Areal

Areal is a small locality in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, in the outer parishes of the Santiago de Compostela municipality. The name means sandy ground or sandy area, referring to the sandy or light-soiled terrain typical of this transitional zone between the forested interior and the city edge.

The locality has a quiet residential and semi-rural character, with the outer growth of Santiago beginning to reach into what was formerly farmland. Older stone farmhouses and garden plots persist alongside newer residential construction.

Areal marks the beginning of the final urban approach to Santiago de Compostela, where pilgrims start to see the city’s periphery ahead.