Cantabria facts for kids
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Cantabria is a special region in the north of Spain. About 563,000 people live there. Most people in Cantabria speak Spanish.
The people of Cantabria have their own local government. This means they have "autonomy," which is like having control over many things in their own region. The capital city is Santander. This city is right on the coast of the Cantabrian Sea. It is a very popular place for tourists to visit.
Cantabria is part of "Green Spain." This is a name for the strip of land between the Cantabrian Sea and the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. It's called "Green Spain" because it's often rainy and very green!
Amazing Ancient Art and Culture
Cantabria has a very long history. Many examples of ancient cave art have been found there. This shows that the culture of Cantabria is at least 15,000 years old! Cave art is one of the most famous things about Cantabria.
People started looking for more cave art in the early 1970s. Now, new art is found almost every year. Some of this cave art is carved into the rock. Other art is painted on the walls. Many of the pictures show animals. You can often see drawings of red deer from this area. There are also unusual symbols that puzzle experts.
This amazing art brings many tourists to Cantabria. The people of Cantabria often focus on art, tourism, and fishing. The mountains also have rich deposits of coal, iron, and zinc that are mined. Tourism is a very big part of life in Cantabria. It helps their economy a lot.
Weather and Landscape
Cantabria is known for its rainy and cool weather. Because of the rain, the region is much greener than southern Spain. It is also a very mountainous area, with tall peaks and green valleys.
Images for kids
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Topographical map of Cantabria.
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Cabo Mayor and entrance to the harbor, Santander.
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La Hermida.
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Panorama of the gateway to Alisas, in the municipio of Riotuerto, Cantabria.
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The source of the Asón River.
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Grassland in Valdáliga.
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Hills and ria typical of a landscape from the maritime region.
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Panorama of the Cantabrian mountains to the left and the port city of Santander in the distant right. The peak Alto de Brenas in Riotuerto has a height of 579 metres.
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Brañas, or mountain prairies in the municipality of Arenas de Iguña. Tordías Peak is 968 metres high.
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Population pyramid for Cantabria for 2006 from the municipal planning authority.
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Demographic map showing centres of population in 2005.
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Borders of the Duchy of Cantabria.
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Battle of La Rochelle. Castilian army, formed by Cantabrians from the Brotherhood of the Four Cities, defeated the English army, getting the control of the English Channel for the Crown of Castile.
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A statue in Santander erected in honor of Cantabrian artillery captain Pedro Velarde y Santillán, hero of the Spanish war of independence, who died 2 May 1808, during the uprising against the French occupation of Madrid.
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Banco Santander headquarters, in Paseo de Pereda, Santander.
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Parayas airport, located in the municipality of Camargo, 5 km from Santander.
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Altamira Cave paintings, made by Cro-Magnons.
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One of the many paleolithic paintings in the Cave of La Pasiega.
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International University Menéndez Pelayo. Palacio de la Magdalena. Venue for the summer courses of the UIMP (Santander). It also was a seasonal residence for kings of Spain.
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La Vijanera in Silió.
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Trainera regatta at the Santander bay.
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Santander Sports Palace: a basketball game featuring the local team, the Cantabria Lobos (wolves).
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A panoramic view of Santa Marina, Cantabria.
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See also
In Spanish: Cantabria para niños
