A Coruña
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| A Coruña | |||||
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| Location | |||||
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| Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) |
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| General information | |||||
| Native name | A Coruña (Galician) | ||||
| Spanish name | La Coruña | ||||
| Postal code | 15xxx | ||||
| Area code | 34 (Spain) + 981 (La Coruña) | ||||
| Website | http://www.aytolacoruna.es | ||||
| Administration | |||||
| Country | Spain | ||||
| Autonomous Community | Galicia | ||||
| Province | La Coruña | ||||
| Administrative Divisions | 5 | ||||
| Neighborhoods | 9 | ||||
| Mayor | Javier Losada (PSdeG) | ||||
| Geography | |||||
| Land Area | 36.8 km² | ||||
| Altitude | 13 m AMSL | ||||
| Population | |||||
| Population | 243,349 (city proper, INE) Metropolitan area: 388,692 (2005) |
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| - rank in Spain: | 17 | ||||
| Density | 6,613 hab./km² (2005) | ||||
A Coruña (Spanish: La Coruña; Galician: A Coruña; also Corunna in English, and archaically The Groyne[3]) is the most important city in Galicia in Northwestern Spain. The city is also the capital of La Coruña province.
La Coruña is a busy port on the Atlantic Ocean and provides a distribution point for agricultural goods from the region. Although much of the heavy industry is based on the shipyards and metalworks of the neighbouring city of Ferrol, there is an oil refinery in La Coruña itself.
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[edit] Geography
The climate of La Coruña is temperate maritime and heavily moderated by the Atlantic Ocean, however it does display some characteristics of a Mediterranean climate. Autumn and winter are often unsettled and unpredictable with strong winds and abundant rainfall, coming from Atlantic depressions and it is often overcast. The ocean keeps temperatures mild and frost is rare. In summer, it is quite dry and sunny with only occasional rainfall, temperatures are warm but rarely uncomfortably hot due to the sea's cooling influence during the day. Spring is usually cool and fairly calm.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Temp. in ºC | 10.0 | 9.9 | 11.5 | 12.4 | 14.1 | 16.5 | 18.2 | 18.8 | 17.6 | 15.5 | 12.5 | 10.4 |
| Precipitation in mm | 83.8 | 56.1 | 51.8 | 69.8 | 51.0 | 30.8 | 23.7 | 27.9 | 48.2 | 103.6 | 99.5 | 83.2 |
[edit] History
The Romans came to region in the 2nd century BC, and the colonisers made the most of the strategic position and soon the city became quite important in sea trade. In 62 BC Julius Caesar came to the city (known at the time as Brigantium) in search of the metal trade, establishing commerce with France, England and Portugal.
The city is the site of the Roman Tower of Hercules, which is a lighthouse in continuous operation for nearly 2,000 years. The city is also well-known for its characteristic glazed window balconies, called galerías.
During the Middle Ages, the city was an important port and center for manufacturing of textiles. In 1520, king Charles I of Spain (future Emperor Charles V of Germany), embarked from its harbor to be elected Emperor. In 1598, the city was sacked by an English fleet under Francis Drake during Anglo-Spanish War It was the site of battle during the Peninsular War, on 16 January 1809, to cover embarkation of British troops after their retreat and in which Sir John Moore was killed. During the 19th century, the city was the centre of antimonarchist sentiment. See also: Battle of Corunna.
[edit] World War II
The Following German U-Boat has been reported as sunk somewhere near the port of A Coruña:
- Unterseeboot 514 Sunk 8 July 1943 north-east of Cape Finisterre, Spain. 54 dead (all hands lost).
[edit] 20th century and early 21st century
| City´s Metropolitan area 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | population | ||
| Coruña | 243.349 | ||
| Culleredo | 23.000 | ||
| Arteixo | 26.272 | ||
| Oleiros | 30.586 | ||
| Sada | 12.867 | ||
| Bergondo | 6.495 | ||
| Abegondo | 5.756 | ||
| Cambre | 22.012 | ||
| Carral | 5.282 | ||
| A Coruña Province Population c. 1900 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | population | ||
| City of Corunna | 43,971 | ||
| City of El Ferrol (Civilian Pop. Only) | 25,281 | ||
| Santiago de Compostela | 24,120 | ||
| Towns, Villages and Hamlets | 560,184 | ||
| All the Province (Total): | 653,556 | ||
| (Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911) [4] | |||
Note: The population of the City of La Coruña in 1900 was 43,971 meanwhile the population of the rest of the province including the City and Naval Station of nearby Ferrol was 653,556. It should be noted that La Coruña miraculous growth happened during aftermaths of the Spanish Civil War at the same speed as other major Galician cities, but it was the arrival of democracy in Spain after the death of Francisco Franco the moment when the City of Corunna left all the other Galician cities behind.
The miraculous meteoric increase of population of the City of La Coruña during the years which follow the Spanish Civil War during the mid 20th century, can only be explained when we see the figures of the number of villages and hamlets of the province which disappeared or nearly disappeared during the same period. We are talking here about an economic revolution and not so much to an explosion of births or a substantial increase in living standards which of course has happened too, but looking to the overall picture what has happened is that the fields have been abandon due to the introduction of new machinery and most of the population has moved to find jobs in the main cities increasing the number of people working in the Tertiary and Quaternary sectors.
(Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911). [5]
In 1975, the clothing company Zara opened its first store in the city and has since become a national and international clothing chain.
- 21st century
There have been various changes in the city's structure over the last few decades — it now shares some administrative functions with the nearby city of Ferrol. Companies have grown, especially in sectors such as finance, communication, planning, sales, manufacturing and technical services. The port itself unloads large amounts of fresh fish, and with the increase in other port activities like crude oil and solid bulk, make up 75% of Galician port traffic.
Over the last few years, emphasis has been placed upon better access and infrastructure, especially cultural, sporting, leisure and scientific areas. Following a spectacular oil spill when the Aegean Sea wrecked and exploded, considerable resources have been used in the recovery of the shoreline and strengthening the tourist sector. All this has reaffirmed the city's existing character as a centre for administration, sales, port activities, culture and tourism. The city is served by a regional airport which operates services by Iberia, Spanair, easyJet and Portugalia to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, London and Paris.
The city has a football club in Spain's top division, Deportivo de La Coruña.
Francisco Vázquez Vázquez was mayor of the city from 1983, however he became the Spanish ambassador to Vatican and was replaced by Javier Losada on February 10, 2006.
[edit] Notable people
- José Andrés Cornide Saavedra A very versatile writer, the most outstanding citizen of the Enlightenment in Galicia. He studied Humanities in Santiago, learning Latin, Hebrew, Italian, French and English. He also started a degree in Law (1734-1803).
- Ramón de la Sagra Peris botany teacher, philosopher and social economist. He brought to Spain the new ideas that were blooming in Europe in the fields of philosophy, sociology and economics (1798-1871).
- Emilia Pardo Bazán Spanish novelist, journalist, essayist and critic who introduced naturalism in Spanish literature (1851–1921).
- Eduardo Dato Iradier Spanish lawyer and politician. He was minister in 1899, 1902 and 1918 and president of the Spanish Government in 1913-15, 1917 and 1920 (1856-1921).
- Ramón Menéndez Pidal One of the most versatile Spanish writers of all times, creator of a school of investigation that has left its mark on our culture (1869-1968).
- José Millán Astray was the founder and first commander of the Spanish Foreign Legion, and a major early figure of Francisco Franco's Regime in Spain (1879–1954).
- Santiago Casares Quiroga Spanish lawyer and politician. One of the main figures during the Second Spanish Republic he was minister in 1931-33 and president of the Spanish Government from may until the 18th of july of 1936, the day of Franco´s coup d'etát (1884–1950).
- Wenceslao Fernández Flórez Spanish narrator, journalist and humorist. His best known work is El Bosque Animado, wrote in 1943 and with three film versions, one in 1945, another in 1987 and the last one in 2001 (1885–1964).
- Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo A very prolific writer who published both prose and poetry. Progressive from his youth, he remained in exile after the Spanish Civil War (1896–1978).
- Fernando Casado D'Arambillet better known as Fernando Rey, Spanish actor. He worked with Luis Buñuel and with actors like Orson Welles (1917–1994).
- María Casares Pérez An universal actress, one of the great figures of the contemporary scene. She is the daughter of Santiago Casares Quiroga (1922–1996).
- Luis Suárez Miramontes is a former Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, CD España Industrial, CF Barcelona, Inter Milan, Sampdoria and Spain. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain’s greatest players (1935–]]).
- Amancio Amaro Varela Spanish football player. He played in Deportivo de La Coruña and in Real Madrid. He is considered the best Galician player ever (1939–]]).
- Emilio Pérez Touriño is a professional socialist politician and the current president of the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia (1948–]]).
- Manuel Rivas Barros Spanish writer, poet, essayist and journalist. He is one of the best known Galician writers (1957 -).
- Andrés Díaz Spanish athlete. His best result was a bronze medal in 3000 metres indoor in Maebashi (1999).
[edit] Etymology and linguistic issues
The toponym derives from Crunia, of unknown origin and meaning. At the time of Ferdinand II of Leon (12th century) the name Crunia is documented for the first time. As usual in Galician-Portuguese (but not in Spanish), the cluster ni naturally evolved into the sound /ɲ/, written nn, further abbreviated to ñ in Spanish spelling, and nh in Portuguese one.
Currently, the only official form of the name is the Galician one.[1]. Nonetheless, the Spanish form La Coruña is still widespread.
[edit] Sister cities
[edit] References
- ^ Decree of the Xunta de Galicia 146/1984, 27 September,[1] which follows on the principles of Law 3/1983, 15 June, of Linguistic Normalization, article 10 [2]
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
[edit] External links
- Tourism Office website for A Coruña (Turismo Coruña - Town Council)
- Tourism website for A Coruña (TurGalicia - Regional Tourism Office)
- Tourism website - Travel Guide for A Coruña (TurEspaña - National Tourism Office)
- Town council of A Coruña
- Tourist guide to la Coruna city
- Panoramics photos A Coruña
| Galician cities |  |
|---|---|
| Santiago de Compostela | A Coruña | Vigo | |
| Pontevedra | Ferrol | Lugo | Ourense | |
![[5]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/scans/EB1911_png/VOL07%20CONSTANTINE%2C%20PAVLOVICH-DEMIDOV/EB7A225.png){kind=link}