
Furthermore, nine Sites of Community Importance
(LIC) have been declared: Western Mountain, Eastern Mountain, Western Rias and Oyambre Dunes, Dunes of Liencres and Estuary of the Pas, El Puntal Dunes and Estuary of the Miera, Ria de Ajo, Marshes of Noja
-Santoña
, Escudo de Cabuérniga Range and several caves with important bat
colonies.
According to the 2009 Census, the region has a population of 591,886 which constitutes 1.29% of the population of Spain, with the population density numbering 106.8 people per kilometer. The average life expectancy for male inhabitants is 75 years whilst for female inhabitants it is 83 years.
In relative contrast to other regions of Spain, Cantabria has not experienced much immigration. In 2007, only 4.7% of the population were immigrants. The predominant countries of origin for immigrants to Cantabria are Colombia
, Romania
, Ecuador
, Peru
, Moldova
, and Morocco
.
The majority of the population resides in the coastal area, particularly in two cities: Santander
, with 183,000 people, and Torrelavega
, the second largest urban and industrial center in Cantabria, having a population of around 60,000. These two cities form a conurbation
known as the Santander-Torrelavega metropolitan area.
An interesting case is that of Castro Urdiales
. Despite the fact that it officially has a population of 28,542 making it the fourth-largest in the region, due to its proximity to the Bilbao
metropolitan area, there are a large number of people not registered in Castro Urdiales and the true count may be double the official figure.
Apart from the ones as mentioned, the most important municipalities of Cantabria are the following:
speaks in his book Origins about the source of the Ebro River in the country of the Cantabri
:
From then on, there are continuous references to the Cantabri and Cantabria, as the Cantabri were used as mercenaries
in various conflicts, both within the Iberian Peninsula and elsewhere. It is certain that they participated in the war of the Carthaginians
against Rome
during the Second Punic War
, from references by Silius Italicus
(Book III) and Horace
(Book IV, Ode XIV). They are also mentioned during the siege of Numantia
waged by Gaius Hostilius Mancinus
, who is said to have lifted the siege of the city and fled upon being informed that Cantabri and Vaccaei were present among his auxiliaries.
The majority of the references in the following period are related to the Cantabrian Wars
which began in 29 BC. Roughly 150 references can be found in Greek and Latin texts, attesting to the notoriety of the Cantabri. Their territory was significantly larger than that of modern day Cantabria, bounded on the north by the Cantabrian Sea (the name used by the Romans to refer to the Bay of Biscay
), and on the west by the western edge of the Sella River
valley (in modern day Asturias). To the south it extended as far as the hill fort
of Peña Amaya, in the modern-day province of Burgos
, and to the east almost up to Castro Urdiales, in the vicinity of the Aguera River.
attacked Cantabria and managed to capture the south of the country, including the city of Amaya, where he established a Visigothic province called the Duchy of Cantabria
(see picture), which would serve as a limes
or frontier zone to contain the Cantabri as well as their neighbors the Vascones. To the north of this cordon, however, the Cantabri continued to live independently until the Arab invasion.
In 714, a mixed Arab
/Berber
army of Muslim
Moors invaded the upper valleys of the Ebro and succeeded in capturing Amaya
, the Cantabrian capital, forcing the Cantabrians back to their traditional frontiers, where they joined forces with the Kingdom of Asturias
.
In the first chronicles of the Reconquista
, Cantabria still appears to be acknowledged as a region. In the Albendense chronicle, when speaking of Alfonso I
it says "iste Petri Cantabriae ducis filius fuit", referring to the figure of Peter
and the title of Duke of Cantabria, confirming the territory of his duchy
. In the ninth century, on mentioning the monastery of Saint Zacharias, Eulogius pinpoints it in Seburim (maybe Zubiri) on the river Arga, "waters all of Cantabria", in a letter sent to the bishop of Pamplona Williesind, suggesting a region stretching out far into the east.
From this period on, source documents barely reference Cantabria by name, with Asturias featuring in names of the comarcas called Asturias de Santillana, Asturias de Trasmiera and Asturias de Laredo.
From a central core formed by the Brotherhood of the Four Cities (Santander, Laredo, Castro Urdiales and San Vicente de la Barquera
), the Brotherhood of the Marshes was created, thereby uniting all the important seaports to the East of Asturias.
During the period of the Reconquista, the Four Cities actively participated in the re-settling of Andalusia, dispatching men and ships. The coastal port cities of Cádiz
and El Puerto de Santa María
were settled by families from the Cantabrian Sea ports. Ships from the Four Cities also took part in the taking of Seville
, destroying the ship bridge linking Triana and Sevilla, a victory that is represented by the Carrack
and the Torre del Oro
of Sevilla in the coat of arms of Santander, Coat of arms of Cantabria
and Avilés
(Asturias).
, which referred solely to the Central Plateau. This distinction has survived into modern times.
With the rise of the Catholic Monarchs
, the Brethren of the Marshes disappeared, leaving the Coregiment of the Four Villas, which included the whole area of influence of the old Brethren of the Four Villas (almost all of Cantabria).
During the Ancien Régime, the greatest jurisdictional lordships of Cantabria were mainly under the control of three of the Grandee families
of Spain: that of Mendoza (Dukes of Infantado, Marquises of Santillana), of Manrique de Lara (Marquises of Aguilar de Campoo, Counts of Castañeda) and to a lesser extent that of Velasco (Dukes of Frías
, Constables of Castile
).
From the 16th century on, there was renewed interest in studying Cantabria and the Cantabri, particularly concerning the precise location of the territory that this people had occupied. It was not until the 18th century that the debate about the location and size of Ancient Cantabria was settled in a series of works which described the history of the history of the region such as La Cantabria by the Augustinian father and historian Enrique Flórez de Setién. Concurrent with the resurgence of this interest in the Cantabrians and the clarification of the aforementioned polemic, many institutions, organizations and jurisdictions in the mountainous territory received the name of "Cantabrian" or "of Cantabria".
In 1727, the first attempt to unify what would later become the Province of Cantabria occurred. Despite this, the high level of autonomy that the small entities of the fractured estate of Cantabria enjoyed, combined with a lack of resources, continued to be the main reason for Cantabria's weakness, aggravated by the progressive advance of the Bourbonic
centralism
and its administrative efficiency. The latter continually emphasised the impossibility of the smaller terrotories facing a multitude of problems on their own: from communications to the exercise of justice, from putting aside adequate reserves for hard times to the indiscriminate levees
for soldiers, and above all the progression of fiscal impositions. All of this led to an acceleration of contact between villas, valleys and jurisdictions, which tended to focus on the Assemblies of the Provinces of the Nine Valleys, led by the deputies elected by the traditional entities of self-government.
There were two events that triggered the culmination of the integration process in this second attempt:
After the General Deputy of Nine Valleys gathered the affected jurisdictions to the Assembly that was to take place in Puente San Miguel on March 21, 1777, they sent their respective deputies with sufficient authority to join with the Nine Valleys, to "unite and associate ourselves" or "to be one with the rest", as the Council of Pie de Concha stated.
In this General Assembly a framework was established and formal steps began to be taken, leading to administrative and legal unity in 1778. This all culminated in the success of the Assembly held in the Assembly House of Puente San Miguel on July 28, 1778, where the Province of Cantabria was constituted. It was achieved by passing the common ordinances which had been developed to that end, and which had beed discussed and approved previously in councils of all the villas, valleys and subscribed jurisdictions. They were, in addition to the Nine Valleys: Rivadedeva, Peñamellera, the Province of Liébana, Peñarrubia, Lamasón, Rionansa, the Villa of San Vicente de la Barquera, Coto de Estrada, Valdáliga, the Villa of Santillana del Mar, Lugar de Viérnoles, the Villa of Cartes and environs, the Valley of Buelna, the Valley of Cieza, the Valley of Iguña with the Villas of San Vicente and Los Llares, the Villa of Pujayo, the Villa of Pie de Concha y Bárcena, the Valley of Anievas, and the Valley of Toranzo.
Having learned lessons from the failed attempt of 1727, the first objective of the new entity was to obtain approval from King Charles III
for the union of all the Cantabrian jurisdictions into one province. The royal ratification was granted on November 22, 1779.
The twenty eight jurisdictions that initially comprised the Province of Cantabria were clear in their intention that all the other jurisdictions that formed the Party and Baton of the Four Villas of the Coast should be included in the new province. To this end they set out the steps needed for this to happen as soon as those jurisdictions should request it. They would have to abide by the ordinances, having the same rights and duties as the founders, all on an equal footing. Thus, the following joined in quick succession: the Abbey of Santillana
, the Valleys of Tudanca, Polaciones, Herrerías
, Castañeda
, the Villa of Torrelavega
and environs, Val de San Vicente, Valle de Carriedo, Tresviso, and the Pasiegan Villas of La Vega, San Roque and San Pedro, as well as the city of Santander with its Abbey
.
Competition between the townships of Laredo and Santander led to the latter, having initially allowed the name of Cantabria for the province created at the beginning of the 19th century, later retracting its consent and demanding that it bear the name of Santander, so there would be no doubt as to which was the capital. When in 1821 the Provincial Council presented before the constitutional Courts
its definitive plan for the provincial borders and legal entities, it proposed the name of Province of Cantabria, to which the Township of Santander replied that "this province must retain the name of Santander". However, many newspapers still showed in their headings the name of Cantabria, or Cantabrian.
During the War of Independence
(1808–1814), the bishop Menéndez de Luarca, a strong defender of absolutism, promoted himself as the "Regent of Cantabria" and established the Cantabrian Armaments in Santander, a section of the army whose purpose was to travel to all the mountain passes from the Central Plateau to detain any French troop. Although defeated, he managed later to regroup in Liébana under the command of general Juan Díaz Porlier, calling his forces the Cantabrian Division, in which there were various regiments and battalions, such as the Hussar
s of Cantabria (cavalry
) or the Shooters of Cantabria (infantry
). During the Carlist wars
they formed a unit called the Cantabrian Brigade.
and Asturias
willing to join it. It could not be passed because of the Civil War
. Following the war and the subsequent marginalization of such efforts under Franco's regime, the use of the name of Cantabria decreased, to the point that for official purposes it was relegated to sports associations, the only arena in which Cantabria was noted as a region.
In 1963, the president of the Provincial Council, Pedro Escalante y Huidobro, proposed reapplying the name of Cantabria to the Province of Santander, as suggested in an academic report written by the historian Tomás Maza Solano. Although further steps were taken and many of the townships were in favour of the move, the petition did not succeed, mostly due to the opposition of Santander City of Council.
On December 30, 1981, a process that had been started on April 1979 by the Council of Cabezón de la Sal
, under the presidency of Ambrosio Calzada Hernández, wculminated in the granting of self-rule of Cantabria, outlined by Article 143 of the Spanish Constitution.
Cantabria based its claim to autonomy on the constitutional precept that made provision for self government for "provinces with a historic regional character".
The Mixed Assembly, formed by the province deputies and the national members of parliament, initiated the tasks for the composition of the Autonomy Statute on September 10 of 1979. After the approval of the General Courts on December 15, 1981, the King of Spain signed the corresponding Organic Law of the Autonomy Statute for Cantabria on December 30 of the same year. Thus, the province of Santander broke its link to Castile, and exited the pre-autonomy regime of Castile and León to which it had belonged up to that time, together with the provinces of Ávila, Burgos, León, Logroño
, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora.
On February 20, 1982, the first Regional Assembly (now Parliament) was formed, with provisional status. From then on, the former province of Santander has been known as Cantabria, and has thereby regained its historic name. The first home-rule elections were held in May 1983.
The 4th Legislature (1995–1999) brought into effect the first great reform of the Autonomy Statute of Cantabria, approved by all the parliamentary groups.
of December 30, 1981, established that Cantabria has in its institutions the will to respect the fundamental rights and public freedom, at the same time it consolidates and stimulates regional development, based on democratic relationships. This document gathers all competences of the Autonomous Community that were transferred from the Government of Spain. It must be remarked that, as in other Communities, some fields haven't been transferred, as the Justice, for instance. The Statute also defines the symbols that should represent the region: The flag
, the coat of arms
and the anthem of Cantabria.
The Parliament of Cantabria
is the principal self government institution of the Autonomous Community, being the representative body of the Cantabrians. Presently it is constituted by thirty nine deputies elected by universal, equal, free, direct and secret suffrage.
The primary functions of the Parliament are: to exercise the legislative power
, to approve the budgets of the Autonomous Community, to motivate and control the actions of the government, and to develop the rest of the competences that the Spanish Constitution, the Autonomy Statute and the rest of the legal order bestow on it.
The President of the Autonomous Community
holds the highest representation of the Community and ordinary representation of the Country in Cantabria, and presides over the Government, coordinating its activities. He is elected by the Parliament among its thirteen members, after query to the politic groups represented in it, and he is appointed by the King. He must present his politic program to the full chamber, and be granted absolute majority in first session or simple in subsequent.
The Government of Cantabria
is the body in charge of directing the political activities and exercising the executive and regulatory powers according to the Constitution, the Statute and the laws. The Government is made up of the President, the Vicepresident (in which the President can delegate his executive functions and representations) and the Councillors, who are appointed and ceased by the President.
