Bilbaois a municipality and city inSpain, a major city in theprovinceofBiscayin theautonomous communityof theBasque Country. It is the main urban area in what is defined as theGreater Basque region. Situated in the north-central part of Spain, its main urban core is surrounded by two smallmountain ranges.
After its foundation in the early 14th century byDiego López V de Haro, head of the powerfulHarofamily, the citywas a commercial hub of theBasque Countrythat enjoyed significant importance inGreen Spain. This was due to itsport activity based on the export of iron extracted from the Biscayan quarries. Throughout the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, Bilbao experienced heavy industrialisation, making it the centre of the second-most industrialised region of Spain. Today, Bilbao is a vigorousservice citythat is experiencing an ongoing social, economic, and aesthetic revitalisation process, started by the iconicBilbao Guggenheim Museum,and continued by infrastructure investments, such as theairport terminal, therapid transit system, thetram line, theAlhóndiga, and the currently under development Abandoibarra and Zorrozaurrerenewalprojects.
Bilbao is also home tofootballclubAthletic Club de Bilbao, a significant symbol forBasque nationalismdue to its promotion of Basque players and one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football history.