# Province of A Coruña

The province of A Coruña (Galician: provincia da Coruña; Spanish: provincia de La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna) is the northwesternmost province of Spain, and one of the four provinces which constitute the autonomous community of Galicia. This province is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and north, Pontevedra Province to the south and Lugo Province to the east.

## History

The history of this province starts at the end of the Middle Ages during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. During those years this province was far smaller than today. This is because in the 1833 territorial division of Spain the entire Province of Betanzos together with half of the Mondoñedo were amalgamated into one single province with its capital city in A Coruña. Since 1833, the province has always been the one with the largest population and largest coast. Until the second half of the 20th century, this province was both the religious and cultural centre of the entire region. The University of Santiago de Compostela was the only university in North-western Spain until the arrival of democracy after the death of General Francisco Franco.

## Population

A Coruña Province Population c. 1787 :
| District | population |
| City of A Coruña | 13,575 |
| City of Ferrol (Civilian Pop. Only) | 24,993 |
| Santiago de Compostela | 15,584 |
| Towns, villages and hamlets | c.229,123 |
| All the Province (Total): | 283,275 |
| (Ferrol - Urban History, 2004) ||||
A Coruña Province Population c. 1833 :
| District | population |
| City of A Coruña | 23,000 |
| City of Ferrol (Civilian Pop. Only) | 13,000 |
| Santiago de Compostela | 28,000 |
| Towns, villages and hamlets | c.233,000 |
| All the Province (Total): | c.297,000 |
| (U. P. Gazetteer By Th.Baldwin, 1847) ||||
A Coruña Province Population c. 1900 :
| District | population |
| City of A Coruña | 43,971 |
| City of Ferrol (Civilian Pop. Only) | 25,281 |
| Santiago de Compostela | 24,120 |
| Towns, villages and hamlets | 580,184 |
| All the Province (Total): | 653,556 |
| (Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911) s:User:Tim Starling/ScanSet PNG demo ||||

### Since 1877
## Main sights

The cathedral of Santiago de Compostela is the destination of the Way of St. James, a major historical pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages which still gathers thousands of pilgrims each year from all over the world.

## Parks

* Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park is the only national park in Galicia. It is shared between the Provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra.
* The "Fragas" of the River Eume Natural Park extends itself throughout the Eume and Ferrol regions of Ferrolterra.
* The Dunes of Corrubedo Natural Park (Parque Natural das Dunas de Corrubedo e lagoas de Carregal e Vixán) is a beach park at the very end of the Barbanza Peninsula.

## Transport
### Airports and airfields

* Aeroporto da Lavacolla in Santiago de Compostela
* Aeroporto de Alvedro in the City of A Coruña
* Heliporto da Graña in the Naval Base of A Graña (Ferrolterra)
* Heliporto de Narón in Naron (Ferrolterra)

### Railway

* Spanish National Railway Network Linking every major city: Ferrol, Betanzos, A Coruña and Santiago de Compostela
* Spanish Narrow-Gauge Railways Linking the City of Ferrol with different towns of Ferrol and Ortegal. This line is also known as Ferrol-Irun (Basque Country)
* Spanish High Speed Railway Network (AVE) Linking most major cities of the province with Lisbon and Madrid is under construction.

## Economy
### Ports

* A Coruña – Major Commercial Port – Rías Altas
* Malpica – Fishing Port – Costa da Morte
* Camariñas – Fishing Port – Costa da Morte
* Fisterra – Fishing Port – Costa da Morte
* Ferrol – Major Commercial Ports (also: Military) – Rias altas
* Cariño – Fishing Port – Rias altas
* Espasante – Fishing Port – Rias altas
* Cedeira – Fishing Port – Rias altas

## Sport

* Deportivo de La Coruña Spanish Primera Federación team from the City of A Coruña.
* Racing Ferrol Spanish Segunda División team from the City of Ferrol.
* SD Compostela Spanish Segunda Federación team from the City of Santiago de Compostela.
* Atlético Arteixo Spanish Tercera Federación team from the Municipality of Arteixo.
* Bergantiños FC Spanish Tercera Federación team from the Municipality of Carballo.
* SD Negreira Spanish Tercera Division team from the Municipality of Negreira.
* Autos Lobelle de Santiago FS Spanish División de Honor of Futsal team from the City of Santiago de Compostela.