After several legislatures presided by the Partido Popular
or by Juan Hormaechea's UPCA, the Regional Government of Cantabria is directed by a coalition of the Regionalist Party of Cantabria
and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) from year 2003. The President is Miguel Ángel Revilla
of Partido Regionalista de Cantabria (PRC), and the Vice President is Dolores Gorostiaga of PSOE.
s (municipalities) and comarca
s (regions).
There are 102 municipalities in Cantabria generally comprising several townships, and from these, several districts. A number of municipalities bear the name of one of their townships (be it its capital or not), but not all them do. Each municipality is governed by its own city
or municipal council
, and two of them, Tresviso and Pesquera, do it by Concejo abierto (Open council), having less than 250 inhabitants.
The Mancomunidad Campoo-Cabuérniga is not a municipality, but a communal property, singular for its size and characteristics, of shared management between the municipalities of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso
, Cabuérniga
, Los Tojos and Ruente. This mountain estate is used as a grazing ground for Tudanca cattle and also for horses in less amount, in its brañas or grass prairies, and even nowadays transhumant cattle farming traditions survive in this region.
See also:
The Law 8/1999 of Comarcas of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria of April 28, 1999 establishes that the comarca is a necessary entity, integral in the territorial organization of the region. This law opens the development of the comarcalization in Cantabria promoting the creation of comarcal entities, which have barely begun to appear. The law also establishes that the creation of comarcas won't be mandatory for the whole territory until at least the 70% of it hadn't been comarcalized by its own will. Likewise it states that the city of Santander won't be ruled by said law of comarcalization, as it should establish its own metropolitan area
instead.
Comarcas in Cantabria have not reached administrative nature and barely have definite borders. Only Liébana for its geographic position in Picos de Europa, Trasmiera and Campoo, in the Ebro basin are established are clearly defined comarcas in the region. Nevertheless, functional differences in the territory can be distinguished, dividing it in the following areas: Santander Bay, of industrial and urban nature; Besaya
, also industrial; Saja-Nansa
, eminently rural; Western Coast
, which has urban character; Eastern Coast
, vacational; the traditionally renown Trasmiera
; rural Pas-Miera
; Asón-Agüera, also mainly rural; the very well defined Liébana
, and Campoo-Los Valles
, rural and industrial by regions.
Until the 13th century, Cantabria was organized in valleys, as was typical in all of northern Spain. From then on, it was substituted by the organization in cities, towns or historic comarcas that grouped several valleys.
The most remarkable were Liébana, Asturias de Santillana, Trasmiera, Campoo and Valderredible.
The economy
of Cantabria has primary industry, now in decline, employing 5.8% of the active population in the sectors of cattle farming, traditional dairy farming, and meat production; agriculture, especially corn, potatoes, vegetables, and roughage; maritime fishing; and the mining of zinc
and quarries
.
The secondary industry which employs 30.3% of the active population is the sector with the most productivity in recent years due to construction; that of ironwork
ing, food service, chemistry
, paper production, textile
fabrication, pharmacy
, industrial groups and transport, etc.
The service sector employs 63.8% of the active population and is increasing, given that large concentrations of the population live in the urban centers and the importance that tourism
has acquired in the recent years.
As of April 2010, the unemployment
rate in Cantabria is 14.49%, compared to 20.05% in Spain; while its purchasing power parity
is 25.326€, compared to 26.100€ in Spain and 25.100€ in the EU25. In 2007, Cantabria's growth of real GDP was 4.1%, compared to a 3.9% average for Spain.
This fact is specially remarkable in the Mountain, with roads and railways with slow and winding courses in order to avoid the greater slopes, that being the most problematic and distinct characteristic of the communication network of Cantabria.
An interesting case is the Cantabrian village of Tresviso. To access it by road you have to go via the neighbouring province of Asturias. The only way in or out of the village, famous for its blue cheese, from Cantabria is on foot.
The main communications infrastructures of the region are:
The main national radio stations have transmitter stations in places like Santander, Torrelavega, Castro-Urdiales, or Reinosa. There are also numerous local and regional stations.
For the moment, there is no Cantabrian autonomic television with public financing, although some local channels exist (including Canal 8 DM, TeleBahía, Telecabarga, Localia TV Cantabria, etc.).
In recent years, the Internet has allowed new informative proposals to emerge in the shape of digital diaries or blogs, which contribute to enrich the mediatic panorama of the region.
-museo_arqueolgico_nacional.jpg)
is the official language of Cantabria. The eastern part of Cantabria contributed to the language's origins in a significant way. Cantabrian language
, or Mountain language, is hardly preserved in the West of Cantabria and some zones of the Pas Valley and the Valley of Soba, in its Eastern zone. This language has neither regulation nor official recognition in Cantabria.
Regarding the fair
s, understood as big markets of products periodically celebrated, it is remarkable the Livestock Fair of Torrelavega taking place in the National Livestock Market "Jesús Collado Soto", the third biggest of Spain, that groups the buy and sell of all kinds of cattle in the region itself and the adjacent ones, being the bovine the main product. All over the region cattle and typical products fairs are celebrated weekly, monthly, or annually to gather the neighbours of the land.
There are many different festivities in Cantabria, some of them limited just to small villages, but there are also festivals that attract tourism from all the country. The most important are the following:
The following festival
s are also remarkable in modern Cantabrian culture: Santander International Festival (Arts festival), Santander Summer Festival (Music festival), Sotocine (Film festival)
. From Galicia to the Basque Country
, passing by Asturias and Cantabria, there are rites, stories and imaginary or impossible beings (or maybe not so).
The mythology of Cantabria turns the Cantabrian forests and mountains into magical places where the myths, belief
s and legend
s have been present as an essential part of the Cantabrian culture, either because they have been living in the popular heritage through the oral tradition
transmitted from father to son, or because they have been recovered by scholars (Manuel Llano and others) who have worried about preserving the cultural heritage.
Its mythology and superstition
s present a great Celt
ic influence that has diluted with the pass of time, being romanized
or Christianized
in many cases. It is remarkable, as in many other cultures, the presence of faboulous beings of giant
proportions and cyclopean
features (the ojáncanos
), fantastic animals (culebres
, caballucos del diablu (lit. horses of the devil, damselflies
), ramidreju
s, etc.), færies
(anjanas, ijanas of Aras), duendes
(nuberos, ventolines, trenti
s, trasgus, trastolillos, musgosu, tentiruju), anthropomorphic characters (the sirenuca (little mermaid), the fish-man
, the cuegle
, the wife-bear of Andara, the guajona), etc.
The traditional sport of Cantabria is the game of bolos (skittles
) in its four forms: Bolo palma
, pasabolo tablón, pasabolo losa and bolo pasiego. The first one is the most extended, exceeding regional nature and reaching the eastern zone of Asturias and also being the most complex in its game rules. The existence of boleras or skittle rings is important in every Cantabrian township, often being near the church or the village pub.
From the late 1980s, skittle play has consolidated with the reinforcement of skittle schools, revamped by the different town councils and Cantabrian institutions, the various competitions (League, Cup championships, Regional and National Circuits, etc.), or the expansion in the media due to the social interest. Sometimes bolos can also refer to the American bowling
, which can also be played at malls and similar in the cities.
As in the whole North coast of Spain, particularly in Cantabria and the Basque Country, the remo (rowing
) is a very traditional sport in the coastal towns. The origins of rowing in Cantabria go back many centuries, when several traineras (traditional fishing longboat
s) competed for the selling of the caught fish, which was reserved for the first ship to arrive to the fish market
. At the end the 19th century, work became sport and people started to celebrate regatta
s between Cantabrian townships. The sport clubs of Cantabria, specially the Astillero, Castro Urdiales, and the Pedreña belong to the most prize-winning teams of the history of this sport, and nowadays they are having one of the best moments after a decades-long period of trophy drought.
The Pasiegan jump is another of the outstanding rural sports of the region and a clear example of how the use of a work skill that disappears with the pass of time, gives rise to games and competition. Similar to other forms, like the Canarian shepherd jump
, in the beginning this technique was used in the Pasiegan valleys to cross the stone walls, the fences, the creeks or the ravines that bordered the fields and obstructed the pass in the abrupt geography of the highland areas of Cantabria.
Referring to mass sports, Cantabria is present in national and international competitions through teams such as the Racing de Santander
, the RS Gimnástica de Torrelavega and the Cantabria autonomous football team
in football
; the Club Balonmano Cantabria
that has won several Leagues and King's Cups
as well as international titles in handball
; or the Cantabria Lobos
that has played in the ACB in basketball
.
See also :Category:Cantabrian people
Spain
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historical region and autonomous community with Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
(province of Biscay
Biscay
Biscay is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lord of Biscay. Its capital city is Bilbao...
), on the south by Castile and León
Castile and León
Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It was so constituted in 1983 and it comprises the historical regions of León and Old Castile...
(provinces of León, Palencia
Palencia (province)
Palencia is a province of northern Spain, in the northern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of León, Cantabria, Burgos, and Valladolid....
and Burgos), on the west by the Principality of Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.
Cantabria belongs to Green Spain
Green Spain
Green Spain is the name given to the Spanish northern maritime façade exposed to the Atlantic Ocean in Galicia which also runs along the coastal strip lying north of the Cantabrian and Basque mountains, along the Bay of Biscay...
, the name given to the strip of land between the Cantabrian Sea
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
and the Cantabrian Mountains
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.They extend for more than approximately 180 miles across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the edges of the Galician Massif close to Galicia, along the coast of the...
, so called because of its particularly lush vegetation, due to the wet and moderate oceanic climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
. The climate is strongly influenced by Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
winds trapped by the mountains; the average precipitation is about 1,200 mm (47 inches).
Cantabria is the richest region in the world for archaeological sites from the Upper Paleolithic
Upper Paleolithic
The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
period, although the first signs of human occupation date from Lower Paleolithic
Lower Paleolithic
The Lower Paleolithic is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 2.5 million years ago when the first evidence of craft and use of stone tools by hominids appears in the current archaeological record, until around 300,000 years ago, spanning the...
. The most significant site for cave paintings is that in the cave of Altamira, dating from about 16,000 to 9000 BC and declared, along with nine other Cantabrian caves, as World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
s by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
The modern Province of Cantabria was constituted on 28 July 1778. The Organic Law
Organic Law (Spain)
An Organic Law in Spanish law under the present Spanish Constitution of 1978 must be passed by an absolute majority of the Congress of Deputies...
of the Autonomy Statute of Cantabria
Autonomy Statute of Cantabria
The Statute of Autonomy of Cantabria is the basic institutional norm of the autonomous community of Cantabria in Spain. It determines the fields, bodies and institutions of self government of the Cantabrian community....
was approved on 30 December 1981, giving the region its own institutions of self government.
Etymology
Isidore of Seville
Saint Isidore of Seville served as Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades and is considered, as the historian Montalembert put it in an oft-quoted phrase, "le dernier savant du monde ancien"...
, Julio Caro Baroja
Julio Caro Baroja
Julio Caro Baroja was a world-renowned Basque Spanish anthropologist, historian, linguist and essayist. He was known for his special interest in Basque culture, history and society. Of Basque ancestry, he was the nephew of the renowned writer Pio Baroja; and his brother, painter, writer and...
, Aureliano Fernández Guerra, Joaquín González Echegaray, and Adolf Schulten
Adolf Schulten
Adolf Schulten was a German historian and archaeologist.Schulten was born in Elberfeld, Rhine Province, and received a Doctorate in Geology from the University of Bonn in 1892. He studied in Italy, Africa and Greece with support from the Institute of Archaeology...
, have explored the etymology of the name "Cantabria", yet its origins remain uncertain. It is generally accepted that the root cant- comes from Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
for "rock" or "stone", while -abr was a common suffix used in Celtic regions. Thus, "Cantabrian" could mean "people who live in the rocks" or highlanders
Highland (geography)
The term highland or upland is used to denote any mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau. Generally speaking, the term upland tends to be used for ranges of hills, typically up to 500-600m, and highland for ranges of low mountains.The Scottish Highlands refers to the mountainous...
, a reference to the steep and mountainous territory of Cantabria.
Relief
Cantabria is a mountainous and coastal region, with important natural resources. It has two distinct areas which are well differentiated morphologically:- Coast. A coastal strip of low, wide and gently rolling valleys some 10 kilometres in width, the altitude of which does not rise above 500 metres, and which meets the ocean in a line of abrupt cliffs broken by river estuaries, forming riaRiaA ria is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Typically, rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they can be straight and without significant branches. This pattern is inherited from the...
s and beaches. Santander Bay is the most prominent indentation in the coastline. To the south, the coastal strip rises to meet the mountains.
- Mountains. This is a long barrier made up of abruptly rising mountains parallel to the sea, which are part of the Cantabrian MountainsCantabrian MountainsThe Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.They extend for more than approximately 180 miles across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the edges of the Galician Massif close to Galicia, along the coast of the...
