Elevation of San Sebastián, Spain
8m
above sea level · 26 ft
San Sebastián is the capital of Gipuzkoa province, in the Basque Country, Spain. Of Spain’s 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities, it’s the 9th lowest.
By the All Map Tools Team
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Key facts
- Coordinates
- 43.32° N · 1.99° W
- Degrees, minutes and seconds: 43° 19′ 17″ N · 1° 59′ 9″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 30T · 582,240 E · 4,797,020 N
- Zone 30 · ETRS89, the official datum on the mainland, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla
- Municipality
- Donostia/San Sebastián
- INE code 20069
- Time zone
- Central European Time
- UTC+1 · UTC+2 in summer
- Population (2025)
- 189,866 people
- 60.9 km² municipality · 3,118 people/km²
Population
San Sebastián had 189,866 residents on January 1, 2025, according to Spain’s municipal register (Padrón), 2.0% more than in 2015, when it had 186,095. The municipality covers 60.9 km², a density of 3,118 people/km², against a Spanish average of 97 people/km².
It’s the most populous of the 88 municipalities in Gipuzkoa province, home to 26% of its people.
About 1.07 million people live within 50 km of San Sebastián, with 150 municipalities that have their main town inside. See what’s within 5, 10, 25, and 50 km.
Compared with Spain’s other capitals
San Sebastián sits 8 m (26 ft) above sea level. Of the 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities, the highest is Ávila, at 1,125 m, and the lowest is Melilla, at 2 m. The average is 351 m, so San Sebastián is 342 m below it.
Among the 3 provincial capitals of the Basque Country, it’s the 2nd highest. The others are Vitoria-Gasteiz (524 m) and Bilbao (7 m).
The nearest capital is Pamplona, 62 km away in a straight line and 432 m higher than San Sebastián.
According to the IGN’s summit table, the highest point in Gipuzkoa province is Aketegi, at 1,551 m (5,089 ft). It lies 49 km away in a straight line, 1,543 m above San Sebastián.
- 43 San Sebastián 8 m
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest capitals
Distances from San Sebastián
The 5 cities with a distance page from San Sebastián: by road, as the crow flies, driving (or flight) time and the midpoint.
- San Sebastián to Madrid 452 km by road · 5 h 6 min · 352 km as the crow flies
- San Sebastián to Barcelona 517 km by road · 6 h 20 min · 404 km as the crow flies
- San Sebastián to Bilbao 103 km by road · 1 h 19 min · 76 km as the crow flies
- San Sebastián to Pamplona 83 km by road · 1 h 8 min · 62 km as the crow flies
- San Sebastián to Biarritz 49 km by road · 40 min · 39 km as the crow flies
Tools for this place
Step-by-step guide How to find the elevation of any place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of San Sebastián.
What is the elevation of San Sebastián, Spain?
San Sebastián sits at 8 meters (26 feet) above sea level. That’s the ground height in the IGN’s MDT05 terrain model at the town’s reference point in the national gazetteer, because the published figure for this town didn’t match the terrain.
What are the coordinates of San Sebastián?
Latitude 43.32152 and longitude -1.98572 in decimal degrees (43° 19′ 17″ N · 1° 59′ 9″ W). In UTM, zone 30: 582,240 E and 4,797,020 N, in the ETRS89 datum.
How does San Sebastián rank among Spain’s highest capitals?
It’s the 9th lowest of the 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities. The highest is Ávila (1,125 m) and the lowest, Melilla (2 m).
Which is higher, San Sebastián or Pamplona?
Pamplona. San Sebastián sits at 8 m and Pamplona at 440 m: a difference of 432 m, 62 km apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height of a point above mean sea level. Mapping agencies such as Spain’s IGN measure it on the ground with leveling and survey-grade GPS. Maps read it from an elevation model, a grid with the ground height at every point, so the model can differ by a few meters from the official figure, especially on sharp summits.
Sources
- IGN · MDT05 at the gazetteer point (NGMEP) The town’s reference point and its ground height in the terrain model, because the official figure for this town didn’t match the terrain. CC BY 4.0 license.
- MDT05 Digital Terrain Model (IGN) Ground height at this exact point, to check the figure. 5 m grid, CC BY 4.0 license.
- Municipal register (INE), January 1, 2025 Population: our own work with data from the INE website (www.ine.es). Area: IGN (CC BY 4.0).
- Terrain Tiles (AWS Open Data) Hillshading on the map, from public data by USGS, NASA, Copernicus and others.
- OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The base map, with OpenStreetMap data (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know