Andalusia

Andalusia, comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) and historical region of Spain, encompassing the provincias (provinces) of Huelva, Cádiz, Sevilla, Málaga, Córdoba, Jaén, Granada, and Almería. The southernmost region of Spain, Andalusia is bounded by the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Castile–La Mancha to the north and Murcia to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest, and Portugal to the west. The autonomous community of Andalusia was established by the statute of autonomy of December 30, 1981. Its government consists of an executive council, headed by a president, and a unicameral parliament. The capital is Sevilla. Area 33,819 square miles (87,590 square km). Pop. (2007 est.) 8,059,461.

Geography

Andalusia possesses the most-varied terrain and vegetation in all of Spain. Striking contrasts exist between alpine mountains and pine forests at high elevations, arid and barren deserts, and fertile irrigated plains that support plantations of subtropical fruits. The topography of Andalusia is divided by mountain ranges into several distinct zones, each running southwest to northeast. The Sierra Morena is the northernmost range, crossing the northern parts of the provinces of Huelva, Sevilla, Córdoba, and Jaén. These mountains present a relief of desolate ridges punctuated by narrow valleys. In southeastern Andalusia the land rises abruptly to the Baetic Cordillera, one range of which, the Sierra Nevada, contains the highest elevations in the Iberian Peninsula south of the Pyrenees. The Baetic Cordillera extends southward from the province of Jaén into Granada and Almería.

Lying between the Sierra Morena and the Baetic Cordillera is the heart of Andalusia, the Guadalquivir River basin and its associated plains. The Guadalquivir River flows southwest across almost the whole of Andalusia, passing the cities of Córdoba and Sevilla before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean west of Cádiz. The river’s lower basin, a region known as La Campiña, is the most densely settled and agriculturally productive part of Andalusia.

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The Andalusian steppes, an arid region of badlands in the southeastern corner of Andalusia, cover much of Granada and Almería provinces. Extending east and west from the city of Málaga along the Mediterranean coast is the Costa del Sol, which has become one of Spain’s most popular tourist rivieras.

A Mediterranean climate prevails in most of lowland Andalusia, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Annual precipitation ranges from 80 inches (2,000 mm) in the Sierra Nevada and the Grazalema Mountains to as little as 8 inches (200 mm) in the desertic Andalusian steppes. Coastal and lowland Andalusia receive an average of about 3,000 hours of sunshine each year, which has helped draw tourists to the region. The lower portion of the Guadalquivir River basin has some of the most fertile soils in Spain, but the sparse rainfall makes irrigation necessary in some areas.

The population of western Andalusia has traditionally been concentrated in the large rural towns from which agricultural labourers commute daily to work on the surrounding estates, or cortijos, but in modern times the population has been concentrated more in the provincial capitals. From the Baetic Cordillera eastward, small villages predominate wherever water is available.

Andalusia is underdeveloped and accounts for a disproportionately small percentage of Spain’s gross domestic product and a disproportionately high percentage of its agricultural output. Latifundios, or large estates, have dominated Andalusian agriculture since the Reconquest, producing the traditional Mediterranean crops of wheat, grapes, and olives by dry farming. The large farms have become increasingly mechanized, but the region continues to lag behind the national average in the use of tractors, irrigation, and fertilizers. Oranges are grown throughout the region, and cork trees are raised in mountainous areas. Andalusia is known for its wine and brandy, which are produced in Jerez (where sherry originated), Niebla, Montilla, and Málaga. The provinces of Sevilla, Córdoba, and Jaén process large quantities of olive oil and together account for about two-thirds of Spanish production.

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Andalusia’s landless farm labourers are among the poorest in Spain, and unemployment was a continuing problem in the region throughout the 20th century. In the second half of the century, emigration to more-industrialized regions of Spain and western Europe helped ease these economic pressures, but opportunities for emigration eventually shrank along with the demand for imported labour in the countries of the European Union.

The region’s manufacturing sector is poorly developed and is dominated by the processing of agricultural products and by fishing and mining. Manufacturing is of relatively little importance. Andalusia’s mining industry is in decline, having reached its peak in the late 19th century, but mines in the Sierra Morena still produce large quantities of coal, iron, copper, and lead. Andalusia suffers from an energy deficit despite extensive deposits of coal in the Sierra Morena and the exploitation of hydroelectric resources along the upper reaches of the Guadalquivir River and in the lower regions of the Baetic Cordillera. In the early 21st century, solar power plants were used in the region as an alternative energy source.

Andalusia’s service sector has benefited from the spread of tourism, with visitors attracted to the hotels along the Mediterranean coast as well as the architecturally rich cities of Granada, Córdoba, and Sevilla. The growth of tourism has not been matched by growth in other economic sectors, however.

Andalusian culture still bears distinct traces of the eight centuries of Moorish rule. The Andalusian dialect, for example, contains many Arabic loanwords, and the names of geographic features often begin with al (“the” in Arabic) or guad (from wadi, the Arabic word for “river”). The region’s Moorish architecture, flamenco dancing, and bullfighting have helped form the popular image of Spain overseas. The observance of Roman Catholicism is heavily ceremonial, with towns hosting elaborate processions during Holy Week and town guilds staging ostentatious pilgrimages, or romerías.