. The mountains are mostly made of limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with karstKARSTKilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
topography, and occupy most of Cantabria's area. They form deep valleys running north-south. The torrential rivers are short, fast flowing and of great eroding power, so the slopes are steep. The valleys define different natural regions, delimited physically by the intervening mountain ranges: LiébanaLiébanaLiébana is a comarca of Cantabria .It covers 570 square kilometers and is located in the southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León and Palencia...
, Saja-Nansa, BesayaBesaya ValleyThe Besaya valley is both a comarca located in the center of Cantabria, along the course of the Besaya River, and the natural valley of said river. Its capital is Torrelavega.- The Besaya River Basin :...
, PasPas RiverThe Pas River is located in the region of Cantabria in the northern part of Spain. The river flows through the autonomous community of Cantabria and empties into the Cantabric Sea.-See also :* List of rivers of Spain...
-PisueñaPisueña RiverThe Pisueña River is located at northern Spain, in the area known as Green Spain. It flows through the autonomous community of Cantabria, and it is tributary to the Pas....
, Miera, Asón-GándaraGándaraThe Gándara is a river in Green Spain, at the north of the country. It flows through the autonomous community of Cantabria and discharges into the Asón River. The Gándara offers trout fishing....
, CampooCampooCampoo is a comarca of Cantabria located in the High Ebro, with a surface little bigger than 1,000 km², and including the municipalities of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, Campoo de Enmedio, Campoo de Yuso, Valdeolea, Valdeprado del Río, Valderredible, Reinosa, Las Rozas de Valdearroyo,...
. To the 'mountain' region belongs the Escudo Range, a mountain range of 600 to 1,000 metres high that covers 15 or 20 km in a parallel line to the coast in the West part of Cantabria.
Towards the south are higher mountains, the tops of which form the watershed between the drainage basins of the Rivers Ebro
Ebro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
, Duero and the rivers that flow into the Bay of Biscay. These peaks generally exceed 1,500 m from the Pass of San Glorio in the west to the Pass of Los Tornos in the eastern part: Peña Labra, Castro Valnera
Castro Valnera
Castro Valnera is a peak located in the central area of Green Spain. It is around it that the whole Pas valley revolves, and also the source of the Miera River, between the Lunada and Estacas de Trueba passes....
and the mountain passes of Sejos, El Escudo and La Sía. The great limestone masses of Picos de Europa
Picos de Europa
The Picos de Europa is a range of mountains 20 km inland from the northern coast of Spain, located in the Autonomous Communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and León, forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains...
also stand out in the southwest of the region: most of their summits exceed 2,500 m, and their topography is shaped by the former presence of glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s.
Climate
Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
, Cantabria, as well as the rest of "Green Spain", has a much more temperate climate than might be expected for its latitude, which is comparable to that of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
The region has a humid oceanic climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
, with warm summers and mild winters. Annual precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
is around 1,200 mm at the coasts and higher in the mountains.
The mean temperature is about 14 °C. Snow is frequent in higher zones of Cantabria between the months of October and March. Some zones of Picos de Europa, over 2,500 metres high, have an alpine climate
Alpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
with snow persisting year round.
The driest months are July and August, although droughts are unknown because rain is frequent and temperatures never get particularly high.
The mountainous relief of Cantabria has a dominant effect on local microclimate in Cantabria. It is the main cause of the peculiar meteorologic situations like the so-called "suradas" (Ábrego
Abrego
Abrego is a Colombian municipality and town located in the department of North Santander.-References:...
wind), due to the foehn effect: the south wind coming down from the mountains blows strongly and dry, increasing the temperature closer to the coast. This causes a decrease in air humidity and rainfall.
These conditions are more frequent in autumn and winter, and the temperatures are commonly higher than 20 °C. Fires are often helped by this type of wind: one example is the fire that destroyed part of the city of Santander in the winter of 1941.
In the southern part of the mountain range, conditions are different: the wind there is fresher and more humid, and there is more rain.
Hydrology
The rivers of Cantabria are short and rapid, descending steeply because the sea is so close to their source in the Cantabrian Mountains. They flow perpendicular to the coastline, except for the EbroEbro
The Ebro or Ebre is one of the most important rivers in the Iberian Peninsula. It is the biggest river by discharge volume in Spain.The Ebro flows through the following cities:*Reinosa in Cantabria.*Miranda de Ebro in Castile and León....
. They also generally flow
Discharge (hydrology)
In hydrology, discharge is the volume rate of water flow, including any suspended solids , dissolved chemical species and/or biologic material , which is transported through a given cross-sectional area...
year round due to constant rainfall. Nevertheless, the rate of flow is modest (20 m³/s annual average) compared to the other rivers of the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. The rapidness of their waters, caused by their steep descents, gives them great erosive
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
power, creating the narrow V-shaped valleys characteristic of Green Spain.
The environmental condition of the rivers is generally good, although increasing human activity due to rising population in the valleys continues to pose a challenge.
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, are:
- North Basin (flows into the Cantabrian Sea)
- Agüera
- AsónAsón RiverThe Asón is a river in Northern Spain, flowing through the Autonomous Community of Cantabria. It source is in the Collados del Asón Natural Park. It flows into the Cantabrian Sea in the town of Colindres, where it forms the Santoña estuary which is the most important Special Protection Area in the...
- Besaya
- DevaDeva RiverThe Deva is a river in Northern Spain, flowing through the Autonomous Communities of Cantabria and Asturias until it joins the Cares River and flows into the Atlantic Ocean, in the Bay of Biscay, where they form the Tina Mayor estuary which is the natural border between Asturias and Cantabria....
- Miera
- Nansa
- PasPas RiverThe Pas River is located in the region of Cantabria in the northern part of Spain. The river flows through the autonomous community of Cantabria and empties into the Cantabric Sea.-See also :* List of rivers of Spain...
- SajaSaja RiverThe Saja River is located on the Green Spain, in the north of the country, flowing through the autonomous community of Cantabria and into the Bay of Biscay. Part of its course is inside the Saja-Besaya Natural Park...
- Ebro Basin (flows into the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
)- Híjar
- Ebro
- Duero Basin (flows into the Atlantic Ocean)
Cantabria is the only autonomous community whose rivers flow into every one of the seas which surround the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
: The Cantabrian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Vegetation
Cantabria has vegetation typical of the Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula. It is characterized by forests of leafy deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
trees such as oak and European beech
European Beech
Fagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
. Nevertheless, human intervention dating back to ancient times has favored the creation of pastures, allowing the existence of large areas of grassland and prairies suitable for grazing cattle. These grasslands are mingled with plantations of eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
and native oak.
The southern part of Cantabria, including the comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Campoo the fringes of the Castilian plateau, is characterized by the transition to drier vegetation. Another diversifying factor which contributes to local variation within the region is the Mediterranean ecotone
Ecotone
An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes but different patches of the landscape, such as forest and grassland. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local or regional...
, giving rise to species unique to the region, such as the Holm Oak
Holm Oak
Quercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly...
and arbutus trees
Arbutus
Arbutus is a genus of at least 14 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, and North America.-Description:...
, which are found in poor limestone soils with little moisture.
In Cantabria there are several zones of plant life:
- The coastal strip, including sandy dunes with minimal vegetation. Adjacent to these are steep cliffs with plants unique to that type of terrain.
- The maritime region, near the coast and including altitudes up to 500 metres. Originally it had mixed deciduous forests containing ashAsh treeFraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
, lindenTiliaTilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America...
, bay laurelBay LaurelThe bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...
, hazelHazelThe hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
, mapleMapleAcer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
, oakOakAn oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, poplarPoplarPopulus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
, birchBirchBirch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, holm oakHolm OakQuercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly...
, and others. The riparian parts were filled with forests of alderAlderAlder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
and willowWillowWillows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
. Today these native forests have almost completely disappeared, leaving only reserves in area of poor arability. In their place there are grasslands which are quite productive in the temperate climate and which sustain the economy of rural Cantabria. Next to these are very large monocultureMonocultureMonoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. It is also known as a way of farming practice of growing large stands of a single species. It is widely used in modern industrial agriculture and its implementation has allowed for large harvests from...
plantations of eucalyptusEucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
for paper production, of disastrous ecological consequences to the biodiversity and climate of the region. During the last two decades of the 20th century, and due mainly to European agricultural policies (CAPCommon Agricultural PolicyThe Common Agricultural Policy is a system of European Union agricultural subsidies and programmes. It represents 48% of the EU's budget, €49.8 billion in 2006 ....
), many farmers were forced to substitute forestry for livestock farming, so as to avoid unemployment and poverty. This provoked a surge of eucalyptusEucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
- see Eucalyptus article on Spanish Wikipedia - plantations (and to a less extent of Pines) which often hid the illegal destruction of native forests, just as the spread of livestock farming had done in the past by the endemic conversion of forest into prairie. This acts have been laxly controlled by the local councils or the central governments, in a process that clearly follows the saying: "Pan para hoy, hambre para mañana" (which translates as: "short-term gain, long-term pain"). The plantation of pines has given way in the last decades to that of eucalyptus due to the fact this non-indigenous speciesIntroduced speciesAn introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
has no natural attacker within the European ecosystem (while pines are highly vulnerable to the Pine ProcessionaryPine ProcessionaryThe Pine Processionary is a moth of the family Thaumetopoeidae. It is sometimes placed in the genus Traumatocampa. It is an abundant species of pine woods in central and southern Europe....
).
- The foothills, from 500 to 1,100 metres altitude are colonized by monoculture forests of oak (quercus robur and quercus petraea) on the sunnier slopes. In more shaded areas and especially from about 800 metres there are forests of European BeechEuropean BeechFagus sylvatica, the European Beech or Common Beech, is a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae.-Natural range:...
which are the main food source in winter for many animal species.
- The subalpine plane, in this high country, the plant life is composed of birch, scrub, and grassesPoaceaeThe Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
which are especially important for the economy because during the summer they serve as pasture for grazing cattle and horses.
Along with these characteristics it would also be necessary to mention peculiarities of the comarca of Liébana
Liébana
Liébana is a comarca of Cantabria .It covers 570 square kilometers and is located in the southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León and Palencia...
, which has a microclimate
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
very similar to the Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
, allowing to grow cork oak
Cork Oak
Quercus suber, commonly called the Cork Oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring. It is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa.It grows to up to 20 m,...
s, vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s, and which is still very well conserved from human activity.
The other remarkable comarca is Campoo
Campoo
Campoo is a comarca of Cantabria located in the High Ebro, with a surface little bigger than 1,000 km², and including the municipalities of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, Campoo de Enmedio, Campoo de Yuso, Valdeolea, Valdeprado del Río, Valderredible, Reinosa, Las Rozas de Valdearroyo,...
, at the South of Cantabria, with an optimum growth of Pyrenean Oak, now in an expansive process due to an abandonment of crops. Moreover, big repopulations of conifers such as Scots Pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
s are taking place in the gentle slopes of the comarca.
Natural parks
Natural park (Spain)
In Spain, a natural park is a natural space protected for its biology, geology, or landscape, with ecological, aesthetic, educational, or scientific value whose preservation merits preferential attention on the part of public administration. The regulation of the activities that may occur there...
or national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s:
- Picos de EuropaPicos de Europa National ParkThe Picos de Europa National Park is a National Park in the Picos de Europa mountain range, in northern Spain. It is shared by the autonomous communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castile and León.-History:...
National ParkNational parkA national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or... - Collados del Asón Natural Park
- Santoña, Victoria and Joyel Marshes Natural ParkSantoña, Victoria and Joyel Marshes Natural ParkThe Santoña, Victoria and Joyel Marshes Natural Park is an estuary in Cantabria, protected as a natural park. It is one of the wetlands of most ecological value in the north of Spain, and is used as a winter refuge and migratory passage by many species of birds and fishes.Formed by the Asón River,...
- Macizo de Peña Cabarga Natural Park
- Oyambre Natural Park
- Saja-Besaya Natural Park
- Dunes of Liencres Natural Park
The most important of these is the Picos de Europa National Park, which affects Castile and León and Asturias in addition to Cantabria, the three autonomous communities sharing its management.
Santoña, Victoria and Joyel marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es are also Special Protection Area
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.Together with Special...
s for the birds (ZEPA).
Furthermore, nine Sites of Community Importance
Site of Community Importance
A Site of Community Importance is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at a favourable conservation status of a natural habitat type or of a...
(LIC) have been declared: Western Mountain, Eastern Mountain, Western Rias and Oyambre Dunes, Dunes of Liencres and Estuary of the Pas, El Puntal Dunes and Estuary of the Miera, Ria de Ajo, Marshes of Noja
Noja
Noja is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain.It has 2 beaches, "Trengandin" and "Ris"....
-Santoña
Santoña
Santoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is 45 km from the capital Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, an urban plain, and a mountainous area, with Mount Buciero at its...
, Escudo de Cabuérniga Range and several caves with important bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
colonies.
Demographics
In relative contrast to other regions of Spain, Cantabria has not experienced much immigration. In 2007, only 4.7% of the population were immigrants. The predominant countries of origin for immigrants to Cantabria are Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
The majority of the population resides in the coastal area, particularly in two cities: Santander
Santander, Cantabria
The port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
, with 183,000 people, and Torrelavega
Torrelavega
Torrelavega is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain....
