Pontevedra (sometimes spelled Ponte Vedra) is a city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the comarca (county) and province of Pontevedra, in Galicia (Spain). It is also the capital of its own municipality which is, in fact, often considered as an extension of the actual city. Pontevedra is the provincial district court seat.
The municipality of Pontevedra is located between 42°20' and 42°30' north and 8°33' and 8°41' west, in the southwestern Galician coast, an area popularly known as Rias Baixas. The municipality covers 118.3 km² and is about 20 km wide from north to south.
The city sits at the end of the ria that bears its name, occupying the valleys of the Lérez and Tomeza rivers. It extends southwards to the mouth of river Verdugo in Ponte Sampaio. It is surrounded by four mountainous regions divided by two faults, one stretching north-south and one from northeast to southwest.
To the north it borders the municipalities of Barro, Moraña and Campo Lameiro; to the east, Cotobade and Ponte Caldelas; to the south, Soutomaior, Vilaboa and MarÃn, and to the west, Poio and the ria, leading to the Atlantic Ocean.
The main parishes of Pontevedra are: Alba, Bora, Campañó, A Canicouva, Cerponzóns, Lérez, Lourizán, Marcón, Mourente, Ponte Sampaio, Pontevedra e Eiriña, Salcedo, San Xosé, Santa MarÃa de Xeve, Tomeza, Verducido, Virxe do Camiño, Xeve.
The neighbourhoods or main areas of Pontevedra are: O Burgo, Monteporreiro, Campolongo, Mollabao, A Seca, Salgueiriños, A Parda, Eduardo Pondal. A Caeira, although officially located in the municipality of Poio, is often considered as just another neighbourhood of Pontevedra. |
