Andalusia

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Andalusia is a Spanish autonomous community recognized as a historical nationality by its Statute of Autonomy, made up of eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville. Its capital and most populated city is Seville, seat of the Government Council of the Junta de Andalucía, the Parliament and the Presidency of the Junta de Andalucía. The headquarters of the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia is located in Granada.

It is the most populous autonomous community in the country (8,476,718 inhabitants in 2021) and the second largest (87,268 km²) —after Castile and Lion-. It is located in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula; bordering to the west with Portugal, to the north with the autonomous communities of Extremadura (Badajoz) and Castilla-La Mancha (Ciudad Real) and (Albacete), to the east with the Region of Murcia, to the southwest with the Atlantic Ocean and to the south with the Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar. Through the Strait of Gibraltar, separated by 14 km at its narrowest, are Morocco and Ceuta on the African continent. In 1981 it became an autonomous community, under the provisions of the second article of the Spanish Constitution of 1978, which recognizes and guarantees the right to autonomy of Spanish nationalities and regions. The process of political autonomy was carried out through the restrictive procedure expressed in article 151 of the Constitution, after the mass demonstrations of December 4, 1977 and the referendum of February 28, 1980, where the Andalusian people expressed their desire to position themselves at the forefront of the aspirations for self-government at the highest level in all the peoples of Spain. Andalusia was therefore the only Community that had a specific source of legitimacy in its path of access to autonomy expressed at the ballot box by means of a referendum. In the preamble of the Andalusian Statute of Autonomy of 2007 it is stated verbatim that:

The Andalusian Manifesto of Cordoba described Andalusia as a national reality in 1919, whose spirit the Andalusians fully seized through the process of self-government reflected in our Magna Carta. In 1978 the Andalusians gave broad support to the constitutional consensus. Today, the Constitution, in its article 2, recognizes Andalusia as a nationality within the framework of the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation.

In the articles of the autonomous statute, Andalusia is granted the status of "historical nationality", reflecting the political identity of the Andalusian people as a result of its historical and cultural singularity. In the previous statute, the Autonomy Statute of 1981 or the Carmona Statute, it was defined as "nationality".

The geographical framework 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, formed by 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 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, Gypsy and Spanish, which have given rise to the formation of Andalusian identity and culture.

Currently, the Andalusian economy is marked by the region's disadvantage with respect to the Spanish and European global frameworks due to the late arrival of the industrial revolution, further hampered 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 service sector.

Toponymy

Map of the Iberian peninsula dated in 1770, where the kingdoms of Seville, Cordoba and Jaén are called "Andalucía", while the Kingdom of Granada appears separately

Main article: Etymology of the al-Andalus toponym

The place name «Andalucía» was introduced into the Spanish language during the XIII century under the form «el Andalucía». It is the Castilianization of al-Andalusiya, a name and Arabic adjective referring to al-Andalus, a name given to the territories of the Iberian Peninsula under Islamic rule since 711 to 1492. Several etymologies have been proposed for this place name. The so-called vandala thesis derives al-Ándalus from Vandalia or Vandalusia (land of the Vandals) and although it was widespread from the XVI century onwards, it currently does not enjoy any scientific credibility. The so-called Visigothic thesis finds its etymological origin in the Visigothic name of the ancient Roman province of Bética: *Landahlauts. The Visigoths, upon occupying these lands, divided them up by lottery; the prizes that fell to each one of them and the corresponding lands were called sortes Gothica, appearing in the written sources, all in Latin, as Gothica sors (singular) as designation of the Gothic kingdom as a whole. The corresponding Gothic designation, *Landahlauts ("land of lottery"), would be transformed according to this thesis into al-Andalus. A third thesis, the Atlantic thesis explains the appearance of the place name al-Andalus as a corruption of the Latin Atlanticum. Several sources such as the English Encyclopedia and scholars such as Dietrich Schwanitz and Heinz Halm, reaffirm theories of a place name formed even before the Arab occupation.

Regarding its use, the word "Andalusia" has not always exactly referred to the territory known today as such. During the last phases of the Christian Reconquest, this name was granted exclusively to the south of the peninsula under Muslim rule, later remaining as the name of the last territory to be reconquered. In the First General Chronicle of Alfonso X the Wise, written in the second half of the XIII century, the term Andalusia is used in three different meanings:

As a simple translation of al-Andalus. The name of al-Ándalus already appears in Arabic traditions and poetry of the first era of Islam before the conquest. It appears in these eastern sources and in the first ones that narrate the conquest of Hispania as the name of an island, Chazirat al-Andalus, or of a sea, Bahr al-Andalus.
To designate the territories conquered by Christians in the Guadalquivir valley and in the kingdoms of Granada and Murcia. In fact Alfonso X was titled King of Castile, Lion and all of Andalusia in a 1253 document.
To name the lands conquered by Christians in the Guadalquivir valley (Reinos de Jaén, Córdoba and Seville). This third meaning would be the most common during the Lower Middle Ages and the Modern Ages. From the administrative point of view, the kingdom of Granada maintained its name and singularity within the Andalusian context, due, above all, to its emblematic character as the culmination of the Reconquista and to being the headquarters of the important Real Chancillería de Granada. However, the fact that the conquest and repopulation of the kingdom was made mostly by Andalusians, made during the Modern Age the notion of Andalusia extend, in fact, to the whole of the four kingdoms, often called the "four kingdoms of Andalusia", at least since the mid-centuryXVIII.

Sometimes and unofficially this territory has been called "Castilla la Novísima" following the chronological order of the Reconquest, after Castilla la Vieja and Castilla la Nueva.

Symbols

Portrait of Blas Infante, made on tiles, located in the homonymous avenue of Jerez

Shield

Main article: Escudo de Andalucía

The coat of arms of Andalusia shows the figure of a young Hercules between the two Pillars of Hercules that tradition places in the Strait of Gibraltar, with an inscription at the foot of a legend that says: «Andalusia itself, for Spain and Humanity", on the background of an Andalusian flag. The two columns are closed by a semicircular arch with the Latin words Dominator Hercules Fundator, also on the background of the Andalusian flag.

Flag

Main article: Flag of Andalusia

The official flag of Andalusia is made up of three horizontal bands green, white and green, of equal size; His shield is located on the central white band. It was created by Blas Infante and approved in the Ronda Assembly of 1918. Infante chose green as a symbol of hope and union and white as a symbol of peace and dialogue. The choice of these colors is due to the fact that Blas Infante considered that they had been the most used throughout the history of the Andalusian territory. According to him, the banner of the Andalusian Umayyad dynasty was green and represented the call of the people. White, on the other hand, symbolized forgiveness among the Almohads, which in European heraldry is interpreted as parliament or peace. Other historical news justify the choice of the colors of the flag. Andalusian nationalists call it the Arbonaida, which means “white and green” in the Mozarabic language.

