Gijón

**Gijón** (; offeecially **Gijón / Xixón** ), is the lairgest ceety an municipality in the autonomous commonty o Asturias in Spain. Early medieval texts mention it as "Gigia".

## History
### Prehistory an romanization

The first evidences o human presence in wha is kent nouadays as municipality o Gijón are locatit in Monte Deva, whaur exist a series o tumulus, an in Monte Areo, whaur thare are some neolithic dolmens. Thir dolmens wur discovered in 1990 an is supposed it wis biggit aboot the year 5000 BC.

The first noticit dounset (Noega) is locatit in Campa Torres. It haes its oreegin atween centuries VI an V BC. It wis populatit bi asturs (*cilúrnigos*) an later romanized. Noega wis progressively abandoned when the Roman waw in the peninsula o Cimavilla, cried *Gegionem*, wis biggit.

This waw wis the maist important ane o the Roman Asturias an it shoud be a important port o the Cantabric sea route an an aw, it crossed the centre o Asturias bi Lucus Asturum (nouadays Llanera) an linkit in Asturica Augusta wi the Ruta de la Plata (*Siller route*).

Some remains o this stage are the Roman baths o *Campo Valdés* (centuries I tae II AD), the Roman waw (centuries III tae IV) an the Roman veelage o Veranes.
### Middle Ages an Modren Era
Despite the Barbarian invasions left nae trace, it seems the territory wis submittit tae the pouer o the Visigoth keeng Sisebut in the 7t hunderyear.

Gijón wis caipital o the Muslim territories in the Cantabric Sea, unner the pouer o Munuza, who dominatit the ceety atween 713 an 718. In this last year, Asturians wan the Battle o Covadonga, stairtit in 718 an led bi Pelagius, who wad became in the first Keeng o the Kinrick o Asturias.

Till 1270 thare wur nae reliable news o Gijón, wi anerly short mentions in some documents. In this year, Alfonso X o Castile concedit the category o *puebla*.

In the 14t hunderyear, the war atween Alfonso Enríquez o Castile an Henry III o Castile feenished wi the veelage o Gijón fenced, burned an totally destroyed, practically disappearin.

In the 15t an 16t hunderyear, Gijón developit again, specially when a new dock is biggit in the port, bringin tae the veelage fishin an commerce.

In the 17t an 18t hunderyears is when Gijón stairts tae hae a great development, producin a growthe oot o the auld ceety centre. This happened when the port o Gijón wis enable for the commerce wi the American colonies. In the 18t hunderyears, due tae the French invasions, the wars an the financial trouble in the era, stoppit the development till the last years, when the road Oviedo-Gijón wis creatit an the port wis recognisit as the best ane in Asturias, favorin the installation o the first industrial activities in the veelage.

### Contemporar history

The 19t century brocht wi it a great development, wi the commerce o coal, the road Gijón-León an later the railwey Langreo-Gijón. Aw this supposed the quick expansion o the port, due tae the hivy traffec intensity in it. A new port, El Musel, wis biggit in 1893 an it wis the first coal port o the peninsula.

Gijón wis goin throu a conversion tae an industrial veelage wi a new bourgeoise an a urban development, openin new streets an squares, wi new municipal equipments lik watter, garbage collection, lichtin. Aw this industrial development brocht new manpouer tae the ceety an the creation o new neebourheids lik Natahoyo, La Calzada, Tremañes or El Humedal.

In the 20t century, wi the Spaingie Cevil War, the ceety supported the Republican faction. The airmy wis locatit in El Coto. The resistance wis eliminatit in August 1936. Later, the veelage wis the caipital o the Sovereign Cooncil o Asturias an León till 20 October 1937, when the troops o General Francisco Franco occupee'd the ceety.

Ferrous metallurgy wis the main industry o Gijón frae the last years o the 19t century till the last decades o the 20t century. Uninsa wis creatit in 1971, an it mergit wi Ensidesa. In the last years o the century wis convertit in Aceralia, an integratit in Arcelor.

The last decades o the century brings the industrial creesis affectin mainly tae the ferrous metallurgy an the local shipbiggin. This facts brocht new terrain for the creation o new beaches, pairks an new neebourheids.

