Aramaio

The municipality of Aramaio is located at the eastern end of the district or "Cuadrilla" of Zuia. It has a surface area of 74 km2, and includes both lowlands ( at 301 m above sea level, Ibarra is the lowest point in the district) and mountains, with the highest peak in the municipality being the 1129 m high Mount Orixol.

The Sierra de Arangio hills form a north/south divide which splits the municipality into two distinct areas in terms of landscape and terrain. The western area is one of dense beech woods interspersed with oak groves and, towards the south, areas reforested with pines. The Olaeta and Urkiola rivers form two small valleys which come together near the village of Olaeta, the only village in this part of the municipality. The terrain here varies from 600 m to 1129 m (Mount Orixol).

To the east of Arangio the Aramaio valley extends in a magnificent mosaic of meadow-land, pine woods and farming hamlets dotted across the steep slopes. This beautiful valley opening onto the Alto Deba district ion the province of Gipuzkoa was carved out by the river Aramaiona.

Between these two areas stands the Sierra de Arangio, with three peaks over 1000 m: Orixol (1129 m), Santikrutz (1113 m) and Izpizte (1061 m). These hills extend eastwards to close off the Aramaio valley, though at less impressive altitudes (Mount Tellamendi, for instance, stands at 835 m). Including these peaks, 860 hectares of land belonging to the municipality of Aramaio (12% of the total) lies within the Urkiola Natural Park.

The traditional industrial areas of the Alto Deba, most especially Arrasate/Mondragón, are close by, and a great many people from Aramaio work there. In recent years two industrial estates (between them totalling 55,000 m2) have also been set up within the municipality itself to bring in businesses and help the local economy.

This has led to the abandonment of many farms. Indeed this municipality has a lower percentage of primary sector employment than any other in the district. But even so, farming continues to have an outstanding impact on the local landscape, one of the area's main attractions. The municipality specialises in dairy cattle, but there are also sheep, from which Idiazabal cheese is obtained. The size of the herds and flocks can be judged from the great areas given over to grazing land.

Forestry is also important in the local economy. Much of the valley is occupied by pines, planted for their rapid growth and good potential for timber.

The service sector is not yet highly developed in this area, but is now growing with the increase in tourism, especially since Urkiola was awarded Natural Park status. There are now restaurants in Arraga, Azkoaga, Barajuen, Ibarra and Olaeta and rural guest houses Gantzaga, Olaeta, Untzilla and Zabola.