Cantabria – a Country of Great Diversity
The name Cantabria comes from the Celtic language and its literary translation is “the people who live in stones.” Cantabria has the largest archaeological sites (from the Paleolithic era) in the world. The most important cave is Al Tamira.
This cave and another 9 caves were declared as world heritage sites by UNESCO. The most important cave paintings date back to between 16,000 BC and 9000 BC. The first written document about the existence of Cantabria was made in 195 BC. Since that time, Cantabria was always mentioned in written documents of the Roman Empire.
Cantabria’s notorious population was recorded in Greek and Latin texts. Cantabrian people were used as mercenaries. In 30’s BC, Cantabrian war against the Romans started. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Cantabria freed themselves from the Visigoths.
Cantabria is an area of outstanding vegetation and belongs to the so-called Green Spain
The whole area is divided into coast and mountain regions. The climate is strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain belt has a high average rainfall. Thanks to the Golf current, climate of this region is milder than expected to be (based on its latitude).
Cantabria offers a great variety of landscapes – mountain area is parallel to the sea coast. In the forested Cantabria still live wolves and bears; mountain cliffs are still inhabited by eagles and rivers are still full of trout.
Unique place in Cantabria is the highest mountain peak-Pico De Mares
From here, every drop of rain has equal chances to fall into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cantabrian Sea or the Mediterranean Sea. The totally contrast to the cruel and wild mountains is coastal belt with a lovely fishing villages, beautiful bays and romantic atmosphere with the scent of Mediterranean vegetation.
The Mediterranean coastal belt is circa 10 km long. Variety of coastline runs from the steep cliffs to the sandy beach. The coast is marked by the largest bay of Santander and a capital of the same name. Santander is a very active port;
the great cultural offer of the city as summer universities and international festivals attract large numbers of tourists annually. In addition, there are many sports facilities that make this city an exceptional place for vacation. Cantabria has 7 national parks and the most famous is Picos de Europa.
Cantabria due to its unique mixture of climate, vegetation and cultural heritage is exceptional tourist reserve. In addition, it offers unforgettable gastronomic delights that do not leave anybody indifferent.