Sopelana
Encyclopedia
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located in the 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...
, in the autonomous community of Basque Country
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....
, northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The town is roughly 820 hectares in area, located in the general area of Uribe-Kosta
Uribe-Kosta
Uribe-Kosta is a modern conventional division of the Basque province of Biscay. It includes part of the coastal strip of the historical division of Uribealdea. The division is used for statistical and electoral purposes. It includes the following...
on the north east side of 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...
and due east of the Nervión
Nervión
The river Nervión runs through the city of Bilbao, Spain into the Cantabrian Sea .It is also known as Estuary of Bilbao on its final tract, from the joining with Ibaizabal river to the sea.-Geography:...
river estuary
Estuary of Bilbao
The Estuary of Bilbao lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, that drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. It is a large estuary long that extends from Bilbao to the Bilbao Abra bay, a widening that makes the final transition between...
. In the municipality, other former towns like Larrabasterra are now merged to make the larger Sopelana town. The population is 11,185 people, as recorded in the 2003 census. Thriving expansion of the town puts this number to well over 12,000 people. The area of Sopelana is situated among green hills and beaches. This makes for a very attractive suburb to Bilbao, with a short commute of 35 minutes on the metro.
Climate
Sopelana's oceanic climateOceanic 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...
is very different from the one of southern Spain. Harsh winds tend to pick up speed along the coast and precipitation is very common all year round. Northern winds often bring the winter temperature to just above the freezing point, but summers are usually comfortable from late May to early September. Snow is common three days each winter on average http://www.inm.es. The summer climate is warm, the temperatures are moderated by the constant sea breezes.
Beaches
Sopelana is known for the two beaches Barinatxe and Arrietara. They are rather exposed to the elements of 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 have good conditions for surfers. A third beach, Meñakoz
Meñakoz
Meñakoz is a beach situated on the north coast of the Basque Country, Spain, in the towns of Sopelana and Barrika, due north of the city of Bilbao....
is of less appeal for sun worshippers, and more for the surfer crowd due to the pebble bed ground. Sopelana is frequently the host of regional surf competitions as conditions are adequate for surfing in its beaches. A less famous, but also internationally known event, is the yearly nude race on Barinatxe beach in the fall. Barinatxe is a clothing optional beach.
Transport
The town is connected to the main transport arteries with two metro stations on the Bilbao Metro and highways. The metro stations are located to the far south of Sopelana in Larrabasterra, and in the center of Sopelana town. Several bus routes also connect Sopelana to Bilbao and nearby towns.Shopping
There are no larger shopping areas or malls in Sopelana, all the malls are located a short car ride away in nearby towns like GetxoGetxo
Getxo is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the north of Spain.It is part of the metropolitan area of Bilbao , and has about 83,000 inhabitants...
. However, the centre of Sopelana is full of smaller shops with a wide variety of goods. Along the main road to west Sopelana, there are several youth oriented shops and surf shops open all year round.