Cantabria

Cantabria(/kænˈteɪbriə/,alsoUK:/-ˈtæb-/;Spanish:[kanˈtaβɾja]) is anautonomous communityandprovincein northernSpainwithSantanderas its capital city. It is called acomunidad histórica, ahistoric community, in its currentStatute of Autonomy.It is bordered on the east by theBasque autonomous community(province of Biscay), on the south byCastile and León(provinces of León,PalenciaandBurgos), on the west by thePrincipality of Asturias, and on the north by theCantabrian Sea, which forms part of theBay of Biscay.
Cantabria belongs toGreen Spain, the name given to the strip of land between theBay of Biscayand theCantabrian Mountains, so called because of its particularly lush vegetation, due to the wet and temperateoceanic climate. The climate is strongly influenced byAtlantic Oceanwinds trapped by the mountains; the average annual precipitation is about 1,200 mm (47 inches).
Cantabria hasarchaeological sitesfrom theUpper Paleolithicperiod, although the first signs of human occupation date from theLower Paleolithic. The most significant site forcave paintingsis in thecave of Altamira, dating from about 37,000 BCEand declared, along with nine other Cantabrian caves, asWorld Heritage SitesbyUNESCO.Historically, the territory sits in the area ofCantabriain theancient period, but from the late Middle Ages to the early 19th century, the name Cantabria also referred to theterritory of the Basques, especially thelordship of Biscay.
The modern province of Cantabria was constituted on 28 July 1778 at Puente San Miguel,Reocín. The yearly Day of the Institutions holiday on 28 July celebrates this. TheOrganic Lawof theAutonomy Statute of Cantabria, approved on 30 December 1981, gave the region its own institutions of self-government.
Numerous authors, includingIsidore of Seville,Julio Caro Baroja,Aureliano Fernández GuerraandAdolf Schulten, have explored the etymology of the nameCantabria, yet its origins remain uncertain. The Online Etymology Dictionary states the rootcant-is said to come from theCelticfor "rock" or "rocky",while-abrwas a common suffix used in Celtic regions.Thus,Cantabriancould mean "people who live in the rocks" or "highlanders", a reference to the steep and mountainous territory of Cantabria.
The nameCantabriacould also be related to the Celtic root "kant" or "cant" meaning edge or rim thus "coastal district," or "corner-land", "land on the edge" thus having the same probable derivation as the name of the English county ofKentandCanterbury, one of its major cities.
During the Spanish liberal regimes of the 19th century, the term came to be increasingly associated to the province of Santander. However, in late medieval and Modern Period literature,CantabriaandCantabriansrefer to the Basque Country, especially the lordship of Biscay, and theBasques.
Cantabria is a mountainous and coastal region, with important natural resources. It has two distinct areas which are well differentiated morphologically:
Towards the south are higher mountains, the tops of which form the watershed between the drainage basins of the RiversEbro,Dueroand the rivers that flow into the Bay of Biscay. These peaks generally exceed 1,500 m (4,900 ft) from the Pass of San Glorio in the west to the Pass of Los Tornos in the eastern part: Peña Labra,Castro Valneraand the mountain passes of Sejos, El Escudo and La Sía. The great limestone masses ofPicos de Europaalso stand out in the southwest of the region: most of their summits exceed 2,500 m (8,200 ft), and their topography is shaped by the former presence ofglaciers.
