Greater Bilbao

Greater Bilbao (Basque: Bilboaldea, Spanish: Gran Bilbao) is an administrative division of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven comarcas of Biscay and the most populated one. The capital city of Greater Bilbao is Bilbao.

Not to be confused with Bilbao metropolitan area, which includes this region.
Greater Bilbao
Bilboaldea
Eskualdea / Comarca
CountrySpain
Autonomous communityBasque Country
ProvinceBiscay
CapitalBilbao
Area
 • Total361.3 km2 (139.5 sq mi)

Greater Bilbao is made by the municipalities situated along the Estuary of Bilbao which themselves form a conurbation, which metropolitan area is the fifth most populous in Spain.

Geography
Greater Bilbao (in blue) within Biscay.

Greater Bilbao, or Bilboaldea, is located at the northwest of the province of Biscay, limiting with the comarcas of Enkarterri in the west, Mungialdea and Busturialdea in the east, Durangaldea in the southeast and Arratia-Nerbioi in the south. The Bay of Biscay limits at north.

Divisions
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).

Greater Bilbao can be divided into six subcomarcas or subregions:

  • The city of Bilbao itself, comprising a single municipality but containing eight districts; earlier part of the Uribe region (merindad)
  • The left bank: Traditionally an industrial, port, and manufacturing zone. It includes Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalete and Santurtzi; earlier part of a larger merindad of Enkarterri, other than Barakaldo which was part of Uribe
  • The right bank: A mainly residential area, including Erandio, Leioa, and the more affluent Getxo; earlier part of Uribe
  • The mining zone west of the left bank, where the main iron ore resources were located: Muskiz, Gallarta, Ortuella; earlier part of Enkarterri
  • Txoriherri, wide expansion zone north of Bilbao / east of the right bank, where the international airport and the University of the Basque Country are located; earlier part of Uribe
  • Hego Uribe, south-east of Bilbao including Basauri, Galdakao and Arrigorriaga; earlier part of Uribe
  • 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; earlier part of Uribe, most of the municipalities in this zone belong to the Mungialdea comarca

Municipalities
Sheep, field and farmhouse in Leioa, and buildings of Santurtzi on the background.

Greater Bilbao is divided into 25 municipalities, being Bilbao the capital city. The 25 municipalities, among with some others, make the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao.

# Municipality Population
2018[1]		 Area in
km2
Abanto Zierbena 9,545 18
Alonsotegi 2,903 16
Arrigorriaga 12,230 22.8
Barakaldo 100,435 24.3
Basauri 40,762 7.2
Bilbao 345,821 41.2
Derio 6,545 7.4
Zierbena 1,492 9.1
Etxebarri 11,304 3.3
Erandio 24,222 18.0
Galdakao 29,288 31.7
Getxo 78,276 11.9
Larrabetzu 2,029 21.5
Leioa 31,495 8.5
Lezama 2,429 16.5
Laudio 18,205 37.45
Loiu 2,416 15.3
Muskiz 7,567 21.5
Ortuella 8,360 7.7
Portugalete (Portugaldeta) 45,826 3.2
Santurtzi 45,795 6.7
Sestao (Ziztao) 27,445 3.5
Sondika 4,495 6.3
Trapagaran 11,953 13.1
Zamudio 3,236 18.1
Zaratamo 1,515 10.0

See also

References
  1. official estimate from Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Madrid.

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