Andalusia is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest autonomous community in the country. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga, and Seville.
Its capital city is Seville. The seat of the High Court of Justice of Andalusia is located in the city of Granada.
Andalusia is located in the south of the Iberian peninsula, in southwestern Europe, immediately south of the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha; west of the Murcian community and the Mediterranean Sea; east of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean; and north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar.
In the articles of the autonomous statute, Andalusia is granted the condition of historical nationality, reflecting the political identity of the Andalusian people as a result of its historical and cultural uniqueness. In the previous statute, the Statute of Autonomy of 1981 or the Statute of Carmona, was defined as “nationality”.
The geographical setting is one of the elements that gives Andalusia its own uniqueness and personality. From a geographical point of view, three large environmental areas can be distinguished, made up of the interaction of the different physical factors that affect the natural environment: Sierra Morena —which separates Andalusia from the Meseta—, the Betic Systems and the Betic Depression that they individualize upper Andalusia from Lower Andalusia.
The history of Andalusia is the result of a complex process in which different cultures and peoples merge over time, such as the Iberian, the Phoenician, the Carthaginian, the Roman, the Byzantine, the Andalusian, the Sephardic, the Gypsy and Spanish, which have given rise to the formation of Andalusian identity and culture.
At present, the economy of Andalusia is marked by the disadvantage of the region with respect to the Spanish and European global frameworks due to the late arrival of the industrial revolution, also made difficult by the peripheral situation that Andalusia adopted in the international economic circuits . This resulted in a lower impact of the industrial sector on the economy, a great relative weight of agriculture and a hypertrophy of the services sector.
Andalusia’s hinterland is the hottest area of Europe, with cities like Córdoba and Seville averaging above 36 °C (97 °F) in summer high temperatures. Late evening temperatures can sometimes stay around 35 °C (95 °F) until close to midnight and daytime highs of over 40 °C (104 °F) are common. Seville also has the highest average annual temperature in mainland Spain and mainland Europe (19.2 °C, 66.6 °F), closely followed by Almería (19.1 °C, 66.4 °F).
Protected areas
Andalusia has many unique ecosystems. In order to preserve these areas in a manner compatible with both conservation and economic exploitation, many of the most representative ecosystems have been given protected status.
In total, nearly 20 percent of the territory of Andalusia lies in one of these protected areas, which constitute roughly 30 percent of the protected territory of Spain.
Among these many spaces, some of the most notable are the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park, Spain’s largest natural park and the second largest in Europe, the Sierra Nevada National Park, Doñana National Park and Natural Park, the Tabernas Desert, and the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, the largest terrestrial-maritime reserve in the European Western Mediterranean Sea.
Tourism
With almost 30 million annual visitors whose main destinations within the community are the Costa del Sol and Sierra Nevada, Andalusia is the fourth autonomous community by number of visitors from all sources, after Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The highest tourist demand is concentrated in the summer period.
There is a high concentration of destinations on the Andalusian coast. 75% of all hotel overnight stays in Andalusia are made in coastal municipalities and this is where the largest offer of hotels is concentrated, with more than 70% of the total offer of regulated accommodation.
Along with sun and beach tourism, there is also a slight growth in nature, indoor and sports tourism.
Regarding cultural and congress tourism, Andalusia has a great heritage and history. Its monuments, cathedrals, castles or fortresses, monasteries, historic centers and museums, as well as a wide network of palaces for fairs and exhibitions, make this sector clearly expanding in the community.
One way to discover the culture of Andalusia is by exploring the sites which have been awarded the UNESCO World Heritage designation. In Granada, you’ll see the Alhambra palace, the Generalife gardens and the mediaeval Albaicín neighbourhood; in Cordoba, its historic centre with the great Mosque; in Seville, the cathedral, the Alcázar palace and the Indies Archive; and in Jaén, the monumental sites of Úbeda and Baeza. You’ll also be able to experience festivals such as Easter Week, the Carnival in Cadiz, the Rocío pilgrimage in Huelva and the April Fair in Seville.
You’ll find a variety of natural landscapes which range from the beaches of the Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz and Almería to the extensive olive groves of Jaén. You can visit the Doñana National Park – also declared a World Heritage Site –, or go skiing in the Sierra Nevada ski resort.
Andalusia has a thousand different flavours waiting to be tried. From the sherries of Jerez (Cadiz) and Montilla – Moriles (Cordoba), to the classic platters of fresh fried fish known as “pescaíto frito” from Cadiz and Malaga, cured ham from Huelva and Cordoba, olive oil, and other such typical dishes as gazpacho and “salmorejo” (a kind of thicker gazpacho).
