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San Sebastián

San Sebastián
Donostia (Basque)
Donostia / San Sebastián
San Sebastián as seen from the air
San Sebastián as seen from the air
Flag of San Sebastián
Flag
Official logo of San Sebastián
Logo
Motto: Ganadas por fidelidad, nobleza y lealtad
(Spanish for "Earnt by fidelity, nobility and loyalty")
San Sebastián is located in Basque Country
San Sebastián
San Sebastián
Location of San Sebastián within the Basque Autonomous Community
Coordinates: 43°19′17″N 1°59′8″W / 43.32139°N 1.98556°W / 43.32139; -1.98556Coordinates: 43°19′17″N 1°59′8″W / 43.32139°N 1.98556°W / 43.32139; -1.98556
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Basque Country
Province Gipuzkoa
Comarca Donostialdea
Neighbourhoods 21
Founded 1180
Government
 • Mayor Eneko Goia Laso (EAJ-PNV)
Area
 • Land 60.89 km2 (23.51 sq mi)
Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
Population (2015)
 • Total 186,095
 • Density 3,686.16/km2 (9,547.1/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal codes 20001–20018
Area code(s) 34 + 943 (Gipuzkoa)
Website City Council

San Sebastián (Spanish: [san seβasˈtjan], French: Saint-Sébastien) or Donostia (Basque: [doˈnos̺tia]) is a coastal city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, 20 km (12 miles) from the French border. The capital city of Gipuzkoa, the municipality's population is 186,095 (2015), with its metropolitan area reaching 436,500 (2010). Locals call themselves donostiarra (singular), both in Spanish and Basque.

The main economic activities are commerce and tourism, and it is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Spain. Despite the city’s small size, events such as the San Sebastián International Film Festival have given it an international dimension. San Sebastián, along with Wrocław, Poland, was the European Capital of Culture in 2016.

In spite of appearances, both the Basque form Donostia and the Spanish form San Sebastián have the same meaning of Saint Sebastian. The dona/done/doni element in Basque place-names signifies "saint" and is derived from Latin domine; the second part of Donostia contains a shortened form of the saint's name. There are two hypothesis regarding the evolution of the Basque name: one says it was *Done Sebastiáne > Donasa(b)astiai > Donasastia > Donastia > Donostia, the other one says it was *Done Sebastiane > *Done Sebastiae > *Done Sebastie > *Donesebastia > *Donasastia > *Donastia > Donostia.


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