Belmonte de Miranda

Belmonte de Miranda
Municipality

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Coat of arms
Belmonte de Miranda

Location in Spain

Coordinates: 43°17′N 6°14′W / 43.283°N 6.233°W
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Asturias
Province Asturias
Comarca Oviedo
Judicial district Grado
Capital Belmonte
Government
  Alcalde Roberto Pérez López (PSOE)
Area
  Total 208.01 km2 (80.31 sq mi)
Highest elevation 1,527 m (5,010 ft)
Population
  Total 1,855
  Density 8.9/km2 (23/sq mi)
Demonym belmontino/a
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 33830
Website www.belmontedemiranda.com

Belmonte de Miranda (Asturian: Miranda) is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Salas, on the east by Grado, to the south by Somiedo and Teverga, and on the west by Tineo.

Geography

The municipality is crossed from south to north by the basin of the river Pigüeña, a trout-rich tributary of the Narcea, the river which forms the northern border with Salas, and which is usually fished for salmon.

The southeast part of the municipality forms part of the Somiedo Natural Park. In it are a great variety of native forest species: oaks, chestnuts, and so forth. Here the fauna is varied and abundant, including wolves, foxes, badgers, roe deer, boars, and brown bear.

Demography

The inhabitants of the municipality are in 66 principal villages divided into 15 parishes, the largest of which is Belmonte, with 32.1 km².

Like many of the municipalities in the mountains of Asturias, Belmonte de Miranda is losing population. At the turn of the twentieth century, it numbered over 7000. Emigration was a major cause of population decline, especially in the 1940s. In the final decades of the twentieth century, the population of the capital seems to have become fixed at around 800.

Economy

Agriculture is the most developed economic activity in the region. It is done on small ranches and many of the ranchers are of advanced age, which endangers the future of the enterprise. In the industrial sector, the most notable company is Río Narcea Gold Mines. Nearly a third of the population works in the service sector, especially in the burgeoning hospitality businesses.

Famous people

Parishes

The government building.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belmonte de Miranda.