Gijón
| Gijón / Xixón | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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  Gijón / Xixón
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| Coordinates: 43°32′N 5°42′W / 43.533°N 5.7°WCoordinates: 43°32′N 5°42′W / 43.533°N 5.7°W | |||
| Country |  Spain |
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| Autonomous community |  Asturias |
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| Province | Asturias | ||
| Comarca | Gijón | ||
| Judicial district | Gijón | ||
| Founded | 5th century BC (Noega, the first settlement on record) | ||
| Government | |||
| - Alcalde | Paz Fernández Felgueroso (2007) (PSOE) | ||
| 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 (2008) | |||
| - Total | 275,699 | ||
| - Density | 1,518.2/km2 (3,932/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Castillian: Gijonés/sa Asturian: Xixonés/sa | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Postal code | 33201 -33212 | ||
| Official language(s) | |||
| Website | Official website | ||
Gijón (Spanish pronunciation: [xiˈxon]; Asturian: Xixón [ʃiˈʃon]), officially Gijón / Xixón,[1] is a coastal industrial city and a municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early mediaeval texts mention it as "Gigia". It was an important regional Roman city, although the area has been settled since earliest history. The name was originally applied to a small peninsula presently referred to as Cimadevilla, literally "top of village," between two beaches, one of which has a recreational port today. The main port, one of the largest in the north of Spain, is called "El Musel". Gijón has a barely growing population of approximately 277,000 (2006).
Tiene por costumbre comer piedras al medio dia mojadas en salsa cesar y tiene como costumbre despiojar a sus familiares
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[edit] Culture
- During the early years of the 19th century the, then very small, town of Gijón was best known for its college or high-school known as the "Real Instituto Asturiano" founded by Jovellanos. [2]
- Gijón has a wide range of museum options. The Museo Internacional de la Gaita (International Bagpipe Museum) contains bagpipes from around the world, focusing on the Asturian musical heritage and bagpipes. There are also several other museums:
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- Revillagigedo Palace and Museum (At Marqués square, near the City Hall)
- Nicanor Piñole Museum (An art museum)
- Evaristo Valle Museum (Local painter museum placed in a mansion at the outskirts)
- Museo del Ferrocarril (Railroad Museum, near Poniente Beach)
- Juan Barjola Museum (A museum about a local painter, also interested in avant-garde art)
- LABoralCentro de Arte y Creación Industrial (An exhibition centre for contemporary art, science, technology and advanced visual industries)
- The City Hall's sports and culture programs for citizens is wide, including the innovative Abierto Hasta el Amanecer (literally Open Till Dawn) nocturnal program, which tries to involve teens in cultural and sporting activities as an alternative to weekend nightlife.
- Gijon has 13 libraries in its Cultural City Centers, which feature a wide network of swimming pools and gyms.
[edit] Sports
Gijón's professional soccer team, Sporting de Gijón, plays in the Spanish National League and is presently in the first division. American football and baseball are played in Gijón at top levels, with the Gijón Mariners and El Llano BC competing in the most important Spanish leagues of those sports.
There is also a sports club in Gijón with more than 28,000 members. It's Real Grupo de Cultura Covadonga and this is the biggest club in Gijón.
Not far from Gijón, there are several ski resorts in Asturias, the main being Valgrande-Pajares.
Gijón has 13 public sport centers (in Spanish: Centros Municipales Integrados) with swimming pools, gyms and saunas. Swimming pools are free for children up to age 14.
The city's marina houses an important fleet of yachts and is the base for many water sports, being Royal Astur Yacht Club the most important yacht club in town.
[edit] Economy
For much of the twentieth century the town was heavily dependent on mature heavy industries, but at the end of the Franco era, tertiary sector employment began to expand rapidly along with the city's population which by 2007 stood officially at 277,897 for Gijón proper, and approximately 380,000 for the total Gijón agglomeration.
The port is at the centre of many of the local businesses. Apart from directly port related activities, the economy is based on tourism, steel (Arcelor), other metallurgy, livestock rearing and fisheries.
[edit] Climate
Gijón has an Atlantic humid maritime climate, with mild temperatures and high humidity throughout the year. The summers are warm, with both overcast and sunny days and winters are cold but warmer than other cities of the country. It rains a lot during the whole year.
| Climate data for Gijón | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) |
13.8 (56.8) |
14.9 (58.8) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.8 (64) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.2 (73.8) |
21.8 (71.2) |
19.0 (66.2) |
15.6 (60.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.9 (48) |
9.6 (49.3) |
10.7 (51.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
14.3 (57.7) |
16.9 (62.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
19.7 (67.5) |
17.9 (64.2) |
15.0 (59) |
11.6 (52.9) |
9.9 (49.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 4.7 (40.5) |
5.4 (41.7) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.1 (46.6) |
10.9 (51.6) |
13.6 (56.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.1 (57.4) |
11.0 (51.8) |
7.6 (45.7) |
5.8 (42.4) |
10.0 (50) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 94 (3.7) |
85 (3.35) |
74 (2.91) |
93 (3.66) |
79 (3.11) |
47 (1.85) |
45 (1.77) |
54 (2.13) |
70 (2.76) |
104 (4.09) |
120 (4.72) |
104 (4.09) |
971 (38.23) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 121 |
| Sunshine hours | 103 | 109 | 137 | 151 | 167 | 180 | 194 | 190 | 158 | 132 | 106 | 92 | 1,721 |
| Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología[3] | |||||||||||||
[edit] References
- ^ Decreto 105/2006, de 20 de septiembre, por el que se determinan los topónimos oficiales del concejo de Gijón/Xixón.
- ^ (English) Name of the "Instituto Asturiano" and other details taken from the Universal Pronouncing Gazetteer By Thomas Baldwin, Sixth Edition, (1847). [1]
- ^ "Valores Climatológicos Normales. Gijon". http://www.aemet.es/es/elclima/datosclimatologicos/valoresclimatologicos?l=1208&k=ast.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gijón |
- Gijon Municipality
- Official Touristic website of Gijón
- Non-official Website of Gijón Basket (professional basketball team)
- Official Toponyms - At City Council official website.
- Official Toponyms: Laws - BOPA Nº 229 - Martes, 3 de octubre de 2006 & DECRETO 105/2006, de 20 de septiembre (BOPA Errata corrections)
- Official site Sporting de Gijon
- LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial
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