Andalusia

Andalusia is Spain's most populous autonomous community and the second largest: a territory almost as big as Portugal, stretching from the Sierra Morena to the Strait of Gibraltar, between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. For many people Andalusia is Spain: home of flamenco, white houses, flowery courtyards, ferias and processions, sunshine and art cities. But it is also a varied world of snowy mountains, deserts, marshes and very different coastlines.

A little history

For the Greeks and Romans the Strait of Gibraltar was framed by the Pillars of Hercules, the edge of the known world. The region was home to the Tartessian civilisation, colonised by Phoenicians and Greeks, and became the prosperous Roman province of Baetica, birthplace of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. From 711 to 1492 it was the heart of al-Andalus, Muslim Spain, from which it takes its name: Córdoba was the capital of a caliphate that rivalled Baghdad and Byzantium, and Granada was the last Islamic kingdom on the peninsula (see Muslim Spain and the Caliphate of Córdoba). After the Reconquest, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Seville was the port from which fleets sailed to the Americas and Spain's richest city. Latin American Spanish largely descends from the Andalusian of that era.

Art cities

Three cities are unmissable, each a symbol of a culture: Seville, with its cathedral, the Giralda and the Real Alcázar; Granada, with the Alhambra, Europe's most beautiful Islamic monument; Córdoba, with the Mezquita and the Jewish quarter. Alongside them are Málaga, city of Picasso and museums; Cádiz, the oldest city in the West; Jerez, home of sherry and horses; Ronda, perched over a gorge; and the Renaissance towns of Úbeda and Baeza, UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Almería, Huelva and Jaén, the olive oil capital, complete the picture.

Coasts and nature

The Costa del Sol, between Málaga and Gibraltar, is one of Europe's most famous tourist areas, with Torremolinos, Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Marbella and Puerto Banús; east of Málaga are Nerja and the Costa Tropical of Motril and Salobreña. Towards the Atlantic lies the Costa de la Luz, with the wild beaches of Cádiz and Tarifa, the kitesurfing capital, and Huelva. In Almería are the Cabo de Gata park, the Tabernas desert, set of many westerns, and Mojácar.

The parks include Doñana, one of Europe's most important wetlands and a UNESCO site; the Sierra Nevada, with Mulhacén and Europe's southernmost ski resort, with the Alpujarra villages on its slopes; and the Cazorla and Grazalema ranges. Inland are the famous pueblos blancos, white villages such as Arcos de la Frontera, Vejer, Grazalema, Frigiliana and Mijas, and towns such as Antequera, with its UNESCO-listed dolmens, Carmona, Osuna and Écija.

Festivals and flavours

Andalusia lives for its festivals: the Holy Week of Seville and Málaga, the April Fair, the Rocío pilgrimage, the Cádiz Carnival, the Málaga Fair, the Cruces de Mayo and Córdoba's Patios. At the table, gazpacho and salmorejo, fried fish, Iberian ham from Jabugo, olive oil and the wines of Jerez, Montilla and Málaga reign supreme (see Spanish food and tapas).

Practical information

The main airports are Málaga, Seville, Granada, Almería and Jerez; high-speed trains link Madrid with Córdoba, Seville, Málaga and Granada. Spring is the best time; in summer the interior is scorching (see climate). Below you will find a map of all our guides to the region and the municipalities by province.

Destinations on the map

Guides to the community

Municipalities, province by province

• Municipalities of the province of Almería (21)
• Municipalities of the province of Cadiz (31)
• Municipalities of the province of Cordoba (25)
• Municipalities of the province of Granada (41)
• Municipalities of the province of Huelva (20)
• Municipalities of the province of Jaén (26)
• Municipalities of the province of Malaga (28)
• Municipalities of the province of Seville (64)

All the main municipalities of Spain