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Biscay is a province in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, Spain, that is divided into 113 municipalities. As of the 2023 Spanish census, the province is the tenth largest by population, with 1,153,282 inhabitants, and the second smallest by land area, spanning 2,215.55 square kilometres (855.43 sq mi). Municipalities are the basic local political division in Spain and can only belong to one province. They enjoy a large degree of autonomy in their local administration. Amongst other tasks, they are in charge of urban planning, water supply, lighting, road network, local police, and firefighting.

The organisation of municipalities in Spain is outlined in a local government law (Spanish: Ley 7/1985, de 2 de abril, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local; transl. Law 7/1985, of 2 April, Regulating the Bases of the Local Administration) passed on 2 April 1985 and finalised by an 18 April 1986 royal decree. The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country of 1979 also contains provisions concerning the relations between the municipalities and the autonomous government of the Basque Country. All citizens of Spain are required to register in the municipality in which they reside. Each municipality is a corporation with independent legal personhood: its governing body is called the ayuntamiento (municipal council or corporation), a term often also used to refer to the municipal offices (city and town halls). The ayuntamiento is composed of the mayor (Spanish: alcalde), the deputy mayors (tenientes de alcalde) and the plenary assembly (pleno) of councillors (concejales). Municipalities are categorised by population for the purpose of determining the number of councillors: three when the population is up to 100 inhabitants, five for 101–250, seven for 251–1,000, nine for 1,001–2,000, eleven for 2,001–5,000, thirteen for 5,001–10,000, seventeen for 10,001–20,000, twenty-one for 20,001–50,000, and twenty-five for 50,001–100,000. One councillor is added for every additional 100,000 inhabitants, with a further one added when the number of councillors based on this methodology would be even in order to prevent tied votes.

The mayor and the deputy mayors are elected by the plenary assembly, which is itself elected by universal suffrage. Elections in municipalities with more than 250 inhabitants are carried out following a proportional representation system with closed lists, whilst those with a population lower than 250 use a block plurality voting system with open lists. The plenary assembly must meet periodically at the seat of the ayuntamiento, with meetings occurring more or less frequently depending on the population of the municipality: monthly for those whose population is larger than 20,000, once every two months if it ranges between 5,001 and 20,000, and once every three months if it does not exceed 5,000. Many ayuntamientos also have a local governing board (Spanish: junta de gobierno local), which is named by the mayor from amongst the councillors and is required for municipalities of more than 5,000 inhabitants. The board, whose role is to assist the mayor between meetings of the plenary assembly, may not include more than one third of the councillors.

The largest municipality by population in the province of Biscay as of the 2023 Spanish census is Bilbao, its capital, with 345,235 residents, while the smallest is Arakaldo, with 162 residents. The largest municipality by area is Karrantza Harana/Valle de Carranza, which spans 137.82 km², while Lanestosa is the smallest at 1.14 km².

Municipalities

• Most populous municipalities in Biscay
• Bilbao is the province's capital and largest municipality by population.
• Barakaldo, the second most populous municipality in Biscay
• Getxo is Biscay's third largest municipality by population.
• Santurtzi, Biscay's fourth largest municipality by population
• Portugalete is the fifth most populous municipality in Biscay.
• Basauri is the province's sixth largest municipality by population.

†  Provincial capital

Notes

1. Usansolo was partitioned from Galdakao and became an independent municipality in 2023 and is thus not included in the 2023 or 2011 censuses

References

1. ^ "Censos de Población y Viviendas 2011. Resultados Municipales - Bizkaia. Población por municipios, sexo y edad (año a año)" (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
2. "Censo anual de población 2021-2023. Cifras de población. Principales resultados. 2021-2023. Población según comunidad autónoma y provincia y sexo" (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
3. ^ "Nomenclátor Geográfico de Municipios y Entidades de Población" (in Spanish). Centro Nacional de Información Geográfica. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
4. BOE 1985, p. 11.
5. BOE 1985, p. 14.
6. BOE 1985, pp. 22–23.
7. BOE 1985.
8. BOE 1986.
9. BOE 1979.
10. BOE 1985, p. 15.
11. BOE 1985, pp. 13–14.
12. ^ BOE 1985, p. 19.
13. LOREG 1985, pp. 64–65.
14. ^ LOREG 1985, p. 65.
15. LOREG 1985, p. 7.
16. LOREG 1985, p. 66.
17. BOE 1985, p. 33.
18. BOE 1985, p. 21.
19. ^ "Censo anual de población 2021-2023. Resultados por municipios. 2021-2023. Población por sexo, edad (grupos quinquenales) y nacionalidad (española/extranjera)" (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
20. "La Diputación Foral da la bienvenida a Usansolo como municipio 113 del Territorio Histórico de Bizkaia" (in Spanish). Diputación Foral de Bizkaia. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
21. ^ "Censo anual de población 2021-2023. Resultados nacionales, por comunidades autónomas y provincias. 2021-2023. Población por sexo, edad (año a año) y nacionalidad (española/extranjera)" (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
22. ^ "Censos de Población y Viviendas 2011. Resultados Nacionales, por Comunidades Autónomas y Provincias. Población según comunidad autónoma y provincia y sexo" (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. Retrieved 20 August 2024.

Works cited

• "Ley Orgánica 3/1979, de 18 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía para el País Vasco" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). 22 December 1979. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
• "Ley 7/1985, de 2 de abril, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). 3 April 1985. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
• "Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). 20 June 1985. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
• "Real Decreto Legislativo 781/1986, de 18 de abril, por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de las disposiciones legales vigentes en materia de Régimen Local" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). 22 April 1986. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.

See also

• Geography of Spain
• List of municipalities of Spain

• Media related to the municipalities in Biscay at Wikimedia Commons

• Lists of municipalities in Spain
• Municipalities in Biscay