Anthem

Main article: Anthem of Andalusia

The Andalusian anthem is a musical composition by José del Castillo Díaz, director of the Seville Municipal Band and commonly known as Maestro Castillo with lyrics by Blas Infante. The music is inspired by Santo Dios, a popular religious song that peasants and day laborers from some Andalusian regions sang during the harvest in the provinces of Malaga, Seville and Huelva.^{[ citation required]} Blas Infante reported this song to Maestro Castillo, who adapted and harmonized the melody. The lyrics of the anthem appeal to the Andalusians to mobilize and ask for "land and freedom", through a process of agrarian reform and a statute of political autonomy for Andalusia, within the framework of Spain.

The Andalusian Parliament unanimously approved in 1983 that, in the preamble of the Statute of Autonomy for Andalusia, Blas Infante be recognized as "Father of the Andalusian Homeland", recognition that was revalidated in the reform of said statute, submitted popular referendum on February 18, 2007.

Official day

Main article: Day of Andalusia

Andalusia Day is celebrated on February 28 and commemorates the 1980 referendum, which gave full autonomy to the Andalusian community after a long struggle through the procedure stipulated in article 151 of the Constitution for those communities that, like the Andalusian, they had not approved a statute of autonomy during the Second Republic due to the outbreak of the Civil War.

The honorary title of Favorite Son of Andalusia is granted by the Junta de Andalucía to those who recognize exceptional merits that have redounded to the benefit of Andalusia, for their work or scientific, social or political actions. It is the highest distinction of the autonomous community.

Geography

View of Andalusia by satellite in June 2010

Main article: Geography of Andalusia

One of the elements that gives Andalusia its uniqueness and personality is its geographical setting. The Sevillian historian Domínguez Ortiz summarizes this condition stating that:

[...] we must seek the essence of Andalusia in its geographical reality, on the one hand and, on the other, in the consciousness of its inhabitants. From a geographical point of view, the whole of the southern lands is too broad and varied to encompass all in one unit. In reality there are not two, but three Andalusias: the Sierra Morena, the Valley and the Penibbean [...]

These three large environmental units are going to be the result of the conjunction of different physical factors, where relief plays a fundamental role.

Limits

The International Bridge of Guadiana unites Spain and Portugal

Main article: Limits of Andalusia

Andalusia covers an area of 87,268 km², which is equivalent to 17.3% of the Spanish territory, making it comparable with many European countries, both for its surface area and for its internal complexity. To the east and west it borders the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal respectively, while to the north it does so with the Sierra Morena, which separates it from the Meseta, and to the south with the Strait of Gibraltar, which separates it from the African continent.

Andalusia is located at a latitude between 36º and 38º44' N, in the temperate-warm zone of the Earth, giving its climate very defining characteristics such as the bonanza of its temperatures and the dryness of its summers. However, in the broad framework defined by its limits there are some great internal contrasts. In this way, it goes from the extensive coastal plains of the Guadalquivir River —at sea level— to the highest areas of the peninsula in the Sierra Nevada. The dryness of the Tabernas desert contrasts with the natural park of the Sierra de Grazalema, the rainiest in Spain. More significant, if possible, is the transit from the snowy peaks of Mulhacén to the subtropical coast of Granada, just 50 km away.

Climate

Major types of climate

Main article: Climate of Andalusia

Andalusia falls entirely within the Mediterranean climatic domain, characterized by the predominance of high summer pressures —Azores anticyclone—, which result in the typical summer drought, broken at times with torrential rainfall and torrid temperatures. In winter, the tropical anticyclones move to the south and allow the polar front to penetrate the Andalusian territory. The instability increases and rainfall is concentrated in the autumn, winter and spring periods. The temperatures are very mild.

Nevertheless, there is a great diversity of climatic types in the different areas of Andalusia, causing great richness and landscape contrasts that are increased by the arrangement of the orogens and their location between two masses of water with very different characteristics.

Precipitation decreases from west to east, with the rainiest point being the Sierra de Grazalema (with the maximum historical annual rainfall recorded in the entire Iberian Peninsula and Spain, in 1963: 4346 mm) and the least rainy from continental Europe (Cabo de Gata, 117 mm per year). The "humid Andalusia" coincides with the highest points of the community, especially the area of the Serranía de Ronda and the Sierra de Grazalema. The Guadalquivir valley presents average rainfall. In the province of Almería is the Tabernas desert, the only desert in Europe. The rainy days a year are around 75, descending to 50 in the most arid areas. Thus, in a large part of Andalusia, there are more than 300 days of sunshine a year, with Malaga and Almería being the Spanish cities with the most hours of light, an average of 8.54 per day, according to data from the INE (National Statistics Institute). which in 2017, accumulated 3820 hours of sunshine in both.

The average annual temperature in Andalusia is above 16 °C, with urban values ranging between 18.5 °C in Malaga and 15.1 °C in Baeza. In a large part of the Guadalquivir valley and the Mediterranean coast, the average is around 18°. The coldest month is January (6.4 °C on average in Granada) and the hottest months are July or August (28.5 °C on average), with Córdoba being the hottest capital followed by Seville.

The highest temperatures in Spain, the peninsula and Europe are recorded in the Guadalquivir valley, with an all-time high of 46.9 °C in Córdoba and 46.8 °C in El Granado (Huelva). according to AEMET. Montoro registered the maximum temperature of 47.3 °C on July 13, 2017. Although there are data from previous records, they are very doubtful because they were measured with inadequate instruments. The mountains of Granada and Jaén are those that register the lowest temperatures in the entire south of the Iberian Peninsula. In the cold wave of January 2005, -21 °C was reached in Santiago de la Espada (Jaén) and -18 °C in Pradollano (Granada). Sierra Nevada has the lowest average annual temperature in the south of the peninsula (3.9 °C in Pradollano) and its peaks remain snow covered most of the year.

Relief

Relieve de Andalucía

Sierra Nevada

Main article: Relieve de Andalucía

The relief is one of the main factors that configures the natural environment. The mountainous alignments and their layout have a special impact on the configuration of the climate, the fluvial network, the soils and their erosion, the bioclimatic floors and will even have an influence on the way natural resources are used.

