General data 
Portugalete Town Council. The town was founded in 1322 by Dona María Díaz de Haro. The foundation charter was lost years later, and subsequently ratified in 1432 by means of a confirmation of the privilege granted by John II of Castile. SITUATION
It is situated on a hill whose slopes run down to the river estuary, the Ría, on one side, and to the River Ballonti on the other, with both waterways acting as its boundaries. Part of the district of Greater Bilbao, it is 13 km away from the city itself.
SURFACE AREAPortugalete covers an area of 3.2 km 2 , with half a square kilometre taken up by the Ría. Portugalete is one of a group of five municipalities in Vizcaya with an area of fewer than 5 square kilometres. Nonetheless, it stands in first place in terms of population density, with 16,000 people per square kilometre.
The municipal area coincides with an elongated ridge that runs in a NW-SE direction, limited by the Ría and the River Ballonti. This ridge consists of a series of gentle hillocks whose heights are: Los Hoyos, 102m; Campanzar, 103m; San Roque, 85m. The line of hilltops has an approximate length of 1,200 m. |
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Located on the Biscayan coast on the left bank of the Nervion estuary, it borders to the north with Santurtzi, Getxo and the sea; to the south with Trapagaran/Valle de Trápaga and Ortuella; to the east, with Leioa and Sestao; and, to the west, with Ortuella and Santurtzi. 