Belmonte de Miranda explained

Belmonte de Miranda
Settlement Type:Municipality
Native Name:Miranda
Flag Size:150
Pushpin Map:Spain
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Spain
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Spain
Subdivision Type1:Autonomous community
Subdivision Type2:Province
Subdivision Name2:Asturias
Subdivision Type3:Comarca
Subdivision Name3:Oviedo
Subdivision Type4:Judicial district
Subdivision Name4:Grado
Seat Type:Capital
Seat:Belmonte
Coordinates:43.2833°N -20°W
Elevation Max M:1527
Area Total Km2:208.01
Population Demonym:belmontino/a
Population Density Km2:auto
Blank Name Sec1:Official language(s)
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:33830
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Leader Title:Alcalde
Leader Name:Roberto Pérez López
Leader Party:PSOE

Belmonte de Miranda (Asturian: Miranda) is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Salas, on the east by Grado, to the south by Somiedo and Teverga, and on the west by Tineo.

Geography

The municipality is crossed from south to north by the basin of the river Pigüeña, a trout-rich tributary of the Narcea, the river which forms the northern border with Salas, and which is usually fished for salmon.

The southeast part of the municipality forms part of the Somiedo Natural Park. In it are a great variety of native forest species: oaks, chestnuts, and so forth. Here the fauna is varied and abundant, including wolves, foxes, badgers, roe deer, boars, and brown bear.

Demography

The inhabitants of the municipality are in 66 principal villages divided into 15 parishes, the largest of which is Belmonte, with 32.1 km2.

Like many of the municipalities in the mountains of Asturias, Belmonte de Miranda is losing population. At the turn of the twentieth century, it numbered over 7000. Emigration was a major cause of population decline, especially in the 1940s. In the final decades of the twentieth century, the population of the capital seems to have become fixed at around 800.

Economy

Agriculture is the most developed economic activity in the region. It is done on small ranches and many of the ranchers are of advanced age, which endangers the future of the enterprise. In the industrial sector, the most notable company is Río Narcea Gold Mines.Nearly a third of the population works in the service sector, especially in the burgeoning hospitality businesses.

Famous people

Parishes

External links