Costa da Morte
Encyclopedia
Costa da Morte (ˈkɔsta ða ˈmɔɾte, "Coast of Death") is part of the Spanish
Galician coast. The Costa da Morte extends from the villages of Fisterra
and Malpica.
The Costa da Morte received its name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore. Instead of being sheltered by an intricate coastline or by islands as the Rías Baixas
region is, the shore of the Costa da Morte is exposed directly to the Atlantic Ocean
. It is an area that has been impacted by a number of oil spill
s, 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 pre-Roman
legend which held that this area was the end of the world (Finis-terrae). The area was largely Christianized by the Catholic Church 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 Celtic ritual places and pass on some of the traditional beliefs. For example, there are giant pedras de abalar
(i.e. "oscillating stones", the common term in English is rocking stone
) throughout the region. These pedras de abalar were sacred Celtic locations and used in various rituals that are remembered in local culture. There is also a local legend that the wind creates wild nightmares.
(Spanish: Cabo Finisterre; Galician: Cabo Fisterra), a rock-bound peninsula in the uttermost west of Galicia, Spain.
Cape Finisterre is the westernmost point of Spain, though not of Continental Europe (that honour belongs to Cabo da Roca in Portugal), and its name, like that of Finistère in France, derives from Finisterrae in Latin which literally means "Land's End".
Cape Finisterre has a notable lighthouse on it and nearby is the seaside town of Fisterra.
Further north are the so-called Rías Altas
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Galician coast. The Costa da Morte extends from the villages of Fisterra
Fisterra
Fisterra , in Spanish usually Finisterre, is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Fisterra is on Cape Finisterre, the final destination for many pilgrims on the Way of St. James....
and Malpica.
The Costa da Morte received its name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore. Instead of being sheltered by an intricate coastline or by islands as the Rías Baixas
Rías Baixas
The Rías Baixas are a part of Costa del Marisco facing the Atlantic Ocean in the southern part of the Galicia region of Spain. They consist of the southern part of the Province of Coruña and the entire Province of Pontevedra...
region is, the shore of the Costa da Morte is exposed directly to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. It is an area that has been impacted by a number of oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
s, including the spill from the Prestige
Prestige oil spill
The Prestige oil spill was an oil spill off the coast of Galicia caused by the sinking of an oil tanker in 2002. The spill polluted thousands of kilometers of coastline and more than one thousand beaches on the Spanish, French and Portuguese coast, as well as causing great harm to the local fishing...
in 2002.
The exterior cape region is known for anthropological, historical and geographical reasons. Its name in the Galician language
Galician language
Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia, an autonomous community located in northwestern Spain, where it is co-official with Castilian Spanish, as well as in border zones of the neighbouring territories of Asturias and Castile and León.Modern Galician and...
is Fisterra
Fisterra
Fisterra , in Spanish usually Finisterre, is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Fisterra is on Cape Finisterre, the final destination for many pilgrims on the Way of St. James....
, which descends from the pre-Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
legend which held that this area was the end of the world (Finis-terrae). The area was largely Christianized by the Catholic Church with the aid of a large flux of Christian pilgrims arriving on the Way of St. James
Way of St. James
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried....
.
The people of the area still preserve pre-Christian Celtic ritual places and pass on some of the traditional beliefs. For example, there are giant pedras de abalar
Pedras de abalar
The Pedras de abalar, Galician for "oscillating stones", are several large stones that can easily be moved by a person or the wind in Galicia, Spain. There are many versions found throughout the world; in English these are called rocking stones, or logan stones.One of these is in Muxia, the "Pedra...
(i.e. "oscillating stones", the common term in English is rocking stone
Rocking stone
Rocking stones are large stones that are so finely balanced that the application of just a small force causes them to rock. They are found throughout the world. Some are man-made megaliths, but others are natural, often left by glaciers.Logan or rocking stones are known in Scotland sometimes as...
) throughout the region. These pedras de abalar were sacred Celtic 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 CoruñaA CoruñaA Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country...
- MalpicaBergantiñosBergantiños is a comarca in the Galician Province of A Coruña. The overall population of this local region is 70,698 .-Municipalities:Cabana de Bergantiños, Carballo, Coristanco, A Laracha, Laxe, Malpica de Bergantiños and Ponteceso....
- CamariñasCamariñasCamariñas is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. An important fishing center, it is renowned all over Spain by the bobbin lace work of its women ....
- MuxiaMuxiaMuxia is a coastal town in the province of A Coruña, in Galicia, Spain. It is one of the final destinations for pilgrims on the Way of St. James after visiting the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela.Muxia is known for its spectacular beaches...
- Fisterra
Geography
The Costa da Morte includes Cape FinisterreCape Finisterre
right|thumb|300px|Position of Cape Finisterre on the [[Iberian Peninsula]]Cape Finisterre is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain....
(Spanish: Cabo Finisterre; Galician: Cabo Fisterra), a rock-bound peninsula in the uttermost west of Galicia, Spain.
Cape Finisterre is the westernmost point of Spain, though not of Continental Europe (that honour belongs to Cabo da Roca in Portugal), and its name, like that of Finistère in France, derives from Finisterrae in Latin which literally means "Land's End".
Cape Finisterre has a notable lighthouse on it and nearby is the seaside town of Fisterra.
Further north are the so-called Rías Altas
Rias Altas
Rías Altas is the northernmost of three sections of A Costa do Marisco in Galicia, Spain. It extends from the port of Ribadeo to Santa Cruz....
Locations
These are some of the towns, villages, hamlets and cities along the Death Coast (that is, the "Costa da Morte"):- Suevos
- Caión
- Praia de Baldaio
- Punta do Razo
- Punta Falcoeira
- Malpica
- Illas Sisargas
- BarizoBarizoBarizo is a fishing town in the northern part of Spain, specifically along the Costa da Morte in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous region of Galicia.- Economy :...
- Punta de Nariga
- Corme
- Balarés
- Ria de Laxe
- Cabo de Laxe
- Praia de Traba
- Camelle
- Praia do Trece
- Cabo Vilán
- CamariñasCamariñasCamariñas is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. An important fishing center, it is renowned all over Spain by the bobbin lace work of its women ....
- MuxiaMuxiaMuxia is a coastal town in the province of A Coruña, in Galicia, Spain. It is one of the final destinations for pilgrims on the Way of St. James after visiting the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela.Muxia is known for its spectacular beaches...
- Punta da Barca
- Cabo Touriñán
- Nemiña
- Ria de Lires
- Praia do Rostro
- Cabo da Nave
- FisterraFisterraFisterra , in Spanish usually Finisterre, is a municipality in the province of A Coruña, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Fisterra is on Cape Finisterre, the final destination for many pilgrims on the Way of St. James....