The Principality of Asturias
(Asturian: Principau d'Asturies or Asturies)
has over 3500 years of recorded history
and is an autonomous community within the
country of Spain. It is situated on the
north coast facing the Cantabrian Sea (Mar
Cantábrico, the Spanish name for
the Bay of Biscay).
The capital is Oviedo, and other noteworthy
cities are the major seaport Gijón,
the largest city in Asturias, and the industrial
town of Avilés. Other towns include
Mieres, Langreo, Pola de Siero, Cangas de
Onís, Cangas del Narcea, Grado, Pola
de Lena, Pola de Laviana, El Entrego, Villaviciosa,
and Llanes. See also List of municipalities
in Asturias, Comarcas of Asturias.
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Asturias is bordered to the east by Cantabria,
to the south by Castilla y León, to the
west by Galicia, and to the north by the Cantabrian
Sea.
History
Due to its situation and difficult terrain,
the territories along the north coast of Spain
were never part of Islamic Spain; the north served
as the nucleus of a small Christian enclave, the
Kingdom of Asturias, which was linked to Spain's
visigoth kingdom. For this reason since the 14th
century the heir to the Spanish throne automatically
takes the title Prince of Asturias, much as the
heir to the British throne is the Prince of Wales
and Duke of Cornwall.
After the fading of the 'Regnum Astorum' (Kingdom
of Asturias), this historic land survived as a
marginal territory in the north of Spain, although
it provided the Spanish court with high-ranking
aristocrats and played an important role in the
colonisation of the Americas.
During the 18th Century, Asturias was one of
the centres of the Spanish Enlightenment. The
renowned thinker Benito de Feijoo settled in the
Benedictine Monastery of San Vicente, Oviedo.
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, a polimath and prominent
reformer and politician of the late 18th century,
was born in the seaside town of Gijón (Xixón
in the Asturian language).
The Industrial Revolution came to Asturias with
the discovery and systematic exploitation of coal
and iron resources. At the same time there was
significant migration to the Americas; those who
succeeded overseas often returned to their native
land much the wealthier. These entrepreneurs were
known collectively as 'Indianos', for having visited
and made their fortunes in the West Indies and
beyond. The heritage of these wealthy families
can still be seen in Asturias today: many large
'modernista' villas are dotted across the region,
as well as cultural institutions such as free
schools and public libraries.
Like all Spain, Asturias played its part in the
events that led up to and include the Spanish
Civil War. In 1934, the left-wing workers' movement
fought the right-wing government of the Second
Spanish Republic in the so-called 'Revolution
of Asturias'. Troops under the command of Francisco
Franco were brought from the North African colonies
to put down the rebellion and a ferocious repression
followed. As a result, Asturias remained loyal
to the democratic republican government during
the war, and was the scene of an extraordinary
defence in extreme terrain, the Battle of El Mazuco.
With Franco eventually gaining control of all
Spain, Asturias - traditionally linked to the
Spanish crown - was known merely as the 'Province
of Oviedo' from 1936 until Franco's death in 1975.
The province's name was restored fully after the
return of democracy to Spain, in 1977.
In 1982 Asturias became an Autonomous Community
within Spain's federal constitution. The Asturian
regional government holds comprehensive competencies
in important areas such as health, education and
protection of the environment. Since 1999 the
President of the Government of Asturias has been
Vicente Álvarez Areces, of the Spanish
Socialist Worker's Party (PSOE). |
