eu, Eatar , population_note = , population_density_km2 = auto , blank_name_sec1 = , blank_info_sec1 = , timezone =

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Postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...

, postal_code = 48287 , area_code_type = Dialing code , area_code = , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Juan Luis Landazabal Lamikiz , leader_party = Bildu , website = , footnotes = Ea (also pronounced ''Ie'' in local Basque) is a town and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

located in the province of

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. B ...

, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern

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. The town has three boroughs: ''Ea'', ''Bedarona'' and ''Natxitua''. The main one, Ea, is the most populated of the municipality, which has a total population of 865 (2014).

Geography

Ea is located on the coast, 50 km northeast from

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

, in the bottom of a tiny

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

that breaks through the cliffs of the Bay of Biscay. The Ea river crosses the town, which has three bridges, the oldest one being the so-called "''Roman Bridge''" (featured in the coat of arms) that is really a medieval one. There is a small fishing port, but the predominant activities of the town are

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, and quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests and wo ...

and cattle, with many farms disperse around the typically basque countryside.

History

The area was a rural one, centered on the parishes of Natxitua and Bedarona. In the 16th century, fishermen from both villages founded a new permanent settlement at the bottom of the tiny estuary of the river Ea. After two centuries, the settlement became far more important than its two neighboring villages, so finally a new municipality was created, uniting the two former villages and with capital in Ea. As a remainder of its past as two separated parishes, Ea has two main churches, one at each bank of the river.

Transport

There is a taxi service in the town.

Fiestas

The first fiesta in the calendar is San Juan, from the night of the 23rd until the 26th of June. On the 16th of July the town celebrates The Virgin of Carmen, patron saint of fishermen. San Ignacio takes place in the Bedarona neighborhood on the 31st of July. During the first weekend of August there is the Gazte Eguna rock festival in Natxitua. On August 24 the people of the town gather together for San Bartolome day. There is a

paella Paella (, , , , , ) is a rice dish originally from Valencia. While non-Spaniards commonly view it as Spain's national dish, Spaniards almost unanimously consider it to be a dish from the Valencian region. Valencians, in turn, regard ''paella'' ...

championship, traditional Basque sports and dancing at night. There is an end-of-summer party on the last weekend of August.

Culture

Days Of Poetry

Every year since 2003, for three days in July, members of the cultural workshop HEA, inspired by the Basque poet and Ea summer visitor Gabriel Aresti, organize the poetry festival Eako Poesia Egunak (Days of Poetry in Ea). The event incorporates dance, poetry, concerts and theater and has become a major event in the Basque cultural calendar. The 2014 edition is from the 15th to the 17th of July.

Gallery

Image:Ea2.jpg, Estuary, looking to the Bay of Biscay. Image:Bedarona.JPG, Rural coast landscape from ''Bedarona''. Image:Ea3.jpg, The fishing port and the beaches. Image:Ea5.jpg, Closeup of the ''Roman Bridge''.

References

External links

Ea town council

EA in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)
Municipalities in Biscay Populated coastal places in Spain {{basqueCountry-geo-stub