, the second largest urban and industrial center in Cantabria, having a population of around 60,000. These two cities form a conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
known as the Santander-Torrelavega metropolitan area.
An interesting case is that of Castro Urdiales
Castro Urdiales
Castro Urdiales is a seaport of northern Spain, in the autonomous community of Cantabria, situated on the bay of Biscay.Castro Urdiales is a modern town, although its castle and the Gothic-style parish church of Santa María de la Asunción, date from the Middle Ages. Its chief industries are...
. Despite the fact that it officially has a population of 28,542 making it the fourth-largest in the region, due to its proximity to the Bilbao
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
metropolitan area, there are a large number of people not registered in Castro Urdiales and the true count may be double the official figure.
Apart from the ones as mentioned, the most important municipalities of Cantabria are the following:
- TorrelavegaTorrelavegaTorrelavega is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain....
(pop. 55,947) - CamargoCamargo, CantabriaCamargo is a municipality in the province and autonomous community of Cantabria, northern Spain. Its capital is Muriedas.-Towns:* Cacicedo.* Camargo.* Escobedo.* Herrera.* Igollo.* Maliaño.* Muriedas .* Revilla.-External links:*...
(pop. 32,000) - Castro-Urdiales (pop. 31.670)
- Piélagos (pop. 20,081)
- El AstilleroEl AstilleroEl Astillero is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Cantabria, northern Spain. It is near the province capital, Santander, and it is known for its shipyard, and for holding the title of Spain Rowing Championships...
(pop. 17,360) - LaredoLaredo, CantabriaLaredo is a town in the Northern Spanish province and autonomous community of Cantabria.Located between the cities of Santander and Bilbao, Laredo is known in the region and nationally for "La Salvé", its 5 km long beach and for the historic part of town dating back to Roman times...
(pop. 12,591) - Los Corrales de BuelnaLos Corrales de Buelna-Politics:The current mayor of the municipality is Mercedes Toribio Ruiz, from PP. Unlike most other municipalities, Falangist forces were present in the municipal council for many years following the transition to democracy.-Demographic development:...
(pop. 11,610) - Santa Cruz de BezanaSanta Cruz de BezanaSanta Cruz de Bezana is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain.-External links:*...
(pop. 11,279) - SantoñaSantoñaSantoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is 45 km from the capital Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, an urban plain, and a mountainous area, with Mount Buciero at its...
(pop. 11,569) - ReinosaReinosaReinosa is a municipality in Cantabria, Spain. , it has 10,307 inhabitants.-External links:* * - Cantabria 102 Municipios...
(pop. 10,307)
Roman Empire
The first written reference to the name Cantabria emerges around 195 BC, in which the historian Cato the ElderCato the Elder
Marcus Porcius Cato was a Roman statesman, commonly referred to as Censorius , Sapiens , Priscus , or Major, Cato the Elder, or Cato the Censor, to distinguish him from his great-grandson, Cato the Younger.He came of an ancient Plebeian family who all were noted for some...
speaks in his book Origins about the source of the Ebro River in the country of the Cantabri
Cantabri
The Cantabri were a pre-Roman Celtic people which lived in the northern Atlantic coastal region of ancient Hispania, from the 4th to late 1st centuries BC.-Origins:...
:
From then on, there are continuous references to the Cantabri and Cantabria, as the Cantabri were used as mercenaries
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
in various conflicts, both within the Iberian Peninsula and elsewhere. It is certain that they participated in the war of the Carthaginians
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
against Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
during the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
, from references by Silius Italicus
Silius Italicus
Silius Italicus, in full Tiberius Catius Asconius Silius Italicus , was a Roman consul, orator, and Latin epic poet of the 1st century CE,...
(Book III) and Horace
Horace
Quintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
(Book IV, Ode XIV). They are also mentioned during the siege of Numantia
Numantia
Numantia is the name of an ancient Celtiberian settlement, whose remains are located 7 km north of the city of Soria, on a hill known as Cerro de la Muela in the municipality of Garray....
waged by Gaius Hostilius Mancinus
Gaius Hostilius Mancinus
Gaius Hostilius Mancinus was a Roman consul in 137 BC. Due to his campaign against Numantia in northern Spain, Plutarch called him "not bad as a man, but most unfortunate of the Romans as a general." During this campaign in the Numantine War, Mancinus was defeated, showing some cowardice,...
, who is said to have lifted the siege of the city and fled upon being informed that Cantabri and Vaccaei were present among his auxiliaries.
Cantabrian Wars
The Cantabrian Wars occurred during the Roman conquest of the modern provinces of Cantabria, Asturias and León, against the Asturs and the Cantabri. They were the final stage of the conquest of Hispania.-Antecedents:...
which began in 29 BC. Roughly 150 references can be found in Greek and Latin texts, attesting to the notoriety of the Cantabri. Their territory was significantly larger than that of modern day Cantabria, bounded on the north by the Cantabrian Sea (the name used by the Romans to refer to the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
), and on the west by the western edge of the Sella River
Sella River
The Sella is a river located in northwest Spain. It flows through the region of Asturias from the Picos de Europa to the Atlantic Ocean at Ribadesella. It hosts an annual canoe competition called the International Descent of the River Sella on the first Saturday in August.-See also :* List of...
valley (in modern day Asturias). To the south it extended as far as the hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
of Peña Amaya, in the modern-day province of Burgos
Burgos (province)
The province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladolid. Its capital is the city of Burgos...
, and to the east almost up to Castro Urdiales, in the vicinity of the Aguera River.
Middle Ages
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Cantabria regained its independence from the rule of the Visigoths. In 574, King LiuvigildLiuvigild
Liuvigild, Leuvigild, Leovigild, or Leogild was a Visigothic King of Hispania and Septimania from 569 to April 21, 586. From 585 he was also king of Galicia. Known for his Codex Revisus or Code of Leovigild, a unifying law allowing equal rights between the Visigothic and Hispano-Roman population,...
attacked Cantabria and managed to capture the south of the country, including the city of Amaya, where he established a Visigothic province called the Duchy of Cantabria
Duchy of Cantabria
The Duchy of Cantabria was a march created by the Visigoths in northern Spain to watch their border with the Cantabrians and Basques. Its precise extension is unclear but seems likely that it included Cantabria, parts of Northern Castile and La Rioja....
(see picture), which would serve as a limes
Limes
A limes was a border defense or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire.The Latin noun limes had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields, a boundary line or marker, any road or path, any channel, such as a stream channel, or any...
or frontier zone to contain the Cantabri as well as their neighbors the Vascones. To the north of this cordon, however, the Cantabri continued to live independently until the Arab invasion.
In 714, a mixed Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
/Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
army of Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Moors invaded the upper valleys of the Ebro and succeeded in capturing Amaya
Amaya
Amaya can refer to:* Amaya , a professional Middle Eastern dancer* Amaya o los vascos en el siglo VIII, a novel by Francisco Navarro-Villoslada** Amaya , a 1920 opera by Jesús Guridi based in the novel...
, the Cantabrian capital, forcing the Cantabrians back to their traditional frontiers, where they joined forces with the Kingdom of Asturias
Kingdom of Asturias
The Kingdom of Asturias was a Kingdom in the Iberian peninsula founded in 718 by Visigothic nobles under the leadership of Pelagius of Asturias. It was the first Christian political entity established following the collapse of the Visigothic kingdom after Islamic conquest of Hispania...
.
In the first chronicles of the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
, Cantabria still appears to be acknowledged as a region. In the Albendense chronicle, when speaking of Alfonso I
Alfonso I of Asturias
Alfonso I , called the Catholic , was the King of Asturias from 739 to his death in 757.He was son of Duke Peter of Cantabria and held many lands in that region. He may have been the hereditary chief of the Basques, but this is uncertain...
it says "iste Petri Cantabriae ducis filius fuit", referring to the figure of Peter
Peter of Cantabria
Peter was the Duke of Cantabria. While various writers have attempted to name his parentage, , early sources say nothing more specific than the chronicle of 'Pseudo-Alfonso': that he was "ex semine Leuvigildi et Reccaredi progenitus"...
and the title of Duke of Cantabria, confirming the territory of his duchy
Duchy
A duchy is a territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess.Some duchies were sovereign in areas that would become unified realms only during the Modern era . In contrast, others were subordinate districts of those kingdoms that unified either partially or completely during the Medieval era...
. In the ninth century, on mentioning the monastery of Saint Zacharias, Eulogius pinpoints it in Seburim (maybe Zubiri) on the river Arga, "waters all of Cantabria", in a letter sent to the bishop of Pamplona Williesind, suggesting a region stretching out far into the east.
From a central core formed by the Brotherhood of the Four Cities (Santander, Laredo, Castro Urdiales and San Vicente de la Barquera
San Vicente de la Barquera
San Vicente de la Barquera is a municipality of Cantabria in northern Spain. It had a population of 4,412 in 2002.-External links:** - Cantabria 102 Municipios...
), the Brotherhood of the Marshes was created, thereby uniting all the important seaports to the East of Asturias.
During the period of the Reconquista, the Four Cities actively participated in the re-settling of Andalusia, dispatching men and ships. The coastal port cities of Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
and El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María is a municipality located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. , the city has a population of c...
were settled by families from the Cantabrian Sea ports. Ships from the Four Cities also took part in the taking of Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, destroying the ship bridge linking Triana and Sevilla, a victory that is represented by the Carrack
Carrack
A carrack or nau was a three- or four-masted sailing ship developed in 15th century Western Europe for use in the Atlantic Ocean. It had a high rounded stern with large aftcastle, forecastle and bowsprit at the stem. It was first used by the Portuguese , and later by the Spanish, to explore and...
and the Torre del Oro
Torre del Oro
The Torre del Oro is a dodecagonal military watchtower in Seville, southern Spain, built by the Almohad dynasty in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river....
of Sevilla in the coat of arms of Santander, Coat of arms of Cantabria
Coat of arms of Cantabria
The coat of arms of Cantabria has a rectangular shield, round in base and the field is party en fess. In field azure, a tower or crenellated and masoned, port and windows azure, to its right a ship in natural colours that with its bow has broken a chain going from the tower to the dexter flank of...
and Avilés
Avilés
Avilés is a city in Asturias, Spain. Avilés is with Oviedo and Gijón, one of the main towns in the Principality of Asturias.The town occupies the flattest land in the municipality, in a land that belonged to the sea, surrounded by small promontories, all of them having an altitude of less than...
(Asturias).
16th to 18th centuries
In the 16th century, the name La Montaña (The Mountain) was widespread in popular usage and in literature, as a designation of the Ancient Cantabria, as opposed to CastileCastile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
, which referred solely to the Central Plateau. This distinction has survived into modern times.
With the rise of the Catholic Monarchs
Catholic Monarchs
The Catholic Monarchs is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. They were both from the House of Trastámara and were second cousins, being both descended from John I of Castile; they were given a papal dispensation to deal with...
, the Brethren of the Marshes disappeared, leaving the Coregiment of the Four Villas, which included the whole area of influence of the old Brethren of the Four Villas (almost all of Cantabria).
During the Ancien Régime, the greatest jurisdictional lordships of Cantabria were mainly under the control of three of the Grandee families
Grandee
Grandee is the word used to render in English the Iberic high aristocratic title Grande , used by the Spanish nobility; Portuguese nobility, and Brazilian nobility....
of Spain: that of Mendoza (Dukes of Infantado, Marquises of Santillana), of Manrique de Lara (Marquises of Aguilar de Campoo, Counts of Castañeda) and to a lesser extent that of Velasco (Dukes of Frías
Dukedom of Frías
Duke of Frías is a hereditary title created in 1492 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon. It became one of the most important titles in Spain.The House of Velasco was one of the most powerful and influential noble Castilian families of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Era. Its original...
, Constables of Castile
Constable of Castile
Constable of Castile was a title created by John I, King of Castile in 1382, to substitute the title Alférez Mayor del Reino. The constable was the second person in power in the kingdom, after the King, and his responsibility was to command the military in the absence of the ruler.In 1473 Henry IV...
).
From the 16th century on, there was renewed interest in studying Cantabria and the Cantabri, particularly concerning the precise location of the territory that this people had occupied. It was not until the 18th century that the debate about the location and size of Ancient Cantabria was settled in a series of works which described the history of the history of the region such as La Cantabria by the Augustinian father and historian Enrique Flórez de Setién. Concurrent with the resurgence of this interest in the Cantabrians and the clarification of the aforementioned polemic, many institutions, organizations and jurisdictions in the mountainous territory received the name of "Cantabrian" or "of Cantabria".
