Cantabria 
Cantabria - Overview:
Cantabria is a strip of territory in northern Green Spain, sandwiched between the Bay of Biscay and the mountains of the Cantabrian Cordillera, merging into the Basque lands of the Costa Vasca to the east and the Asturian Costa Verde further west. It probably sees as many tourists as any other area on this coastline but very few pause to draw breath before heading south. On the other hand it has been popular with the Spanish as an escape from the summer heat, since the turn of the 20th century.
It has been inhabited since prehistoric times and both the Romans and Moors attempted to occupy without success. Nevertheless the area has nice countryside with tiny villages and is reputed to have more cattle than any other region in Spain. The capital of Cantabria is Santander, located in the north. This is the best and easiest place to stay when in Cantabria.
Cantabria - Natural sight-seeing:
Cantabria's natural heritage is exceptional. The rivers, beaches, cliffs and valleys, mountains and forests create a mosaic of contrasting landscapes. From among the considerable number of places of interest, the ones with special official protection are particularly noteworthy, although there are others of exceptional beauty, such as the source of the Ason River, Santander Bay, Abra del Pas, Ebro Marsh and the estuaries of Tina Mayor and Tina Menor.
There are six protected nature areas in Cantabria. Parque Natural de las Dunas de Liencres, located at the mouth of the Pas River, forms the most important dune complex in the northern Iberian peninsula.
Parque del Macizo de Pe�acabarga, which includes within its borders the Cabarceno karst, a spectacular reddish geological formation, encompasses a nature park with partially free roaming animals.
The Parque Natural de Oyambre is a scenic park amid marshes and meadows with the Picos de Europa mountains as a backdrop. This is the place where the most diverse ecosystems co-exist.
The Parque Natural Saja-Besaya sits between the basins of these two rivers and preserves considerable forests of beech and oak trees, where animal species threatened with extinction such as the brown bear and golden eagle can still be found.
The Reserva Natural de las Marismas de Santona y Noja is a nature reserve around one of the most valuable estuaries ecologically in northern Spain. There are regularly more than 80 species of birds in the marshes.
The Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa, a national park containing the highest peaks in the Cantabrian mountains, has elevations exceeding 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) and landscapes of long narrow canyons and deep valleys.
Cantabria - History:
Archaeological remains from the Late Paleolithic period found in different parts of the region, including Altamira and Puente Viesgo among others, are evidence of human habitation in prehistoric times.
In the Middle Ages the first settlements were founded around various monasteries; refuges to those fleeing from the Arab invasion. The boundaries of the different areas of the region were defined during this period, and the present day.
Cantabrian borders (although slightly reduced) are basically the same. The strategic location of Cantabria soon brought about trading by sea with the principal European Ports and later with America. The 17th and 18th centuries were times of great commercial expansion characterized by heavy emigration to the New World.
The 19th century produced the first traces of industry, a flourishing banking institution and a well-to-do middle class. Nowadays, although agriculture, cattle-raising and fishing continue to occupy a good part of the population, the tourism industry, including the hotel and restaurant business, as well as other service sectors, are the main pillars of the Cantabrian economy.