Main attractions
Almería province
San Juan De Los Terreros and its beaches
Roquetas de Mar and its beaches
Níjar – one of the largest municipalities of Spain
Lucainena de las Torres and its attractions
Tabernas castle dates back to the 11th century
Gérgal Castle has been listed as a Site of Cultural Interest since 1985
Oasys Mini Hollywood – Spanish Western-styled theme park
Cádiz province
La Línea de la Concepción – a westernmost resort of the Costa del Sol
Algeciras ranked as the 16th busiest port in the world
San Roque was the first enclave of Campo de Gibraltar to be declared a historical-artistic complex
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is internationally renowned for beach horse racing
Chipiona and its tallest lighthouse in Spain
El Puerto de Santa María – the City of a Hundred Palaces
Jerez de la Frontera – the world capital of sherry wine
Cádiz and its Victoria Beach – best urban beach in Europe
Tarifa – where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean
Vejer de la Frontera and its historic center
Conil de la Frontera and its beaches
Chiclana de la Frontera has the largest number of hotel beds in the Costa de la Luz
Córdoba province
Cordoba has more World Heritage Sites than anywhere in the world
The Iznájar reservoir is the largest in Andalusia
Granada province
Motril is synonymous with sugar cane
Pampaneira and its attractions
Capileira and its parish church
Lanjarón and its mineral waters
Granada – noble, loyal, named great, famous and heroic city
The castle of Moclín named ‘Hins Al-Muqlin’ during the Nasrid kingdom
The Abbey of Sacromonte and its museum
Huelva province
Ayamonte and Isla Canela beach – the westernmost resort on Costa de la Luz
Almonaster la Real and its Mosque from the 10th century
Jaén province
Alcalá la Real and its fortress of La Mota
Jaén – world capital of olive oil
Baños de la Encina and its castle
Úbeda – a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
Baeza – a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
Segura de la Sierra and its castle
The Alcaudete castle was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural monument in 1949
Saint Catherine’s Castle – former Moorish fortress
Málaga province
Nerja – the easternmost resort of Costa del Sol
Frigiliana and its white colors
La Cala de Mijas and its towers
Fuengirola and its attractions
Benalmádena is one of the municipalities with the largest hotel offer on the Costa del Sol
Torremolinos – one of the main spots of musical and nightlife in Spain
Malaga – one of the oldest cities in Europe
Rincón de la Victoria and its caves
El Puerto de La Duquesa and its castle
Casares – the prototype of the Andalusian white village
Genalguacil and its Museum of Contemporary Art
Colomares castle – the largest monument in the world to Christopher Columbus
Automobile and Fashion Museum in Malaga
Seville province
Utrera and its historic center
Seville and its UNESCO heritage
Los Molares castle and its history
Sea resorts by Costas (from east to west)
How to get to?
Andalusia has six public airports, all of which can legally handle international flights. The Málaga Airport is dominant, handling 60 percent of passengers and 85 percent of its international traffic.
The Seville Airport handles another 20.12 percent of traffic, and the Jerez Airport 7.17 percent, so that these three airports account for 87.96 percent of traffic.
Distance by car from Seville to the capitals of the Spanish Communities:
To Madrid (Madrid community) 5 hr (532 km) via A-66 and A-5
To Barcelona (Catalonia) 9 hr 47 min (993 km) via A-4 and AP-7
To Valencia (Valencian community) 6 hr 24 min (654 km) via A-4 and A-3
To Murcia (Murcian community) 5 hr 5 min (523 km) via A-92
To Merida (Extremadura) 2 hr 2 min (193 km) via A-66
To Toledo (Castile-La Mancha) 4 hr 37 min (477 km) via A-4
To Zaragoza (Aragon) 7 hr 57 min (847 km) via A-5 and A-2
To Valladolid (Castile and Leon) 5 hr 33 min (587 km) via A-66
To Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) 8 hr 28 min (890 km) via A-66
To Oviedo (Asturias) 7 hr 15 min (779 km) via A-66
To Santander (Cantabria) 7 hr 44 min (830 km) via A-66
To Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque community) 7 hr 44 min (824 km) via A-66 and A-62
To Pamplona (Navarre) 8 hr 34 min (915 km) via A-66 and A-62
To Logroño (La Rioja) 7 hr 57 min (838 km) via A-66 and A-62
Main information
Area: 87 599 km²
Coordinates: 37°28′N 4°10′W
Population: 8 476 718
Languages: Spanish
Currency: Euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
