Asturias/阿斯圖里亞斯

is an autonomous community of Spain. It is coextensive with the province of Asturias, and contains nearly all of the territory that was part of the Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages. The autonomous community of Asturias is bordered by Cantabria to the east, by Castile and León to the south, by Galicia to the west, and by the Bay of Biscay to the north.
The most important cities are the communal capital, Oviedo (Uviéu), the seaport and largest city Gijón (Xixón), and the industrial town of Avilés. Other popular municipalities include Cangas de Onís (Cangues d'Onís), Cangas del Narcea, Gozón, Grado (Grau or Grao), Langreo (Llangréu), Laviana (Llaviana), Lena (Ḷḷena), Llanes, Mieres, Siero, Valdés, Vegadeo (A Veiga) and Villaviciosa (see also List of municipalities and comarcas in Asturias).

Capital: Oviedo
Provinces: Asturias

The Principality of Asturias is constituted of a single province and its capital is Oviedo. It is limited by high mountain ranges, Cordillera Cantabrica, where you find some outstanding natural preserves such as the national parks Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa and Parque Natural de Somiedo.

Asturias is well known for its green landscapes, and just at a few kilometers from high mountain peaks there is the Cantabric coast with great beaches and colorful fishing villages.

Major attractions are the Way of Saint James (Tip! ) with its numberless pre-romanic monuments, which leads through Asturias and the Ruta de la Plata, "silver route", which starts in Asturias.

Asturias too is the home of ancient rites and beliefs, and this region's popular customs are among the most interesting of Spain. Artisany and gastronomy are of high reputation, you may try excellent sea-food along the coast and, in the mountains, typical dishes such as Fabada, made of a special sort of beans, blood sausage and various cheese specialities, together with a glass of cider.

The Cities:

Oviedo
The region's capital, located more or less at its geographical center, is specially remarkable for its pre-romanic monuments and its great cathedral.

Gijon
This historic city, founded already by Romans, is today one of the most important sea-ports and offers active cultural life.

Aviles
Aviles, one of the oldest settlements of the Cantabric area, is of high economical importance too, but conserves as well its traditional style.

In Asturias there are several important buildings from the pre-romanic epoch, such as the churches Santa Maria del Naranco , San Miguel de Lillo and San Julian de los Prados . These monuments, in their entirety, have been declared "Patrimony of the Humanity" by the UNESCO.