In 1727, the first attempt to unify what would later become the Province of Cantabria occurred. Despite this, the high level of autonomy that the small entities of the fractured estate of Cantabria enjoyed, combined with a lack of resources, continued to be the main reason for Cantabria's weakness, aggravated by the progressive advance of the Bourbonic
House of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
centralism
Unitary state
A unitary state is a state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that their central government chooses to delegate...
and its administrative efficiency. The latter continually emphasised the impossibility of the smaller terrotories facing a multitude of problems on their own: from communications to the exercise of justice, from putting aside adequate reserves for hard times to the indiscriminate levees
Levée en masse
Levée en masse is a French term for mass conscription during the French Revolutionary Wars, particularly for the one from 16 August 1793.- Terminology :...
for soldiers, and above all the progression of fiscal impositions. All of this led to an acceleration of contact between villas, valleys and jurisdictions, which tended to focus on the Assemblies of the Provinces of the Nine Valleys, led by the deputies elected by the traditional entities of self-government.
There were two events that triggered the culmination of the integration process in this second attempt:
- On the one hand, the collective interest in avoiding making contributions to the reconstruction of the bridge of Miranda de EbroMiranda de EbroMiranda de Ebro is a city on the Ebro river in the province of Burgos in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is located in the north-eastern part of the province, on the border with the province of Álava and the autonomous community of La Rioja...
, imposed by order of the Intendant of BurgosBurgosBurgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
on July 11, 1775, the same year that Cantabria suffered two tremendous floods, on June 20 and November 3.
- On the other hand, the necessity to face as a whole mancomunidadMancomunidadIn present-day Spain a mancomunidad is a free association or commonwealth of municipalities. A mancomunidad is a legal personality, and can exist either for a particular period of time to achieve a concrete goal or can exist indefinitely....
(commonwealth) the large number of bandits who operated with impunity in Cantabria, as a result of a judicial system made ineffectual by a lack of resources.
After the General Deputy of Nine Valleys gathered the affected jurisdictions to the Assembly that was to take place in Puente San Miguel on March 21, 1777, they sent their respective deputies with sufficient authority to join with the Nine Valleys, to "unite and associate ourselves" or "to be one with the rest", as the Council of Pie de Concha stated.
In this General Assembly a framework was established and formal steps began to be taken, leading to administrative and legal unity in 1778. This all culminated in the success of the Assembly held in the Assembly House of Puente San Miguel on July 28, 1778, where the Province of Cantabria was constituted. It was achieved by passing the common ordinances which had been developed to that end, and which had beed discussed and approved previously in councils of all the villas, valleys and subscribed jurisdictions. They were, in addition to the Nine Valleys: Rivadedeva, Peñamellera, the Province of Liébana, Peñarrubia, Lamasón, Rionansa, the Villa of San Vicente de la Barquera, Coto de Estrada, Valdáliga, the Villa of Santillana del Mar, Lugar de Viérnoles, the Villa of Cartes and environs, the Valley of Buelna, the Valley of Cieza, the Valley of Iguña with the Villas of San Vicente and Los Llares, the Villa of Pujayo, the Villa of Pie de Concha y Bárcena, the Valley of Anievas, and the Valley of Toranzo.
Charles III of Spain
Charles III was the King of Spain and the Spanish Indies from 1759 to 1788. He was the eldest son of Philip V of Spain and his second wife, the Princess Elisabeth Farnese...
for the union of all the Cantabrian jurisdictions into one province. The royal ratification was granted on November 22, 1779.
The twenty eight jurisdictions that initially comprised the Province of Cantabria were clear in their intention that all the other jurisdictions that formed the Party and Baton of the Four Villas of the Coast should be included in the new province. To this end they set out the steps needed for this to happen as soon as those jurisdictions should request it. They would have to abide by the ordinances, having the same rights and duties as the founders, all on an equal footing. Thus, the following joined in quick succession: the Abbey of Santillana
Santillana del Mar
Santillana del Mar is a historic town situated in Cantabria, Spain. Certain features of this historical town includes Altamira Caves and many historic buildings, attracting thousands of holiday-makers every year....
, the Valleys of Tudanca, Polaciones, Herrerías
Herrerías
Herrerías is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 715 inhabitants.-Towns:*Bielva *Cabanzón*Cades*Camijanes*Casamaría*Puente el Arrudo*Rábago...
, Castañeda
Castañeda
Castañeda or Castaneda is a Spanish and Asturian and Leonese surname. In non-Hispanic countries, the name is usually spelled Castaneda . In Portuguese, this name is spelled Castanheda...
, the Villa of Torrelavega
Torrelavega
Torrelavega is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain....
and environs, Val de San Vicente, Valle de Carriedo, Tresviso, and the Pasiegan Villas of La Vega, San Roque and San Pedro, as well as the city of Santander with its Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
.
Competition between the townships of Laredo and Santander led to the latter, having initially allowed the name of Cantabria for the province created at the beginning of the 19th century, later retracting its consent and demanding that it bear the name of Santander, so there would be no doubt as to which was the capital. When in 1821 the Provincial Council presented before the constitutional Courts
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
its definitive plan for the provincial borders and legal entities, it proposed the name of Province of Cantabria, to which the Township of Santander replied that "this province must retain the name of Santander". However, many newspapers still showed in their headings the name of Cantabria, or Cantabrian.
19th century
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
(1808–1814), the bishop Menéndez de Luarca, a strong defender of absolutism, promoted himself as the "Regent of Cantabria" and established the Cantabrian Armaments in Santander, a section of the army whose purpose was to travel to all the mountain passes from the Central Plateau to detain any French troop. Although defeated, he managed later to regroup in Liébana under the command of general Juan Díaz Porlier, calling his forces the Cantabrian Division, in which there were various regiments and battalions, such as the Hussar
Hussar
Hussar refers to a number of types of light cavalry which originated in Hungary in the 14th century, tracing its roots from Serbian medieval cavalry tradition, brought to Hungary in the course of the Serb migrations, which began in the late 14th century....
s of Cantabria (cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
) or the Shooters of Cantabria (infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
). During the Carlist wars
First Carlist War
The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833-1839.-Historical background:At the beginning of the 18th century, Philip V, the first Bourbon king of Spain, promulgated the Salic Law, which declared illegal the inheritance of the Spanish crown by women...
they formed a unit called the Cantabrian Brigade.
20th century
The use of terms with ancestral resonance through the 18th and 19th centuries continued during the 20th century, taking on a political tone that was distinctly regionalist, until 1936. In fact, the Republican Federal Party produced an autonomy statute for a Cantabrian-Castilian Federal State that year, which would include present-day Cantabria and any neighbouring areas from CastileCastile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
and Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
willing to join it. It could not be passed because of the Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. Following the war and the subsequent marginalization of such efforts under Franco's regime, the use of the name of Cantabria decreased, to the point that for official purposes it was relegated to sports associations, the only arena in which Cantabria was noted as a region.
In 1963, the president of the Provincial Council, Pedro Escalante y Huidobro, proposed reapplying the name of Cantabria to the Province of Santander, as suggested in an academic report written by the historian Tomás Maza Solano. Although further steps were taken and many of the townships were in favour of the move, the petition did not succeed, mostly due to the opposition of Santander City of Council.
On December 30, 1981, a process that had been started on April 1979 by the Council of Cabezón de la Sal
Cabezón de la Sal
Cabezón de la Sal is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 7,971 inhabitants.- Notable people:*Nacho Vigalondo*Juan Jose Cobo*Jairo Samperio...
, under the presidency of Ambrosio Calzada Hernández, wculminated in the granting of self-rule of Cantabria, outlined by Article 143 of the Spanish Constitution.
Cantabria based its claim to autonomy on the constitutional precept that made provision for self government for "provinces with a historic regional character".
The Mixed Assembly, formed by the province deputies and the national members of parliament, initiated the tasks for the composition of the Autonomy Statute on September 10 of 1979. After the approval of the General Courts on December 15, 1981, the King of Spain signed the corresponding Organic Law of the Autonomy Statute for Cantabria on December 30 of the same year. Thus, the province of Santander broke its link to Castile, and exited the pre-autonomy regime of Castile and León to which it had belonged up to that time, together with the provinces of Ávila, Burgos, León, Logroño
La Rioja (Spain)
La Rioja is an autonomous community and a province of northern Spain. Its capital is Logroño. Other cities and towns in the province include Calahorra, Arnedo, Alfaro, Haro, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Nájera.-History:...
, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora.
On February 20, 1982, the first Regional Assembly (now Parliament) was formed, with provisional status. From then on, the former province of Santander has been known as Cantabria, and has thereby regained its historic name. The first home-rule elections were held in May 1983.
The 4th Legislature (1995–1999) brought into effect the first great reform of the Autonomy Statute of Cantabria, approved by all the parliamentary groups.
Government and administration
The Autonomy Statute of CantabriaAutonomy Statute of Cantabria
The Statute of Autonomy of Cantabria is the basic institutional norm of the autonomous community of Cantabria in Spain. It determines the fields, bodies and institutions of self government of the Cantabrian community....
of December 30, 1981, established that Cantabria has in its institutions the will to respect the fundamental rights and public freedom, at the same time it consolidates and stimulates regional development, based on democratic relationships. This document gathers all competences of the Autonomous Community that were transferred from the Government of Spain. It must be remarked that, as in other Communities, some fields haven't been transferred, as the Justice, for instance. The Statute also defines the symbols that should represent the region: The flag
Flag of Cantabria
The colors of the official flag of Cantabria , which is the symbol of the region, are established in the very text of the Autonomy Statute. Only the characteristics of the coat of arms that was to feature in the regional flag were left to specify, which was carried out by a Law of the Regional...
, the coat of arms
Coat of arms of Cantabria
The coat of arms of Cantabria has a rectangular shield, round in base and the field is party en fess. In field azure, a tower or crenellated and masoned, port and windows azure, to its right a ship in natural colours that with its bow has broken a chain going from the tower to the dexter flank of...
and the anthem of Cantabria.
The Parliament of Cantabria
Parliament of Cantabria
The Parliament of Cantabria is the legislative body of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria. The task of the Members of the Parliament is to represent the Cantabrian citizens. They are elected by, equal, free, direct, secret and universal suffrage....
is the principal self government institution of the Autonomous Community, being the representative body of the Cantabrians. Presently it is constituted by thirty nine deputies elected by universal, equal, free, direct and secret suffrage.
The primary functions of the Parliament are: to exercise the legislative power
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
, to approve the budgets of the Autonomous Community, to motivate and control the actions of the government, and to develop the rest of the competences that the Spanish Constitution, the Autonomy Statute and the rest of the legal order bestow on it.
The President of the Autonomous Community
President of Cantabria
The President of the Government of Cantabria, according to the Autonomy Statute of Cantabria, presides over the Government of Cantabria, directing its activities, coordinating the Administration of the autonomous community, designating and separating the councillors, and holds supreme...
holds the highest representation of the Community and ordinary representation of the Country in Cantabria, and presides over the Government, coordinating its activities. He is elected by the Parliament among its thirteen members, after query to the politic groups represented in it, and he is appointed by the King. He must present his politic program to the full chamber, and be granted absolute majority in first session or simple in subsequent.
The Government of Cantabria
Government of Cantabria
The Government of Cantabria is one of the statutory institutions that conform the Autonomous Community of Cantabria. It is the superior collegiate body that directs the politics and the Administration of this Spanish autonomous community, and at the same time the holder of the executive power as...
is the body in charge of directing the political activities and exercising the executive and regulatory powers according to the Constitution, the Statute and the laws. The Government is made up of the President, the Vicepresident (in which the President can delegate his executive functions and representations) and the Councillors, who are appointed and ceased by the President.
After several legislatures presided by the Partido Popular
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
or by Juan Hormaechea's UPCA, the Regional Government of Cantabria is directed by a coalition of the Regionalist Party of Cantabria
Regionalist Party of Cantabria
The Regionalist Party of Cantabria , is the second oldest political party in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Cantabria. The PRC originated in the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , founded on May 14, 1976, with the objective of promoting Cantabrian autonomy.-History:The PRC...
and Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
(PSOE) from year 2003. The President is Miguel Ángel Revilla
Miguel Ángel Revilla
Miguel Ángel Revilla Roiz, President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria , was born in Polaciones, Cantabria on 23 January 1943.In 1976, he was a founder of the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , a pioneer organization in the defense of the autonomy of Cantabria, and later...
of Partido Regionalista de Cantabria (PRC), and the Vice President is Dolores Gorostiaga of PSOE.
Territorial organization
The autonomous community of Cantabria is structured in municipioMunicipio
Municipio and Município are terms used for country subdivisions. They are often translated as municipality.-Overview:...
s (municipalities) and comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
s (regions).
Municipalities
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
or municipal council
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, and two of them, Tresviso and Pesquera, do it by Concejo abierto (Open council), having less than 250 inhabitants.
The Mancomunidad Campoo-Cabuérniga is not a municipality, but a communal property, singular for its size and characteristics, of shared management between the municipalities of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso
Hermandad de Campoo de Suso
Hermandad de Campoo de Suso is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. The municipality's seat is in Espinilla.The Ebro River rises in this municipality, in the town of Fontibre.-Towns:*Abiada*Argüeso*Barrio*Camino...
, Cabuérniga
Cabuérniga
Cabuérniga is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 1.109 inhabitants. Its capital is Valle.-External links:* - Cantabria 102 Municipios...
, Los Tojos and Ruente. This mountain estate is used as a grazing ground for Tudanca cattle and also for horses in less amount, in its brañas or grass prairies, and even nowadays transhumant cattle farming traditions survive in this region.
