Galicia summary

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Galicia.

Galicia , ancient Gallaecia, Autonomous community (pop., 2001: 2,695,880) and ancient kingdom, northwestern Spain. Covering 11,419 sq mi (29,575 sq km), Galicia is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal, and its capital is Santiago de Compostela. Its name is derived from the Celtic Gallaeci, who lived there when the region was conquered by the Romans c. 137 bc. Taken by the Visigoths in ad 585, it next passed to the Moors and became part of the kingdom of Asturias in the 8th and 9th centuries. It lost much of its political autonomy after the unification of Castile and Aragon in 1479. The region was made an autonomous community in 1981. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing are economically important.

A Coruña Summary

A Coruña, city, capital of A Coruña provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Galicia, in extreme northwestern Spain. It lies on an inlet facing the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Mero River. Under the Romans, A Coruña was the port of Brigantium, but its present

Santiago de Compostela Summary

Santiago de Compostela, city, A Coruña provincia (province), capital of the comunidad autonóma (autonomous community) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. It lies near the confluence of the Sar and Sarela rivers, 32 miles (51 km) southwest of A Coruña city. In 1985 UNESCO designated the city a World

Spain Summary

Spain, country located in extreme southwestern Europe. It occupies about 85 percent of the Iberian Peninsula, which it shares with its smaller neighbour Portugal. Spain is a storied country of stone castles, snowcapped mountains, vast monuments, and sophisticated cities, all of which have made it a