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GUIPUZCOA

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Originally appearing in Volume V12, Page 698 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GUIPUZCOA , a maritime See also:

province of See also:northern See also:Spain, included among the Basque provinces, and bounded on the N. by the See also:Bay of See also:Biscay; W. by the province of Biscay (Vizcaya); S. and S.E. by. See also:Alava and See also:Navarre: and N.E. by the See also:river Bidassoa,' A small See also:island in the Bidassoa, called La See also:Isla de los Faisanes, or l'Isle de la See also:Conference, is celebrated as the See also:place where the marriagewhich separates it from See also:France. Pop. (igloo), 195,850; See also:area, 728 sq. m. Situated on the northern slope of the See also:great Cantabrian See also:chain at its junction with the See also:Pyrenees, the province has a great variety of See also:surface in See also:mountain, See also:hill and valley; and its scenery is highly picturesque. The See also:coast is much indented, and has numerous harbours, but none of very great importance; the See also:chief are those of See also:San See also:Sebastian, Pasajes, Guetaria, See also:Deva and See also:Fuenterrabia. The See also:rivers (Deva, Urola, See also:Oria, Urumea, Bidassoa) are all See also:short, rapid and unnavigable. The mountains are for the most See also:part covered with forests of See also:oak, See also:chestnut or See also:pine; See also:holly and arbutus are also See also:common, with See also:furze and See also:heath in the poorer parts. The See also:soil in the See also:lower valleys is generally of hard See also:clay and unfertile; it is cultivated with great care, but the See also:grain raised falls considerably short of what is required for See also:home See also:consumption. The See also:climate, though moist, is mild, pleasant and healthy; See also:fruit is produced in considerable quantities, especially apples for manufacture into zaragua or See also:cider. The chief See also:mineral products are See also:iron, See also:lignite, See also:lead, See also:copper, See also:zinc and See also:cement. Ferruginous and sulphurous springs are very common, and are much frequented 'every summer by visitors from all parts of the See also:kingdom.

There are excellent See also:

fisheries, which See also:supply the neighbouring provinces with See also:cod, See also:tunny, sardines and oysters; and the See also:average yearly value of the See also:coasting See also:trade exceeds £400,000. By See also:Irun, Pasajes and the frontier roads £4,000,000 of imports and £3,000,000 of exports pass to and from France, partly in transit for the See also:rest of See also:Europe. Apart from the four Catalan provinces, no province has witnessed such a development of See also:local See also:industries as Guipilzcoa. The See also:principal See also:industrial centres are Irun, •Renteria, Villabona, Vergara and Azpeitia for See also:cotton and See also:linen stuffs; Zumarraga for osies; Eibar, See also:Plasencia and Elgoibar for arms and See also:cannon and See also:gold incrustations; Irun for See also:soap and carriages; San Sebastian, Irun and Onate for See also:paper, See also:glass, chemicals and saw-See also:mills; Tolosa for paper, See also:timber, cloths and See also:furniture; and the See also:banks of the bay of Pasajes for the manufacture of See also:liqueurs of every See also:kind, and the preparation of wines for export and for consumption in the interior of Spain. This last See also:industry occupies several thousand See also:French and See also:Spanish workmen. An See also:arsenal was established at Azpeitia during the Carlist rising of 1870—1874; but the manufacture of See also:ordnance and See also:gunpowder was subsequently discontinued. The See also:main See also:line of the northern railway from See also:Madrid to France runs through the province, giving See also:access, by a See also:loop line, to the chief industrial centres. The See also:custom-See also:house through which it passes on the frontier is one of the most important in Spain. Despite the steep gradients, where See also:traffic is hardly possible except by ox-carts, there are over 350 M. of admirably engineered roads, maintained solely by the local tax-payers. After San Sebastian, the See also:capital (pop. 1900, 37,812), the chief towns are Fuenterrabia (4345) and Irun (9912). Other towns with more than 6000 inhabitants are Azpeitia (6o66), Eibar (6583), Tolosa (81II) and Vergara (6196).

Guipuzcoa is the smallest and one of the most densely peopled provinces of Spain; for its See also:

constant losses by See also:emigration are counterbalanced by a high See also:birth-See also:rate and the influx of settlers from other districts who are attracted by its industrial prosperity. For an See also:account of its inhabitants and their customs, See also:language and See also:history, see See also:BASQUES and BASQUE PROVINCES.

End of Article: GUIPUZCOA

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