Greater Bilbao

Not to be confused with the metropolitan area of Bilbao, which includes this region.

Greater Bilbao Bilboaldea
—  comarca  —
The Estuary of Bilbao surrounded by Greater Bilbao
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Basque Country
Province	Biscay
Capital	Bilbao

Greater Bilbao (Basque: Bilboaldea, Spanish: Gran Bilbao) is an administrative division of the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven comarcas of Biscay and the most populated one. The capital city of Greater Bilbao is Bilbao.

Greater Bilbao is made by the municipalities situated along the Estuary of Bilbao which themselves form a conurbation, which metropolitan area is the fifth most populous in Spain.

Geography

Greater Bilbao (in blue) within Biscay.

Greater Bilbao, or Bilboaldea, is located at the northwest of the province of Biscay, limiting with the comarcas of Enkarterri in the west, Mungialdea and Busturialdea in the east, Durangaldea in the southeast and Arratia-Nerbioi in the south. The Bay of Biscay limits at north.

Divisions

Gran Bilbao real color image taken by NASA's Landsat satellite.

Infrared image taken July 5th 2000 by ASTER sensor on board NASA's Terra satellite. Reddish areas are vegetation zones, dark blue zones are water bodies, white zones are clouds, their shadows can be clearly seen and greenish pixels denote the densely urbanized areas beside the Nervion river. Source: Earth Observatory (NASA).

Greater Bilbao can be divided into six subcomarcas or subregions:

• The city of Bilbao.
• The left bank: Traditionally an industrial, port, and manufacturing zone. It includes Barakaldo, Sestao, Portugalete and Santurtzi.
• The right bank: A residential area, including Erandio, Leioa, and the more affluent Getxo,.
• The mining zone, where the main iron ore resources were located: Muskiz, Gallarta, Ortuella
• Txoriherri, wide expansion zone where the international airport and the University of the Basque Country are located.
• Hego Uribe, including Basauri, Galdakao and Arrigorriaga.
• Uribe-Kosta: the coastal area north of Getxo is being integrated into the metropolitan area in the recent years, with the development of low density residential areas connected by the metro.

Municipalities

Greater Bilbao is divided into 25 municipalities, being Bilbao the capital city. The 25 municipalities, among some others, make the Metropolitan Area of Bilbao.

#	Municipality	Population	Territory km²
	Abanto Zierbena	9.647	18
	Alonsotegi	2.835	16
	Arrigorriaga	12.435	22,8
	Barakaldo	98.460	24,3
	Basauri	42.657	7,2
	Bilbao	354.860	41,2
	Derio	5.307	7,4
	Zierbena	1.382	9,1
	Etxebarri	9.171	3,3
	Erandio	24.262	18
	Galdakao	29.226	31,7
	Getxo	80.770	11,9
	Larrabetzu	1.874	21,5
	Leioa	30.079	8,5
	Lezama	2.465	16,5
	Loiu	2.290	15,3
	Muskiz	7.216	21,5
	Ortuella	8.520	7,7
	Portugalete	48.105	3,2
	Santurtzi	46.978	6,7
	Sestao	29.476	3,5
	Sondika	4.536	6,3
	Trapagaran	12.353	13,1
	Zamudio	3.203	18,1
	Zaratamo	1.735	10

See also

• Bilbao metropolitan area
• Bilbao
• Biscay

External links

• Comarca del Gran Bilbao (Biscay Government).
• Comarca del Gran Bilbao
• Bilbao Ría 2000.
• Bilbao Metrópoli-30.