Due to theGulf Stream, Cantabria, as well as the rest of "Green Spain", has a much moretemperate climatethan might be expected for its latitude. The region has a humidoceanic climate, with warm summers and mild winters. Annualprecipitationis around 1,200 mm at the coasts and higher in the mountains. The mean temperature is about 14 °C (57.2 °F). Snow is frequent in the higher zones of Cantabria between the months of October and March. Some zones of Picos de Europa, over 2,500 metres high, have analpine climatewith snow persisting year-round. The driest months are July and August. The mountainous relief of Cantabria has a dominant effect on local microclimate in Cantabria. It is the main cause of the peculiar meteorologic situations like the so-called "suradas" (Ábregowind), due to thefoehn effect: the southerly wind coming down from the mountains blows strongly and dry, increasing the temperature closer to the coast. This causes a decrease in air humidity and rainfall. These conditions are more frequent in autumn and winter, and the temperatures are commonly higher than 20 °C (68 °F). Fires are often helped by this type of wind: one example is thefire that destroyed part of the city of Santander in the winter of 1941. In these specific cases in the southern part of themountain rangethedry adiabatic gradientproduces different conditions to the rest of the region: the wind there is fresher and more humid, and there is more rain.
The rivers of Cantabria are short and rapid, descending steeply because the sea is so close to their source in the Cantabrian Mountains. They flow perpendicular to the coastline, except for theEbro. They also generallyflowyear round due to constant rainfall. Nevertheless, the rate of flow is modest (20 m/s annual average) compared to the other rivers of theIberian Peninsula. The rapidness of their waters, caused by their steep descents, gives them greaterosivepower, creating the narrow V-shaped valleys characteristic of Green Spain. The environmental condition of the rivers is generally good, although increasing human activity due to rising population in the valleys continues to pose a challenge.
The main rivers of the region, sorted bydrainage basin, are:
Cantabria is the only autonomous community whose rivers flow into every one of the seas which surround theIberian Peninsula: the Cantabrian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The variation in the altitude of the region, which in a short distance ranges from sea level to 2,600 meters in the mountains, leads to a great deal of diversity in vegetation and a large number ofbiomes. Cantabria has vegetation typical of the Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula. It is characterized by forests of leafydeciduoustrees such as oak andEuropean beech. Nevertheless, human intervention dating back to ancient times has favored the creation of pastures, allowing the existence of large areas of grassland and prairies suitable for grazing cattle. These grasslands are mingled with plantations ofeucalyptusand native oak. The southern part of Cantabria, including thecomarcaof Campoo the fringes of the Castilian plateau, is characterized by the transition to drier vegetation. Another diversifying factor which contributes to local variation within the region is the Mediterraneanecotone, giving rise to species unique to the region, such as theholm oakandarbutus trees, which are found in poor limestone soils with little moisture.
In Cantabria there are several zones of plant life:
During the last two decades of the 20th century, and due mainly to European agricultural policies (CAP), many farmers substituted forestry for livestock farming, so as to avoid unemployment and poverty.This provoked a surge ofeucalyptus–see eucalyptus article on Spanish Wikipedia– plantations (and to a less extent ofpines) which often hid the illegal destruction of native forests, just as the spread of livestock farming had done in the past by the endemic conversion of forest into prairie. These acts have been laxly controlled by the local councils or the central governments, in a process that clearly follows the saying: "Pan para hoy, hambre para mañana" (which translates as 'Bread for today, hunger for tomorrow'; i.e., "short-term gain, long-term pain").
The plantation of pines has given way in the last decadesto that of eucalyptus because thisnon-indigenous specieshas no natural attacker within the European ecosystem (while pines are highly vulnerable to thepine processionary).
Both in relative and absolute terms the use of woods for forestry has increased in Cantabria, and is nowalmost 70% of all woods in the region.
Along with these characteristics it would also be necessary to mention peculiarities of thecomarcaofLiébana, which has amicroclimatevery similar to theMediterranean, allowing to growcork oaks,vinesandolives, and which is still very well conserved from human activity.
The other remarkablecomarcaisCampoo, in southern Cantabria, with its Pyrenean oak.
There are seven natural areas in this autonomous community designated asNaturalornational parks:
The most important of these is the Picos de Europa National Park, which affects Castile and León and Asturias in addition to Cantabria, the three autonomous communities sharing its management. Santoña, Victoria and Joyelmarshesare alsoSpecial Protection Areasfor the birds (ZEPA).
