Province of Huelva

Wetlands in Doñana

Huelva (pronounced: [ˈwelβa]) is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Huelva.

Its area is 10,148 km². Its population is 483,792 (2005), of whom about 30% live in the capital, and its population density is 47.67/km². It contains 79 municipalities.

The economy is based on agriculture and mining. The famous Rio Tinto mines have been worked since before 1000 BC, and were the major source of copper for the Roman Empire. As an indication of the scope of ancient mining, sixteen million tons of Roman slag have been identified at the Roman mines. British companies resumed large-scale mining in 1873; the district is the namesake of the Rio Tinto Group. ^[1]

The province contains Palos de la Frontera, and Moguer, where Christopher Columbus sailed out of on his first voyage in 1492, and shares the Parque Nacional de Doñana.

Tourism[link]

The delayed tourist development of the province has allowed better city planning than in other regions on the Spanish coast. The nuclei of Islantilla and Isla Canela are an example of this attempt to plan in a more coherent form. Although in a smaller scale in comparison to other regions, urban pressure continues. Previous developments that had little planning until recent time are El Rompido, El Portil, Mazagón and Matalascañas (Torre de la Higuera).

Although Punta Umbría had its beginnings like pedanía de Cartaya, after the democratization of summer tourism, it began its urban development for its proximity to the capital and its location on the beach. Present development would not endure without tourist activity and its vacation housing. Other tourist areas are Nuevo Umbría, Nuevo Portil, Punta del Moral, La Antilla and Urbasur.

Of note is Huelva‘s recent classification of “rural tourism” for its the interior mountain range.

See also[link]

• List of municipalities in Huelva

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (Spanish)
• Natural Park Doñana (Spanish)
• Natural Park Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche (Spanish)

v t e Provinces of Andalusia Almería Cádiz Córdoba Granada Huelva Jaén Málaga Sevilla

v t e Provinces of Spain A Coruña Álava Albacete Alicante Almería Asturias Ávila Badajoz Balearic Islands Barcelona Biscay Burgos Cáceres Cádiz Cantabria Castellón Ciudad Real Córdoba Cuenca Girona Granada Guadalajara Gipuzkoa Huelva Huesca Jaén Las Palmas León Lleida Lugo Madrid Málaga Murcia Navarre Ourense Palencia Pontevedra La Rioja Salamanca Segovia Seville Soria Tarragona Santa Cruz de Tenerife Teruel Toledo Valencia Valladolid Zamora Zaragoza

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Coordinates: 37°40′N 7°00′W / 37.667°N 7°W / 37.667; -7

Huelva
—  Municipality  —
Queen Victoria district, English style suburb
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Portus Maris et Terrae Custodia
Location of Huelva
Huelva Location in Andalusia
Huelva Location in Spain
Coordinates: 37°15′N 6°57′W / 37.25°N 6.95°W / 37.25; -6.95Coordinates: 37°15′N 6°57′W / 37.25°N 6.95°W / 37.25; -6.95
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Huelva
Comarca	Comarca metropolitana de Huelva
Founded	10th century BC
Government
• Alcalde	Pedro Rodríguez González (PP)
Area
• Total	149 km2 (58 sq mi)
Elevation	54 m (177 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	149,410
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Demonym	onubense, (vulgarmente) choquero/a
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	21001 and otros
Official language(s)
Website	Official website

Huelva (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwelβa]) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The city has been inhabited since 3000 BC. The town is home to Recreativo de Huelva, the oldest football club in Spain.

Location and history[link]

Santuario de la Cinta

A maritime town between the rivers Anas (modern Guadiana) and Baetis (modern Guadalquivir), it was seated on the estuary of the River Luxia (modern Odiel), and on the road from the mouth of the Anas to Augusta Emerita (modern Mérida).^[1]

The city may be the site of Tartessus; by the Phoenicians it was called Onoba. The Greeks kept the name and rendered it Ὄνοβα. It was in the hands of the Turdetani at the time of conquest by Rome, and before the conquest it issued silver coins with Iberian legends. It was called both Onoba Aestuaria^[2] or Onuba (used on coinage) during Roman times, or, simply, Onoba.^[3] The city was incorporated into the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. The Arabs then called it Walbah and ruled between 712-1250. It suffered substantial damage in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

There are still some Roman remains. The city had a mint; and many coins have been found there bearing the name of the town as Onuba.^[4] Modern ihabitants are called Onubenses in Spanish.

