Pontedeume () is a

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' ...

in the

province of A Coruña The province of A Coruña ( ; ; historical ) 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 ...

in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern

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 ...

, It borders the municipalities of Miño, Cabañas,

A Capela A Capela is a municipality in province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in north-western Spain. It is located in the comarca of Eume. It has a population of 1,238 inhabitants ( INE, 2018) and a population density of 24.81 inh ...

, Villarmaior and

Monfero Monfero is a municipality in the comarca of Eume in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It has a population of 2,178 inhabitants (INE, 2011). Main sights * The "Fragas" of the River Eume Na ...

, located between the cities of

La Coruña LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

(38 km) and Ferrol (18 km) and near Betanzos (26 km) and

Puentes de García Rodríguez Puentes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adonis Puentes (born 1974), Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter *Adrián Puentes (born 1988), Cuban archer *Germán Puentes (born 1972), Spanish tennis player See also *Fuentes (surname ...

(31 km). The town was founded ''ex novo'' by the town charter of

Alfonso X the Wise Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, ; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1 June 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Germany on 1 Ap ...

in 1270, and is one of the few Galician towns that has preserved its old historic center. Its streets and squares retain many traditional elements such as arcades, houses with wooden balconies and glass galleries, public fountains and numerous monumental buildings. All this, together with the rich landscape and nature of the surroundings, led to the Eume River region being declared a Historic Site and Picturesque Place in 1971.The town is located on the English Way path of the

Camino de Santiago The Camino de Santiago (, ; ), or the Way of St. James in English, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tra ...

Industry

Farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and services are the main economic activities, though from the late 1950s, and particularly from the mid 1970s, Pontedeume has developed into a coastal

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

Geography

Parishes

Pontedeume is divided into 8

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es: Andrade (San Martiño), Boebre (Santiago), Breamo (San Miguel), Centroña (Santa María), Nogueirosa (San Cosme), Ombre (Santa María), Pontedeume (Santiago) and Vilar (San Pedro).

Demography

In 1868 and from 1877 to 1890 the territory of

Vilarmaior Vilarmaior () is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It belongs to the comarca of Betanzos. See also *List of municipalities in A Coruña A Coruña (province), A Coruña ...

was a part of the municipality of Pontedeume. This explains the pronounced fall in the population between 1877 and 1900.

Notable people

* Fátima Rodríguez (b. 1961), Spanish writer, translator

References

Municipalities in the Province of A Coruña Castles in Galicia (Spain) {{galicia-geo-stub