Furthermore, nineSites of Community Importance(LIC) have been declared: Western Mountain, Eastern Mountain, Western Rias and Oyambre Dunes, Dunes ofLiencresand Estuary of the Pas, El Puntal Dunes and Estuary of the Miera, Ria de Ajo, Marshes ofNoja-Santoña,Escudo de Cabuérniga Rangeand several caves with importantbatcolonies.
According to the 2009 census, the region has a population of 591,886which constitutes 1.29% of the population of Spain, with the population density numbering 106.8 people per kilometer. The average life expectancy for male inhabitants is 75 years; for female inhabitants, it is 83 years. Eight years later in 2017 the population has fallen to 581,477 according to INE.
In relative contrast to other regions of Spain, Cantabria has not experienced much immigration. In 2007, only 4.7% of the population were immigrants. The predominant countries of origin for immigrants to Cantabria areColombia,Romania,Ecuador,Peru,Moldova, andMorocco.
The majority of the population resides in the coastal area, particularly in two cities:Santander, with 183,000 people, andTorrelavega, the second largest urban and industrial centre in Cantabria, having a population of around 60,000. These two cities form aconurbationknown as the Santander-Torrelavega metropolitan area.Castro Urdialeshas an official population of 28,542,making it the fourth largest in the region because of its proximity to theBilbaometropolitan area, there are a large number of people not registered in Castro Urdiales, and the true count may be double the official figure.
The most populated municipalities of Cantabria as of 2018 are the following:
The first written reference to the name Cantabria emerges around 195 BC, in which the historianCato the Elderspeaks in his bookOriginesabout the source of the Ebro River in the country of theCantabri:
There are about 150 references to Cantabria or the Cantabri in survivingGreekandLatintexts. The Cantabri were used asmercenariesin various conflicts, both within the Iberian Peninsula and elsewhere. It is certain that they participated in theSecond Punic War, from references bySilius ItalicusandHorace.WhenC. Hostilius Mancinuswas besiegingNumantia, he withdrew upon learning that Cantabri andVaccaeiwere present among hisauxiliaries. TheCantabrian Warsbegan in29 BC.They were defeated byAgrippawith great slaughter in19 BC, but they revolted again underTiberiusand were never entirely subdued.
In older geographers, the term Cantabria referred to an expansive country bounded by the Cantabrian Sea (theBay of Biscay), the western side of theSella valleyinAsturias, thehillfortofPeña AmayainBurgos, and along theAguera Riveralmost as far asCastro Urdiales.It thus included areas ofAsturias,Santander,Biscay, andGuipuzcoa. Following theRoman conquest of Spain, however, it was restricted to the area ofSantanderand easternAsturias, forming a part ofHispania Tarraconensis("TarragonanSpain").The principal tribes of the area were thePleutauri, theVarduli, theAutrigones, theTuisi, and theConisciorConcaui, who were known forfeeding on their horses' blood.The area was well settled, with the largest city beingJuliobriga,and the local mountains exploited forleadmines.
Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, Cantabria regained its independence from the rule of theVisigoths. In 574, KingLiuvigildattacked Cantabria and managed to capture the south of the country, including the city ofAmaya, where he established a Visigothic province called theDuchy of Cantabria(see picture), which would serve as alimesor frontier zone to contain the Cantabri as well as their neighbors theVascones. To the north of this cordon, however, the Cantabri continued to live independently until the Arab invasion. In 714, a mixedArab/Berberarmy ofMuslimMoors invaded the upper valleys of the Ebro and succeeded in capturing Amaya, the Cantabrian capital, forcing the Cantabrians back to their traditional frontiers, where they joined forces with theKingdom of Asturias. In the first chronicles of theReconquista, Cantabria still appears to be acknowledged as a region. In theAlbendense Chronicle, when speaking ofAlfonso I, it says, "This was the son ofPeter, the duke of Cantabria".