Mines in the countryside send copper and pyrite to the port for export. From about 1873, the most important company in the area was Rio Tinto, the British mining firm.^[5]

During World War II, the city was a hub of espionage activities led by members of the large British and German communities. German activity centered on reporting British shipping moving in and out of the Atlantic. Most famously, the city was the location where Operation Mincemeat allowed a body carrying false information to wash ashore.^[5]

The body of Glyndwr Michael, the fictional "Major William Martin, Royal Marines," is buried in the San Marco section of the cemetery of Nuestra Senora under a headstone that reads "William Martin, born 29 March 1907, died 24 April 1943, beloved son of John Glyndwyr and the late Antonia Martin of Cardiff, Wales, DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI, R.I.P."^[5]

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission in January 1998 added an inscription to the gravestone which reads, "Glyndwr Michael served as Major William Martin."^[6]

On October 11, 2005, Hurricane Vince made landfall in Huelva as a tropical depression.

Modern Huelva[link]

The local football club, Recreativo de Huelva, is the oldest in Spain. It was founded in 1889 by workers of Rio Tinto Group, a British mining company.

Port[link]

Port of Huelva

Park of the Palomas

The Port of Huelva is divided in two sectors: the inner port (in the city) and the outer port (the main one)

Inner Port (one wharf). Constructed in 1972, the East Wharf, replaced constructed harbour facilities of inferior quality between 1900 and 1910. At the moment it is the wharf used for smaller traffic including tourist boats.

Outer Port (six wharves). Was built starting in 1965, to the south of the River Tinto.

Demographics[link]

Pablo Rada street

Huelva had a population of 149,410 in 2010. The city experienced a population boom in the 19th century, due to the exploitation of mineral resources in the area and another with to the construction of the Polo de Desarrollo in the 1960s. The city had only 5,377 inhabitants in 1787 which had only risen to 8,519 by 1857. From 1887, the city experienced rapid growth reaching 21,539 residents in 1900 and 56,427 forty years later. By 1970 this figure had risen to 96,689. Further rapid expansion occurred and the number of inhabitants had reached 141,479 by 1991.

In the last ten years, immigration both from abroad and from the surrounding area have caused continued growth in the city’s population. In 2007, the city reached the 145,000 mark while the metropolitan area was touching 232,000, encompassing the surrounding areas of Aljaraque, Moguer, San Juan del Puerto, Punta Umbría, Gibraleón and Palos de la Frontera. The 2006 census noted a foreign population of almost 5,000 people in the urban centre, the majority of whom were of Moroccan origin.

Climate[link]

Christopher Columbus[link]

Among the attractions to visit in this province are the Columbus sites. These sites include the city of Huelva itself, Moguer, Palos de la Frontera, and the Rábida Monastery. La Rábida is where Columbus sought the aid of the Franciscan brothers in advancing his project of discovery. They introduced him to local rich sailors (the Pinzón brothers), and, eventually, arranged a meeting in Seville with Ferdinand and Isabella.

Artists[link]

Platero for León Ortega. Museum J.R. Jiménez, Moguer.

Vázquez Díaz, Fresco in La Rabida Monastery, Palos de la Frontera.