The Andalusian relief is characterized by the strong altitudinal and slope contrast. Between its borders are the highest levels of the Iberian Peninsula and almost 15% of the territory above 1000 m; in front of the depressed zones, with less than 100 msnm of altitude in the great Bética Depression. On slopes, the same phenomenon occurs.

As for the Andalusian coasts, the Atlantic coast is characterized by an overwhelming predominance of beaches and low coasts; For its part, the Mediterranean coast has a very important presence of cliffs, especially in the Axarquía of Malaga, Granada and Almería.

The asymmetric character is such that it will configure a natural division between Upper and Lower Andalusia following the main relief units:

Sierra Morena, (with the Bañuela peak of 1323 m) at the same time that marks a break between Andalusia and the Meseta, presents a great separation — increased by its depopulation — between the Sierra and the Campiña de Huelva, Seville, Córdoba and Jaén. However, its elevation is scarce and only Sierra Madrona manages to overcome 1300 m. n. m. at its highest point the Bañuela (out of Andalusia). Among this mountainous system is the desfiladero de Despeñaperros, which constitutes the natural border with Castilla.
The Béticas (Penibética y Subbética) ranges parallel to the Mediterranean and are not aligned, leaving among them the Intrabetic Surco. The Subbetic is very discontinuous, so it presents numerous corridors that facilitate communication. On the contrary, the Penibbean has an isolated barrier between the Mediterranean and the interior. The highest heights of Andalusia are in Sierra Nevada, in the province of Granada; there are the highest peaks of the Iberian peninsula: the Mulhacén peak (3478 m) and the Veleta (3392 m).
Bética Depression is between both systems. It is a plain territory almost entirely, open to the Gulf of Cadiz in the southwest. Throughout history, this has been the main population of Andalusia.

Hydrography

Main articles: Hydrography of Andalusia and Andalusian Water Agency.

Rivers and basins

Atlantic and Mediterranean rivers flow through Andalusia. The Guadiana, Piedras, Odiel, Tinto, Guadalquivir, Guadalete and Barbate rivers belong to the Atlantic slope; while the Guadiaro, Guadalhorce, Guadalmedina, Guadalfeo, Andarax (or Almería river) and Almanzora correspond to the Mediterranean slope. Among them, the Guadalquivir stands out for being the longest river in Andalusia and the fifth in the Iberian Peninsula (657 km).

The rivers of the Atlantic basin are characterized by being extensive, flowing for the most part through flat terrain and irrigating extensive valleys. This character determines the estuaries and marshes that form at their mouths, such as the Doñana marshes formed by the Guadalquivir river and the Odiel marshes. The rivers of the Mediterranean basin are shorter, more seasonal and with a steeper average slope, which causes less extensive estuaries and valleys less prone to agriculture. The leeward effect caused by the Betic Systems means that their contributions are reduced.

The Andalusian rivers fall into five different hydrographic basins: the Guadalquivir basin, the Andalusian Atlantic basin, which includes the sub-basins of Guadalete-Barbate and Tinto-Odiel, and the Guadiana basin, which would make up the Atlantic slope. In the Andalusian Mediterranean basin are the rivers that flow into the Mediterranean. In addition, a small part of the Segura river basin extends in Andalusia.

Floor

Pedogenesis is a synthetic process in which the rest of the natural factors, both biotic and abiotic, intervene. Therefore, it is not surprising that, according to the predominant type of soil, Andalusia can be divided into three large landscape units.

The Guadalquivir in Córdoba

In Sierra Morena, due to its morphology and its acid soils, mainly shallow and poor soils with forest vocation are developed. In the valleys and in limestone areas, deeper soils are found where there is poor cereal agriculture normally associated with cattle raising. Something similar occurs in the Betic Systems. Its morphostructural complexity makes it the area with the most heterogeneous soil and landscape in Andalusia. In very broad terms, it should be noted -as a difference with the other great montane space of Andalusia- the existence of a predominance of basic materials in the Subbético, which together with the ridged morphology, generate deeper soils with greater agronomic capacity, mainly used in the cultivation of olive groves. Finally, we must highlight the Depresión Bética and the Surco Intrabético, as the main spaces for the development of deep, rich soils with great agronomic capacity. It is necessary to differentiate the alluvial soils with a loamy texture and especially suitable for intensive irrigated crops, where those of the Guadalquivir valley and the plain of Granada stand out.

For its part, in the undulating areas of the countryside, there is a double dynamic: in the troughs —filled with older limestone materials— where very deep clayey soils have developed, called bujeo soils or Andalusian black lands where dryland arable crops are typical. In the hilly areas, another very typical soil has been developed —albariza— with very favorable conditions for growing vines.

The poorly consolidated sandy soils —mainly on the Huelva and Almeria coasts—, despite their marginality, in recent decades have taken on great relevance thanks to the forced cultivation under plastic of vegetables and berries —strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, among others-.

Flora

Corological or phytogeographic provinces of Andalusia

Main article: Flora of Andalusia

Andalusia, biogeographically speaking, is part of the Holarctic Kingdom, specifically of the Mediterranean Region, Western Mediterranean subregion and is made up of five phytogeographical sectors: the Marianico-Monchiquense sector, the Cadiz-Aljíbico and Onubense sector, the Béticos sectors, the Almeria sector and the Manchego sector. These sectors belong to as many Iberian chorological provinces or sub-provinces.

In general terms, the typical vegetation of Andalusia is the Mediterranean forest, characterized by evergreen and xerophytic vegetation, adapted throughout the summer period of drought. The climactic and dominant species is the holm oak, although there are abundant cork oaks, pines, Spanish firs, among others, and of course the olive and almond trees as cultivated species. The dominant understory is made up of thorny and aromatic woody species: species such as rosemary, thyme and cistus are very typical of Andalusia. In the most humid areas and with acid soils, the most abundant species are oak and cork oak, and eucalyptus stands out as a cultivated species. In this context is the greatest mycological biodiversity in Europe. There are also abundant gallery forests of leafy species: poplars and elms, and even poplar as a cultivated species in the Granada plain.

Wildlife

Iberian lynx

Main article: Fauna de Andalucía

The existing biodiversity in Andalusia extends to the fauna. In this way, more than 400 species of vertebrates of the 630 existing in Spain inhabit this autonomous community. Its strategic position between the Mediterranean basin, the Atlantic Ocean and the Strait of Gibraltar makes Andalusia one of the natural passageways for thousands of migratory birds that travel between Europe and Africa. Andalusian wetlands are home to a very rich birdlife, for the combination of species of African origin, such as the horned coot, purple swine or flamingo, with birds from northern Europe, such as geese. Among the birds of prey, the imperial eagle, the griffon vulture and the kite stand out.

