Greater Bilbao

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Gran Bilbao real color image taken by NASA's Landsat satellite.
Gran Bilbao real color image taken by NASA's Landsat satellite.
Infrared image taken July 5th 2000 by ASTER sensor on board NASA's Terra satellite. Reddish areas are vegetation zones, dark blue zones are water bodies, white zones are clouds, their shadows can be clearly seen and greenish pixels denote the densely urbanized areas beside the Nervion river. Source: Earth Observatory (NASA).
Infrared image taken July 5th 2000 by ASTER sensor on board NASA's Terra satellite. Reddish areas are vegetation zones, dark blue zones are water bodies, white zones are clouds, their shadows can be clearly seen and greenish pixels denote the densely urbanized areas beside the Nervion river. Source: Earth Observatory (NASA).

Greater Bilbao (Basque: Bilbo Handia, Spanish: Gran Bilbao) is a metropolitan area of Biscay, Spain. It is also called Metropolitan Bilbao and is constituted by a set of municipalities along the Nervion River ending at its mouth, that due to their growth have gotten physically united looking like a single city (see conurbation), plus some satellite towns.

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[edit] Geography

It's the sixth most populated metropolitan area of Spain, with over 900,000 inhabitants, which is the most part of the 1,100,000 inhabitants of the Biscay province (the city of Bilbao has 353,000) and almost half of the Basque Country's population. The region's municipalities, as defined by the Basque Country's Territorial Directives, are: Abanto y Zierbena, Alonsotegi, Arrankudiaga, Arrigorriaga, Barakaldo, Barrika, Basauri, Berango, Bilbao, Derio, Etxebarri, Erandio, Galdakao, Getxo, Górliz, Larrabetzu, Lejona, Lemoiz, Lezama, Loiu, Muskiz, Ortuella, Plentzia, Portugalete, Santurtzi, Sestao, Sondika, Sopelana, Ugao-Miraballes, Urduliz, Valle de Trápaga-Trapagaran, Zamudio, Zaratamo and Zeberio.

Some towns that form part of other regions can be considered inside the metropolitan area as satellite towns, because of their intense dependency in transport, commerce and leisure. These towns are: Mungia, Lemoa, Amorebieta, Durango in Biscay and Laudio in Alava.

The area is structured into different zones:

  • The city of Bilbao: main hub of the metropolitan area.
  • The left bank: Traditionally industrial, port, and manufacturing zone including towns like Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalete or Santurce.
  • The right bank, more residential: Erandio, Leioa and Getxo.
  • The mining zone, where the main iron ore resources were located: Muskiz, Gallarta, Ortuella
  • Txoriherri, wide expansion zone where the international airport and the University of the Basque Country are located.
  • Hego Uribe, including Basauri, Galdakao or Arrigorriaga.
  • Uribe-Kosta: the coastal area north of Getxo is being integrated into the metropolitan area in the recent years, with the development of low density residential areas connected by the metro.

[edit] Urban Regeneration

The main municipalities of the region and metropolitan area, Bilbao and Barakaldo, and the Basque and Spanish Governments constituted in 1992 the organization Bilbao Ria 2000 for the city-planning regeneration of Bilbao and its surroundings, indeed being these the municipalities more punished by the intense industrial activity and the great amount of contaminated grounds and industrial ruins that derived from that activity. Among the projects that it has impelled this institution is the recovery of Abandoibarra, once industrial ground and the place where the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao and the Euskalduna Palace are located now.

In parallel exists the association Bilbao Metropoli-30, constituted in 1991 by the City council of Bilbao, Biscay and Basque Governments and diverse public and private organizations for the regeneration of Metropolitan Bilbao.

The area is since 1995 fully interconnected by the Metro Bilbao.

