Enkarterri (
Spanish: ''Las Encartaciones'') is a
comarca of 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. ...
, in the
Basque Country,
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")
, ...
. It is one of the seven ''eskualdeak/comarcas'' or districts that make up 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. ...
. Its administrative centre is
Balmaseda
Balmaseda (in Basque and officially, in Spanish: ''Valmaseda'') is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country. Balmaseda is the capital city of the comarca of Enkarterri, in western Biscay and serves an impor ...
.
Historically a larger region (
merindad), Enkarterri stretched from the mountains that form its southern border with
Cantabria and
Castile-Leon in the west and south, to the river
Nervion and the
Estuary of Bilbao
The Estuary of Bilbao (Spanish: ''Ría de Bilbao'' / Basque: ''Bilboko Itsasadarra'') lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, which drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. In this inst ...
in the east – including the industrial municipalities of
Gallarta,
Muskiz,
Ortuella,
Portugalete,
Santurtzi,
Sestao,
Trapagaran and
Zierbena. Nowadays the name usually refers only to the rural western part of the historical territory, while the eastern urban area is known as the
Left Bank (''Margen Izquierda'' / ''Ezkerraldea'') and is part of the
Greater Bilbao comarca (together with
Barakaldo, which used to belong to the neighbouring merindad of
Uribe).
Geography
Enkarterri is located at the northwest of 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. ...
. It borders the community of
Cantabria to the west, and the
Province of Burgos (
Castile and León) and the province of
Álava
Álava ( in Spanish) or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álav ...
, also in the Basque Country, to the south. The river
Kadagua crosses the region and drains most of it.
Municipalities
External links
Official regional web site (in Basque and Spanish)
Comarcas of Biscay
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