Oviedo-Gijón-Avilés
Oviedo-Gijón-Avilés is a metropolitan area of over 863 thousand1 consisting of the cities of Oviedo, Gijón and Avilés, all in Asturias province and autonomous community, España (Spain). Oviedo, with a population of nearly 213 thousand,2 is located in hills in the drainage area of the Nalón River. Gijón, with a population of nearly 276 thousand,3 and Avilés, with a population of nearly 84 thousand,4 are located on the seacoast. The tallest building in Oviedo is the 258 foot Torre (tower) de Teatinos; that of Gijón, the Torre de la Universidad Laboral (453 feet to its tip, completed in 1956); and of Avilés, the Plaza Guitarra 3 (173 feet). A famous building in Gijón is the 18th century Palacio de Revillagigedo, now a gallery.5 Several of Oviedo's Romanesque churches, as well as one nearby and the Foncalada (a hydraulic engineering structure) together constitute a UNESCO World Heritage Site honoring the monuments of the Kingdom of Asturias. The Santa Maria del Naranco church, built as a royal residence, was converted to religious use between 905 and 1065. Other churches are San Miguel de Lillo, the Cámara Santa and San Julián de los Prados.6 The metropolitan area is along one of the routes for pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela; the routes within España are also a World Heritage Site.
External references
Santa Maria del Naranco church, Oviedo, Asturias province and autonomous community, España (Spain)
Footnotes
1. Francisco Ruiz column for 2008 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_in_Spain, accessed 12/28-30/2015.
2. 2014 figure from the side bar of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oviedo, accessed December 28-30, 2015.
3. 2014 figure from the side bar of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gij%C3%B3n, accessed December 28-30, 2015.
4. 2008 figure from the side bar of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avil%C3%A9s, accessed December 28-30, 2015.
5. Emporis.com, accessed April 19, 2016.
6. UNESCO, World Heritage Sites (Firefly Books, 2010).
