The Turia Valley ( es, Valle del Turía) is a small valley on the western border of the

Cantabrian Mountains , etymology=Named after the Cantabri , photo=Cordillera Cantábrica vista desde el Castro Valnera.jpg , photo_caption=Cantabrian Mountains parallel to the Cantabrian Sea seen from Castro Valnera in an east-west direction. In the background, th ...

in the northwest of

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

which is close to beaches and is divided by two

autonomous communities eu, autonomia erkidegoa ca, comunitat autònoma gl, comunidade autónoma oc, comunautat autonòma an, comunidat autonoma ast, comunidá autónoma , alt_name = , map = , category = Autonomous administra ...

Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...

and Galicia. It consists of an area of 90 km², 3,910 inhabitants and is 200 m above sea level. The two main towns are

A Pontenova A Pontenova is a municipality in the Spanish province of Lugo. It has a population of 3199 (Spanish 2003 Census) and an area of 136 km². A Pontenova and the Turia Valley A Pontenova is part of the Turia Valley or “Valle del Turia� ...

(Galicia) and

Taramundi Taramundi is a municipality in the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It neighbors on the north side with San Tirso de Abres and Vegadeo, on the east side with Villanueva de Oscos and Vegadeo, on the south side with Santa Eulalia de Oscos and A Pont ...

(Asturias).

Geography

The Turia Valley is a range of small mountains, ancient oak forests and rivers. It is dotted with small stoned hamlets and villages and is only 25 minutes from the sea and remote beaches. The climate in the region is pleasant throughout the year. As with the rest of northern Spain (or the Green Spain), the climate is more variable than the southern parts of Spain and is characterised by an Atlantic climate. The average temperature in summer is usually around 26 °C. The average temperature in winter is 8 °C (12 °C in the day and 4 °C at night). The Turía River (250 m altitude) gives its name to the valley. The Turia Valley is surrounded by hills and mountains, including, Sierra de Piedafita (900 m), Sierra de Ouroso (1033 m), Sierras de Dendin (900 m), Sierra de Teixedais (900 m) and Sierra de Eirua (700 m). The patrimony of the Valley has more than 60 religious buildings and places of worship, such as the church of San Martin de Tarimundi founded in the 18th century or the Santuario de Santa María de Conforto founded in the 16th century.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

The Turia Valley is part of the

Eo River The Eo is a river, long, in northwestern Spain. Its estuary forms the boundary between the regions of Galicia and Asturias. The river is known for its salmon fishing. In the western Cantabrian mountains the river forms the axis of one of Asturi ...

, Oscos and Buron lands

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

. A Biosphere Reserve is an international conservation designation given by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB). The World Network of Biosphere Reserves is the collection of all 531 biosphere reserves in 105 countries (as of May, 2008). Biosphere reserves are created to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere. The area included in the Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 158,883 hectares of which 215 km² belong to the area of the Turia Valley. Agriculture, fish farming and tourism are the principal areas of growth for the region. Although there has been a fall in the primary sector in recent years and an increase in the service sectors as

rural tourism Rural tourism is a tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many villages can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome or host visitors. Agriculture ...

, agriculture still remains the largest economic activity of local economy. The 14 councils which are part of the below Reserve in Asturias and Galicia register a total of 11,408 jobs. The average income in the area is close to the average regional and national figure. Micro businesses and family run businesses are very characteristic of the region. Construction, commerce, hotels and rural tourism also account for a high percentage of local business. Rural tourism is now a growing activity in all the Reserve, at present there are about 170 establishments catered for rural tourism.

Location

The Turia Valley is located on the western border of the

in the northwest of Spain and is divided by two counties: Asturias and Galicia (43°33' North and 6°42' West). The valley has two principal towns,

(Galicia) and

(Asturias). The nearest city is

Ribadeo Ribadeo is a municipality in the Spanish province of Lugo in Galicia. It has a population of 10,023 (INE, 2011) and an area of . It is the capital of the A Mariña Oriental comarca. Geography The municipality of Ribadeo has approximately the ...

(Galicia) and the nearest city is

Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...

(Galicia) where all services, including hospitals, can be found. * The Turia Valley is 28 km from Ribadeo and the closest beaches are a 25 minute drive away. * Ribadeo is 95 km from Asturias International Airport (45 minutes when the new road is ready) * Ribadeo is 130 km from Gijon and

Oviedo Oviedo (; ast, Uviéu ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located ap ...

(1 hour) * Ribadeo is 305 km from

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

port with ferries to

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

every week (3:10 hours) * The Turia Valley is 190 km from the closest ski resort in the

Picos de Europa The Picos de Europa ("Peaks of Europe", also the Picos) are a mountain range extending for about , forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. The range is situated in the Autonomous Communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castil ...

(2:20 hours) * The Turia Valley is 54 km from Lugo (45 minutes) and 180 km from

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

(2:10 hours)

References

Infoasturias.com
Electronic tourism brochure edited by the Asturias Council Tourism Department. * * http://Taramundi.es Taramundi official website

External links

www.turiavalley.com
{{coord missing, Spain Valleys of Spain Landforms of Asturias Landforms of Galicia (Spain)