During the 9th century, on mentioning the monastery of Saint Zacharias, in a letter sent toWiliesind, bishop of Pamplona,Eulogius of Córdobapinpoints it inSeburim(maybeZubiri) on theriver Arga, "waters all of Cantabria", suggesting a region stretching out far into the east. From this period on, source documents barely reference Cantabria by name, withAsturiasfeaturing in names of thecomarcascalledAsturias de Santillana,Asturias de TrasmieraandAsturias de Laredo.
From a central core formed by theHermandad de las Cuatro Villas(Brotherhood of the Four Cities) (Santander, Laredo, Castro Urdiales andSan Vicente de la Barquera), theHermandad de las Marismas(Brotherhood of the Marshes) was created, thereby uniting all the important seaports to the East of Asturias. During the period of the Reconquista, the Four Cities actively participated in the re-settling of Andalusia, dispatching men and ships. The coastal port cities ofCádizandEl Puerto de Santa Maríawere settled by families from the Cantabrian Sea ports. Ships from the Four Cities took part in the taking ofSeville, destroying the ship bridge linkingTrianaand Sevilla, a victory that is represented by theCarrackand theTorre del Oroof Sevilla in the coat of arms ofSantander,Coat of arms of CantabriaandAvilés(Asturias).
In the 16th century, the nameLa Montaña(The Mountain) was widespread in popular usage and in literature, as a designation of the Ancient Cantabria, as opposed toCastile, which referred solely to theCentral Plateau. This distinction has survived into modern times.
With the rise of theCatholic Monarchs, the Brethren of the Marshes disappeared, leaving the Coregiment of the Four Villas, which included the whole area of influence of the old Brethren of the Four Villas (almost all of Cantabria). During theancien régime, the greatest jurisdictional lordships of Cantabria were mainly under the control of three of theGrandee familiesof Spain: that ofMendoza(Dukes of Infantado, Marquises of Santillana), ofManrique de Lara(Marquises of Aguilar de Campoo,Counts of Castañeda), and to a lesser extent that ofVelasco(Dukes of Frías,Constables of Castile).
From the 16th century on, there was renewed interest in studying Cantabria and the Cantabri, particularly concerning the precise location of the territory that this people had occupied. It was not until the 18th century that the debate about the location and size of Ancient Cantabria was settled in a series of works which described the history of the region such asLa Cantabriaby the Augustinian father and historian Enrique Flórez de Setién. Concurrent with the resurgence of this interest in the Cantabrians and the clarification of the aforementioned polemic, many institutions, organizations and jurisdictions in the mountainous territory received the name of "Cantabrian" or "of Cantabria".
In 1727, the first attempt to unify what would later become the province of Cantabria occurred. Despite this, the high level of autonomy that the small entities of the fractured estate of Cantabria enjoyed, combined with a lack of resources, continued to be the main reason for Cantabria's weakness, aggravated by the progressive advance of theBourboniccentralismand its administrative efficiency. The latter continually emphasised the impossibility of the smaller territories facing a multitude of problems on their own: from communications to the exercise of justice, from putting aside adequate reserves for hard times to the indiscriminateleveesfor soldiers, and above all the progression of fiscal impositions. All of this led to an acceleration of contact between villas, valleys and jurisdictions, which tended to focus on the Assemblies of the provinces of the Nine Valleys, led by the deputies elected by the traditional entities of self-government.
There were two events that triggered the culmination of the integration process in this second attempt:
In this General Assembly a framework was established and formal steps began to be taken, leading to administrative and legal unity in 1778. This all culminated in the success of the Assembly held in the Assembly House ofPuente San Miguelon 28 July 1778, where the province of Cantabria was constituted. It was achieved by passing the common ordinances which had been developed to that end, and which had been discussed and approved previously in councils of all the villas, valleys and subscribed jurisdictions. They were, in addition to the Nine Valleys: Rivadedeva, Peñamellera, the province of Liébana, Peñarrubia, Lamasón, Rionansa, the Villa of San Vicente de la Barquera, Coto de Estrada, Valdáliga, the Villa of Santillana del Mar, Lugar de Viérnoles, the Villa of Cartes and environs, the Valley of Buelna, the Valley of Cieza, the Valley of Iguña with the Villas of San Vicente and Los Llares, the Villa of Pujayo, the Villa of Pie de Concha y Bárcena, the Valley of Anievas, and the Valley of Toranzo.