## Geografie

The ceety is situatit on the coast o central Asturias, frae sea level tae a altitude o 513 metres at *Picu Samartín* an 672 metres at Peña de los Cuatro Jueces, bordered on the Wast bi Carreño, the East bi Villaviciosa, an tae the Sooth bi Siero an Llanera

The ceety is situatit alang the Asturian coast an is distinguished bi the peninsula o Cimavilla (the oreeginal dounset) which separates the beach o San Lorenzo an adjacent neebourheids tae the east frae the beaches o Poniente an Arbeyal, the shipyards, an the recreational port an the Port o El Musel tae the wast. It is close tae the ither main Asturian ceeties, Oviedo an Avilés.

### Destricts
Gijón is dividit in sax destricts: Centre, East, South, West, El Llano and Rural. In this last ane, aw the peri-urban zone an the rural parishes are integrated.

#### Neebourheids an pairishes

## Cultur

* Durin the early years o the 19t century the, then vera smaw, toun o Gijón wis best kent for its college or heich-schuil kent as the *"[[Real Instituto Asturiano]]" foondit bi [[Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos|Jovellanos]].*

* The Ceety Haw's sports an cultur programs for ceetizens is wide, includin the innovative *Abierto Hasta el Amanecer* (literally *Open Till Dawn*) nocturnal program, which trees tae involve teens in cultural an sportin activities as a alternative tae weekend nichtlife.
* Gijón haes 13 librars in its Cultural Ceety Centres, which featur a wide netwirk o soummin puils an gyms.
*Ane o the maist important cultural events in the ceety is the International Film Festival, recognisit as ane o the bests in Spain.

### Museums an airt galleries
* Museum of the Asturian People
* Railroad museum o Asturias
* Nicanor Piñole museum
* Roman Terms museum o Campo Valdés
* Juan Barjola museum (A museum aboot a local penter, interested in avant-garde airt an aw)
* Evaristo Valle museum (Local penter museum placed in a mansion at the outskirts)
* International Bagpipe Museum conteens bagpipes frae aroond the warld, focusin on the Asturian muisical heritage and bagpipes.
* Atlantic botanical garden
* Airchaeological pairk Campa Torres.
* Revillagigedo Palace an museum (At Marqués square, near the Ceety HaW)
* Gijón Aquarium
* Roman Toun o Veranes
* LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (A exhibition centre for contemporar airt, science, technology an advancit visual industries)

### Varsities
Thare are twa campuses locatit in Gijón, ane o the Varsity o Oviedo an ither o the Naitional Varsity o Distance Eddication.

## Sports

In team sports, Gijón's profeesional fitbaa team, Sporting de Gijón, plays in the Spainyie Segunda División, wi AB Gijón Jovellanos competin in Liga ASOBAL, ane o the maist important leagues o team handbaw in the warld. In weemen's sport, Gijón Hockey Club is ane o the maist important rink hockey teams in Europe.

CSI Gijón is Spain's offeecial show jumpin horse show an it's held annually in Gijon's equestrian facility.
  
Thare is a private sports club in Gijón wi mair nor 33,000 members an aw, Real Grupo de Cultura Covadonga, the biggest club in Asturias.

No far frae Gijón, thare are several ski resorts in Asturias, the main bein Valgrande-Pajares.

The ceety's marina hooses a important fleet o yachts an is the base for mony water sports, bein Royal Astur Yacht Club the maist important yacht club in toun.

### Sports centers
The biggest sport centres in Gijón are Estadio El Molinón, wi 30,000 seats, Plaza de Toros de El Bibio wi 12,000 an Palacio de Deportes wi 5,000 seats.

The ceety haes in tot 13 public sport centres (in Spainyie: *Centros Municipales Integrados*) wi soummin puils, gyms an saunas. Swimmin puils are free for childer up tae age 14.

## Economy
For hintle the twintiet century the toun wis hivily dependent on matur hivy industries, but at the end o the Franco era, tertiar sector employment began tae expand rapidly alang wi the ceety's population which bi 2007 stuid offeecially at 277,897 for Gijón proper, an approximately 380,000 for the tot Gijón agglomeration.

