Bilbao

Geography > Europe > Spain > Basque Country > Biscay

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Bilbao (Basque: Bilbo) is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Pais Vasco and the capital of the province of Vizcaya (Basque: Bizkaia). A major seaport and industrial centre, it is located on the river Nervión, and its suburbs extend to the Bay of Biscay. As of the 2003 census, the population of the city of Bilbao proper was 353,567, and the population of the entire urban area was estimated to be 946,829, ranking as the sixth-largest urban area of Spain.

The city has recently undergone an urban renewal centred around the new metro system by Sir Norman Foster (see List of Bilbao metro stations) and, most of all, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Frank Gehry. A new tram (EuskoTran) was introduced in 2002. The port, formerly on the river, has been moved and expanded on the Bay of Biscay opening a great deal of central real estate on the river that has been the site of most of the new building.

It is the home city of soccer team Athletic Club Bilbao.