PONTEVEDRA  , the

capital of the Spanish province of Pontevedra; on the Tuy-Corunna railway, and on the river Lerez, which here enters the Ria de Pontevedra, an inlet of the Atlantic . Pop . (1900), 22,330 . The name of the town is derived from the ancient Roman bridge (pons veins) of twelve arches, which spans the Lerez near its mouth . Pontevedra is a picturesque town, mainly built of granite, and still partly enclosed by medieval fortifications . It contains handsome provincial and municipal halls erected in the 19th century, and many convents, some of which have been converted into hospitals or schools . Marin and Sangenjo are ports on the Ria de Pontevedra, which is the seat of a thriving sardine fishery . There is an active trade in grain, wine and fruit; cloth, hats, leather and pottery are manufactured .