Gijón
[key], city, Oviedo prov., N Spain, in Asturias, on the Bay of Biscay.
This major seaport, the largest city in Asturias, is an industrial and
commercial center. It has steel, iron, chemical, petroleum, glass, and food
and tobacco industries. Of pre-Roman origin, Gijón was one of the
first places recaptured from the Moors early in the 8th cent. The city
flourished under the first Asturian kings. In 1588 the defeated Spanish
Armada took refuge there. Of interest are Roman baths; 14th-, 15th-, and
16th-century palaces; a 15th-century church; and several 17th-century
mansions. Colunga, on the coast to the east, has a significant dinosaur
museum.
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