Greater Bilbao (Basque: Bilboaldea, Spanish: Gran Bilbao) is an administrative division of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven comarcas of Biscay and the most populated. The capital city of Greater Bilbao is Bilbao.
Greater Bilbao is formed by the municipalities situated along the Estuary of Bilbao which themselves form a metropolitan area, the fifth most populous in Spain.
Geography
Greater Bilbao, or Bilboaldea, is located at the northwest of the province of Biscay, limiting with the comarcas of Enkarterri in the west, Mungialdea and Busturialdea in the east, Durangaldea in the southeast and Arratia-Nerbioi in the south. The Bay of Biscay limits at north.
Divisions
Greater Bilbao can be divided into six subcomarcas or subregions:
The city of Bilbao itself, comprising a single municipality but containing eight districts including its oldest part, Bilbao la Vieja; earlier part of the Uribe region (merindad) The left bank: Traditionally an industrial, port, and manufacturing zone. It includes Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalete and Santurtzi; earlier part of a larger merindad of Enkarterri, other than Barakaldo which was part of Uribe The right bank: A mainly residential area, including Erandio, Leioa, and the more affluent Getxo; earlier part of Uribe The mining zone west of the left bank, where the main iron ore resources were located: Muskiz, Gallarta, Ortuella; earlier part of Enkarterri Txoriherri, wide expansion zone north of Bilbao / east of the right bank, where the international airport and the University of the Basque Country are located; earlier part of Uribe Hego Uribe, south-east of Bilbao including Basauri, Galdakao and Arrigorriaga; earlier part of Uribe Uribe-Kosta: the coastal area north of Getxo increasingly integrated into the metropolitan area in recent years, with development of low density residential areas connected by the metro; earlier part of Uribe, most of the municipalities in this zone belong to the Mungialdea comarca
Municipalities
Greater Bilbao is divided into 25 municipalities, being Bilbao the capital city. The 25 municipalities, among with some others, make the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao.
#MunicipalityPopulation2018official estimate from Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Madrid.Area in km2Abanto Zierbena9,54518Alonsotegi2,90316Arrigorriaga12,23022.8Barakaldo100,43525.03Basauri40,7627.2Bilbao345,82141.2Derio6,5457.4Zierbena1,4929.1Etxebarri11,3043.3Erandio24,22218.0Galdakao29,28831.7Getxo78,27611.9Larrabetzu2,02921.5Leioa31,4958.5Lezama2,42916.5Laudio18,20537.45 Loiu2,41615.3Muskiz7,56721.5Ortuella8,3607.7Portugalete 45,8263.2Santurtzi45,7956.7Sestao 27,4453.5Sondika4,4956.3Trapagaran11,95313.1Zamudio3,23618.1Zaratamo1,51510.0
References
External links
Comarca del Gran Bilbao (Biscay Government). Comarca del Gran Bilbao Bilbao Ría 2000. Bilbao Metrópoli-30.