Ribeira is the capital of the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

of Barbanza, in the

province of A Coruña The province of A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical en, link=no, 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 At ...

in the

autonomous community eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

in northwestern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. The capital and most populous urban center is Santa Uxía de Ribeira. Another of its major points is the center of San Martin de Oleiros. The municipality is administratively divided into nine civil parishes: Aguiño, Artes, Carreira, Castiñeiras, Corrubedo, Oleiros, Olveira, Palmeira and Ribeira. It is one of the most southerly municipalities of the province. It borders the municipalities of Pobra do Caramiñal and Porto do Son. It has one of the most important inshore fishing ports in the province. Also within the municipality, tuna that is destined for canning is unloaded for manufacturing companies. It has important administrative services provided to the population that nourishes the municipality, such as the local delegation of the Treasury and three Courts of First Instance and Instruction.

Toponymy

''Ribeira'' is a Galician word, from Latin ''ripariam'', meaning 'bank' or 'shore'. This form was first attested in 1387: ''Santa Ougea de Ribeira''. On the other hand, ''Uxía'', Old Galician ''Ougia'', is the local evolution of the name

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

; hence ''Santa Uxía'' means ''Saint Eugenia''. The local church of Saint Eugenia is first recorded in a document dated in 1200, as ''Sancte Eugenie de Carraria''.

History

Traces of the Atlantic megalithic culture in Riberia can be found at the

Dolmen de Axeitos Dolmen de Axeitos is a prehistoric megalithic dolmen just to the northwest of the village , in the parish of , in the municipality of Ribeira, on the Barbanza Peninsula in the estuary of the Ría de Arousa in the Province of A Coruña, Galicia, ...

and the Pedra das Cabras petroglyph. Until the 17th century, Ribeira's port was of little importance on the region, partly due to several incursions of

vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

saracens upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...

and

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

from the 11th to 18th centuries. Nevertheless, it grew constantly to become one of Galicia's most important fishing ports towards the late 18th century. At that time businessmen of

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

arrived in Ribeira and created a successful salting fish industry. King

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

granted Ribeira the title of City on 1906

Economy

Economically, Ribeira is very dependent on the sea and it constitutes one of the most important shallow-water fishing ports in Spain. Cultivation of

mussels Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which ...

and turbots represents an important source of income. The town also has splendid expectations facing the increase of tourism.

Demographics

The population reaches 28,000 inhabitants, nearly 14,000 residing in Santa Uxía, main urban nucleus and parish. There is a significant number of people settled abroad, mainly in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

Harrison, New Jersey Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey, and is located from New York City. As of the 2 ...

Carteret, New Jersey Carteret is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 25,326. History Carteret was originally created as the borough of Roosevelt on April 11, 1906, from portion ...

, and Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

Tourism

In recent years the tourism industry has set their sights on the Barbanzana capital. Traces of the past can be cherished by visiting the Dolmen de Axeitos or "The Parthenon of Megalithic" as described by the late official chronicler of the municipality, Carlos Garcia Bayon. The remains of Celtic culture and forts are dotted throughout the Riveira territory along with petroglyphs for cultural tourists seeking a peek into the past. Tourists seeking recreation in the scenic beauty have a starting point in Ribeira. The natural park of the Dunes and lagoons Carregal Corrubedo and Vixán (Dune Corrubedo) offer visitors, among other peculiarities, 1000 hectares of park and 5 kilometers of coastline. It should be mentioned that the largest moving dune in the northwest peninsular is here that is 1.2 kilometers in length and no less than 15 meters in height. Another main tourist attraction in Ribeira is 'Festa da Dorna', a major event taking place one week prior to the 24th of July (which is a local holiday and the biggest day of the event). It has been taking place since 1948 and it was declared a Galician Festival of Tourist Interest in 2005. There are several fun activities taking place during the days that it is celebrate. People organize themselves in groups called "peñas", identified by colorful t-shirts and fun names related to the sea life.

Gastronomy

The municipality is located at the mouth of the Ria de Arousa, which boasts of being the most productive shellfish area in Spain. Ribeira is one of the first inshore fishing ports so it can be said that its cuisine is intimately linked to the sea.

Notable people

* Ana Peleteiro, athlete * Andrés Torres Queiruga, theologian and writer

References

External links

Ribeira Council Official Webpage

Parish of Carreira Official Webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Uxia de Ribeira Municipalities in the Province of A Coruña