Having learned lessons from the failed attempt of 1727, the first objective of the new entity was to obtain approval from KingCharles IIIfor the union of all the Cantabrian jurisdictions into one province. The royal ratification was granted on 22 November 1779.
The 28 jurisdictions that initially comprised the province of Cantabria were clear in their intention that all the other jurisdictions that formed theParty and Baton of the Four Villas of the Coastshould be included in the new province. To this end they set out the steps needed for this to happen as soon as those jurisdictions should request it. They would have to abide by the ordinances, having the same rights and duties as the founders, all on an equal footing. Thus, the following joined in quick succession: the Abbey ofSantillana, the Valleys ofTudanca,Polaciones,Herrerías,Castañeda, the Villa ofTorrelavegaand environs,Val de San Vicente,Valle de Carriedo,Tresviso, and the Pasiegan Villas ofLa Vega,San RoqueandSan Pedro, as well as the city of Santander with its abbey.
Competition between the townships of Laredo and Santander led to the latter, having initially allowed the name of Cantabria for the province created at the beginning of the 19th century, later retracting its consent and demanding that it bear the name of Santander, so there would be no doubt as to which was the capital. When in 1821 the Provincial Council presented before the constitutionalCourtsits definitive plan for the provincial borders and legal entities, it proposed the name of province of Cantabria, to which the Township of Santander replied that "this province must retain the name of Santander". However, many newspapers still showed in their headings the name of Cantabria, or Cantabrian.
During theWar of Independence(1808–1814), Bishop Rafael Tomás Menéndez de Luarca, a strong defender of absolutism, promoted himself as the "Regent of Cantabria" and established theCantabrian Armamentsin Santander, a section of the army whose purpose was to travel to all the mountain passes from the Central Plateau to detain any French troop.
Although defeated, he managed later to regroup in Liébana under the command of General Juan Díaz Porlier, calling his forces theCantabrian Division, in which there were various regiments and battalions, such as theHussarsof Cantabria(cavalry) or theShooters of Cantabria(infantry). During theCarlist warsthey formed a unit called theCantabrian Brigade.
The use of terms with ancestral resonance through the 18th and 19th centuries continued during the 20th century, taking on a political tone that was distinctly regionalist, until 1936. In fact, theRepublican Federal Partyproduced an autonomy statute for a Cantabrian-Castilian Federal State that year, which would include present-day Cantabria and any neighbouring areas fromCastileandAsturiaswilling to join it. It could not be passed because of theCivil War. Following the war and the subsequent marginalization of such efforts under theFrancoists regime, the use of the name of Cantabria decreased, to the point that for official purposes it was relegated to sports associations, the only arena in which Cantabria was noted as a region.
In 1963, the president of the Provincial Council, Pedro Escalante y Huidobro, proposed reapplying the name of Cantabria to theProvince of Santander, as suggested in an academic report written by the historian Tomás Maza Solano. Although further steps were taken and many of the townships were in favour of the move, the petition did not succeed, mostly due to the opposition of Santander City Council. On 30 December 1981, a process that had been started in April 1979 by the Council ofCabezón de la Sal, under the presidency of Ambrosio Calzada Hernández, culminated in the granting of self-rule to Cantabria, outlined in Article 143 of theSpanish Constitution.
Cantabria based its claim to autonomy on the constitutional precept that made provision for self-government for "provinces with a historic regional character".
A Mixed Assembly formed out of provincial deputies and national members of parliament began the task of drawing up anAutonomy Statuteon 10 September 1979. Following the approval of the General Courts on 15 December 1981, theKing of Spainsigned the corresponding Organic Law of Autonomy Statute for Cantabria on 30 December of the same year. Thus, the province of Santander broke its link to Castile, and left the former region of Castile and León to which it had belonged up to that time, together with the provinces ofÁvila,Burgos,León,Logroño,Palencia,Salamanca,Segovia,Soria,ValladolidandZamora.