As for herbivores, there are deer, fallow deer, roe deer, mouflon and ibex, the latter in decline compared to the heron, an invasive species introduced from Africa for hunting purposes in the 1970s. Among the small herbivores The hare and the rabbit stand out, which constitute the basis of the diet of most of the carnivorous species of the Mediterranean forest.

Large carnivores such as the Iberian wolf and the Iberian lynx are highly threatened and are limited to Doñana, Sierra Morena and Despeñaperros. The wild boar, on the other hand, is well preserved due to its hunting importance. Smaller carnivores, such as otter, are more abundant and in different conservation situations, while foxes, badgers, polecats, weasels, wildcats, genets, and mongoose are more abundant.

Other noteworthy species are the ocellated lizard, the snouted viper and the Aphanius baeticus or Andalusian salinete, the latter highly threatened.

Invasive Species

Doñana

According to the Catalog of Species included in the Andalusian Program for the Control of Invasive Alien Species, in Andalusia there are a large number of both animal and plant species that have been introduced into the Andalusian ecosystem. Among them, the invasive species are the most dangerous for the conservation of the biodiversity of Andalusian ecosystems.

Invasive species that manage to adapt to the new environment become strong in it and even decimate the population of native species. These exotic species can reach the new environment in various ways: abandonment of pets in the new ecosystem, destruction by man of their previous ecosystem, implantation by man in the new ecosystem to alleviate a problem... The reasons are diverse., but the solutions are similar in all cases, since what is being attempted is to progressively reduce the population of the invasive species.

In Andalusia, invasive species are both animal and plant, for example:

Uña de cat: it is distributed on the coasts of western Andalusia (Huelva and Cadiz above all). It was introduced for decorative use and for the fixing of dunes and taludes on the coast. It promotes the displacement of species of coastal dunes, the decrease in the incident light in the soil and the germination of natives and is competition for native species in pollination.
Eucalyptus: it is spread throughout the Andalusian territory as it was introduced for forest purposes and for soil fixing. It mainly causes the reduction of plant cover and the displacement of indigenous plants, overexploitation of aquifers.
Chumbera: spread throughout the community, especially on the coastline. It was introduced with ornamental use and formation of hedges. As a secondary use it has also been given the forage plant for livestock and fruit producers for human consumption. It is a plant that invades coastal ecosystems of interest (Dunar systems, forests and coastal bushes) in which it competes with native flora species.
American river crab: it is distributed throughout the Andalusian territory. It was the fishermen who introduced it into voluntary releases for fishing. It has many negative effects on native flora and fauna through predation. It even comes to compete with native species of other crabs for their larger size, for their reproductive rate and for their resistance to pests. Its main impact is to be the vector of the fungus Aphanomices astaci, which produces afanomicosis and which is fatal for the native crab (Austropotamobius pallipes). They also dig galleries that increase the erosion of the riverbanks.
Common tent: it is present in rivers of all Andalusia. It is very abundant in the reservoirs and in the middle and lower sections of the rivers with the most flowing. It was voluntarily introduced by fishermen for sport fishing. The common tent is causing serious ecological imbalances. It is related to an increase in the turbidity of the water foil due to its movements and its excrements. The increase in turbidity is responsible for a lower penetration of sunlight and consequently for the disappearance of submerged macrophytes, indirectly affecting invertebrates and aquatic birds.
Florida Galapague: was introduced in Spain in the 1980s. In Andalusia it is distributed by different coastal wetlands, although it can also be found in lakes and ponds like those of the peri-urban parks. Its introduction was due to the voluntary or involuntary release of animals raised as pets. It is a voracious predator of invertebrates, fish and amphibians as well as floating and sesile aquatic vegetation. It competes with other species of Galapagos to which it moves as the case of the European Galapagos. It has adapted very well to the medium as it is able to live in natural conditions that other species of Galapagos do not tolerate (greater pollution and human presence).
Cotorra de Kramer: arrived in Spain in the mid-1980s and has spread through parks and gardens of Almeria, Granada, Malaga and Seville. Like other exotic birds, their introduction into the Andalusian ecosystem came from the involuntary release of pet-breededed animals. It is a great competition for nests with bats and woodpecker birds (Picidae). It is competition in the trophic chain with the common mile, the capirotada curl and other granivores and frugivores.
Micropterus salmoides: commonly known as black bass.

Natural spaces

Natural areas of Andalusia

Main article: Natural protected areas of Andalusia

Andalusia has a large number of natural spaces and ecosystems of great singularity and environmental value. Its importance and the need to make the conservation of its values and its economic use compatible, have promoted the protection and management of the most representative landscapes and ecosystems of the Andalusian territory.

The different protection figures are included within the Network of Protected Natural Spaces of Andalusia (RENPA) that integrates the natural spaces located in the Andalusian territory protected by some regulation at the regional, national, community level or international agreements. The RENPA is made up of 150 protected spaces divided into 3 National Parks, 23 Natural Parks, 21 Peri-Urban Parks, 32 Natural Areas, 2 Protected Landscapes, 37 Natural Monuments, 28 Natural Reserves and 4 Concerted Natural Reserves, all of them included in the Nature Network. 2000 at a European level. At the international level, it is worth highlighting the 9 Biosphere Reserves, 20 Ramsar Sites, 4 Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance -ZEPIM- and 2 Geoparks.

Mazagón and La Verdina in the belt of the main natural space of Andalusia, Doñana

In total, practically 20% of the Andalusian territory is under the protection of some regulation in the different areas, which represents approximately 30% of the protected territory in Spain. Among the many spaces, the Sierra Natural Park stands out from Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas, the largest natural park in Spain and the second in Europe, the Sierra Nevada National Park, Doñana and the sub-desert areas of the Tabernas Desert and the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park.

