Local overview
Ferrol is a city in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain, located in the Rías Altas, in the vicinity of Strabo's Cape Nerium (modern-day Cape Prior). With Eume to the south and Ortegal to the north, Ferrol forms the comarca of Ferrolterra.
Around a hundred years ago, and earlier, the harbour, with its depth, capacity and overall safety, had few equals in Europe; its entrance was very narrow, commanded by forts, and could even be shut by a boom.
Ferrol has been a major naval shipbuilding centre for most of its history, being the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department of the North since the time of the early Bourbons. In the 17th century, Ferrol held the largest arsenal in Europe. Today, the city contains several major shipbuilding yards belonging to the state-owned Navantia Group.
Ferrol was the birthplace of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1892. The municipality was officially named after him as "El Ferrol del Caudillo" from September 1938 to December 1982. It was also the birthplace of the founder of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), Pablo Iglesias, in 1850.
Ferrol is one of the starting points of the English Way of the Camino de Santiago. Due to the modern requirement that pilgrims must travel 100 km (approx. 62 mi) by foot in order to be officially recognised, the city is a preferential starting point for those traversing the English Way.