The port is at the centre o mony o the local businesses.  Apairt frae directly port relatit activities, the economy is based on tourism, steel (Arcelor), ither metallurgy, livestock rearin an fisheries.

## Climate
Gijón haes a humid oceanic climate, wi mild temperaturs an heichlie humidity throuoot the year. The simmers are wairm, wi baith owercast an sunny days common, whilst winters are rainy but hintle milder than maist places sae far north; frosts are vera rare an niver severe.

## Transport

### Airports
Gijón is servit bi Asturias Airport, aboot  frae the centre o the ceety; it is locatit in the municipality o Castrillon.
The airport is connectit tae the ceety bi the A-8 motorwey, the N-632 national highway and scheduled bus service (Alsa). It haes regular flichts tae the follaein destinations: Barcelona, Brussels, Fuerteventura, Geneva, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Lisbon, London - Stansted, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Seville, Tenerife-Sooth an Valencia.  Operatin companies are: Air France, Air Europa and Iberia.

### Seaport

LD Lines ferries haes a regular service frae the Port o Gijon, El Musel tae the port of Nantes  (Saint-Nazaire) wi three weekly depairturs an a voyage time o 16h.  This is pairt o the Motorweys o the Sea project o the European Union. In Januar 2014 twa new regular lines wur opened, weekly wi a voyage time o 25h direct tae Poole (Ingland), an via Saint-Nazaire tae Rosslare Harbour (Ireland).

### Public transport
Gijón currently haes 21 bus lines, which are:

* Line 1 BRT: Cerillero - Cabueñes Hospital
* Line 2: El Corte Inglés - Cabueñes Hospital
* Line 4: El Lauredal - Viesques - Varsity campus
* Line 6: Musel - Alcampo - Polígono de Porceyo - Polígono de Zarracina 
* Line 10: Pumarín - Candenal- Cabueñes Hospital
* Line 12: Cerillero - Montevil - Contrueces
* Line 14: Polígono de Somonte - Tremañes - Infanzón
* Line 15: Nuevo Roces - Viesques - Cabueñes Hospital
* Line 16: Estación Ferrocaril - Vega
* Line 18: Nuevo Gijón - Cabueñes Hospital
* Line 20: Montevil - Somió
* Line 21: Jove Hospital - La Campa Torres
* Line 24: Monteana - La Pedrera - Mareo
* Line 25: Tremañes - Infanzón - La Olla
* Line 26: Gijón - Deva
* Line 28: Pza. del Humedal - El Molinón 
* Line 30: Pza. del Humedal - FIDMA (International tred fair of Asturias)
* Line 34: Fomento - Musel
* Line 54: Pza. del Humedal - Las Mestas (Durin the Davis Cup semi-feenal o Tennis)

Nicht bus service (Fridays an Seturdays anerly, every day 1 Julie tae 31 August)
* Line 41: El Cerillero - Pza. del Carmen                     (BUHO 1)
* Line 42: Nuevo Roces - Pumarin - Pza. del Carmen            (BUHO 2)
* Line 43: Contrueces - Llano - Coto - Pza. del Carmen    (BUHO 3)
* Line 44: Vega - Viesques - Arena - Pza. del Carmen          (BUHO 4)

### Railwey
The ceety is servit bi the Gijón Railway Station.

### Roads an heich-gates

## Govrenment
Syne the Spainyie transition tae democracy, PSOE govrened continuously durin 32 years, frae 1979 tae 2011.

Syne 11 Juin 2011, the ceety mayor is Carmen Moriyón o Asturias Forum, who wis supportit wi the votes o the Popular Pairty.
### Councillors distribution in local elections

### Mayors in democracy

## Internaitional relations

### Twin touns – Sister ceeties
Gijón is twinned wi:

## References

## Freemit airtins

* Gijon Municipality
* Official Touristic wabsteid o Gijón 
* Offeecial Toponyms – At Ceety Cooncil offeecial wabsteid.
* Official Toponyms: Laws – *BOPA Nº 229 – Martes, 3 de octubre de 2006* & *DECRETO 105/2006, de 20 de septiembre* (BOPA Errata corrections )
*Offeecial steid Sporting de Gijon
* LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial