A Coruna Province (Corruna)

The province of la Coruna has both inland and costal conurbations and is perhaps the most centrally located of the regions four districts, at least on a north to south axis. Its western boundary faces the Atlantic Ocean and it has a myriad of coves and bays (known as rias). It also holds Galicia's best known and most visited cities of Santiago de Compostela, the regional capitol, and A Coruna, the province's capitol. Additionally, a host of smaller towns including Muros, Ribeira, Betanzos, Noia andmany more, are to be found in Corruna province.

Economically the A Coruna province is the most prosperous in Galicia although Pontevedra, with its massive city of Vigo, is probably the most industrial. A Coruna has Galicia's largest provincial population totalling over one million inhabitants. It also bucks the general Galician trend of population leakage with its major cities increasing their population numbers rather than losing them. (This may not however be the case in the provinces more rural hamlets and villages.)

The city of A Coruna and its extended urbanizations account for almost four hundred thousand people. Much of the provinces economy is based on fishing, shipyards and metal works, the later in the city of Ferrol.

Further industries include oil refining, the manufacture of ceramics and glassware and an increasing financial and communications sector. The large ports in the capitol and at Ferrol also mean that distribution and transportation are important service industries. The fishing expeditions that leave A Coruna harbour are "long haul" and each voyage can involve a round trip of thousands of miles spread over several months.

Tourism

For the tourist, A Coruna boasts mile upon mile of picturesque beaches, quaint fishing villages, and breath taking inland scenery with meadows, mountains and forests. It is certainly the province that has the most to offer the holiday maker if you want a mix of coastal and inland attractions and, importantly, it has its own international airports (at Santiago de Compostela and la Coruna) and a large number of hotels, plus rental villas and apartments. You will also find camp sites for caravans and camping throughout this and the other Galician provinces.

Many foreign visitors to Galicia will spend their entire vacation in the A Coruna province and will feel, quite rightly, that they have sampled most of what Galicia has to offer without venturing beyond this provincial boundary. Certainly it is possible to see examples of the regions most impressive buildings, monuments, beaches, festivals and landscapes in A Corunna, but we would still recommend that the real tourist explore at least one of the other provinces as well.

Exploring this la Coruna is relatively easy and is made all the more enjoyable by the fact that you do not have to travel mile upon mile between its various towns and cities. A drive down its coast will service you with a different town every ten minutes, whist motorways and recent highways connect to Santiago, Coruna, Ferrol, Pontevedra, Lugo, Orense and even Santander (Basque region) with good and obvious sign posting – a novelty in Galicia. Variety is also served up in good measure in the Corruna province and you will find medieval districts in many towns, but complemented with modern shopping areas, large supermarkets and a thriving culinary culture.

As the district most visited by international tourists, A Coruna also has a large number of Tourist Information offices and these range from the truly appalling Turgalicia head office just outside Santiago, to the many excellent information points like the one at Porto do Son and those found in the larger towns and cities. All told if you want to sample what many tour operators now call "real" or "green" Spain, the Galician province of A Coruna is probably the best place to start.