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principal seaports of Spain, and the greatest of Basque towns. It occupies a small but fertile and beautiful valley, shut in by mountains on every See also:

side except towards the See also:

sea, and containing the fortified haven of Portugalete, the See also:

INDUSTRIAL

industrial See also:

TOWN

town of See also:

BARACALDO

Baracaldo (q.v.), and the villages of Santurce and See also:

Las Arenas, where the Nervion broadens to See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form the Bay of Bilbao at its mouth. Bilbao comprises two distinct parts, See also:

ancient and See also:

MODERN

modern. The new town lies on the See also:

LEFT

left See also:

BANK

bank, while the old town rises on the right in terraces. Communication across the river is afforded by five See also:

bridges, of which the See also:

OLDEST

oldest, See also:

San See also:

Antonio, is of See also:

stone, and See also:

DATES

dates from the 14th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century. The houses in the principal streets are built of hewn stone, and are several storeys high, with projecting See also:

EAVES (not a plural form as is sometimes supposed, but singular; O. Eng. efes, in Mid. High Ger. obse, Gothic ubizwa, a porch; connected with " over ")

eaves that give shelter from both See also:

sun and See also:

RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain. Many of the streets in the old town are very narrow, and have an See also:

APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance of cleanliness and quiet. For a See also:

long See also:

time no carts or carriages were permitted to enter the See also:

CITY (through Fr. cite, from Lat. civitas)

city for fear of polluting and injuring the See also:

PAVEMENT (Lat. pavimentu;n, a floor beaten or rammed hard, from pavire, to beat)

pavement, and the transport of goods was carried on in See also:

hand-carts. But after 1876 entirely new districts were mapped out on the left bank of the Nervion.

See also:

FINE

Fine broad streets, splendid squares and public gardens, hotels, villas, palatial new public buildings and numerous See also:

SCHOOLS

schools came into existence. The See also:

PART

part of the town on the right bank is, however, still the See also:

GREAT

great centre of business, the narrow streets containing the best shops. There, too, are the See also:

banks, the town See also:

hall, the See also:

THEATRE (BEarpov, " a place for seeing," from OeacOae)

theatre, the principal clubs, and the principal churches, including that of See also:

SANTIAGO, or SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Santiago, which dates from the 14th century. In and around Bilbao there are more than See also:

THIRTY

thirty convents and monasteries, and at Olaveaga, about a mile off, is the Jesuit university, attended by 85o students. Public See also:

EDUCATION

education is not, however, entirely in the hands of the priesthood and nuns; there are an See also:

INSTITUTE (from Lat. instituere, to establish or set up)

institute, a normal school to See also:

TRAIN (M. Eng. trayn or trayne, derived through Fr. from Late Lat. trahinare, to drag, draw, Lat. trahere, cf. trail, trace, ultimately from the same source)

train teachers, a school of arts and handicrafts, a nautical school and numerous public See also:

PRIMARY

primary schools for both sexes. Few See also:

SPANISH

Spanish cities See also:

GREW, NEHEMIAH (1641-1712)

grew so rapidly in See also:

SIZE

size, importance and See also:

WEALTH

wealth as Bilbao in the latter See also:

HALF

half of the 19th century. Its first bank was founded in 1857; its first railway (Bilbao-See also:

TUDELA

Tudela) opened in 1863. Thenceforward, despite the check it received from the Carlist See also:

REBELLION

rebellion of 1870-1876, and the contemporaneous decline of its See also:

WOOL, WORSTED AND WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES

wool and See also:

SHIPBUILDING

shipbuilding See also:

INDUSTRIES

industries, its prosperity increased steadily. The See also:

POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population, 17,649 in 1870, See also:

rose to 50,734 in 1887, 74,076 in 1897, and 83,306 in 1900. This development was due principally to the growth of the See also:

MINING

mining and metallurgical industries. From a very See also:

early See also:

period, as the Old See also:

ENGLISH

English word See also:

BILBO (from the Spanish town Bilbao, formerly called in England " Bilboa," and famous, like Toledo, for its sword-blades)

bilbo, " a See also:

SWORD (0. Eng. sweord; ultimately from an Indo-European root meaning to wound)

sword," attests, Bilbao was celebrated for the excellent quality of its See also:

STEEL, FLORA ANNIE (1847– )

steel See also:

BLADES, WILLIAM (1824-1890)

blades; in modern times it was the natural headtluarters of the important steel and See also:

IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

iron trades of the Basque Provinces. Hence it became the centre of a network of railway lines unsurpassed in Spain.

The See also:

HARBOUR (from M.E. hereberge, here, an army; cf. Ger. Heer and -beorg, protection or shelter. Other early forms in English were herberwe and haiborow, as seen in various place names, such as Market Harborough.. The French auberge, an inn, derived through

harbour See also:

WORKS

works See also:

BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

board, constituted in 1877, improved the river channel and the See also:

bar; made wharves and embankments; lighted the See also:

LOWER

lower reaches of the river by See also:

ELECTRICITY

electricity, so as to allow vessels to enter by See also:

NIGHT

night; and constructed a See also:

BREAKWATER

breakwater and See also:

COUNTER

counter-See also:

mole outside the bar of the river Nervion, between Santurce, Portugalete and the opposite headland at the See also:

VILLAGE

village of Algorta, so as to secure deep anchorage and easy See also:

ACCESS (Lat. accessus)

access to the river. The first dry See also:

DOCK

dock was constructed in 1896; in 1905 it was supplemented by another, the largest in Spain. The exports are chiefly iron; the imports See also:

COAL

coal; large quantities of See also:

WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine from See also:

NAVARRE (Span. Navarra)

Navarre and the See also:

EBRO (anc. Iberus or Hiberus)

Ebro valley are also sent abroad, and the importation of See also:

TIMBER

timber of all kinds from Scandinavia and See also:

FINLAND (Finnish, Suomi or Suomenmaa)

Finland, and coastwise from See also:

ASTURIAS

Asturias, is of great importance. In the See also:

COASTING

coasting See also:

trade the exports are mostly See also:

pig-iron, codfish and some products of See also:

LOCAL

local industries and See also:

agriculture. The See also:

SHIPPING

shipping at Bilbao is mainly Spanish, owing to the multitude of small vessels employed in the coasting trade; but from 188o onwards the See also:

MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority of See also:

FOREIGN

foreign See also:

SHIPS

ships were See also:

BRITISH

British. In 1904, 3319 vessels of 2,267,957 tons were accommodated at Bilbao; more than 2000 were Spanish and nearly 700 British. In the same See also:

YEAR

year new harbour works and See also:

LIGHTING

lighting arrangements were under-taken on a large See also:

scale, and a See also:

MOVEMENT

movement was initiated for the revival of shipbuilding. Besides the mining and metallurgic industries, Bilbao has breweries, tanneries, See also:

FLOUR

flour See also:

mills, See also:

glass works, See also:

BRANDY

brandy distilleries, and See also:

paper, See also:

SOAP

soap, See also:

cotton and See also:

MOSAIC (corresponding to Lat. opus musivum, from Gr. µovoeiov, an artificial grotto often decorated with mosaics; the word is only found in the sense of mosaic in late Greek, which generally uses k oXI yrlµa)

mosaic factories. Bilbao, or Belvao, as it was often called, was founded by See also:

Don Pedro See also:

LOPEZ, CARLOS ANTONIO (1790-1862)

Lopez de See also:

Hare about 1300, and soon rose into importance. It was occupied by the See also:

French in 1995, and from 18o8 to 1813; and in 1835 and 1874 it was unavailingly besieged by the Carlists.

End of Article: BILBAO

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