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Asturias

Population |
1,200,000 (2003) |
Area |
4,094 square miles |
Agriculture and fishing |
Fruits, grains, beans, mussels |
Animals of the region |
Goats, cattle, pigs |
Culture |
The Cruz de la Victoria, dating to 908 AD, is the model for the cross on the Asturian flag, cave paintings from the Paleolithic Era, Medieval towers |
Capital and major cities |
Oviedo, Gijon. Cudillero is a picturesque fishing port, built on a fijord land mass, with houses hung on a hill. |
Folklore, legends, crafts |
Verbenas (outdoor dances, always accompanied by bagpipes), the Descent of the Sella (world-renowned canoe competition), black ceramics, clay pottery, baskets made of strips of chestnut and hazel wood |
Foods and beverages |
Fabada is a white bean soup, made from the fabe de granja – a bean only grown in this area, ham, pork, apple marmalades, apple and nut tortes, cider (sidra)
Spirits of the Region |
Industry and products, past and present |
Mining, firearms, processed food, textiles, chemicals, metal products, coal, copper, iron, zinc, paper mills, oil and sugar refineries, tobacco, chemical, glass, and porcelain |
Inventions, discoveries, and notable people |
Severo Ochoa (1905-1993), 1959 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology, for his discovery (with Arthur Kornberg), of RNA and DNA |
Musical instruments |
Bagpipes |
Symbols of the region |
Horreos (grain storage outbuildings) |
Tourist sites |
Archeological Museum in Oviedo, Medieval churches throughout the area |
Unique qualities |
Lighthouses, especially the Cabo de Peñas Lighthouse on the Cantabrian coast |
Website |
www.infoasturias.com |
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