Mondragón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mondragón
Arrasate |
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| Arrasate / Mondragón | ||
San Andres neighbourhood of Mondragón with Anboto in the background
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 Mondragón
Arrasate Location in Basque Country
Mondragón
Arrasate Location in Spain
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| Country | Spain | |
| Autonomous Community | Basque Country | |
| Province | Gipuzkoa | |
| Eskualdea | Debagoiena | |
| Founded | 15 May 1260 | |
| Neighbourhoods |
List
Herrigunea/Centro
Musakola San Andrés Santa Marina Uribarri |
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| Government | ||
| • Type | City Council | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 30.80 km2 (11.89 sq mi) | |
| Population
(2018)
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| • Total | 22,019 | |
| • Density | 714.90/km2 (1,851.6/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC +2 | |
| Post code |
20500
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| Area code(s) | +34 943 | |
Mondragón (which is called Basque: Arrasate in Basque) is a town and municipality in the Gipuzkoa Province of the Basque Country, Spain. Its official name is Arrasate/Mondragón. In 2015, about 21,933 people lived there.
Contents
Mondragón's Economy and History
Mondragón is famous for being the home of the Mondragon Corporation. This is the world's largest worker cooperative. A worker cooperative is a special type of business where the employees also own and manage the company. It was started in the 1940s by a Catholic priest named José María Arizmendiarrieta.
The Mondragon Corporation is very important to the local economy. In 2002, it made up 3.7% of the total GDP (which means the total value of goods and services produced) in the Basque Country. It also made up 7.6% of the industrial GDP.
The area around Mondragón, in the valley of the High Deba, had many jobs in the 1980s. This was a time when other industrial areas in the Basque Country were struggling because of problems in the steel industry.
A professor named Barbara J. Peters, who studies poverty, looked at Mondragón. She said that she didn't see people who were very poor or very rich. She felt that people in Mondragón looked out for each other, showing a "caring form of capitalism."
Mondragón University: Learning and Careers
Mondragón is also home to Mondragón University. This is a private university that started in 1997. It has strong connections with the Mondragon Corporation companies. Because of these connections, almost all students who graduate from Mondragón University find their first job within three months of finishing their studies.
The university has different main areas of study:
- Engineering
- Humanities
- Enterprise (business)
The engineering part of the university is in Mondragón and Goierri. The humanities part is in Eskoriatza, and the enterprise part is in Bidasoa and Oñati. About 3,500 students attend the university, and this number is growing fast. Most students come from Gipuzkoa and nearby towns. However, more and more students from bigger cities like Bilbao, San Sebastián, and Vitoria-Gasteiz (the capital of the Basque Country) are choosing to study there.
Mondragón in Film
The French language film Fiesta! by Pierre Boutron was set in Mondragón. This movie was based on a book by José Luis de Vilallonga. It takes place during the Spanish Civil War.
Images for kids
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A country house near Mondragón.
See also
In Spanish: Mondragón para niños
