Cantabria is located in the Northen central part of Spain.

Cantabria´s main city is Santander, whis is also a port, the capital of Cantabria Province, and located on the Bay of Biscay. Santander has a spacious harbor and is one of the principal industrial centers of northern Spain and a popular vacation spot. A major export is iron ore, which is mined in the surrounding region and smelted at foundries in the city. Other industries include food-processing plants, shipyards, and factories in which metal goods, paper, and glass are manufactured.

Santander was the chief port of the medieval kingdom of Castilla, and the old section of the city is the site of a 13th-century Gothic cathedral. The University of Santander (1972) is located in the city. Today, Santander's population is about 190,000.

Cantabria is considered a rather small spanish province, with a total 5,321 sq km (equivalent to 2,054 sq mi).

Today, Cantabria's population is about 550,000.