Geography of Asturias

The geography of the Principality of Asturias, a region in the north of the Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe, is characterized by a rugged relief, marked mainly by the Cantabrian mountain range, the natural border of the region with the Plateau. It has a total area of 10,603.57 km².

Political geography

Asturias is administratively divided into 78 councils or municipalities. Below the council is the figure of the parish, which does not necessarily have to coincide with the ecclesiastical one. This figure has not been legally developed in all councils, even though it is unofficially used in all of them. Above the councils, the Statute of Autonomy contemplates the possibility of creating regions, although none have yet been formed. On the other hand, there are mancomunidades, which consist of the grouping of a number of councils with a common purpose. The main population centers are those that make up the famous "Asturian city" (Oviedo-Gijón-Avilés), also called "Asturian triangle". There is another agglomeration of municipalities in the center of the region known as the 'eight astur', formed by the three previous cities and the councils of Langreo and Mieres. Its name is related to the shape of the territory they delimit. together, which resembles the number "8". Oviedo, Gijón, Avilés and Siero are the only municipalities that have more than 50,000 inhabitants, followed at some distance by Langreo and Mieres, with just under 40,000 residents each. We must not forget other municipalities located in the wings of the region that have had and continue to play a very important role as centralizers of services in their area, especially Cangas del Narcea, Luarca, Navia and Arriondas. All of them, mainly the first, act as small dominant cities of a large territory.

Flora and fauna

Asturias is located in the so-called Green Spain. There are mainly two types of vegetation: On the one hand, oaks, beeches, yews are common... On the other hand, in mountain areas, you can find holm oaks, chestnut trees...

Relief

Asturias is a mountainous region characterized by the location, to the south, of the Cantabrian mountain range. The Cordillera, which separates the region from the Meseta, runs through the region from East to West in a stretch of about 200 km in a straight line, with altitudes ranging from just over 1000 m in the east, to 2600 m in the peaks of Europe. From the point of view of relief, the following units can be distinguished:

A. The Cantabrian mountain range

Picos de Europa and Ubiña massif—, which from west to east is made up of the following sections

• Mingaton saw
• Sierra del Rañadoir
• Sierra de Casomera
• Sierra de las Fuentes de Invierno
• Sierra de Mongayo
• Beza mountain range
• Picos de Europa, already on the eastern border, the great massif of northern Spain that extends through Cantabria and Castilla y León with more than 200 summits that reach 2000 m;

B. The interior mountains

The interior mountain ranges are foothills of the Cantabrian mountain range that extend into the region.

West

In an almost perpendicular south-north direction, limiting valleys through which the main rivers flow:

• Sierra de Muniellos
• Sierras of Carondio and Valledor, separating the valley of the river Navia from the valley of the river Esva.
• Sierra de la Serrantina

Center

Limiting the main valleys of the region:

• Sierra de la Mesa
• Sierra de la Sobia, separating the valley of Teverga from the river Trubia
• Lena and Aramo mountain range
• cordal of the Plains of Someron
• Cordal de Carrocedo
• cordal de Murias y Santibáñez

East

In the eastern part, in a more inclined direction:

• cordal de Put
• Sierra de Amieva
• Sierra de Covadonga
• Sierra de Covalierda

C. The precoastal and coastal mountain ranges:

• Sierra de Ques
• Sierra del Sueve
• Sierra del Cuera

Climate

The general climate in Asturias is oceanic, with abundant rainfall spread throughout the year and mild temperatures in both winter and summer. Due to the rugged nature of the Asturian geography, there are countless microclimates, although we could distinguish three main microclimates in the Principality: rainy oceanic, inland oceanic and mountainous. In Asturias there are two climatic zones:

• Coastal climate strip, very influencing by the sea
• Climate strip in the southwest of the Principality, with a more continentalized climate; The central strip that, although oceanic, is not as influenced by the sea as the coastline and the mountain climate in all regions of the Cantabrian Cordillera, with important snowfalls, that in not very high peaks, can begin in October and extend until May, although it is not uncommon to see a couple of meters above the summer 2000s.

Hydrography

The Asturian rivers are short and very large. They are embedded in deep valleys that make their way towards the Cantabrian Sea from south to north. This peculiarity allows many to be used for the generation of hydroelectric energy. There are 8 large hydrographic basins, the largest being the Narcea. The main rivers are: Sella, Nalón, Narcea and Navia.

There are some small lakes, the lakes of Covadonga and Somiedo stand out.

Seascape

Asturias has 375 km of coastline, known as the Green Coast, which covers the maritime provinces of Avilés and Gijón. There are more than 200 beaches of various sizes and materials. The main coastal feature is Cape Peñas, which divides the province into two similar halves.