[edit] Municipalities of the Bilbao Metropolitan Area

  • Bilbao Metropolitan Area (35 municipalities)
Municipality
Area
Population
Density
Abanto y Zierbena 18.0 km² 9,503 527.9 /km²
Alonsotegi 16.0 km² 2,745 171.6 /km²
Arrankudiaga 20.8 km² 4,018 193.2 /km²
Arrigorriaga 22.8 km² 12000 341 /km²
Barakaldo 24.3 km² 95,260 3,920.2 /km²
Barrika 7.8 km² 1,337 171.4 /km²
Basauri 7.2 km² 44,052 6,118.3 /km²
Berango 8.8 km² 5,904 670.9 /km²
Bilbao 41.3 km² 353,173 8,551.4 /km²
Derio 7.4 km² 5,030 679.7 /km²
Etxebarri 3.3 km² 7,707 2,335.5 /km²
Erandio 18.0 km² 23,338 1,296.6 /km²
Galdakao 31.7 km² 29,594 933.6 /km²
Górliz 10.2 km² 4,882 478.6 /km²
Getxo 11.9 km² 82,687 6,948.5 /km²
Larrabetzu 21.5 km² 1,647 76.6 /km²
Leioa 8.5 km² 28,858 3,395.1 /km²
Lemoiz 14.3 km² 925 64.7 /km²
Lezama 16.5 km² 2,287 138.6 /km²
Loiu 15.3 km² 2,205 144.1 /km²
Muskiz 20.8 km² 6,682 321.3 /km²
Ortuella 7.7 km² 8,554 1,110.9 /km²
Plentzia 6.3 km² 3,949 626.8 /km²
Portugalete 3.2 km² 49,788 15,558.8 /km²
Santurce(Santurtzi) 7.2 km² 47,155 6,549.3 /km²
Sestao 3.5 km² 30,350 8,671.4 /km²
Sondika 6.3 km² 4,300 682.5 /km²
Sopelana 8.4 km² 11,469 1,365.4 /km²
Ugao-Miraballes 5.2 km² 4,060 780.8 /km²
Urduliz 7.8 km² 3,241 415.5 /km²
Trapagaran 13.1 km² 12,580 960.3 /km²
Zamudio 18.1 km² 3,176 175.5 /km²
Zaratamo 10.0 km² 1,624 162.4 /km²
Zeberio 47.1 km² 1,027 21.8 /km²
Total 494.7 km² 906,390 1,832.2 /km²
  • Satellite towns (5 municipalities)
Municipality
Population
Amorebieta 16,800
Durango 26,131
Laudio 18,623
Lemoa 2,831
Mungia 14,052
Total 78,437
Total Met. Area 984,827
View of the region from Rontegi Bridge, Barakaldo.
View of the region from Rontegi Bridge, Barakaldo.

[edit] External links


edit Comarcas of the Basque Country Flag of Basque Country

Arratia-Nerbioi | Busturialdea | Durangaldea | Enkarterri | Greater Bilbao | Lea-Artibai | Uribe


edit Municipalities in Biscay Coat of Bizkaia

Abadiño | Abanto y Ciérbana-Abanto Zierbena | Ajangiz | Alonsotegi | Amorebieta-Etxano | Amoroto | Arakaldo | Arantzazu | Artzentales | Areatza | Arrankudiaga | Arratzu | Arrieta | Arrigorriaga | Artea | Atxondo | Aulesti | Bakio | Balmaseda | Barakaldo | Barrika | Basauri | Bedia | Berango | Bermeo | Berriatua | Berriz | Bilbao | Busturia | Derio | Dima | Durango | Ea | Elantxobe | Elorrio | Erandio | Ereño | Ermua | Errigoiti | Etxebarri | Etxebarria | Forua | Fruiz | Galdakao | Galdames | Gamiz-Fika | Garay | Gatika | Gautegiz Arteaga | Gernika-Lumo | Getxo | Gizaburuaga | Gordexola | Gorliz | Güeñes | Ibarrangelu | Igorre | Ispaster | Iurreta | Izurtza | Karrantza | Kortezubi | Lanestosa | Larrabetzu | Laukiz | Leioa | Lekeitio | Lemoa | Lemoiz | Lezama | Loiu | Mallabia | Mañaria | Markina-Xemein | Maruri-Jatabe | Mendata | Mendexa | Meñaka | Morga | Mundaka | Mungia | Munitibar-Arbatzegi Gerrikaitz | Murueta | Muskiz | Muxika | Nabarniz | Ondarroa | Orduña | Orozko | Ortuella | Otxandio | Plentzia | Portugalete | Santurtzi | Sestao | Sondika | Sopelana | Sopuerta | Sukarrieta | Valle de Trápaga-Trapagaran | Trucios-Turtzioz | Ubide | Ugao-Miraballes | Urduliz | Zaldibar | Zalla | Zamudio | Zaratamo | Zeanuri | Zeberio | Zierbena | Ziortza-Bolibar

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