On 20 February 1982, the first Regional Assembly (now Parliament) was formed, with provisional status. From this time, the former province of Santander has been known as Cantabria and has thereby regained its historic name. The first home-rule elections were held in May 1983. The 4th Legislature (1995–1999) brought into effect the first great reform of the Autonomy Statute of Cantabria, approved by all the parliamentary groups.
TheAutonomy Statute of Cantabriaof 30 December 1981, established that Cantabria has in its institutions the desire to respect fundamental rights and public freedom, at the same time as consolidating and stimulating regional development through democratic channels. This document gathers all competences of the Autonomous Community that were transferred from theGovernment of Spain. As in other Autonomous Communities, some competences were not transferred, for example, Justice. The Statute also defines the symbols that should represent the region: Theflag, thecoat of armsand theanthem of Cantabria.
TheParliament of Cantabriais the principal self-government institution of the Autonomous Community, being the representative body of the Cantabrians. Presently it is constituted by thirty-nine deputies elected by universal, equal, free, direct and secret suffrage. The primary functions of the Parliament are: to exercise thelegislative power, to approve the budgets of the Autonomous Community, to motivate and control the actions of the government, and to develop the rest of the competences that theSpanish Constitution, the Autonomy Statute and the rest of the legal order bestow on it. ThePresident of the Autonomous Communityholds the highest representation of the Community and ordinary representation of the Country in Cantabria, and presides over the Government, coordinating its activities.
TheGovernment of Cantabriais the body in charge of directing the political activities and exercising the executive and regulatory powers according to the Constitution, the Statute and the laws. The Government is made up of the President, the Vicepresident (in which the President can delegate his executive functions and representations) and the Councillors, who are appointed and ceased by the President.
After several legislatures presided by thePartido Popularor by Juan Hormaechea's UPCA, the Regional Government of Cantabria was directed by a coalition of theRegionalist Party of CantabriaandSpanish Socialist Workers' Party(PSOE) from year 2003 until 2011. The President wasMiguel Ángel RevillaofPartido Regionalista de Cantabria(PRC), and the Vice President was Dolores Gorostiaga of the PSOE. As a result of the absolute majority of thePartido Popularin the regional elections of 2011, the president from 2011 to 2015 wasIgnacio Diego Palacios, and the Vice President was also the healthcare Councillor, Maria José Sáenz de Buruaga. After the 2015 regional elections, Miguel Ángel Revilla of Partido Regionalista de Cantabria (PRC) was invested president for a third tenure with the support of PSOE.
The autonomous community of Cantabria is structured inmunicipios(municipalities) andcomarcas(regions).
There are 102 municipalities in Cantabria generally comprising several townships, and from these, several districts. A number of municipalities bear the name of one of their townships (be it its capital or not), but not all them do. Each municipality is governed by its owncityormunicipal council, and two of them,TresvisoandPesquera, did it byconcejo abierto(open council) until 2011, having fewer than 250 inhabitants.
The Mancomunidad Campoo-Cabuérniga is not a municipality, but a communal property, singular for its size and characteristics, of shared management between the municipalities ofHermandad de Campoo de Suso,Cabuérniga,Los TojosandRuente. This mountain estate is used as a grazing ground forTudanca cattleand also for horses in less amount, in itsbrañasor grass prairies, and even nowadaystranshumantcattle farming traditions survive in this region.
See also:
The Cantabrian legislation divides the autonomous community in administrative regions calledcomarcas, but traditionally, other subdivisions of the territory have been used.