See also:
Comarcas (regions)
The Cantabrian legislation divides the autonomous community in administrative regions called comarcas, but traditionally, other subdivisions of the territory have been used.- Administrative regions
The Law 8/1999 of Comarcas of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria of April 28, 1999 establishes that the comarca is a necessary entity, integral in the territorial organization of the region. This law opens the development of the comarcalization in Cantabria promoting the creation of comarcal entities, which have barely begun to appear. The law also establishes that the creation of comarcas won't be mandatory for the whole territory until at least the 70% of it hadn't been comarcalized by its own will. Likewise it states that the city of Santander won't be ruled by said law of comarcalization, as it should establish its own metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
instead.
Comarcas in Cantabria have not reached administrative nature and barely have definite borders. Only Liébana for its geographic position in Picos de Europa, Trasmiera and Campoo, in the Ebro basin are established are clearly defined comarcas in the region. Nevertheless, functional differences in the territory can be distinguished, dividing it in the following areas: Santander Bay, of industrial and urban nature; Besaya
Besaya Valley
The Besaya valley is both a comarca located in the center of Cantabria, along the course of the Besaya River, and the natural valley of said river. Its capital is Torrelavega.- The Besaya River Basin :...
, also industrial; Saja-Nansa
Saja and Nansa valleys
The Valleys of the Saja and Nansa Rivers comprise an administrative comarca in Cantabria, Spain. It is formed by the valleys of said rivers, each one being a natural comarca of its own.-Saja valley:...
, eminently rural; Western Coast
Western coast of Cantabria
The Western Coast of Cantabria is a comarca of said Spanish autonomous community which comprises the municipalities of Val de San Vicente, San Vicente de la Barquera, Valdáliga, Comillas, Udías, Ruiloba, Alfoz de Lloredo, Santillana del Mar and Suances....
, which has urban character; Eastern Coast
Eastern coast of Cantabria
The Eastern Coast of Cantabria is a comarca in the autonomous community of Cantabria, northern Spain, that comprises the municipalities of Colindres, Laredo, Liendo and Castro Urdiales....
, vacational; the traditionally renown Trasmiera
Trasmiera
Trasmiera is a historic comarca of Cantabria , located to the east of the Miera River , reaching the western side of the Asón...
; rural Pas-Miera
Pas and Miera valleys
The Valleys of the Pas and Miera Rivers comprise an administrative comarca in Cantabria, Spain. It is formed by the valleys of said rivers, each one being a natural comarca of its own.-Pas valley:...
; Asón-Agüera, also mainly rural; the very well defined Liébana
Liébana
Liébana is a comarca of Cantabria .It covers 570 square kilometers and is located in the southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León and Palencia...
, and Campoo-Los Valles
Campoo
Campoo is a comarca of Cantabria located in the High Ebro, with a surface little bigger than 1,000 km², and including the municipalities of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, Campoo de Enmedio, Campoo de Yuso, Valdeolea, Valdeprado del Río, Valderredible, Reinosa, Las Rozas de Valdearroyo,...
, rural and industrial by regions.
- Natural regions (regarding geographical features)
- Coastal strip
- Central strip (Cantabrian valleys perpendicular to the coast): Liébana, Saja and Nansa, Besaya, Pas and Miera, and Asón-Gándara valleys.
- Southern strip (Rivers Ebro and Duero's basins): Campoo and Southern valleys
- Historic regions
Until the 13th century, Cantabria was organized in valleys, as was typical in all of northern Spain. From then on, it was substituted by the organization in cities, towns or historic comarcas that grouped several valleys.
The most remarkable were Liébana, Asturias de Santillana, Trasmiera, Campoo and Valderredible.
Economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
of Cantabria has primary industry, now in decline, employing 5.8% of the active population in the sectors of cattle farming, traditional dairy farming, and meat production; agriculture, especially corn, potatoes, vegetables, and roughage; maritime fishing; and the mining of zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
and quarries
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
.
The secondary industry which employs 30.3% of the active population is the sector with the most productivity in recent years due to construction; that of ironwork
Ironwork
Ironwork is any weapon, artwork, utensil or architectural feature made of iron especially used for decoration. There are two main types of ironwork wrought iron and cast iron. While the use of iron dates as far back as 4000BC, it was the Hittites who first knew how to extract it and develop weapons...
ing, food service, chemistry
Chemical industry
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...
, paper production, textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
fabrication, pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, industrial groups and transport, etc.
The service sector employs 63.8% of the active population and is increasing, given that large concentrations of the population live in the urban centers and the importance that tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
has acquired in the recent years.
As of April 2010, the unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
rate in Cantabria is 14.49%, compared to 20.05% in Spain; while its purchasing power parity
Purchasing power parity
In economics, purchasing power parity is a condition between countries where an amount of money has the same purchasing power in different countries. The prices of the goods between the countries would only reflect the exchange rates...
is 25.326€, compared to 26.100€ in Spain and 25.100€ in the EU25. In 2007, Cantabria's growth of real GDP was 4.1%, compared to a 3.9% average for Spain.
Transportation and communications
The most significant consequence of the strong relief of the Cantabrian territory is the existence of topographic barriers that condition decisively the courses of the linking infrastructures, as much in the north-south orientation in the accesses to the Castilian Mesa, as in the east-west in the communication between valleys. Moreover, the cost of their construction and maintenance is much higher than average.This fact is specially remarkable in the Mountain, with roads and railways with slow and winding courses in order to avoid the greater slopes, that being the most problematic and distinct characteristic of the communication network of Cantabria.
The main communications infrastructures of the region are:
- Santander AirportSantander AirportSantander Airport is an international airport near Santander, Spain and the only airport in Cantabria. The airport has been extended and refurbished in the last couple of years. In 2009 the airport handled 958,157 passengers and 18,753 flights, far more than in 1995 when it handled only 180,000...
- Cantabrian Motorway (Autovía A-8Autovía A-8The Autovía A-8 is a highway that connects all the regions on the Northern Coast of Spain. It is known as the Autovía del Cantábrico and connects Baamonde and Bilbao, where it continues as the Autopista AP-8 to the French border...
, European route E-70) - Cantabria-Meseta Motorway (Autovía A-67Autovía A-67The Autovía A-67 is a highway in north west Spain. It connects the Cantabrian Atlantic Coast at Santander to Palencia. It follows the route of the N-611....
) (in construction) - Narrow-gauge railway SantanderSantander, CantabriaThe port city of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria situated on the north coast of Spain. Located east of Gijón and west of Bilbao, the city has a population of 183,446 .-History:...
-OviedoOviedoOviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city....
(FEVEFEVEFEVE is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spain's of metre gauge railway.-History:...
) - Narrow-gauge railway Santander-BilbaoBilbaoBilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
(FEVE) - Broad-gauge railway Santander-PalenciaPalenciaPalencia is a city south of Tierra de Campos, in north-northwest Spain, the capital of the province of Palencia in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon...
-ValladolidValladolidValladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
-Ávila-MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(RENFERENFERenfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
) - Broad-gauge high-speed railway Santander-TorrelavegaTorrelavegaTorrelavega is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain....
-ValladolidValladolidValladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
-SegoviaSegoviaSegovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:...
-MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
(RENFERENFERenfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668-mm "Iberian gauge" and 1435-mm "European gauge" networks of the Spanish national railway infrastructure company ADIF .- History :The name RENFE is derived from that of the former Spanish National...
) - FerryFerryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
line Santander-PlymouthPlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound... - Port of Santander
Mass media and public opinion
In Cantabria, there are two daily regional newspapers in addition to the national ones: El Diario Montañés and Alerta, as well as many weekly, fortnightly and monthly publications.The main national radio stations have transmitter stations in places like Santander, Torrelavega, Castro-Urdiales, or Reinosa. There are also numerous local and regional stations.
For the moment, there is no Cantabrian autonomic television with public financing, although some local channels exist (including Canal 8 DM, TeleBahía, Telecabarga, Localia TV Cantabria, etc.).
In recent years, the Internet has allowed new informative proposals to emerge in the shape of digital diaries or blogs, which contribute to enrich the mediatic panorama of the region.
Culture
Language
SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
is the official language of Cantabria. The eastern part of Cantabria contributed to the language's origins in a significant way. Cantabrian language
Cantabrian language
Cantabrian or Montañés is the name given to the indigenous language of Cantabria, Spain and especially to the variety most distinct from standard Castilian.-Description and dialects:...
, or Mountain language, is hardly preserved in the West of Cantabria and some zones of the Pas Valley and the Valley of Soba, in its Eastern zone. This language has neither regulation nor official recognition in Cantabria.
Monuments and museums
- Caves: Altamira CaveAltamira (cave)Altamira is a cave in Spain famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands....
, El SoplaoCave of El SoplaoEl Soplao is a cave located in the municipalities of Rionansa, Valdáliga and Herrerías in Cantabria . It is considered a single cavity worldwide for the quality and quantity of geological formations that houses in its 17 miles in length, although only 6 are open to the public...
, Del ValleCave del Valle (Cantabria)Cueva del Valle or Cave del Valle is a cave located in the municipality of Rasines, Cantabria . It is also known by locals as "The Viejarrona." It has a large entry, which gives great majesty. It is born Silent River, a tributary of Ruahermosa, both of Assos...
, El Pendo, La Pasiega CaveCueva de La PasiegaCueva de La Pasiega, or Cave of La Pasiega, situated in the Spanish municipality of Puente Viesgo, is one of the most important monuments of Paleolithic art in Cantabria...
, Las Monedas, El Castillo, Morín, and others.
- Civil architecture: Magdalena palacePalacio de la MagdalenaThe Palacio de la Magdalena is an early 20th-century palace located on the Magdalena Peninsula of the city of Santander, Cantabria, Spain.-History:...
, Capricho de Gaudí, Pontifical University of Comillas, Sobrellano palace, Bárcena palace, Castle of Argüeso, and others.
- Religious architecture: Collegiate of Santillana del Mar, Collegiate of Santa Cruz de Castañeda, Santo Toribio de Liébana MonasterySanto Toribio de LiébanaThe Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana is a Roman Catholic monastery located in the district of Liébana, near Potes in Cantabria, Spain. Located in the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, the monastery is one of the five places of Christianity that, together with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de...
, Santa María de Lebeña, Santa María de Piasca, Santa María del Puerto, and others.
- Museums: Cantabrian Sea Maritime Museum, Ethnographic Museum of Cantabria, Santander Museum of Fine Arts, Regional Museum of Prehistory and Arqueology of Cantabria, Cantabrian Museum of Nature, Altamira National Museum and Investigation Centre, and others.
Universities
- University of CantabriaUniversity of CantabriaUniversity of Cantabria , in Spanish Universidad de Cantabria, is a public university located in Santander and Torrelavega in Cantabria, Spain. It was founded in 1972 and is organized in 12 schools and colleges....
(UC, UNICAN) - International University Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP)
- Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)
- Campus Comillas (CIESE-CC)
Fairs and festivals
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s, understood as big markets of products periodically celebrated, it is remarkable the Livestock Fair of Torrelavega taking place in the National Livestock Market "Jesús Collado Soto", the third biggest of Spain, that groups the buy and sell of all kinds of cattle in the region itself and the adjacent ones, being the bovine the main product. All over the region cattle and typical products fairs are celebrated weekly, monthly, or annually to gather the neighbours of the land.
There are many different festivities in Cantabria, some of them limited just to small villages, but there are also festivals that attract tourism from all the country. The most important are the following:
- Carnaval marinero (Sailor Carnival), in February in SantoñaSantoñaSantoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is 45 km from the capital Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, an urban plain, and a mountainous area, with Mount Buciero at its...
. Commonly known as "the carnivals of the North", in this carnival, started in 1934, many people of the town participate dressing themselves up as fish. The main event is the "Trial at the bottom of the ocean", where the "besugo" is judged before the last act, "The burning of the besugo". (A besugo is a foolish person besides a type of fish). - La Folía, April in San Vicente de la BarqueraSan Vicente de la BarqueraSan Vicente de la Barquera is a municipality of Cantabria in northern Spain. It had a population of 4,412 in 2002.-External links:** - Cantabria 102 Municipios...
, a parade of local fishing boats following one with a statue of the Virgin. - Coso Blanco, first Friday in July in Castro Urdiales. Colorful parade with carts.
- Cantabria Day, second Sunday of August in Cabezón de la SalCabezón de la SalCabezón de la Sal is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 7,971 inhabitants.- Notable people:*Nacho Vigalondo*Juan Jose Cobo*Jairo Samperio...
. Traditional Cantabrian music, ceramics fair, local foods, bowlingBowlingBowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
championships, ox dragging contests and public speeches. - SAUGA folk music festival, celebrated the third weekend of August in ColindresColindresColindres is a town in the northern Spanish province and autonomous community of Cantabria. Located between the cities of Santander and Bilbao, Colindres has a population of approximately 7200.-Overview:...
. - Floral Gala, August en TorrelavegaTorrelavegaTorrelavega is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain....
