Gijón
Gijón
Xixón (Asturian) | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
| Gijón / Xixón[1] | |
Aerial view Jovellanos Theater Elogio del Horizonte City hall Panoramic view | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
Location of Gijón | |
| Coordinates: 43°32′N 5°42′W / 43.533°N 5.700°W | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Asturias |
| Founded | 5th century BC (Noega, the first settlement on record) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Carmen Moriyón (Foro) |
| Area | |
• Total | 181.6 km2 (70.1 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 737 m (2,418 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 270,219 |
| • Density | 1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi) |
| Demonyms | gijonés, -esa (es) xixonés, -esa (ast) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 33201–33212 |
| Website | Official website |
Gijón (Spanish: [xiˈxon] ⓘ) or Xixón (Asturian: [ʃiˈʃoŋ]) is a city and municipality in north-western Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias. It is located on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea in the Bay of Biscay, in the central-northern part of Asturias; it is approximately 24 km (15 mi) north-east of Oviedo,[3] the capital of Asturias, and 26 km (16 mi) from Avilés. With a population of 270,219 as of 2024, Gijón is the 16th-largest city in Spain.[2]
Gijón forms part of a large metropolitan area that includes twenty councils in the center of the region, structured with a dense network of roads, highways and railways and with a population of 835,053 inhabitants in 2011, making it the 7th-largest in Spain.[4]
During the 20th century, Gijón developed as an industrial city in the steel and naval industries. However, due to the decline in manufacturing in these industries, in recent years Gijón is undergoing a transformation into an important tourist, university, commercial and R&D center. Gijón is the location of the Radiotelevisión del Principado de Asturias, the neighbourhood of Cimavilla, the Universidad Laboral de Gijón, the Revillagigedo Palace, and the adjoining Collegiate Church of San Juan Bautista.
Gijón is part of the statistical (not yet developed from an administrative standpoint) comarca of Gijón.
- ^ Consejería de Cultura, Comunicación Social y Turismo: "Decreto 105/2006, de 20 de septiembre, por el que se determinan los topónimos oficiales del concejo de Gijón" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Principado de Asturias (229). 3 October 2006. ISSN 1579-7252. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-08-13.
- ^ a b "Annual population census 2021-2024". INE.
- ^ "Distancia de Oviedo a Gijón en coche". esdistancia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-12-18.
- ^ "Información estadística de las grandes áreas urbanas españolas". Ministerio de fomento, ed. 2012.