Law 8/1999 ofComarcasof the Autonomous Community of Cantabriaof 28 April 1999 establishes that the comarca is a necessary entity, integral in the territorial organization of the region. This law opens the development of thecomarcalizationin Cantabria promoting the creation ofcomarcalentities, which have barely begun to appear. The law establishes that the creation of comarcas will not become mandatory for the whole territory until at least the 70% of it had not beencomarcalizedby its own will.It also adds that Santander will not ruled by comarcalization and should establish its ownmetropolitan areainstead.
Comarcasin Cantabria have not reached administrative nature and barely have definite borders. Only Liébana for its geographic position in Picos de Europa, Trasmiera and Campoo, in the Ebro basin are established are clearly definedcomarcasin the region. Nevertheless, functional differences in the territory can be distinguished, dividing it in the following areas:Santander Bay, of industrial and urban nature;Besaya, also industrial;Saja-Nansa, eminently rural;Western Coast, which has urban character;Eastern Coast, vacational; the traditionally renownedTrasmiera; ruralPas-Miera;Asón-Agüera, also mainly rural; the very well definedLiébana, andCampoo-Los Valles, rural and industrial by regions.
Until the 13th century, Cantabria was organized in valleys, as was typical in all of northern Spain. From then on, it was substituted by the organization in cities, towns or historiccomarcasthat grouped several valleys.
Theeconomyof Cantabria has aprimary sector, now in decline, employing 5.8% of the active population in theindustriesof cattle farming, traditional dairy farming, and meat production; agriculture, especially corn, potatoes, vegetables, and roughage; maritime fishing; and the mining ofzincandquarries.
Thesecondary sectorwhich employs 30.3% of the active population is the sector with the most productivity in recent years due to construction; that ofironworking(Reinosa being the most important city), food service (milk, meat, vegetables and seafood),chemistry(Solvay, Sniace), paper production (Sinace, Papelera del Besaya),textilefabrication (Textil Santanderina in Cabezón de la Sal),pharmacy(Moehs in Requejada), industrial groups and transport, etc. Theservice sectoremploys 63.8% of the active population and is increasing, given that large concentrations of the population live in the urban centers and the importance thattourismhas acquired in the recent years. As of July 2014, theunemploymentrate in Cantabria is 19.3%, compared to 24.47% in Spain; while as of April 2010 itspurchasing power paritywas €25,326, compared to €26,100 in Spain and €25,100 in theEU25. In 2007, Cantabria's growth of realGDPwas 4.1%, compared to a 3.9% average for Spain. TheGross domestic product(GDP) of the region was 13.8 billion € in 2018. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €25,500  or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year.
The most significant consequence of the strong relief of the Cantabrian territory is the existence of topographic barriers that condition decisively the courses of the linking infrastructures, as much in the north–south orientation in the accesses to theCastilian Mesa, as in the east–west in the communication between valleys. Moreover, the cost of their construction and maintenance is much higher than average.
The main communications infrastructures of the region are:
In Cantabria, there are two daily regional newspapers in addition to the national ones:El Diario MontañésandAlerta, as well as many weekly, fortnightly and monthly publications. The main national radio stations have transmitter stations in places like Santander, Torrelavega, Castro-Urdiales, or Reinosa. There are also numerous local and regional stations. For the moment, there is no Cantabrian autonomic television with public financing, although some local channels exist (including Canal 8 DM, TeleBahía, Telecabarga, Localia TV Cantabria, etc.). In recent years, the Internet has allowed new informative proposals to emerge in the shape of digital diaries or blogs, which contribute to enrich the mediatic panorama of the region.
Spanishis the official language of Cantabria. The eastern part of Cantabria contributed to the origins ofMedieval Spanishin a significant way.In western areas, there are remnants of theCantabrian language, also called"montañés", and it is also somewhat preserved in parts of the Pas and Soba valleys in its eastern zone. Cantabrian can be viewed as a dialect of the widerAstur-Leonese languagecontinuum, and ismutually intelligiblewith varieties in neighbouringAsturias.
