Gijón (hēhōn`), city (1990 pop. 264,948), Oviedo prov., N Spain, in Asturias, on the Bay of Biscay. This major seaport, the largest city in Asturias, is an industrial and commercial center exporting large quantities of coal and iron. It has steel, iron, chemical, petroleum, glass, and food and tobacco industries. Of pre-Roman origin, Gijón was one of the first places recaptured from the Moors early in the 8th cent. The city flourished under the first Asturian kings. In 1588 the defeated Spanish Armada took refuge there. Of interest are Roman baths; 14th-, 15th-, and 16th-century palaces; a 15th-century church; and several 17th-century mansions. Colunga, on the coast to the east, has a significant dinosaur museum.

Gijón

Seaport city (pop., 2001: 266,419), on the Bay of Biscay, Asturias autonomous community, northwestern Spain. Founded before Roman times, it was captured by the Moors early in the 8th century. It was retaken c. 737 and served as the capital of the kingdom of Asturias until 791. It was burned during civil wars in 1395. In the 16th and 17th centuries it suffered many pirate attacks. The remnants of the Spanish Armada took refuge in Gijón in 1588. It is the site of Roman baths and medieval palaces.