Andalusia

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Andalusian :: Andalusia

Comunidad Autónoma de
Andalucía

Flag	Coat of Arms

''Motto: Dominator Hercules Fundator Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad
(Andalusia by herself, for Spain, and for humankind)'' Capital Seville Area
– Total
– % of Spain Ranked 2nd
87 268 km²
17,2% Population
– Total (2005)
– % of Spain
– Density Ranked 1st
7.849.799
17,9%
89,95/km² Demonym
– English
– Spanish
Andalusian
andaluz, andaluza Statute of Autonomy January 11, 1982 Parliamentary
representation
– Congress seats
– Senate seats 62
40 President Manuel Chaves González (PSOE) Junta de Andalucía Andalusia (Spanish: Andalucía) is an autonomous community of Spain. Andalusia is the most populated and second largest of the seventeen autonomous communities that constitute Spain. Its capital is Seville.

Andalusia is bounded on the north by Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha; on the east by Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea; on the west by Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean (south-west); on the south by the Mediterranean Sea (south-east) and the Atlantic Ocean (south-west) linked by the Strait of Gibraltar at the very south which separates Spain from Morocco. The British colony of Gibraltar at the south shares its three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cádiz.

History

The name Andalusia is derived from the Arabic name "Al Andalus", which refers to the parts of the Iberian peninsula which were under Muslim rule. The Islamic history of Muslim Spain can be found in the entry al-Andalus. Tartessos, the capital of a once great and powerful Tartessian Civilization, was located in Andalusia, and was known in the Bible by the name of Tarshish. More information about this region can be found in the entry Hispania Baetica, the name of the Roman province that corresponds to the region.

Andalusian culture has been deeply marked by the eight centuries of Muslim rule over the region, which ended in 1492 with the reconquest of Granada by the Catholic monarchs.

The Spanish spoken in the Americas is largely descended from the Andalusian dialect of Castilian Spanish due to the role played by Seville as the gateway to Spain's American territories in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Andalusia is known for its moorish architecture. Famous monuments include the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Córdoba and the Torre del Oro and Giralda towers in Seville and the Reales Alcázares in Seville. Archaeological remains include Medina Azahara, near Córdoba and Itálica, near Seville.

Andalusian cuisine is known for its use of fish and shellfish, its desserts, and its world-famous sherry.

Andalusia is divided into eight provinces named after the capital cities of these provinces:

Other Andalusian towns are:

Algeciras, Cádiz
Jerez, Cádiz
Marbella, Málaga
San Fernando, Cádiz
Dos Hermanas, Sevilla
Lebrija, Sevilla
Utrera, Sevilla
Antequera, Málaga
Motril, Granada
Ronda, Gaucín, and the so-called "pueblos blancos," Cádiz and Málaga
Úbeda and Baeza, Jaén

Andalusia is the home of flamenco music and of bullfighting.

Day of Andalusia is celebrated on February 28.

External links

Statute of Autonomy
Government of Andalusia
Parliament of Andalusia
Basic statistical data for Andalusia (.pdf format)
Andalucia Info
History of the Andalusian Flag
Asamblea Nacional de Andalucia (Interesting History and Andalusian dialect sections)
A guide to the natural history of Andalusia
Travel to Andalusia Picture Gallery and Information on Andalusia
Images from Andalusia

Guide to Festivals in Andalucia

Santa Barbara de casa

Andalusia | Autonomous communities of Spain | Vandal history | NUTS 2 Statistical Regions of Europe

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History

See also

External links