Geographic characteristics

Lea Ibarra receives its name from the region which originally the river Lea furrowed from the highest mountain in Bizkaia to the sea. A river´s name and life, then, have created Lea Ibarra.

It is bounded by the Cantabric Sea or the Bay of Biscay in the north, Durangalde in the south and the Artibai valley, Busturia and the biosphere reserve of Urdaibai in the east and west. Administratively speaking, this territory is inside the most western region among the seven forming the historic region of Bizkaia, that is, inside the one closest to Gipuzkoa, Lea-Artibai.

Seven towns gather around the river Lea, going from the north upwards: Munitibar, Aulesti, Gizaburuaga, Amoroto, Mendexa, Ispaster and Lekeitio, respectively. The first five municipalities have very similar geographic and socio-economic features, and they are very attached to each other; in fact, this closeness led them to form the Town Community of Lea Ibarra. The five towns and the Community are the basis, promoters and aims of this association.

In the future, whenever we mention Lea Ibarra we will be referring to the area formed by Munitibar, Aulesti, Gizaburuaga, Amoroto and Mendexa.

Lea Ibarra is full of slopes, hills and crests. If we could turn the river into a straight line and measure the stretch of land between Oiz mountain and the sea, we would find a height difference of 0 to 1.024 meters in the twenty kilometres separating the north and the south borders.

There are very few flat areas in the valley. In fact, two of the five towns constituting the Town Community of Lea Ibarra —Amoroto and Mendexa— are built on hills, and the rest —Gizaburuaga, Aulesti and Munitibar— stand at the foot of hills.

There are, though, low and sandy places, such as Karraspio beach in Mendexa.

Pleasant places and spying peaks, the smell of the sea and the mountain breeze, agriculture and fishing... We can easily imagine a region full of the richness, contrasts and wonders of nature.