Marín, Pontevedra

Marín is a town and municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. It is located on the southern shore of the ria of Pontevedra, in the comarca of O Morrazo. This town is home to the Escuela Naval Militar de Oficiales (Naval Academy for Officers).

Formerly named San Xiao Ancorados by ships anchored nearby, but it is a popular distortion of "Encoirados," meaning leather tanneries, as they were in the Lameira river which flows into the urban center of the village. Father Sarmiento says the town’s name came from the Latin word mare, meaning sea, but it is now known to be derived from the name of a former possessor of this land named Marinus. Marín derives from Marini, "property of Marinus." Both references to the sea are, therefore, pure coincidences.

Demographics
Population growth.


 * 2018: 24,362
 * 2007: 25,885
 * 2006: 26.190
 * 2005: 26.103
 * 2003: 24.825

Immigration to Marin
As of 2006, the migrant group is 3.49% of the total municipality population. 32% are from the same province of Galicia, the second are foreign-born groups at 30%. 35.9% of the foreign born population are from South America. Then sub-Saharan Africa (mainly from Ghana, then Sierra Leone and Nigeria). In the central Urban population foreign-born populations constitute 9.07% of the total in 2006.

Signs of identity
Marín is home to the Naval Academy, the only facility of its kind in Spain, which was moved from San Fernando (Cádiz) in 1943. The King of Spain ( who also studied at the academy), visits the school each Day of Carmen (July 16) to preside over the ceremony of the Pledge of Allegiance and Delivery Offices. With the abolition of compulsory military service in 1996, under then Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, the use of these facilities has significantly decreased.

Marin’s beaches receive thousands of visitors each year and are the star attraction of the municipality. The main beaches are Portocelo, Mogor, Aguete, Loire, O Santo and Lapamán. In 2006, the beaches of Portocelo, Mogor, Aguete and Loire were added as Blue Flag beaches.

Marín is also home to the Palace of Cadro, the oldest pazo (fortress) in Galicia and the family seat of the House of Romay.

Sports
Since 2013, the town's professional basketball team CB Peixefresco plays in the LEB Oro.