Regarding thefairs, understood as big markets of products periodically celebrated, it is remarkable theLivestock Fair of Torrelavegataking place in the National Livestock Market "Jesús Collado Soto", the third biggest of Spain, that groups the buy and sell of all kinds of cattle in the region itself and the adjacent ones, being the bovine the main product. All over the region cattle and typical products fairs are celebrated weekly, monthly, or annually to gather the neighbours of the land. There are many different festivities in Cantabria, some of them limited just to small villages, but there are also festivals that attract tourism from all over the country. The most important are the following:
The followingfestivalsare also remarkable in modern Cantabrian culture:Santander International Festival(Arts festival), Santander Summer Festival(Music festival), Sotocine(Film festival)
The north of the Spanish state is a rich area formythology. FromGaliciato theBasque Country, passing by Asturias and Cantabria, there are rites, stories and imaginary or impossible beings.
Cantabrian lore turns its forests and mountains into magical places where themyths,beliefsandlegendshave been present as an essential part of theCantabrian culture, either because they have been living in the popular heritage through theoral traditiontransmitted from father to son, or because they have been recovered by scholars (Manuel Llanoand others) who have worried about preserving the cultural heritage.
Its mythology andsuperstitionspresent a greatCelticinfluence that has diluted with the pass of time, beingromanizedorChristianizedin many cases.
There is a heavy presence of fabulous beings ofgiantproportions andCyclopeanfeatures (theojáncanos), fantastic animals (culebres,caballucos del diablu(lit. horses of the devil,damselflies),ramidrejus, etc.),færies(anjanas,ijanasof Aras),duendes(nuberos, ventolines,trentis, trasgus, trastolillos, musgosu, tentiruju),anthropomorphiccharacters (thesirenuca(little mermaid), thefish-man, thecuegle, the wife-bear of Andara, theguajona), etc.
The traditional sport of Cantabria is the game ofbolos(skittles) in its four forms:bolo palma,pasabolo tablón,pasabolo losaandbolo pasiego. The first one is the most widespread, exceeding regional nature and reaching the eastern zone of Asturias and also being the most complex in its game rules. The existence ofbolerasor skittle rings is important in every Cantabrian township, often being near the church or the village pub. Since the late 1980s, skittle play has consolidated with the reinforcement of skittle schools, revamped by different town councils and Cantabrian institutions, various competitions, and media coverage.
The remo (rowing) is a very traditional sport in the coastal towns. The origins of rowing in Cantabria go back many centuries, when severaltraineras(traditional fishinglongboats) competed for the selling of the caught fish, which was reserved for the first ship to arrive to thefish market. At the end of the 19th century, work became sport and people started to celebrateregattasbetween Cantabrian townships. The sport clubs of Cantabria, especially theAstillero,Castro Urdiales, and thePedreñabelong to the most prize-winning teams of the history of this sport, and nowadays they are having one of the best moments after a decades-long period of trophy drought.
The Pasiegan jump is another of the outstanding rural sports of the region and a clear example of how the use of a work skill that disappears with the pass of time, gives rise to games and competition. Similar to other forms, like theCanarian shepherd jump, in the beginning this technique was used in the Pasiegan valleys to cross the stone walls, the fences, the creeks or the ravines that bordered the fields and obstructed the pass in the abrupt geography of the highland areas of Cantabria.
Referring to mass sports, Cantabria is present in national and international competitions through teams such as theRacing de Santander, theRS Gimnástica de Torrelavegaand theCantabria autonomous football teaminfootballor theIndependiente RCinrugby union. TheClub Balonmano Cantabriathat wonLeaguesandKing's Cupsas well asIHF Super Globe,EHF Champions League,EHF Cup Winners' CupandEHF Cupinhandballor theCantabria Lobosthat played in theACBinbasketballrepresented the highest level of the Cantabrian sport in the recent past.
Cantabria has been the birthplace of exceptional and notable individuals in fields such as literature, arts, sciences, etc. Many of them have played a decisive role, not only in the history and events of the region, but also on the national and international levels. These include: