Donostia / San Sebastián

Sister cities

• Reno
• Plymouth
• Batumi
• Trento
• Wiesbaden
• Daira of Bojador
• Marugame
• Ramallah
• Esmeraldas

History

The first evidence of human stationary presence in the current city is the settlement of Ametzagaña, between South Intxaurrondo and Astigarraga. The unearthed remains, such as knapped stones used as knives to cut animal skin, date from 24,000 to 22,000 BC. The open-air findings of the Upper Paleolithic have revealed that the settlers were modern human (Homo sapiens) hunters, besides pointing to a much colder climate at the time. There were Roman settlements (from around 50–200 AD) in what is now the Old Part of the city, according to excavations carried out in the convent of Santa Teresa, on the slopes of Urgull. San Sebastián is thought to have been in the territory of the Varduli tribe in the Roman times. east of the current city lay the Basque Roman town of Oiasso (Irun) which was subsequently incorrectly identified with San Sebastián for some time by many historians. No written records about the place are known until, in 1014, the monastery of Saint Sebastian with its apple orchards for cider production, then located within the boundaries of the town of Hernani, was reportedly donated to the Abbey of Leire by Sancho III of Iruñea. By 1181, the city was chartered (given the fuero) by king Sancho VI of Pamplona on the site of Izurum, having jurisdiction over all the territory between the rivers Oria and Bidasoa. In 1200, the city was conquered by Castile, whose king Alfonso VIII, confirmed its charter (fuero), but the Kingdom of Navarre was deprived of its main direct access out to the sea. Perhaps as soon as 1204 (or earlier), the city nucleus at the foot of Urgull started to be populated with Gascon-speaking colonizers from Bayonne and beyond, who left an important imprint in the city's identity in the centuries to come. In 1265, the use of the city as a…

Geography

The city is located in the north of the Basque Country, on the south-eastern coast of the Bay of Biscay. San Sebastián has three beaches, Concha, Ondarreta, and Zurriola, and is surrounded by hilly areas: Urgull (adjacent to the old part of the city), Mount Ulia (extending east to Pasaia), Mount Adarra (south of the city) and Igeldo (overlooking Concha Bay from the west). San Sebastián lies at the mouth of the Urumea river, and it was in large part built on the river's wetlands during the last two centuries. The city centre and the districts of Amara Berri and Riberas de Loiola lie on the former riverbed, which was diverted to its current canalized course in the first half of the 20th century. with warm summers and cool winters. Like many cities with this climate, San Sebastián typically experiences cloudy or overcast conditions for the majority of the year, typically with some precipitation. The city averages roughly of precipitation annually, which is fairly evenly spread throughout the year. However, the city is somewhat drier and noticeably sunnier in the summer months, experiencing on average approximately of precipitation during those months. Average temperatures range from in January to in August.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,649
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,200
• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  10,861
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,829
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,650
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,252
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,932
• Song Thrush

  Turdus philomelos C.L.Brehm, 1831 · Aves
  6,852

Most recent

• M 4 — 2025-12-07
  9 km N of Armiñón, Spain
• M 4.4 — 2020-10-01
  3 km NNE of Huarte-Uharte, Spain
• M 4.6 — 2020-09-30
  3 km ESE of Huarte-Uharte, Spain
• M 4.1 — 2017-03-10
  Pyrenees
• M 4.3 — 2013-04-20
  3 km NNE of Adiós, Spain
• M 4.2 — 2013-03-23
  2 km WNW of Oltza, Spain