Ribadeo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ribadeo
Municipality
Port of Ribadeo
Flag Coat of arms
Ribadeo Location in Province of Lugo Show map of Province of Lugo Ribadeo Location in Galicia Show map of Galicia Ribadeo Location in Spain Show map of Spain
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Galicia
Province	Lugo
Comarca	A Mariña Oriental
Area
• Total	106 km2 (41 sq mi)
Elevation (AMSL (highest point))	571 m (1,873 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	9,900
• Density	93.4/km2 (241.9/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST (GMT +2))
Postal code	27700
Area code(s)	+34 (Spain) + 982 (Lugo)
Website	www.ribadeo.gal

Ribadeo is a cool town (called a municipality) in Spain. It's in the Lugo province, which is part of Galicia. About 10,000 people live there, and it covers an area of about 106 square kilometers (41 square miles). It's also the main town of a region called A Mariña Oriental.

Exploring Ribadeo's Location

Imagine a square about 10 kilometers (6 miles) on each side – that's roughly the shape of Ribadeo. To the north, it touches the Cantabrian Sea. To the east, there's the Ribadeo estuary, which is like a wide river mouth. Across this estuary is another town called Castropol in Asturias.

To the west, Ribadeo borders the town of Barreiros, and to the south, it borders Trabada. The main part of the municipality is the town of Ribadeo itself. There's also another town called Rinlo, plus many smaller villages and hamlets. The highest point in Ribadeo is Mondigo mountain, which is 571 meters (1,873 feet) tall.

A Look Back at Ribadeo's History

Ribadeo has a long history! The first known settlements here were from the Iron Age. These were hillforts built by a group of people called the Gallaeci. Some of these old hillforts include Grovas, Fornelo, and Aira da Croa.

In the 13th century, Ribadeo became more important. King Ferdinand II gave the town special rights. The town started near the estuary, where the docks are now, and then grew onto higher land. It even had a wall, mostly for checking goods coming in and out, rather than for defense. You can still see some parts of this old wall today.

Ribadeo was one of the three most important medieval towns in its region, along with Viveiro and Mondoñedo. King Fernando III gave Ribadeo a special permission to hold a weekly market, which is still held today!

For a while, the town was owned by the king. Then, it was given to a French nobleman named Pierre de Villeines. After him, it changed hands several times and eventually became part of the House of Alba. The current Count of Ribadeo is Carlos Fitz-James Stuart Martinez de Irujo.

Ribadeo was once a very busy port. It was a key place for trading goods between the Cantabria region and the Baltic region. It was the only place where a special drink called Kümmel (a type of liqueur) could be imported from the port of Riga. Because of this, the drink became known as "Kúmel of Ribadeo." However, by the mid-1800s, the port became less important because other ports like Gijón started to compete.

The town's coat of arms is very old. It shows ocean waves with a golden key and a silver star. The key means the town joined Galicia, and the star shows its northern location.

Interesting Places to Visit

Ribadeo has some cool places to see:

• 

  Torre de los Moreno (1915).
• Torre de los Moreno: This is a unique house built in 1915. It mixes different styles, with fancy decorations on the front and a more classic look on the back. It's also special because it was built using concrete and steel, which was unusual at the time.
• The parish church of Santa María do Campo.
• The old ruins of a Franciscan convent.
• Many old houses in the town's historic area have special family crests carved into them.
• Small beaches are located below the cliffs to the west. One very famous beach is As Catedrais, known for its amazing rock formations that look like cathedral arches, carved by the sea over time.

Who Lives in Ribadeo?

More than 6,500 people live in the main town area of Ribadeo. If you include nearby villages, the population reaches about 8,000. The total population of the whole municipality is thought to be over 13,000, even though official numbers might show a bit less. In the summer, when tourists visit, the population can jump to 25,000! Ribadeo is one of the few towns in its province that has actually grown in population over the last decade.

Ribadeo's Economy

The main part of Ribadeo's economy is the service industry. This means things like shops, restaurants, and hotels. It also has a fishing port and a commercial port, which is the only big port between Ferrol and Avilés.

Famous People from Ribadeo

Many interesting people have come from Ribadeo:

• Benito Prieto Coussent (1907-2001), a talented painter and sculptor.
• Sonia Castedo (born 1971), who was the mayor of Alicante.
• Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo y Bustelo (1926-2008), who served as the prime minister of Spain from 1981 to 1982.
• José Alonso y Trelles (1857-1924), also known as El Viejo Pancho, a leading poet and writer from Uruguay.
• Ramón Fernández Docobo, a former football player who played for SD Compostela in Spain's top football league.
• Suso Peña (1941-2005), a historian and artist.
• Luz Pozo Garza (1922-2020), a well-known poet.

See also

In Spanish: Ribadeo para niños