Costa da Morte (; es, Costa de la Muerte; "Death Coast") is part of the Galician coast. The Costa da Morte extends from the villages of Muros and Malpica. The Costa da Morte received its name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore. The shore of the Costa da Morte is exposed directly to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. It is an area that has suffered a number of oil spills, including the spill from the ''Prestige'' in 2002. The exterior cape region is known for anthropological, historical and geographical reasons. Its name in the Galician language is Fisterra, which descends from the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

legend which held that this area was the end of the world (''Finis-terrae''). The area was largely Christianized by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

with the aid of a large flux of Christian pilgrims arriving on the Way of St. James. The people of the area still preserve pre-Christian ritual places and pass on some of the traditional beliefs. For example, there are giant ''

pedras de abalar The Pedras de abalar, Galician for "oscillating stones", are several large stones in Galicia, Spain, that can easily be moved by a person or the wind. One of these is in Muxía, and is known as the "Pedra da Barca". These are large stones that ar ...

'' (i.e. "oscillating stones", the common term in English is

rocking stone Rocking stones (also known as logan stones or logans) are large stones that are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force causes them to rock. Typically, rocking stones are residual corestones formed initially by spheroidal ...

) throughout the region. These pedras de abalar were sacred locations and used in various rituals that are remembered in local culture. There is also a local legend that the wind creates wild nightmares.

Major commercial and fishing ports

* A Coruña * Malpica * Camariñas * Muxia * Fisterra

Geography

The Costa da Morte includes

Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; gl, Cabo Fisterra, italic=no ; es, Cabo Finisterre, italic=no ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like ...

(Spanish: Cabo Finisterre; Galician: Cabo Fisterra), a rock-bound peninsula in the uttermost west of Galicia, Spain. Cape Finisterre is not the westernmost point of Spain, contrary to popular belief. This title belongs to Cape Touriñán, which is found just north of Finisterre. Finisterre's name, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin ''Finisterrae'' which literally means "Land's End". This name was born several centuries ago, when Spanish people used to think that the Cape Finisterre was the place where the Earth ends, since they didn`t know about the American continent. Cape Finisterre has a notable lighthouse on it, and the seaside town of Fisterra is located nearby. Nevertheless, Cape finisterre is not the only cape that Costa da Morte includes; one can also see Cape Touriñán as well as Cape Vilán. Further north are the

Rías Altas Rías Altas (also called "Upper Rias") is the northernmost of three sections of '' A Costa do Marisco'' (the Seafood Coast) in Galicia, Spain. It extends from the port of Ribadeo to Santa Cruz. The Upper Rias refers to the coast of the norther ...

. Rias are flooded river valleys which form estuaries along the coast.

Locations

These are some of the towns, villages, hamlets and cities along the "Costa da Morte":

* Suevos * Caión * Praia de Baldaio * Punta do Razo * Punta Falcoeira * Malpica * Illas Sisargas * Barizo * Punta de Nariga * Corme * Balarés * Ria de Laxe * Cabo de Laxe * Praia de Traba * Camelle * Praia do Trece * Cabo Vilán * Camariñas * Muxia * Punta da Barca * Cabo Touriñán * Nemiña * Ria de Lires * Praia do Rostro * Cabo da Nave * Fisterra * O viso

References

{{Galician Regions Green Spain Beaches of Galicia (Spain) Tourism in Spain Landforms of Galicia (Spain) Morte Coasts of the Atlantic Ocean

Major commercial and fishing ports

Geography

Locations

See also

References