History

Iberian figure of the Porcuna Bear, at the National Archaeological Museum

Main article: History of Andalusia

The idea of unifying the provinces of southern Spain under the same administrative region was born in the second half of the XIX century The Andalusian movement gained more relevance during the reign of Alfonso XIII and the second Spanish Republic, and having Blas Infante as the greatest exponent of said movement. During the period of the Second Republic, an attempt was made to establish Andalusia as an autonomous region. To this end, the Assembly of Córdoba in 1933 was held, in which delegations from the eight provinces involved (Huelva Province, Seville Province, Cádiz Province, Córdoba Province, Jaén Province, Málaga Province, Granada Province and Province of Almería) met to discuss the elaboration of an autonomy statute. The assembly ended with the withdrawal of the delegations from Huelva, Jaén, Granada and Almería, and the abstention of the delegation from Malaga. The failure of the Córdoba assembly, together with the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent victory of the national side, led to the idea of constituting Andalusia as an autonomous region being temporarily set aside. It would not be until 1981 when, after the referendum on the initiative of the autonomous process of Andalusia in 1980, Andalusia would obtain autonomy. However, it is also relevant to briefly expose the previous history of the territory currently integrated into said historical nationality.

The geostrategic position of Andalusia in the extreme south of Europe, between it and Africa, between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, as well as its mineral and agricultural wealth and its large surface area of 87,597 km² (greater than many of the countries Europeans), form a combination of factors that made Andalusia a focus of attraction for other civilizations since the beginning of the Metal Age.

In fact, its geographical situation as a link between Africa and Europe, makes some theories point to the fact that the first European hominids, after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, were located in Andalusian territory. The first cultures developed in Andalusia (Los Millares, El Argar and Tartessos) had a clear oriental tinge, due to the fact that peoples from the eastern Mediterranean settled on the Andalusian coast in search of minerals and left their civilizing influence. The process of passing from prehistory to history, known as protohistory, was linked to the influence of these peoples, mainly Greeks and Phoenicians, a broad historical moment in which Cádiz was founded, the oldest city in Western Europe, followed in antiquity through another Andalusian city: Malaga.

Ruins of the Baelo Claudia Forum

Andalusia was fully incorporated into the Roman Empire with its conquest and Romanization, creating the province of Bética, a subdivision of a primitive province that dates from the Roman conquest called Hispania Ulterior. Given its status as a senatorial province due to its very high degree of Romanization, it was the only province in Hispania to hold this status, it had great economic and political importance in the Empire, to which it contributed numerous magistrates and senators, in addition to the outstanding figures of the Emperors Trajan and Hadrian.

The Germanic invasions of the Vandals and later of the Visigoths did not make the cultural and political role of Baetica disappear and for centuries V and VI the Betico-Roman landowners practically maintained independence from Toledo. Figures such as San Isidoro de Sevilla or San Hermenegildo stood out in this period.

In 711 there was an important cultural break with the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The Andalusian territory was the main political center of the different Muslim states of al-Andalus, with Córdoba being the capital and one of the main cultural and economic centers of the world at that time. This period of flourishing culminated with the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba, where figures such as Abderramán III or Alhakén II stood out. Already in the XI century there was a period of serious crisis that was taken advantage of by the Christian kingdoms of the north of the peninsula to advance their conquests and by the different North African empires that followed one another —Almoravids and Almohads— that exerted their influence in al-Andalus and also established their centers of power on the peninsula in Granada and Seville, respectively. Between these periods of centralization of power, the political fragmentation of the peninsular territory occurred, which was divided into first, second and third kingdoms of taifas. Among the latter, the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada played a fundamental historical and emblematic role.

The Crown of Castile gradually conquered the territories in the south of the peninsula. Fernando III personalized the conquest of the entire Guadalquivir valley in the XIII century. The Andalusian territory was divided into a Christian part and a Muslim part until in 1492 the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula ended with the capture of Granada and the disappearance of the homonymous kingdom.

The Rendition of BailenMarried of the Alisal

It was in the XVI century when Andalusia further exploited its geographical position, as it centralized trade with the New World, through the Casa de Contratación de Indias, based first in Seville, which became the most populous city in the Spanish Empire, and two centuries later in Cádiz until its disappearance in that same century. After the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America, Andalusia played a fundamental role in his discovery and colonization. However, there was no real economic development in Andalusia due to the numerous companies of the Crown in Europe. The social and economic wear and tear became widespread in the XVII century and culminated in the conspiracy of the Andalusian nobility against the government of the count- Duke of Olivares in 1641.

In the middle of the XVI century some inhabitants of Andalusia and Extremadura emigrated to New Spain, influenced by Carlos I and, later, by his son Felipe II, settling in the current states of Veracruz, Hidalgo and the State of Mexico, and in the sociocultural region of El Bajío, thus contributing to the nascent Spanish culture in Mexico.

The Bourbon reforms of the 18th century did not remedy the fact that Spain in general and Andalusia in particular were losing political and economic weight in the European and global context. Likewise, the loss of the Spanish overseas colonies will gradually remove Andalusia from the mercantilist economic circuits.

Smoking of Torrijos on the beach of San Andrés de Malaga in 1831. Picture by Antonio Gisbert Pérez of 1888 (Museo del Prado)

This situation improved during the following century as the Andalusian industry played an important role in the Spanish economy during the XIX century. In 1856, Andalusia was the second Spanish region in terms of degree of industrialization. A century later it was already practically at the bottom, with an industrialization index of less than 50 percent of the average Spanish level. While between 1856 and 1900 Andalusia had an industrialization index higher than the national average in the food, metallurgy, chemical and ceramic branches, from 1915 this supremacy was reduced to the food and chemical branches.

After that expansive century, through much of the 20th century and early XXI, Andalusia, and despite the fact that it was established as an autonomous community in 1981, it cannot match its development rates to the rest of Spain, being the region with the highest unemployment of the entire EU and the lowest per capita income in the country.

Government and politics

Main article: History of autonomism in Andalusia

Andalusia acceded to autonomy through the so-called aggravated route or procedure, included in article 151 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The process required that the initiative be approved by an absolute majority of the voters in the proposed community and in each province and not by a majority of votes cast. Although the initiative obtained majority support throughout Andalusia, the required majority was lacking in the province of Almería (see Referendum on the initiative of the autonomous process of Andalusia), where although a majority of the votes was reached, the abstention did not allow a majority to be reached of voters. The situation presented a problem because the same article 151 mandates a waiting period of 5 years in case of failure, which was not finally considered and the real majority obtained was taken into account. Following this procedure, the Autonomous Community of Andalusia was constituted on February 28, 1980 after holding a referendum, declaring in the first article of its Statute of autonomy (1981) that such autonomy is justified by "historical identity, in the self-government that the Constitution allows to all nationalities, in full equality to the rest of the nationalities and regions that make up Spain, and with a power that emanates from the Constitution and the Andalusian people, reflected in its Statute of Autonomy".

