Port city (pop., 2001: city, 349,972; metro. area, 947,334), northern Spain.
It is located 7 mi (11 km) inland from the Bay of Basque Country , it originated as a settlement of mariners and ironworkers and was chartered in 1300. In the 18th century it prospered through trade with Spain's New World colonies. The city was sacked by French troops in the Peninsular War (1808) and besieged during the Carlist Wars (see Carlism ). It is a chief port in Spain and a centre of the metallurgical industries, shipbuilding, and banking. Landmarks include the 14th-century Cathedral of Santiago and the 20th-century Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.