PONTEVEDRA, a maritime province of Spain, is bounded on the N. by Coruna, on the E. by Lugo and Orense, on the S. by Portugal (Entre Douro e Minho), and on the W. by the Atlantic, and has an area of 1739 square miles. The general character of the province is hilly, with a deeply indented coast; its products are those common to all Galicia (ç.v.), of which historical province it formed a part. The population in 1877 was 451,946, the municipalities with a population over 10,000 being La Estrada (23,528), Lalin (16,217), Lavadores (13,658), Pontevedra (noticed below), Puentearêas (14,566), Redon-dela (10,073), Silleda (13,346), Tomino ( 11,150), Tuy (11,710), and Vigo (13,416). Vigo is connected by rail with Tuy and Orense, and the line from Santiago to Vigo is open as far as to Carril.

PONTEVEDRA, capital of the above province, and an episcopal see, is a picturesque old granite-built town, pleasantly situated at the head of the Ria de Pontevedra, where the Lerez is spanned by the old Roman bridge (whence the name— pons vetus). The inhabitants engage in agriculture, sardine fishing, and the manufacture of cloth and hats. The population of the municipality in 1877 was 19,857.