In October 2006, the Constitutional Commission of the Cortes Generales approved, with the favorable votes of PSOE, IU and PP, a new Statute of autonomy, whose preamble mentions, first, that in the Andalusian Manifesto of 1919 Andalusia was described as a national reality, to continue exposing, its current status as a nationality within the indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation. Later in its articles it defines itself, more specifically, as a historical nationality, unlike the previous statute (of 1981) where it was defined, simply, as a nationality.

On November 2, 2006, the Congress of Deputies ratified the text of the Constitutional Commission with 306 votes in favor, none against, and two abstentions, marking the first time that an Organic Law of an Autonomy Statute was approved without any votes against. It was approved by the Senate, in a plenary session held on December 20, 2006, and ratified in a referendum by the Andalusian People on February 18, 2007.

The Statute of Andalusia regulates the different institutions in charge of government and administration within the Community. The Junta de Andalucía is the main institution in which the government is organized. On the other hand, there are other self-government institutions: the Andalusian Ombudsman, the Advisory Council, the Chamber of Accounts, the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia and the Economic and Social Council.

Andalusian Government

San Telmo Palace in Seville, seat of the presidency of the Board

Main article: Junta de Andalucía

The Junta de Andalucía is the institution that organizes the self-government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It is made up of: the president of the Junta de Andalucía, who is the supreme representative of the autonomous community, and the ordinary representative of the State in it. His election takes place by the favorable vote of the absolute majority of the Plenary of the Parliament of Andalusia and his appointment corresponds to the king.The president of the Board is Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla.

The Governing Council, which is the highest political and administrative body of the Community, to which corresponds the exercise of regulatory power and the performance of the executive function. It is made up of the president of the Junta de Andalucía, who he presides, and by the councilors appointed by him to take charge of the various Departments (Councils). This structure is established by Decree of the President 6/2019, of February 11, which modifies Decree of the President 2/2019, of January 21, of the Vice-Presidency and on the restructuring of Ministries. During the XI legislature (started in 2019) the Government of Andalusia was a sum of the coalition of the Popular Party and Ciudadanos with the external support of Vox, with a total of 11 Ministries, 6 belonging to the Popular Party and 5 to Ciudadanos.

In the XII Legislature that began in July 2022 after the absolute majority of the Popular Party, the Andalusian Government will be composed as follows:

President: Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla.
Presidential, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification: Antonio Sanz
Council of Social Inclusion, Youth, Families and Equality: Loles López Gabarro
Department of Development, Land Articulation and Housing: Marifrán Carazo
Consejería de Desarrollo Educativo y Formación Profesional: Patricia del Pozo Fernández
Consejería de Economía, Hacienda y Fondos Europeas: Carolina España Reina
Consejería de Susstenibilidad, Medio Ambiente y Economía Azul: Ramón Fernández-Pacheco
Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca, Agua y Desarrollo Rural: Carmen Crespo
Department of Justice, Local Administration and Public Service: José Antonio Nieto
Employment, Business and Self-employed Counseling: White Rocío Eguren
Policy advice for Industry and Energy: Jorge Paradela Gutiérrez
Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte: Arturo Bernal Bergua
Consejería de Salud y Consumo: Catalina García Carrasco
Universidad, Investigación e Innovación: José Carlos Gómez Villamandos

The Parliament of Andalusia is the autonomous legislative assembly, which is responsible for the preparation and approval of Laws and the election and dismissal of the president of the Junta de Andalucía.

The elections to the Parliament of Andalusia are the democratic formula by which the citizens of Andalusia elect their 109 political representatives in the autonomous chamber. After the approval of the Andalusian Statute of Autonomy through Organic Law 6/1981 of December 30, 1981, the first elections to its autonomous Parliament were called for May 23, 1982. Subsequently, elections have been held in 1986, 1990, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2022.

		PSOE			P			IU			PA			UCD			We can.			Citizens			Go ahead.			Vox			Total Scalls	List more voted	Gobernó
		Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Votes	Scalls	Var	Total Scalls	List more voted	Gobernó
I	1982	52.56%	66		20.48%	17		8.53%	8		5.38%	3		13.05%	15														109	PSOE	PSOE
II	1986	47.22%	60	-6	22.26%	28	+11	17.8%	19	+11	5.88%	2	-1																109	PSOE	PSOE
III	1990	50.12%	62	+2	22.40%	26	-2	12.80%	11	-8	10.86%	10	+8																109	PSOE	PSOE
IV	1994	38.71%	45	- 17	34.36%	41	+15	19.14%	20	+9	5.79%	3	-7																109	PSOE	PSOE
V	1996	44.05%	52	+7	33.96%	40	-1	13.97 per cent	13	-7	6.66%	4	+1																109	PSOE	PSOE + PA
VI	2000	44.32%	52	=	38.02%	46	+6	8.11%	6	-7	7.43 per cent	5	+1																109	PSOE	PSOE + PA
VII	2004	50.36%	61	+9	31.78%	37	-9	7.51%	6	=	6.16%	5	=																109	PSOE	PSOE
VIII	2008	42.41%	56	-5	38.45%	47	+10	7.06%	6	=			-5																109	PSOE	PSOE
IX	2012	39.56%	47	-9	40.67%	50	+3	11.35%	12	+6																			109	P	PSOE + IU
X	2015	35.43%	47	=	26.76%	33	- 17	6.89%	5	-7							14.84 per cent	15	+15	9.28%	9	+9							109	PSOE	PSOE
XI	2018	27.95%	33	-14	20.75%	26	-7													18.27%	21	+12	16.18%	17	-3	10.97%	12	+12	109	PSOE	PP + Citizens
XII	2022	24.09%	30	-3	43.13%	58	+32													3.29%	0	-21				13.46%	14	+2	109	P	P

Judicial branch

Royal Chancellery of Granada, seat of the judiciary

The highest jurisdictional body of the autonomous community is the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia, based in Granada, before which the successive procedural instances are exhausted without prejudice to the jurisdiction that corresponds to the Supreme Court. However, the Superior Court of Justice of Andalusia is not a body of the autonomous community but is part of the Judicial Power, which is unique throughout the Kingdom and cannot be transferred to the autonomous communities. The Andalusian territory is divided into 88 judicial districts.

