Costa da Morte

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For the 2007 Mägo de Oz album, see A Costa da Morte (album).
Laxe, Costa da Morte

Costa da Morte (Galician pronunciation: [ˈkɔstɐ ðɐ ˈmɔɾtɪ]; Spanish: Costa de la Muerte; "Death Coast") is part of the Galician coast. The Costa da Morte extends from the villages of Muros and Malpica.

The Costa da Morte received its name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore. The shore of the Costa da Morte is exposed directly to the Atlantic Ocean. It is an area that has suffered a number of oil spills, including the spill from the Prestige in 2002.

The exterior cape region is known for anthropological, historical and geographical reasons. Its name in the Galician language is Fisterra, which descends from the Roman legend which held that this area was the end of the world (Finis-terrae). The area was largely Christianized by the Catholic Church with the aid of a large flux of Christian pilgrims arriving on the Way of St. James.

The people of the area still preserve pre-Christian ritual places and pass on some of the traditional beliefs. For example, there are giant pedras de abalar (i.e. "oscillating stones", the common term in English is rocking stone) throughout the region. These pedras de abalar were sacred locations and used in various rituals that are remembered in local culture. There is also a local legend that the wind creates wild nightmares.

Major commercial and fishing ports[]

Geography[]

The Costa da Morte includes Cape Finisterre (Spanish: Cabo Finisterre; Galician: Cabo Fisterra), a rock-bound peninsula in the uttermost west of Galicia, Spain.

Cape Finisterre is not the westernmost point of Spain, contrary to popular belief. This title belongs to Cape Touriñán, which is found just north of Finisterre. Finisterre's name, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin Finisterrae which literally means "Land's End". This name was born several centuries ago, when Spanish people used to think that the Cape Finisterre was the place where the Earth ends, since they didn`t know about the American continent.[1]

Cape Finisterre has a notable lighthouse on it, and the seaside town of Fisterra is located nearby.

Nevertheless, Cape finisterre is not the only cape that Costa da Morte includes; one can also see Cape Touriñán as well as Cape Vilán.[2]

Further north are the Rías Altas.[3]

Locations[]

These are some of the towns, villages, hamlets and cities along the "Costa da Morte":

Vilán cape in Camariñas

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Ruta por la Costa da Morte en coche". Vipealo. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Ruta de A Costa da Morte". Galicia el buen camino. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  3. ^ Rias are flooded river valleys which form estuaries along the coast.

Coordinates: 43°06′N 9°06′W / 43.1°N 9.1°W / 43.1; -9.1

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