Gijón (/ɡɪˈhɒn/, /ɡiˈhɔːn/, /hiˈhɔːn/ or /xiˈxɔːn/, Spanish: [xiˈxon]), or Xixón (Asturian: [ʃiˈʃoŋ]) is the largest city and municipality in the autonomous community of Asturias in Spain. Early medieval texts mention it as "Gigia". It is located on the Bay of Biscay, approximately 20 km (12 mi) north of Oviedo, the capital of Asturias.

History

Prehistory and Romanization

The first evidences of human presence in what is known nowadays as municipality of Gijón are located in Monte Deva, where exist a serie of tumulus, and in Monte Areo, where there are some neolithic dolmens. These dolmens were discovered in 1990 and is supposed it was built about 5000 BC.

The first noticed settlement (Noega) is located in Campa Torres. It has its origin between the 6th and 5th centuries BC. It was populated by Astures (Cilúrnigos) and later Romanized. Noega was progressively abandoned when the Roman wall in the peninsula of Cimavilla, called the Gegionem, was built.

This wall was the most important one of the Roman Asturias and it should be an important port of the Cantabric sea route and also, it crossed the center of Asturias by Lucus Asturum (nowadays Llanera) and linked in Asturica Augusta with the Ruta de la Plata (Silver route).

Gijón (or, in Asturian, Xixón; official name: Gijón/Xixón) is one of eight comarcas (this is the Spanish word; the Asturian is cotarros), administrative divisions of Asturias, which is a province and an autonomous community in Spain .

The comarca of Gijón is divided into three municipalities (in Asturian conceyos). From east to west they are:

Coordinates: 43°31′20″N 5°38′27″W / 43.52222°N 5.64083°W / 43.52222; -5.64083