Barakaldo 5.51

Barakaldo is a city in the Basque Country in Spain. It is located in the Biscay (Bizkaia) province, administratively included in the "Basque Autonomous Community", on the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao. Barakaldo is part of Bilbao's metropolitan area, and its official population at the 2011 census was 100,061 inhabitants living on a land area of 29.39 km2 (11.35 sq mi). The area has an industrial river-port heritage and has undergone significant redevelopment with new commercial and residential areas replacing the once active industrial zones.HistoryThe 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica wrote of Barakaldo :Modern Barakaldo was later the endpoint of a mining railway, since iron mining was a major economic activity of the region during part of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Steel industry, led by Altos Hornos de Vizcaya, had a very important presence during the 20th century, until the industrial recession hit the region's economy hard in the 1980s.Over recent decades, the industrial zones surrounding Barakaldo have declined in importance as several large companies have shut down, . There are still some active factories, however areas, that were once largely industrial, are continuing to be redeveloped into residential properties, parks and shopping malls . A large exhibition centre has recently been built on the outskirts of the town at Ansio.