Huelva

Province of southwest Spain in western Andalusia autonomous community; area 10,100 sq km/3,900 sq mi; population (1995 est) 458,700. Huelva borders the Portuguese frontier to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. Much of the province is occupied by spurs of the Sierra Morena mountain range, and the rivers Tinto and Odiel (as well as tributaries of the Guadiana and Guadalquivir rivers) flow through it. There are rich deposits of iron and copper pyrites (naturally occurring iron sulphides and double sulphides of iron and copper), which have been mined since prehistoric times. The provincial capital is Huelva.