Remote in the northwest corner of the Iberian peninsula, Galicia is a green, rainswept region remarkable for the diversity of its landscape, where coastal cliffs alternate with lowlands and RRr ías. The region is famous for its excellent cuisine, while pilgrims flock here to visit the city of Santiago de Compostela. The Galicians, whose origins are Celtic, are fiercely proud of their culture and language.
Traditionally , Galicia was seen as a poor agricultural region, whose economy did not lend itself to modernization. It absorbed little Roman influence, was never conquered by the Moors, and in the Middle Ages fell under the control of the kingdom of Asturias. It was only very briefly an independent monarchy, in the 10th and 11th centuries.
Bordering Portugal to the south and enclosed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Galicia could offer its inhabitants little in the way of new land for cultivation; overpopulation and unemployment forced many to emigrate. Yet, in the 20th century, Galicia began to develop, and today traditional lifestyles rub shoulders with modernity. Galicia has always maintained strong links with the sea; the port cities of Vigo and A Coruña tare centres of culture, commerce, and industry. Fishing is vital to the economy, and Galician seafood is the best in Spain.
The coastline, cut with fjordlike rías, is dotted with fishing villages. Enormous efforts have been made to clean up damage caused by the 2002 sinking of the Prestige oil tanker, and most of the coast has now recovered. Mainland Spain's most westerly point – the heather-clad Cabo Fisterra – is situated on this rugged stretch of coast.
Even more magical is the pilgrimage centre of Santiago de Compostela, the region's capital. Romantic hillsides shrouded in mist conceal the remains of Celtic settlements; at road junctions and in the towns stand weathered stone crosses, while in the villages old granaries can be seen. The picture is completed by the sound of Galicians' favourite instrument – the bagpipes – and their language, gallego, which bears strong similarities to Portuguese.
The oldest town in Galicia, A Coruña is mentioned in Irish myths about a Celtic hero by the name of Breogán, who came to the Iberian coast and built a tower here. The famous lighthouse – Torre de Hércules – dates from the Roman period. A Coruña is also the birthplace of María Pita, who became a Galician heroine by leading local resistance to a raid by Sir Francis Drake in 1589. The town has been an important commercial port for centuries.
Houses with large glass balconies, glistening in the sun, are common all over Galicia, but the most famous ones are found here in A Coruña. It was this particular architectural feature that led visiting sailors to dub A Coruña the "City of Glass". These extensive glass galerías, which have been used in thousands of advertising photographs, were designed to face the harbour, and so are located at the back of the buildings. The façades face the Calle de Riego de Agua and Calle Real, streets that once formed the main axis of the town.
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