Baleira and the Void
August 06, 2026
Baleira is a town of barely 1,000 inhabitants in the Galician region of A Fonsagrada. A Fonsagrada is also the largest municipality by territory in Galicia and, yet, one of the most sparsely populated: it only has 7.5 inhabitants per square kilometer, while Vigo, the Galician city with the highest population, has 2,690. Baleira —which means empty— has an even lower population density: 6.9 inhabitants per km². Baleira is a complete metaphor for the phenomenon of depopulation in Galicia. In 50 years, its population has decreased by 50%.
