Huelva

Huelva
Municipality
Queen Victoria district, English-style suburb
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Portus Maris et Terrae Custodia
Location of Huelva
Huelva Show map of Andalusia Huelva Show map of Spain Location of Huelva
Coordinates: 37°15′N 6°57′W / 37.250°N 6.950°W / 37.250; -6.950Coordinates: 37°15′N 6°57′W / 37.250°N 6.950°W / 37.250; -6.950
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Huelva
Comarca	Comarca metropolitana de Huelva
Founded	Tenth century BC
Government
• Alcalde	Gabriel Cruz Santana (PSOE)
Area
• Total	149 km2 (58 sq mi)
Elevation	54 m (177 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	149,410
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	onubense, (vulgarmente) choquero/a
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	21001 and otros
Website	Official website

Huelva (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwelβa]) is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cádiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. The city has been inhabited since 3000 BC. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 149,410. Huelva is home to Recreativo de Huelva, the oldest football club in Spain.

A maritime town between the rivers Anas (modern Guadiana) and Baetis (modern Guadalquivir), it was situated on the estuary of the River Luxia (modern Odiel), and on the road from the mouth of the Anas to Augusta Emerita (modern Mérida).

The city may be the site of Tartessus; it was called Onoba by the Phoenicians. The Greeks kept the name and rendered it Ὄνοβα. It was in the hands of the Turdetani at the time of conquest by Rome, and before the conquest it issued silver coins with Iberian legends. It was called both Onoba Aestuaria or Onuba (used on coinage) during Roman times, or, simply, Onoba. The city was incorporated into the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. The Arabs then called it Walbah and ruled between 714-1250. It suffered substantial damage in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

There are still some Roman remains. The city had a mint; and many coins have been found there bearing the name of the town as Onuba. Modern inhabitants are called Onubenses in Spanish. Part of a large wooden wheel that was originally used to drain a copper mine in Huelva was discovered in the late nineteenth century. Dating to the Roman times, it was donated by the British mining company Rio Tinto to the British Museum in 1889.