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Province of Huelva

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Province of Huelva
Provincia de Huelva (Spanish)
Province
A wetland area of Doñana National Park
A wetland area of Doñana National Park
Flag of Province of Huelva
Flag
Coat of arms of Province of Huelva
Coat of arms
Location of the Province of Huelva in Spain
Location of the Province of Huelva in Spain
Coordinates: 37°33′N 6°55′W / 37.550°N 6.917°W / 37.550; -6.917
Country Spain
Autonomous community Andalusia
CapitalHuelva
Municipalities80
Government
 • BodyProvincial Deputation of Huelva
 • PresidentIgnacio Caraballo (PSOE)
Area
[1]
 • Total
10,127.43 km2 (3,910.22 sq mi)
 • Rank25th in Spain
Population
 (2025)[2]
 • Total
538,789
 • Rank29th in Spain
 • Density53.2010/km2 (137.790/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
ParliamentCortes Generales
Fuente de Nuestra Señora del Rocío, La Palma del Condado

The Province of Huelva (Spanish: Provincia of Huelva [ˈwelβa] ⓘ, locally [ˈgweɾβa]) is a province of southern Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by Portugal, the provinces of Badajoz, Seville, and Cádiz, and the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is the city of Huelva.

It has a population of 538,789 in an area of 10,127.43 square kilometres (3,910.22 sq mi) across its 80 municipalities.[2][1]

The province contains Palos de la Frontera, and Moguer, where Christopher Columbus sailed out of on his first voyage in 1492, and shares the Parque Nacional de Doñana, located mainly in Almonte.

Municipalities

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The province has 80 municipalities:

Demographics

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As of 2025, the population is 538,789, of which 49.6% are male, and 50.4% are female. Minors make up 17.1% of the population, and seniors make up 18.5%.[2]

Immigration

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As of 2025, immigrants make up 13.1% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Morocco, Romania, Colombia, Portugal, and Mali.[2]

Economy

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The economy is based on agriculture and mining. The famous Rio Tinto mines have been worked since before 1000 BC, and were the major source of copper for the Roman Empire. As an indication of the scope of ancient mining, sixteen million tons of Roman slag have been identified at the Roman mines. The Rio Tinto Company Limited resumed large-scale mining in 1873; the district is the namesake of the Rio Tinto Group.[4]

In the 21st century, municipalities such as Moguer, Palos de la Frontera, and Lepe, have witnessed the development of intensive water-demanding strawberry farming, which has elicited attention on the basis of alleged mispractices and abuses regarding the labor conditions of foreign workers and the ecocidal depletion of water resources in Doñana.

Tourism

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The delayed tourist development of the province has allowed better city planning than in other regions on the Spanish coast. The nuclei of Islantilla and Isla Canela are an example of this attempt to plan in a more coherent form. Although in a smaller scale in comparison to other regions, urban pressure continues. Previous developments that had little planning until recent time are El Rompido, El Portil, Mazagón and Matalascañas (Torre de la Higuera).

Although Punta Umbría had its beginnings like pedanía de Cartaya, after the democratization of summer tourism, it began its urban development for its proximity to the capital and its location on the beach. Present development would not endure without tourist activity and its vacation housing. Other tourist areas are Nuevo Umbría, Nuevo Portil, Punta del Moral, La Antilla and Urbasur. The marismas de Isla Cristina, next to the towns of Ayamonte and Isla Cristina, are a protected nature reserve. In the mountain town of Almonaster la Real, the Visigothic-mosque church built in the first decades of the 10th century and whose mihrab is one of the oldest in Spain is one important turistic point.[5]

Of note is Huelva's recent classification of "rural tourism" for its interior mountain range.

Green electricity

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Huelva has 388 megawatts (MW) of wind power, 68 MW biomass power, and 66 MW of solar power.[6] A 220 kilovolt transmission line has been constructed to send power to the main grid as well as improving connections between Spain and Portugal.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Información Geográfica Destacada" [Geographical information data] (in Spanish). IGN.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Annual population census 2021-2025". INE.
  3. ↑ "INEbase. Alterations to the municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842". INE.
  4. ↑ "Famous mineral localities: The Rio Tinto mines, Huelva, Spain". Mineralogical Record. July 1996. Archived from the original on August 9, 2007 – via FindArticles.
  5. ↑ Jiménez Martín, Alfonso (1998). "La Mezquita de Almonaster la Real". Archived from the original on 6 August 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2008.
  6. ↑ "The province generates 533 megawatts of electricity from renewable energy". EuropaPress, 10 June 2012. Retrieved: 16 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "Iberdrola Renewables starts up the largest wind power facility in Spain". EuropaPress, 11 February 2010. Retrieved: 16 June 2012.
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