. A festival of international touristic importance with carts decorated with flowers. - Battle of Flowers, August, in Laredo. Carts decorated with flowers and fruit. FireworksFireworksFireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
in the evening. - Campoo Day, September in ReinosaReinosaReinosa is a municipality in Cantabria, Spain. , it has 10,307 inhabitants.-External links:* * - Cantabria 102 Municipios...
. Tourist fair of regional importance since 1977 and celebrated since the 19th century, it shows customs and traditions of the CampurriansCampooCampoo is a comarca of Cantabria located in the High Ebro, with a surface little bigger than 1,000 km², and including the municipalities of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, Campoo de Enmedio, Campoo de Yuso, Valdeolea, Valdeprado del Río, Valderredible, Reinosa, Las Rozas de Valdearroyo,...
in their capital. CattleCattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
shows, local products market and regional costumes are the items in this festival.
The following festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s are also remarkable in modern Cantabrian culture: Santander International Festival (Arts festival), Santander Summer Festival (Music festival), Sotocine (Film festival)
Mythology
The north of the Spanish state is a rich area for mythologyMythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. From Galicia to the Basque Country
Basque Country
The Basque Country may refer to one of three areas inhabited by the Basque people:*The Basque Country , an autonomous community of Spain *The Basque Country , the approximate cultural area of...
, passing by Asturias and Cantabria, there are rites, stories and imaginary or impossible beings (or maybe not so).
The mythology of Cantabria turns the Cantabrian forests and mountains into magical places where the myths, belief
Belief
Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.-Belief, knowledge and epistemology:The terms belief and knowledge are used differently in philosophy....
s and legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s have been present as an essential part of the Cantabrian culture, either because they have been living in the popular heritage through the oral tradition
Oral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
transmitted from father to son, or because they have been recovered by scholars (Manuel Llano and others) who have worried about preserving the cultural heritage.
Its mythology and superstition
Superstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
s present a great Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic influence that has diluted with the pass of time, being romanized
Religion in ancient Rome
Religion in ancient Rome encompassed the religious beliefs and cult practices regarded by the Romans as indigenous and central to their identity as a people, as well as the various and many cults imported from other peoples brought under Roman rule. Romans thus offered cult to innumerable deities...
or Christianized
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in many cases. It is remarkable, as in many other cultures, the presence of faboulous beings of giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
proportions and cyclopean
Cyclops
A cyclops , in Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, was a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of his forehead...
features (the ojáncanos
Ojáncanu
The ojáncanu is a cyclops of Cantabrian mythology. This creature embodies evil, cruelty, and brutality. This giant cyclops is the Cantabrian version of the Greek Polyphemus that appears in other Indo-European mythologies.-Description:...
), fantastic animals (culebres
Cuélebre
Cuélebre, or Culebre, is a giant winged serpent-dragon of the Asturian and Cantabrian mythology, that lives in a cave, guards treasures and keeps xanas as prisoners. Although they are immortal, they grow old as the time goes by and their scales become thick and impenetrable, and flag wings grow in...
, caballucos del diablu (lit. horses of the devil, damselflies
Damselfly
Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...
), ramidreju
Ramidreju
A ramidreju is a creature from Cantabrian mythology, from Spain, that resembles a weasel. They are born every 100 years from a weasel or a marten. This animal has a very long body, like a snake, and their fur is slightly green-colored. Its eyes are yellow and its nose is like that of a hog, which...
s, etc.), færies
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
(anjanas, ijanas of Aras), duendes
Duende (mythology)
A duende is a fairy- or goblin-like mythological creature from Iberian, Latin American and Filipino folklore. While its nature varies throughout Spain, Portugal, Spanish and Portuguese-speaking America and the Philippines, analogues from other cultures include the Danish-Norwegian Nisse, the...
(nuberos, ventolines, trenti
Trenti
The Trenti comes from the folklore of Cantabria, Spain. It is an imp-like creature that is annoying but not malicious. It is very difficult to see because it lives deep in the forest and resembles mushrooms, leaves, and moss. Its most distinguishing features are a completely black face with green...
s, trasgus, trastolillos, musgosu, tentiruju), anthropomorphic characters (the sirenuca (little mermaid), the fish-man
Fish-man
The fish-man of Liérganes , is a cryptid which belongs to the mythology of Cantabria, located in the north of Spain. The fish-man of Liérganes would be an amphibian human-looking being, that looked a lot like a metamorphosis of a real human being who was lost at sea. His story was examined by the...
, the cuegle
Cuegle
The cuegle is a monster in Cantabrian folklore. Walking on two legs and roughly humanoid in shape, it has black skin, three arms without hands or fingers, five rows of teeth, a single stubby horn and three eyes in its head: one green, one red, and one blue. Despite its small size, it has great...
, the wife-bear of Andara, the guajona), etc.
Cuisine
- Typical dishes: cocido montañés (Highlander stew) made with beansCommon beanPhaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, is an herbaceous annual plant domesticated independently in ancient Mesoamerica and the Andes, and now grown worldwide for its edible bean, popular both dry and as a green bean. The leaf is occasionally used as a leaf vegetable, and the straw is used for fodder...
and collard greensCollard greensCollard greens are various loose-leafed cultivars of Brassica oleracea , the same species as cabbage and broccoli. The plant is grown for its large, dark-colored, edible leaves and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the southern United States, many parts of Africa, Montenegro,...
, cocido lebaniego (LiébanaLiébanaLiébana is a comarca of Cantabria .It covers 570 square kilometers and is located in the southwest of Cantabria, bordering Asturias, León and Palencia...
n stew) made from chickpeas, marmita or sorropotún (similar to marmitakoMarmitakoTuna pot, marmitako in Basque Country and marmita, marmite or sorropotún in Cantabria is a fish stew that was eaten on tuna fishing boats in the Cantabrian Sea. Today it is a beautiful and simple dish with potatoes, onions, pimientos, and tomatoes.The original French word marmite is a metal pot...
), and olla ferroviaria (Railway pot), as main courses.
- Meat dishes: BeefBeefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
, oxOxAn ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
, deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, roe deerRoe DeerThe European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
or boarBoarWild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
. Cooked to the grill, stewed or with vegetables.
- The livestock farming reputation of the region and its climatologic conditions in favour for cattleCattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
breeding allowed the European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
to pass the "Meats of Cantabria" denomination as a Protected Geographic Denomination for the beefBeefBeef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
of certain kinds of native races (Tudanca, Monchina, Asturian of the valleys and Asturian of the mountain), and other adapted to the environment (Limusina) or integrated by assimilation (Brown alpine).
- Fish and seafood: AnchoviesAnchovyAnchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species in 17 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish.-Description:...
of SantoñaSantoñaSantoña is a town in the eastern coast of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain. It is situated by the bay of the same name. It is 45 km from the capital Santander. Santoña is divided into two zones, an urban plain, and a mountainous area, with Mount Buciero at its...
, ColindresColindresColindres is a town in the northern Spanish province and autonomous community of Cantabria. Located between the cities of Santander and Bilbao, Colindres has a population of approximately 7200.-Overview:...
, Laredo and Castro Urdiales, anglerLophius piscatoriusThe angler, also sometimes called fishing-frog, frog-fish or sea-devil, Lophius piscatorius, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae. It is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea...
, hakeHakeThe term hake refers to fish in either of:* family Phycidae of the northern oceans* family Merlucciidae of the southern oceans-Hake fish:...
, Sea bassEuropean seabassThe European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax, also known as Morone labrax, is a primarily ocean-going fish that sometimes enters brackish and fresh waters. It is also known as the sea dace...
, soleSoleidaeThe true soles are a family, Soleidae, of flatfishes, and include species that live in salt water and fresh water. They are bottom-dwelling fishes feeding on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. Other flatfishes are also known as soles....
, mackerelAtlantic horse mackerelThe Atlantic horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus is a species of mackerel in the family Carangidae. It gets its common name from the legend that other smaller species of fish could ride on the back of it over great distances...
, sardineSardineSardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
, European anchoviesEuropean anchovyThe European anchovy is a forage fish somewhat related to the herring. Anchovies are placed in the family Engraulidae....
, bonitoBonitoBonito is a name given to various species of medium-sized, predatory fish in the Scombridae family. First, bonito most commonly refers to species in the genus Sarda, including the Atlantic bonito and the Pacific bonito ; second, in Japanese cuisine, bonito refers to the skipjack tuna , which, in...
of the North (of Spain), gilt-head breamGilt-head breamThe gilt-head bream is a fish of the bream family Sparidae found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern coastal regions of the North Atlantic Ocean...
, sea bream, scorpionfish, red mulletRed mulletThe red mullets or surmullets are two species of goatfish, Mullus barbatus and Mullus surmuletus, found in the Mediterranean Sea, east North Atlantic Ocean, and the Black Sea. Both "red mullet" and "surmullet" can also refer to the Mullidae in general.Though they can easily be distinguished—M...
, as well as some river fish as troutTroutTrout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
and salmonSalmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
. Rabas (fried calamari) and cachón en su tinta (cuttlefishCuttlefishCuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda . Despite their name, cuttlefish are not fish but molluscs....
cooked in its own ink). Regarding seafood, it can be remarked: clamClamThe word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
, musselBlue musselThe blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is a medium-sized edible marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. In spite of its specific name edulis, it is not the sole edible Mytilus species.-Distribution:...
, muergos (jackknifeEnsisEnsis is a genus of medium-sized edible saltwater clams, littoral bivalve mollusks in the family Pharidae.In the United States, other common names for species in this genus are razor clams or jackknife clams. This is because the long, narrow, and parallel-sided shape of their shells is unusual in...
), cockleCockle (bivalve)Cockle is the common name for a group of small, edible, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae.Various species of cockles live in sandy sheltered beaches throughout the world....
, velvet crabVelvet crabThe velvet crab , Necora puber, is a species of crab. It is the largest swimming crab found in British coastal waters, with a carapace width of up to , and the only species in the genus Necora. The body is coated with short hairs, giving the animal a velvety texture, hence the common name...
, spider crabMaja squinadoMaja squinado is a species of migratory crab found in the north-east Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.-Diet:M...
, goose barnaclePollicipes pollicipesPollicipes pollicipes, known as the goose neck barnacle, goose barnacle or leaf barnacle is a species of goose barnacle, also well known under the taxonomic synonym Pollicipes cornucopia...
, lobsterLobsterClawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
, Norway lobsterNorway lobsterNephrops norvegicus, known variously as the Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, or scampi, is a slim, orange-pink lobster which grows up to long, and is "the most important commercial crustacean in Europe"...
, periwinkleCommon PeriwinkleThe common periwinkle or winkle, scientific name Littorina littorea, is a species of small edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk which has gills and an operculum, and is classified within the family Littorinidae, the periwinkles....
or European lobsterEuropean lobsterHomarus gammarus, known as the European lobster or common lobster, is a species of clawed lobster from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Black Sea. It is closely related to the American lobster, H. americanus. It may grow to a length of and a mass of , and bears a...
.
- Desserts: Quesadas and sobaoSobaoSobao or sobao pasiego is a Spanish delicacy typical for the valleys of Pas and Miera and one of the signature delicacies of Cantabria.The sobao pasiego possesses Geographical indication since 2004.-Variations:...
s of the Pas valley, frisuelos from Liébana (similar to crêpeCrêpeA crêpe or crepe , is a type of very thin pancake, usually made from wheat flour or buckwheat flour . The word is of French origin, deriving from the Latin crispa, meaning "curled". While crêpes originate from Brittany, a region in the northwest of France, their consumption is widespread in France...
s), UnqueraUnqueraUnquera is a village with 803 inhabitants in the municipality of Val de San Vicente, in the west of the province of Cantabria, Spain. Sitting on the ría de Tina Menor, it borders Asturias....
's corbatas (neckties) and TorrelavegaTorrelavegaTorrelavega is a municipality and important industrial and commercial hub in the single province Autonomous Community of Cantabria in northern Spain....
's polkas (both basically puff pastryPuff pastryIn baking, a puff pastry is a light, flaky, leavened pastry containing several layers of fat which is in solid state at 20 °C . In raw form, puff pastry is a dough which is spread with solid fat and repeatedly folded and rolled out and used to produce the aforementioned pastries...
), sacristanesSacristanA sacristan is an officer who is charged with the care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents.In ancient times many duties of the sacristan were performed by the doorkeepers , later by the treasurers and mansionarii...
in LiérganesLiérganesLiérganes is a municipality located in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. According to the 2007 census, the city has a population of 2,391 inhabitants.-Towns:*Bucarrero*Calgar*Casa del Monte*El Condado*La Costera*Extremera*La Herrán...
, Palucos de Cabezón de la Sal and pantortillas of ReinosaReinosaReinosa is a municipality in Cantabria, Spain. , it has 10,307 inhabitants.-External links:* * - Cantabria 102 Municipios...
.
- Cheeses: Spicy cheeseCheeseCheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
of Bejes-Tresviso, quesucos (little cheeses) of Liébana, cream cheese, etc. (many of them with PDOProtected designation of originProtected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
).
