An economic centre and tourist destination, with a population of 83,260 in 2020,[29] it is at the head of a metropolitan area around its ria of more than 200,000 inhabitants comprising the municipalities of Poio, Marín, Sanxenxo, Bueu, Vilaboa, Cerdedo-Cotobade, Ponte Caldelas, Barro and Soutomaior.

[40] However, historians and archaeologists tend to agree that the initial settlement was probably formed during the integration of Gallaecia (old Galicia) into the Roman Empire (circa 1st century BC)(Reference is required).

Furthermore, political decisions and dynastic conflicts provoked a general decay in trade, thus resulting in the depopulation of the city; the population was reduced in half during that time, also affected by epidemics.

Improvements in the communications network during the 1980s and 1990s helped Pontevedra to regain weight in the Rias Baixas region, acting again as a trade hub and focusing on its administrative functions as provincial capital.

To the north it borders the municipalities of Barro, Moraña and Campo Lameiro; to the east, Cotobade and Ponte Caldelas; to the south, Soutomaior, Vilaboa and Marín, and to the west, Poio and the ria, leading to the Atlantic Ocean.

The neighbourhoods or main areas of Pontevedra are: the old town, the city centre-Ensanche, O Burgo, Campolongo, A Moureira, Mollavao, Monte Porreiro, A Parda, A Seca, Valdecorvos, Salgueiriños, Gorgullón.

[62] It is a space where international artists such as Robert Morris, Ulrich Rückriem, Anne and Patrick Poirier, Giovanni Anselmo, Richard Long, Ian Hamilton Finlay or Jenny Holzer have left their works.

The Metrominuto has been used as a model in other European cities such as Toulouse in France, Florence, Ferrara Modena and Cagliari in Italy, Poznań in Poland and the Angel district in London.

In Spain, it has inspired other cities such Zaragoza, Seville, Cádiz, Salamanca, Granada, Jerez de la Frontera, A Coruña and Pamplona.

The urban transformation of Pontevedra and measures to reduce motorized traffic in the city centre have reduced by 67% the emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels in the capital since 1999[65] and have been reported by foreign and French television channels such as France 2,[66][67][68] France 3,[69] Canal+ or TF1[70][71] and the Swiss channel Radio Télévision Suisse RTS and other foreign televisions like Das Erste, NDR1 and ZDF[72] in Germany, MBC TV in South Korea, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Canada or Seven Network in Australia.

Renfe also has a Pontevedra-University railway stop in the city to serve the A Xunqueira university campus and the Monte Porreiro, Tafisa and A Seca neighbourhoods.

It owes its name to the blacksmiths who, in the 15th century, tempered the iron in the ovens and forges of its arcades for the weapons and paving stones that the Catholic Monarchs had asked them to manufacture.

Plaza de la Peregrina In the heart of the pedestrian centre of Pontevedra, the Pilgrim Virgin Square is the city's main meeting point.

Teucer square With perfect geometric dimensions and framed by orange trees, it is surrounded by noble buildings, with the 18th century Gago and Montenegro Palace standing out on the north side, where the great coat of arms of 1716 is to be seen on the façade.

Plaza de la Pedreira The Stone Quarry square is so called because of the stone-cutting activities developed here by stonemasons for the city's works and constructions.

Plaza de Curros Enríquez Triangular square where you can admire the French attic of the house on the north side and one of the 19th century forge fountains.

It is worth noting the stone calvary of 1773, decorated at its base with a very expressive representation of the time when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, and of the house in which the writer Valle-Inclán lived.

At the top of the former Pontevedra Savings Bank building is a large bronze sculpture, 6 metres high, of the Greek hero Teucer statue, the mythical founder of the city.

The local corporation is divided into a number of departments, or concellarias, each one dealing with a specific issue such as Planning, Environment, Revenue, Mobility and Transportation, Sports, Public Works, or Tourism.

Since 2008, the Provincial Offices of the Xunta de Galicia offer their services in a large central building presided over by two twin towers built in the Administrative City in María Victoria Moreno Avenue 43,[89] which agglutinates most of the provincial delegations, except some such as that of Environment, Territory and Infrastructures, located in another building very close to the Xunta de Galicia in Alcalde Hevia street.

Industrial activity is reduced to a handful of companies, namely pulp mills (where the municipal authority is seeking the closure of the ENCE biofactory) and construction.

To this must be added its privileged location in the centre of the Rias Baixas, which makes it a tourist city and gives an important specific weight to the hotel industry in the economy.

It is currently a reference urban destination in Europe for trips to cities that are eminently pedestrian and without cars, and that stand out for their quality of life, at the level of Dubrovnik, Copenhagen or Capri.

[93][94] In addition, tourism has increased in the 21st century, positioning the city as a pole of attraction in Galicia and north of Portugal, being currently one of the preferred urban destinations next to A Coruña or Santiago de Compostela.

[95][96] Likewise, the city is a pole of attraction for international tourists thanks to its old town, its urban model, the Ria de Pontevedra, the Lérez River and its bridges.

[101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109] Pontevedra is also the headquarters of the organization of trade fairs and congresses and especially of national and international sports events that also create an economic engine because of the number of visitors they attract to the city.

In the industrial estate O Campiño there are important companies in the automobile sector such as Aludec, which has 6 production centres (Galvanic 1 and 2, Components, Stamping and Injection 1 and 2).

In addition, Pontevedra has the Higher School of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage of Galicia, located in the San Fernando building in the centre of the city, as well as the Faculty of Fine Arts.

For example: Pontevedra is the seat of the Centro Galego de Tecnificación Deportiva (High Performance Sporting Centre of Galicia), and it also hosts a number of rowing and canoeing clubs.

Pontevedra has a large pedestrian centre (the old town and surroundings) which, together with a number of parks and public squares, makes the city very pleasant for strolling.