Territorial organization

Provinces

Main article: Provincial Division of 1833 in Andalusia

Andalusia is divided into eight provinces, created by Javier de Burgos by Royal Decree of November 30, 1833, which are the following:

Almería

Cadiz

Córdoba

Grenada

Huelva

Jaén

Malaga

Sevilla

Province	Population	Surface (km2)	Municipalities	Parties judicial
Almería	727 945	8 774	103	8
Cadiz	1 244 049	7436	45	14
Córdoba	781 451	13 550	77	12
Grenada	919 168	12 531	174	9
Huelva	524 278	10 148	80	6
Jaén	631 381	13 489	97	10
Malaga	1 685 920	7308	103	11
Sevilla	1 950 219	14 042	106	15

Municipalities

Municipalities of Andalusia

Population

Main article: Demography of Andalusia

Andalusia is the leading Spanish autonomous community in terms of its population, which as of January 1, 2018 stands at 8,384,408 inhabitants with 82 municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants. This population is concentrated, above all, in the provincial capitals and in the coastal areas, so the level of urbanization in Andalusia is quite high; Half of the Andalusian population is concentrated in the twenty-nine cities with more than fifty thousand inhabitants. The population is aging, although the immigration process is favorably altering the inversion of the population pyramid.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Andalusia between 1787 and 2021

Source: Spanish National Statistical Institute - Graphical development by Wikipedia.

On the threshold of the XX century, Andalusia was immersed in the last phase of the demographic transition. Mortality stagnated at around 8-9 ‰, so the birth rate and migratory movements marked the evolution of the population.

In 1950 the weight of the Andalusian population with respect to the national population was 20.04%, while in 1981 it would drop to 17.09%. In these decades the slow decline in population, caused by emigration, could not be offset by the higher birth rate compared to other regions of Spain. Average year-on-year growth was much more moderate than on previous dates.

Since the 1980s, the opposite process occurred. The birth rate suffered a sharp drop, as in the rest of Spain and in developed countries. Although, in the Andalusian community the decline was slower and this transition was prolonged. Therefore, the basis of its relative demographic recovery with respect to Spain is the return of immigrants to Andalusia. During the 1990s a new immigration phenomenon that will affect both Andalusia and the rest of Spain.

At the beginning of the XXI century, there was a slight upturn in the birth rate, largely conditioned by the increase in births of children of immigrants, which together with the traditional vitality of the Andalusian population, leaves a panorama more favorable to the rejuvenation of the population than in other communities in Spain and European countries. In 2018, the weight of the Andalusian population with respect to the total of Spain is 17.98%.

Distribution

Population by municipalities in Andalusia in 2018
Population density of the Andalusian municipalities in 2018
Population growth by municipality between 1998 and 2008
Population growth by municipality between 2008 and 2018

The distribution of the population is a factor of imbalance and contrast between the different areas of Andalusia. In 2018, the Andalusian population density was 96.08 inhab./km², practically 4.2% above the national figure, which is 92.21 inhab./km².

In an analysis of the provincial distribution in 2008, the concentration of large cities around the Guadalquivir-Genil axis and the Mediterranean coast is clear. The provinces of Seville, Málaga and Cádiz stand out in this imbalance compared to the rest of Andalusia. Between these three provinces they account for 57% of the total population. Regarding the percentage of population in the capitals, in 1991 it was 34.68% of the total; in 2007 the figure has fallen to 29.75% due to the increase in population in urban agglomerations and in the coastal zone. Among the six most populous cities in Spain, two of them are Andalusian, Seville with 700,000 inhabitants and Malaga with 568,000 inhabitants, in addition Córdoba exceeds 300,000 inhabitants and two other municipalities exceed 200,000 inhabitants (Granada and Jerez).

Continuing the analysis in 2018, we see how population growth stagnates, continuing the significant loss of population in the areas of the mountains (Sierra Morena and Cordilleras Béticas) while it continues to increase on the coast and the metropolitan areas, mainly in the Seville metropolitan area and the Malaga metropolitan area.

Structure

Evolution of the natural growth of the Andalusian population

Population structure by age. Comparison 2008-1986

At the beginning of the XXI century, the population structure of Andalusia shows a clear demographic maturity, the result of the long process of demographic transition that lasted in Andalusia until well into the XX century.

Observing the comparison between the years 1986 and 2008, the changes in the structure of the population can be explained:

A clear decline in the young population, due to the significant decline in birth.
Increasing adult population, due to the entry into adult phase of the large number of population born after the economic boom of the 1960s —Baby boom- To this fact, the large contribution of immigrant population, usually in adulthood, must be joined.
Increased adult population, due to increased life expectancy.

Regarding the structure by sex, there are two aspects to highlight: the highest proportion of the elderly female population —due to the greater life expectancy of women— and on the other hand, the highest percentage of the adult male population, largely partly due to the contribution of the immigrant population that is mostly male.

Immigration

5.35% of the Andalusian population is of foreign nationality, a percentage three points lower than the national average. However, immigrants are distributed very unevenly throughout the autonomous community: the province of Almería is the third in Spain with the highest percentage of foreign population (with 15.20%), while Jaén (with 2.07 %) and Córdoba (with 1.77%) are the two Andalusian provinces with the lowest percentage of foreigners. The predominant nationalities are Moroccan (17.79% of all foreigners) and British (15.25% and the majority in Malaga), although by geographical area of origin, Latin Americans are the most numerous. The number of Moroccans is close to 100,000.

Demographically, this group has contributed a significant number of active population to the Andalusian job market, and a rejuvenation of the population is beginning to take place, which is appreciable in the slight increase in the birth rate, the majority of which is the result of the birth of immigrants.

Main Cities

Infrastructures and services

First-order road network

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Andalusia

Transportation systems are an essential element of the structuring and functioning of the territory. The infrastructure networks are the support of the different flows that facilitate the territorial articulation, the development and distribution of economic activities, interurban displacements, among other aspects.

In urban transport, pedestrian and non-motorized transport coexist at a disadvantage with the use of private vehicles and with an insufficiently developed public transport system. This means that some of the Andalusian capitals are reinforcing their public transport systems and implementing greater advantages for the use of bicycles, in which Córdoba, Granada, Málaga and Seville stand out in recent years, in the case of Seville it has gone introducing the Metro (subway) service in its metropolitan area—2009-present project—

The conventional rail network remains similar to that of 100 years ago, with a centralized structure towards Seville and Madrid, lacking direct connections between many of the provincial capitals. Two main routes are the one that connects Algeciras with Seville and the one that unites Almería and Granada with Madrid, which connects Andalusia with the capital of the State. Through Córdoba it is done by High Speed and by Jaén by conventional way. The Andalusian High Speed was a pioneer in Spain since the first route was from Seville to Madrid in 1992. In 2008 the AVE line between Malaga and Madrid, via Córdoba, came into operation.