- Drinks: apple ciderApple ciderApple cider is the name used in the United States and parts of Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, non-alcoholic beverage made from apples...
and orujoOrujoOrujo is the name in north-west Spain for pomace brandy . It is a transparent spirit with an alcohol content over 50%...
(liquor made from pomacePomacePomace , or marc , is the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing for juice or oil. It contains the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems of the fruit....
) from Liébana, with its variations: (orujo cream, orujo with honey, herbal orujo, etc.); chacolíTxakoliTxakoli is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Spanish provinces of the Basque Country, Cantabria and northern Burgos. Further afield, Chile is also a producer of chacolí....
, and tostadillo of Potes.
Sports
Skittles (sport)
Skittles is an old European lawn game, a variety of bowling, from which ten-pin bowling, duckpin bowling, and candlepin bowling in the United States, and five-pin bowling in Canada are descended. In the United Kingdom, the game remains a popular pub game in England and Wales, though it tends to be...
) in its four forms: Bolo palma
Bolo palma
Bolo palma is a variant of bowls played throughout the north of Spain. The game originated in Cantabria but is also played in the neighbouring Asturias and Basque Country. Records of the game go back as far as the 16th century...
, pasabolo tablón, pasabolo losa and bolo pasiego. The first one is the most extended, exceeding regional nature and reaching the eastern zone of Asturias and also being the most complex in its game rules. The existence of boleras or skittle rings is important in every Cantabrian township, often being near the church or the village pub.
From the late 1980s, skittle play has consolidated with the reinforcement of skittle schools, revamped by the different town councils and Cantabrian institutions, the various competitions (League, Cup championships, Regional and National Circuits, etc.), or the expansion in the media due to the social interest. Sometimes bolos can also refer to the American bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, which can also be played at malls and similar in the cities.
As in the whole North coast of Spain, particularly in Cantabria and the Basque Country, the remo (rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
) is a very traditional sport in the coastal towns. The origins of rowing in Cantabria go back many centuries, when several traineras (traditional fishing longboat
Longboat
In the days of sailing ships, a vessel would carry several ship's boats for various uses. One would be a longboat, an open boat to be rowed by eight or ten oarsmen, two per thwart...
s) competed for the selling of the caught fish, which was reserved for the first ship to arrive to the fish market
Fish market
A fish market is a marketplace used for marketing fish products. It can be dedicated to wholesale trade between fishermen and fish merchants, or to the sale of seafood to individual consumers, or to both...
. At the end the 19th century, work became sport and people started to celebrate regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
s between Cantabrian townships. The sport clubs of Cantabria, specially the Astillero, Castro Urdiales, and the Pedreña belong to the most prize-winning teams of the history of this sport, and nowadays they are having one of the best moments after a decades-long period of trophy drought.
Salto del pastor
The shepherd's leap is a spectacular folk sport practised throughout the Canary Islands.-History:The origins of salto del pastor may date back to the Guanches, the aboriginal inhabitants of the islands prior to the Castilian conquest period of the early 15th century...
, in the beginning this technique was used in the Pasiegan valleys to cross the stone walls, the fences, the creeks or the ravines that bordered the fields and obstructed the pass in the abrupt geography of the highland areas of Cantabria.
Referring to mass sports, Cantabria is present in national and international competitions through teams such as the Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
, the RS Gimnástica de Torrelavega and the Cantabria autonomous football team
Cantabria autonomous football team
The Cantabria autonomous football team is the regional football team for Cantabria, Spain. They are not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA, because it is represented internationally by the Spanish National Football Team...
in football
Football in Spain
Football is the most popular sport in Spain. The Royal Spanish Football Federation is the national governing body and it organizes La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spain national football team, current champion of the FIFA World Cup...
; the Club Balonmano Cantabria
CB Cantabria
Club Balonmano Cantabria was a team of handball based in Santander, Cantabria. CB Cantabria currently wasn't registered in any handball league until 2008. -History:...
that has won several Leagues and King's Cups
Copa del Rey de Balonmano
The Copa del Rey de Balonmano is an annual cup competition for Spanish handball teams. Organized by the Liga ASOBAL. It was originally known as the Copa del Generalísimo due to the dictator Franco and was renamed Copa del Rey de SM El Rey in 1975...
as well as international titles in handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
; or the Cantabria Lobos
Cantabria Baloncesto
Cantabria Baloncesto is a professional basketball team who played during five seasons in Liga ACB. The team was also known as Cantabria Lobos....
that has played in the ACB in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
Notable Cantabrians
Cantabria has been the birthplace of exceptional and notable individuals in fields such as literature, arts, sciences, etc. Many of them have played a decisive role, not only in the history and events of the region, but also on the national and international levels. These include:- Military: Laro, CorocottaCorocottaAccording to several historians of the 20th century, Corocotta was a Cantabrian warrior leader during the 1st century BC. His great achievement was the union of the disperse Cantabri clans in an alliance against the invading Roman armies, to the great exasperation of the powerful empire.He fought...
, Pedro Velarde. - Religion: San Emeterio, San CeledonioEmeterius and CeledoniusSaints Emeterius and Celedonius are venerated as saints by the Catholic Church. Two Roman legionaries , they were martyred for their faith around 300...
, Beatus of LiébanaBeatus of LiébanaSaint Beatus of Liébana was a monk, theologian and geographer from the Kingdom of Asturias, in modern northern Spain, who worked and lived in the Picos de Europa mountains of the region of Liébana, in what is now Cantabria and his feast day is February 19.-Biography:He created an important...
. - Explorers: Juan de la CosaJuan de la CosaJuan de la Cosa was a Spanish cartographer, conquistador and explorer. He made the earliest extant European world map to incorporate the territories of the Americas that were discovered in the 15th century, sailed first 3 voyages with Christopher Columbus, and was the owner/captain of the Santa...
, Vital AlsarVital AlsarVital Alsar Ramirez was born on August 7, 1933, in "Calle Alta" in Santander, Cantabria, Spain.His entire life has been linked to nature and the sea. He became professor of economics, although he never acted as such....
, José de Bustamante y GuerraJosé de Bustamante y GuerraJosé de Bustamante y Guerra , sometimes referred to simply as Bustamante, was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and politician. He was a native of Corvera de Toranzo in Cantabria, Spain.-Early life:In 1770 Bustamante became a midshipman at the Academy of the Guardiamarinas in Cádiz...
. - Literature: José María de PeredaJosé María de PeredaJosé María de Pereda was one of the most distinguished of modern Spanish novelists....
, Concha EspinaConcha EspinaMaría de la Concepción Jesusa Basilisa Espina y García, short form Concha Espina, was a Spanish writer born in Santander, Cantabria, Spain in 1869...
, Gerardo DiegoGerardo DiegoGerardo Diego Cendoya was a Spanish poet, a member of the Generation of '27.Gerardo Diego taught language and literature at institutes of learning in Soria, Gijón, Santander and Madrid...
, Manuel Llano, Álvaro PomboÁlvaro PomboÁlvaro Pombo García de los Ríos is a Spanish poet, novelist, and activist.Born in Santander, Cantabria, he studied at the Complutense University of Madrid and received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, where he lived between 1966 and 1977...
, Amós de Escalante. - Painting: María BlanchardMaría BlanchardMaría Gutierrez Blanchard was a Spanish painter.Blanchard was the daughter of journalist Enrique Gutierrez Cueto Blanchard and Concepción Blanchard Santisteban...
, Casimiro Sáinz, José de Madrazo. - Science and technology: Leonardo Torres Quevedo, Augusto González Linares, Juan de HerreraJuan de HerreraJuan de Herrera was a Spanish architect, mathematician and geometrician.One of the most outstanding Spanish architects in the 16th century, Herrera represents the peak of the Renaissance in Spain. His sober style was fully developed in buildings like the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial...
. - Politics: Luis Carrero BlancoLuis Carrero BlancoDon Luis Carrero Blanco, 1st Duke of Carrero Blanco, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish admiral and long-time confidant of dictator Francisco Franco.- Biography :...
, Alfredo Pérez RubalcabaAlfredo Pérez RubalcabaAlfredo Pérez Rubalcaba is a Spanish politician and a leading figure in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He served in the government of Spain as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and as Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2011; in addition, he was First Deputy Prime Minister from...
, Joaquín Leguina, Miguel Ángel RevillaMiguel Ángel RevillaMiguel Ángel Revilla Roiz, President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria , was born in Polaciones, Cantabria on 23 January 1943.In 1976, he was a founder of the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , a pioneer organization in the defense of the autonomy of Cantabria, and later...
. - Music: Jesús de Monasterio, Ataúlfo ArgentaAtaúlfo ArgentaAtaúlfo Exuperio Martín de Argenta Maza , was a Spanish conductor and pianist.-Biography:Argenta was born in Castro Urdiales, Cantabria, one of the two children, and the only son, of the local station master and a worker with the railways, Juan Martín de Argenta, and Laura Maza...
, David BustamanteDavid BustamanteDavid Bustamante Hoyos is a Spanish singer.-Biography:Bustamante's breakthrough was in the TV hit Operación Triunfo. This show broke ratings records as well as dominated the top position of the CD sales charts during its 5 month run...
, La FugaLa FugaLa Fuga is an Argentine 2001 film directed by Eduardo Mignogna.The picture stars Mignogna's friend and frequent collaborator, Ricardo Darin, as well as Miguel Angel Sola, Gerardo Romano, Patricio Contreras, Ines Estevez, Alejandro Awada and Norma Aleandro.-Plot:In the summer of 1928, seven inmates...
. - Sports: Francisco GentoFrancisco GentoFrancisco "Paco" Gento López is a former Spanish football player.-Biography:He débuted in the Primera División with Racing Santander in the 1952–53 season...
, "Santillana", José Manuel AbascalJosé Manuel AbascalJosé Manuel Abascal Gómez was a Spanish 1500 metres runner. He won the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In 1986, he set a personal best of 3:31.13 min. At the 1987 IAAF World Indoor Championships, Gómez also won a silver medal.- Best performances :*800 m. – 1´49"5 in Madrid ...
, Seve Ballesteros, Óscar FreireÓscar FreireÓscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx...
, Vicente CalderónVicente CalderónVicente Calderón Pérez-Cavada . He was a Businessman and president of Atlético Madrid for twenty years.-Early life:...
, Juan José CoboJuan José CoboJuan José Cobo Acebo is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist who currently races for . He won the 2011 Vuelta a España, his first major title.He is considered a climber who also is able to time trial.... - Film, radio, and TV: Juan Manuel Gozalo, Mario Camus, Manuel Gutiérrez AragónManuel Gutiérrez AragónManuel Gutiérrez Aragón is an award-winning Spanish screenwriter and film director. His 1973 film Habla, mudita was entered into the 23rd Berlin International Film Festival. In 1977, he won the Silver Bear for Best Director for Camada negra at the 27th Berlin International Film Festival...
, Eduardo NoriegaEduardo Noriega (Spanish actor)Eduardo Noriega Gómez is a Spanish film actor, perhaps best known for his roles in two Alejandro Amenábar films, the multiple Goya Award-winning Tesis and Open Your Eyes . He also starred in The Wolf...
, Antonio ResinesAntonio ResinesAntonio Fernández Resines is an award-winning Spanish film and television actor.- Selected filmography :*La dama boba .*Otros días vendrán ....
, Nacho VigalondoNacho VigalondoIgnacio "Nacho" Vigalondo is a Spanish filmmaker.-Movie career:In addition to receiving an Academy Award nomination and a Best Short Film Award nomination at the European Film Awards, Vigalondo's 2003 short film 7:35 de la Mañana received the Bronze Moon of Valencia at the Cinema Jove – Valencia...
. - Other: Emilio BotínEmilio BotinEmilio Botín-Sanz de Sautuola y García de los Ríos, 1st Marquis of O'Shea, is a Spanish banker. He is the Executive Chairman of Spain's Grupo Santander...
, Jesús de PolancoJesús de PolancoJesús Polanco Gutiérrez, also known as Jesús de Polanco was a businessman from Spain who built a considerable media empire...
, Ángel Schlesser, Francisco González GómezFrancisco González GómezFrancisco González Gómez , also known as Francisco, was a Spanish caricaturist, painter and sculptor, considered in his time as having re-invented caricature in Spain.- Notes :...
See also :Category:Cantabrian people
See also
- Architecture of CantabriaArchitecture of CantabriaThe architecture of Cantabria has a long history. In medieval times, artistic individuality was subordinated to ingenuity in civil works. Late Gothic, Plateresque, and renaissance architecture later played a role in Cantabrian architecture, as did the province's mountain quarries...
- Caves in CantabriaCaves in CantabriaThe Cantabria caves' unique location make them an ideal place to observe the settlements of primitive man thousands of years ago. The magnificent art in the caves includes figures of various animals of the time such as bison, horses, goats, deer, cattle, hands and other paintings...
- Lábaru
- Duchy of CantabriaDuchy of CantabriaThe Duchy of Cantabria was a march created by the Visigoths in northern Spain to watch their border with the Cantabrians and Basques. Its precise extension is unclear but seems likely that it included Cantabria, parts of Northern Castile and La Rioja....