Mañaria (both in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

) is an

elizate An (), ( es, anteiglesia) is an early form of local government in the Basque Country which was particularly common in Biscay but also existed in the other provinces. The terms (in Standard Basque) and (in Biscayan) literally translate as "chu ...

, 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 ...

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. ...

, in the Basque Country, Spain. Mañaria is part of the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

'' of

Durangaldea Durangaldea ( Spanish: ''Duranguesado'') is a comarca of Biscay located in the Basque Country, Spain. It is one of the seven ''eskualdeak/comarcas'' or regions that compose the province of Biscay. The capital city of Durangaldea is Durango. Ge ...

and has a population of 459 inhabitants as of 2006 according to the

Spanish National Statistics Institute Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

History

As happens with most of the

s, little is known about the early history of the town and its foundation. Prehistoric deposits of

Magdalenian The Magdalenian cultures (also Madelenian; French: ''Magdalénien'') are later cultures of the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic in western Europe. They date from around 17,000 to 12,000 years ago. It is named after the type site of La Madel ...

and

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

origin have been found in the caves of Silibranka, Kobazar and Atxuri, among others. A

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kn ...

liturgical vase of the 7th Century has also been found. Mañaria was part of the ''merindad'' of Durango, and it had voice and right to vote in the Juntas of Guerendiaga, where it occupied the seat number four. On the 18th Century the construction of the Royal Road connecting the city of Vitoria with the coast of

going through

Urkiola Urkiola is a mountain range of the Basque mountains in Biscay near Durango, in the western Basque Country, Spain. The highest mountain in the range is Anboto (1331 m). The range runs from west to east and forms the water divide between the Atl ...

meant the realignment of the town's location, making it the central axis of the municipality. Since mid 18th Century and during the entire 19th Century, Mañaria lived a period of splendor because of the exploitation of its quarries. The church is extended, and the school, the

Basque pelota Basque pelota ( Basque: '' pilota'', Spanish: '' pelota vasca'', French: '' pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or fronto ...

fronton, the tower of the clock and the cemetery are built.

Geography

Location

Mañaria is located in the southeastern part of the province of

, which is located in northern

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 limits at north with the municipalities of

Izurtza Izurtza (in Basque and officially, in Spanish ''Izurza'') is an elizate, town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the Basque Country, Spain. Izurtza is part of the ''comarca'' of Durangaldea and has a population of 270 inhabita ...

and

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

, at west with Dima and at east and south with Abadiño. Mañaria is situated on a valley within the course of the Mañaria River and surrounded by mountains; the

Mugarra Mugarra is a peak of Biscay, Basque Country (Spain), 936 m high, belonging to the ''Aramotz'' massif. The ''Aramotz'' massif is in the western limit of the Urkiola range. Mugarra continues the line of the Anboto, Alluitz, Aitz Txiki and Unt ...

and Untxillaitz the most significant ones. Other important mountains that surround the municipality are the Arrietabaso and Saibi. The road BI-623 that connects

with

Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ), also alternatively spelled as Vittoria in old English-language sources, is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country and of the province of Álava in northern Spain. It holds the autonomous community' ...

crosses the city from north to south before ascending to

. More than 70% of the territory of the municipality is part of the

Urkiola Natural Park Urkiola Natural Park is a protected area located in the southeastern corner of Biscay and Álava in the northern Basque Country, Spain. It is a protected area of . It was declared a Natural Park on 29 December 1989. The Park's highest mountain ...

Hydrography

The valley is formed by the Mañaria River that originates in the hillsides of the mountains that surround it. This river later joins the Ibaizabal river.

Economy

The economy of the municipality is based on

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

and industry.

Primary Sector

The primary sector is based on the exploitation of resources as

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

and

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

in quarries, being this the main economical activity of the municipality. Some small farming activities are also present.

Secondary Sector

The secondary sector is based on the metallurgical transformation. Most of the industries are located in the deeper area of the valley.

Tertiary Sector

It is almost non-existent due to the proximity of bigger cities, as

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

, where most of the services are located.

Transportation

The transportation is based on road transportation by the BI-623 road, which connects the town with

, the capital city of the ''comarca'' of

and 5 km away. The same road by south connects the town with

and from there to Otxandio, Dima 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 ...

. In Durango, the road is connected to the National Road N-634 and the highway AP-8 to