Ferrol, Spain

Ferrol
Municipality
Ferrol natural harbour, the city is in the background to the right
Ferrol natural harbour, the city is in the background to the right
Flag of Ferrol
Flag
Coat of arms of Ferrol
Coat of arms
Map
Location of Ferrol
Ferrol is located in Galicia
Ferrol
Ferrol
Ferrol is located in Spain
Ferrol
Ferrol
Coordinates: 43°29′04″N 08°13′58″W / 43.48444°N 8.23278°W / 43.48444; -8.23278
CountrySpain
Autonomous CommunityGalicia
ProvinceA Coruña
ComarcaFerrol
Fishing Village1st century BC
Christian Outpost8th century
Royal Arsenal16th century
Royal Dockyard18th century
ParishesBrión, A Cabana, Covas, Doniños, Esmelle, Ferrol, A Graña, Leixa, Mandiá, Marmancón, A Mariña, Trasancos, Serantes
Government
 • TypeElected city council that chooses a mayor amongst their members.
 • BodyConcello de Ferrol
 • MayorÁngel Mato Escalona (PSdeG-PSOE)
Area
 • Total
81.9 km2 (31.6 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total
66,799
 • Density820/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Demonym(s)ferrolan (m), ferrolana (f)
Time zoneCET (GMT +1)
 • Summer (DST)CEST (GMT +2)
Postcode
15401–15406
Area code+34 981
Websitehttp://www.ferrol.gal/

Ferrol (Galician: [feˈrɔl] ⓘ, Spanish: [feˈrol] ⓘ) is a city in the province of A Coruña[2] in Galicia, Spain. It is located in the Rías Altas, in the vicinity of Strabo's Cape Nerium (modern day Cape Prior).[3][4][2][5] According to the 2021 census, the city has a population of 64,785, making it the seventh largest settlement in Galicia. With Eume to the south and Ortegal the north, Ferrol forms the comarca of Ferrolterra, and together with A Coruña forms the second largest conurbation in Galicia, with a total population of 640,000 in 2016.

The harbour, for depth, capacity and safety, has few equals in Europe. The entrance is very narrow,[6] commanded by forts, and may even be shut by a boom.[7][8][9]

The city has been a major naval shipbuilding centre for most of its history, being the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the North since the time of the early Bourbons.[6] Before that, in the 17th century,[10][11][12][13] Ferrol had the largest arsenal[2][14][15] in Europe. Today, the city contains some of the major shipbuilding yards of the Navantia Group.

Ferrol was the birthplace of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1892. The municipality was officially named after him as "El Ferrol del Caudillo" from September 1938 to December 1982.[16] It was also the birthplace of the founder of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Pablo Iglesias, in 1850.

The city is one of the starting points of the English Way[17] path of the Camino de Santiago.[18] Because of the modern requirement that pilgrims must travel 100 km by foot in order to be officially recognized, Ferrol is the preferred starting point for pilgrims traversing the English Way.

  1. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. ^ a b c Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ferrol" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 289.
  3. ^ Jones, Horace Leonard (1949). The Geography Of Strabo, Vol.2. pp. 7–8, 69.
  4. ^ Ptolemaeus, Claudius (100–170). "Atlas - Claudius Ptolemaeus Geographia - Ancient Geography - EuropaeIiTab.hispania". archive.org. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  5. ^ Prévost, abbé; Gmelin, Johann Georg (1746). Histoire générale des voyages, ou nouvelle collection de toutes les relations de voyages par mer et par terre, qui ont été publiées jusqu'à present dans les différentes langues de toutes les nations connues ... Tome premier [-vingtième]. John Carter Brown Library. A Paris, : chez Didot ... p. 36.
  6. ^ a b Tofiño de San Miguel, Vicente; Mengs, Anton Raphael; Salvador Carmona, Manuel; Ballester, Joaquín; Vázquez, Bartolomé; Valdés, Antonio; Asensio, Josef (1789). Atlas marítimo de España [Material cartográfico]. Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla. Madrid: [s.n.] p. 35.
  7. ^ Morse, Jedidiah; Morse, Richard C. (Richard Cary); Converse, Sherman (1823). A new universal gazetteer, or Geographical dictionary : containing a description of the various countries, provinces, cities, towns, seas, lakes, rivers, mountains, capes, &c. in the known world. With an appendix ... accompanied with an atlas. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Library. New-Haven :Printed and published by S. Converse. p. 256.
  8. ^ Edinburgh encyclopaedia. Gerstein - University of Toronto. Edinburgh, Blackwood. 1830. p. 308.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. ^ Blaeu, Joan (1659). Geographia Blauiana [Mapas]. Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla. Amsterdam : Juan Blaeu. p. 524.
  10. ^ Noticias ordinarias del Norte, Italia, Africa, y España : con la noticia plausible de todas, del dichosissimo arribo de la reyna nuestra señora al Puerto de Ferrol en Galicia à 26 del passado : publicadas à 4 de abril 1690. Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla. [En Madrid] : por Sebastian de Armendariz, librero. 1690. pp. 109–110.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. ^ Stanhope, Alexander (1844). Spain Under Charles the Second; Or, Extracts from the Correspondence of the Hon. Alexander Stanhope, British Minister at Madrid. 1690–1699. J. Murray. pp. 3.
  12. ^ Gallucci, Giovanni Paolo; Pérez, Miguel (1614). Theatro del mundo, y del tiempo : en el qual no solo se descriuen sus partes, y se da regla en el medirlas, mas con ingeniosas y acomodadas demostraciones y figuras, se representan ante los lectores ... : cõ index. Getty Research Institute. Impresso en Granada : Por Sebastian Muñoz, a costa de Iulio Castellon. pp. 127–128.
  13. ^ Blaeu, Joan (1659). Geographia Blauiana [Mapas]. Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla. Amsterdam : Juan Blaeu. p. 11.
  14. ^ "Burlington weekly free press. (Burlington, Vt.) 1866–1928, July 21, 1898, Image 15". Burlington Weekly Free Press. 21 July 1898. ISSN 2166-2037. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  15. ^ First Edition, 1771 Encyclopaedia Britannica; Or, A Dictionary Of Arts And Sciences, Compiled Upon A New Plan ... by National Library of Scotland. 1771. p. 588.
  16. ^ Rego, Paco (30 September 2018). "El Ferrol y el 'caudillo'". El Mundo.
  17. ^ Camino, Follow the. "Camino Ingles - English Way • Follow the Camino". FollowtheCamino.com. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  18. ^ "The English Way to Santiago de Compostela | Camino Walk Spain". www.utracks.com. Retrieved 13 March 2018.