The most outstanding artists in Huelva have been: the poet and prize Nobel of Literature Juan Ramón Jiménez, the sculptor Antonio León Ortega, the writer Nicolas Tenorio Cerero and the painter Daniel Vázquez Díaz.
Other plastic outstanding artists of Huelva are painting José Caballero, Pedro Gómez y Gómez, Antonio Brunt, Mateo Orduña Castellano, Pablo Martínez Coto, Manuel Moreno Díaz, Juan Manuel Seisdedos Romero, Francisco Doménech, Esperanza Abot, José María Labrador, Sebastián García Vázquez, Pilar Barroso, Juan Carlos Castro Crespo, Lola Martín, Antonio Gómez Feu, Rafael Aguilera and Florencio Aguilera Correa. Miguel Biez, called el Litri is perhaps the town's most famous artist; he was gored in a bullfight in 1929.^[5]

Statue of the Pinzón Brothers in Palos de la Frontera, Huelva, Spain

Pinta, Niña and Santa María ship docked in the "Muelle de Carabelas" in Palos de la Frontera, Huelva

Events[link]

• Carnaval, fiesta
• Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de Huelva
• Fiestas Colombinas, fiesta first week of August
• Fiestas de la Cinta, between 3–8 September
• San Sebastián, festival 20 January
• Semana Santa (Easter Week)
• Virgen de la Cinta, fiesta 8 September
• El Rocio

Nearby[link]

Near Huelva lay Herculis Insula, mentioned by Strabo (iii. p. 170), called Ἡράκλεια by Steph. B. (s. v.), now Isla Saltés.

Twin towns[link]

Huelva is twinned with:

•  Italy, Genoa

•  Italy, Viganella, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola

•  United States, New Orleans

•  United States, Houston

•  Spain, Cádiz

•  Morocco, Tanger

•  Portugal, Faro

•  Romania, Piteşti

•  Hungary, Győr

See also[link]

• Costa de la Luz

References[link]

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–57). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. 

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Información sobre la Sierra de Aracena
• Huelva - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía
• City of Huelva Andalucia Destination
• Huelva municipal government Official Website (Spanish)
• A Travel Guide to Huelva (English)
• City of Huelva Andalucia Destination
• Huelva Hoy Daily Events in Spanish
• Huelva Cultura in Spanish
• Port Authority of Huelva Official web page with information about the port, its history and technical characteristics.
• Maps
  • "Maps of Huelva". Justspain.org. 2007-05-30. http://www.justspain.org/spain/huelva/huelva-maps.asp. 
  • Antonio Delgado (2006-10-21). "Huelva.es ::: Ayuntamiento de Huelva (España)". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2006-10-21. http://web.archive.org/web/20061021144000/http://huelva.es/callejero/index.html. 
• Guía de autores onubenses (Local writers) Juntadeandalucia.es. Juan David Ayllón Burguillo (Spanish)
• Santa Bárbara de casa Huelva
• Adrian Fletcher’s Paradoxplace - Convento de la Rábida Photo and History page
• Doñana Natural Park (Spanish)
• Sierra de Aracena Natural Park (Spanish)

v t e Cities and port cities in Andalusia Capitals of provinces Almería Cádiz Córdoba Granada Huelva Jaén Málaga Seville Port cities Algeciras Almuñécar Benalmádena Chipiona El Puerto de Santa María Fuengirola Marbella Moguer Motril Nerja San Fernando Sanlúcar de Barrameda Torremolinos Other cities Antequera Aracena Baeza Cazorla Dos Hermanas Grazalema Guadix Jerez de la Frontera Linares Ronda Rota Santiponce Úbeda

v t e Capitals of provinces of Spain A Coruña Albacete Alicante Almería Ávila Badajoz Barcelona Bilbao Burgos Cáceres Cádiz Castellón de la Plana Ciudad Real Córdoba Cuenca Donostia-San Sebastián Girona Granada Guadalajara Huelva Huesca Jaén Logroño Las Palmas León Lleida Lugo Madrid Málaga Murcia Ourense Oviedo Palencia Palma Pamplona Pontevedra Salamanca Santander Santa Cruz Segovia Seville Soria Tarragona Teruel Toledo Valencia Valladolid Vitoria-Gasteiz Zamora Zaragoza