Gijón (hēhōnˈ) [key], city (1990 pop. 264,948), 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 exporting large quantities of coal and iron. 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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