General Information

The northern part of the mainland
The autonomous region of Cantabria is located in the north of Spain and lies on the coast of the Cantabrian sea. It borders the Cantabrian sea in the north, the Basque Country in the east, Castile and Leon in the south and the Principality of Asturias in the west.

The region can be divided into two distinct areas: inland and the coast. The most notable natural landmark inland is the Cantabrian mountain range, while on the coast the most striking scenery is formed by the Mayor and Ajo capes. The coast has beautiful beaches, and is also lined with steep sheer cliff faces. The interior of the region is dominated by the Picos de Europa, with Peña Vieja summit at 2,613 m tall forming the highest peak in the region. The rivers are short and full of water, given the high rainfall, and the waters that nourish the rivers from the melting ice up in the mountains. The most notable rivers are: the Agüera, the Ason, the Miera, the Pas, the Besaya, the Nansa and the Deva (that it shares with the Principality of Asturias). The Ebro river is the most abundant river on the Spanish mainland, springing from Fontibre, it does not have much water as it rises from the Mediterranean basin. The geography of the region is dominated by the most important hydrographical vertex in the whole of Spain: Peña Labrada, where the Cantabrian, the Duero and Ebro basins all meet.

Transportation

Network connections
In spite of the difficult mountainous conditions, Cantabria boasts an excellent network of transport systems that are constantly being improved.

A significant amount of freight and passengers pass through the port of Santander, and there is a regular route connecting the region with the south of England. The airport is also in Santander, and has an excellent infrastructure to cope with the influx of tourists. Road and rail links connect the whole of the region's cities, with the coastal routes being the most popular as they connect the major cities and towns along the coast. The road network can be divided into two intersections. One, the North Road, which goes as far as Bilbao, and which facilitates communications between the Cantabrian towns of Cabezón de la Sal and Torrelavega with Castro Urdiales and Ontón. And the second, which links Santander and Torrelavega with Reinosa, in the direction of Burgos.

Administration

Regional Council
Cantabria is a one province autonomous region. The capital is Santander.

Cantabria's Regional Council is the major administrative entity in the region. The Autonomy Statute of Cantabria was approved by the Spanish Parliament in December 1981. There are 39 elected members in Cantabria's Parliament. The members are elected every four years, along with the Council's President.

Population

Moderate population growth in the twentieth century
The population of this autonomous region according to figures from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) as of the 1st of January 2004, after having reviewed the Inhabitants register is 554,784.

According to the aforementioned figures, the amount of inhabitants residing in the capital, Santander is 183,799. The population growth in Cantabria has not experienced any drastic changes throughout the twentieth century, due to the amount of inhabitants that have migrated from the region. The number of inhabitants in 1900 was 276,003, and increased to a total of 530,281 in the last decade of the twentieth century. The majority of Cantabria's population lives in cities. In spite of this fact, the region is also noted for having a well-dispersed population, residing in small towns and villages in the inland areas of the region.

Back to Information page