Ortigueira - Encyclopedia

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

ORTIGUEIRA, a seaport of north-western Spain, in the province of Corunna; on the northern slope of the Sierra de la Faladoira, on the river Nera and on the eastern shore of the Rfa de Santa Marta - a winding, rock-bound and much indented inlet of the Bay of 'Biscay, between Capes Ortegal and Vares, the northernmost headlands of the Peninsula. The official total of the in habitants of Ortigueira (18,426 in 1900) includes many families which dwell at some distance; the actual urban population does not exceed 2000. The industries are fishing and farming. Owing to the shallowness of the harbour large vessels cannot enter, but there is an important coasting trade, despite the dangerous character of the coast-line and the prevalence of fogs and gales. The sea-bathing and magnificent scenery attract visitors in summer even to this remote district, which has no railway and few good roads.