Mallabia (in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

and officially, in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Mallavia'') is an

elizate An (), () is an early form of local government in the Basque Country which was particularly common in Biscay but also existed in the other provinces. The terms (in Standard Basque) and (in Biscayan) literally translate as "church door" ( "chur ...

, town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located in the province of

Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...

, in the Basque Country, northern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Mallabia is part of the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) 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, mark ...

'' of

Durangaldea Durangaldea ( Spanish: ''Duranguesado'') is a comarca of Biscay located in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven ''eskualdeak/comarcas'' or regions that compose the province of Biscay. The capital city of Durangaldea is Durango. ...

and has a population of 1.135 inhabitants as of 2006 and according to the

Spanish National Statistics Institute The (INE; ) is the official government agency in Spain that collects statistics about demography, the economy, and Spanish society. It is an autonomous organization responsible for overall coordination of statistical services of the General St ...

Etymology

The etymology of the word ''Mallabia'' may come from the

word ''malla'' ("step", "level" or "height") and ''bi(a)'' ("two" or "the one with two"), then refers to the place with "two levels" or "two heights".

History

As it is common with the

s, the date of foundation of Mallabia is unknown. Its origin is linked with the old ''Tierra Llana'' (Spanish for "flat lands") of the ancient ''merindad of Durango''. At some point, it possibly split from the elizate of Zenarruza (in which lands the elizate of

Ermua Ermua is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. In 2019, Ermua had 15,880 inhabitants. Ermua is a town in the Durangaldea comarca of the province of Biscay in nor ...

was founded). Since 1635, Mallabia had voice and right to vote in the ''Juntas of Guerediaga'', where it occupied the seat number three. The local church was opened in the 11th century, it was reconstructed in the 16th century and finally finished in 1750.

Geography

The municipality of Mallabia is located in the eastern part of

. It limits at north with the municipalities of

Markina-Xemein Markina-Xemein is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, Bizkaia, in the Basque Autonomous Community, also known as the Basque Country, located in northern Spain. The origin of the town's name lies in its geographic location ...

and

Etxebarria Etxebarria is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. See also Javier, Etxebarri, Etxeberria Etxeberria (, modern Basque spelling) is a Basque language placena ...

, at south with

Zaldibar Zaldibar (in Basque language, Basque and officially, in ) is an elizate, town and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. Zaldibar is part of the ...

at east with

Eibar Eibar (, ) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Autonomous Community of Euskadi. It is the capital of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Debabarrena. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eustat, 2018). Its chief industry is ...

(province of

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

) and

and at west with

Berriz Berriz (in Basque and officially, in Spanish: ''Bérriz'') is an elizate, town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, northern Spain. Berriz is part of the ''comarca'' of Durangaldea and has a population of 4 ...

Transportation

The town is crossed by the roads BI-3301 (Ermua-Trabakua), BI-633 (Durango-Ondarroa) and the N-634, which connects the town with

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

, Donostia,

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

and

, among others. The nearest highway is the AP-8, which cannot be accessed from the town; the closest access is located in

. The narrow-gauge regional railways

Euskotren Trena Euskotren Trena, formerly known just as ''Euskotren'' is a commuter rail, commuter, Inter-city rail, inter-city and Urban rail transit, urban transit train-operating company that operates local and inter-city passenger services in the provinces ...

does not have a station in the town, despite crossing near to it.

Notable people

* Gorka Arrizabalaga, cyclist. *

Francisco de Longa Francisco Tomás de Anchia y Urquiza (1783–1831) was a Spanish military commander. Better known as Francisco de Longa,The confusion regarding the name Longa, which he himself used, is due to the fact that Longa was the name of the '' caserio'' ...

, lieutenant general who fought in the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. * Andoni Monforte (born 1946), politician. *

Mikel Pradera Mikel Pradera Rodríguez (born March 6, 1975, in Mallabia, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. Major results ;1999 :2nd Overall G.P. Portugal Telecom ;2000 :7th Overall 2000 Crit� ...

, cyclist.

References

External links

MALLABIA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
Municipalities in Biscay Durangaldea {{basqueCountry-geo-stub