Port of Algeciras

The main axes of the road network have been converted into highways to a large extent, forming an extensive network. The E-05 (A-4) that goes from Madrid to Seville and continues to Cádiz, enters through Despeñaperros and passes through Bailén and Córdoba. From Bailén starts the A-44 (E-902) which has a branch to Granada and Motril. The autonomous community is crossed from east to west by the A-92 motorway that connects Seville, Málaga, Granada and Almería with the A-49 Seville-Huelva motorway and which continues west to Portugal. There is also a transversal North-South axis that connects Córdoba with Málaga A-45. All in all, accessibility needs have not yet been fully resolved, congesting many sections of the road network during holiday seasons and supporting a lot of heavy traffic from the agricultural areas of the coast. Specifically, the passage of North Africans working in Europe increases the use of connections to Tarifa and Algeciras.

Seville Airport

Among the ports of general interest in Andalusia, the Bahía de Algeciras port stands out, both for passenger and freight transport, being the port with the highest traffic in Spain with almost 70 million tons in 2009. Also with a certain Functional specialization completes the commercial port panorama: the port of Malaga with 5.3 million tons of merchandise, being the second peninsular cruise port, the port of the Bay of Cádiz with four million tons, the port of Huelva with 17.6 million tons and the port of Seville with 4.5 million tons, the only commercial river port in Spain.

Andalusia had six public airports in 2008, all classified as being of general interest and therefore international. Passenger traffic is highly concentrated, with the Málaga-Costa del Sol airport accounting for 60.67% of the total passengers in the community. The two airports with the most traffic (Málaga and Seville airport) account for 80.79% of the total and if Jerez airport is added to these, 87.96%.

The Governing Council has approved the Infrastructure Plan for Transport Sustainability in Andalusia (PISTA) 2007-2013, which will involve an investment of 30,000 million euros in transport infrastructure and services.

Energy

Solar thermal center PS10, in Sanlúcar la Mayor, Seville

Carboneras thermal power plant in the province of Almería

Main article: Energy in Andalusia

The scarcity of fossil fuel resources, or their low calorific value, causes a strong dependence on imported oil, in the Andalusian energy sector, although Andalusia has great potential for the development of renewable energies, especially of solar and wind energy. The Andalusian Energy Agency, created in 2005, is the government body in charge of developing regional policy in relation to the community's energy supply.

The infrastructure for the production of electricity is made up of eight large thermal power plants; more than sixty small hydraulic power stations; two wind farms; and fourteen thermal cogeneration plants. The largest company in this sector was the Compañía Sevillana de Electricidad, founded in 1894, today absorbed by Endesa.

Since March 2007, Andalusia has housed the first concentrated solar power plant in Europe: the PS10 solar plant, located in Sanlúcar la Mayor and carried out by an Andalusian company, Abengoa. There are also other smaller plants, such as those of Cúllar and Galera (Granada), recently inaugurated by Geosol and Caja Granada. Also in the province of Granada, specifically in Hoya de Guadix, two large solar thermal power plants are planned (Andasol I and II) that will supply electricity to nearly half a million homes. Apart from solar thermal, solar energy has also been developed photovoltaic, highlighting the plant installed in El Coronil that produces more than 20 MW in part with single-pole double-axis trackers. In the field of research and development of solar energy, an important center is the Plataforma Solar de Almería, one of the most important in Europe.

The largest company in the wind power sector is Sociedad Eólica de Andalucía, which emerged from the merger of the companies Planta Eólica del Sur S.A. and Energía Eólica del Estrecho S.A.

Education

Faculty of Sciences of the University of Granada

Main article: Education in Andalusia

As in the rest of the State, basic education is compulsory and free for everyone. Basic education comprises ten years of schooling and takes place between the ages of six and sixteen, after which the student can access the baccalaureate, intermediate vocational training, intermediate visual arts cycles and design, middle school sports education or the world of work. In addition, there are other adult training centers, as well as additional resources (it is the Spanish autonomous community with the most public libraries).

The first universities in Andalusia were created at the end of the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance. The oldest was the Granada Madraza, founded in 1349 by the Nasrid king Yusuf I and destroyed in 1499 by Cardinal Cisneros. In 1531, at the initiative of Carlos I, the University of Granada was created. The other historical universities in Andalusia are the University of Seville, dating from the early XVI century, and the now-defunct universities of Baeza, founded in 1538 and suppressed in 1824, and that of Osuna, with the same dates of creation and suppression.

University studies are structured in cycles and take credit as a measure of the study load, as established in the Declaration of Bologna, to which the Andalusian universities are adapting together with the other universities of the European Higher Education Area. In the 2008-2009 academic year, Andalusia had ten public universities and one private one.

Health

Health map

Main article: Health in Andalusia

Health care is universal and free, comparable to the health average in Spain. Andalusia achieved ownership of the health powers with the promulgation of its Statute of Autonomy, which was developed through a process of transfers of health powers from the State to the autonomous community. In this way, the Andalusian Health Service currently manages practically all of the public health resources of the Community, with exceptions such as those of the health resources dependent on the Ministry of Justice (Penitentiary Institutions) and the Ministry of Defense (military hospitals)., among other.

Science and technology

Calar Alto Observatory in the Sierra de Filabres, Almería

Andalusia contributes 14% of Spanish scientific production, preceded only by Madrid and Catalonia, although internal investment in R+D+i, as a proportion of the Gross Domestic Product, is lower than the Spanish average. The limited capacity for research and innovation in the company and the low participation of the private sector in research spending results in an ostensible concentration of research in the public sector.

The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Business is the regional body that covers the competences of the university, research, technological development, industry and energy. This Ministry coordinates and promotes scientific and technical research through specialized centers and initiatives such as the Andalusian Center for Marine Science and Technology or the Andalusian Technology Corporation, among others.

In the field of private companies, although they have also been promoted by the public administration, the technological spaces distributed throughout the community have been of fundamental importance, among which the Technological Park of Andalusia and Cartuja 93 stand out. Some of these parks They specialize in a specific sector such as Aerópolis in the aerospace sector or Geolit in the agri-food sector.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Andalusia

The economic capital of Andalusia is Seville, as it has a higher GDP, brings together more companies and has a more diversified, seasonally adjusted and stable economy.

General features

The main features of the Andalusian economy are:

According to Eurostat, with data from 2012, Andalusia has the highest unemployment rate in the entire EU. In 2013, this negative data continued to increase to 36,87 % in the first quarter (the average of Spain is 25.02 %).

In 2013, Andalusia stood as the autonomous community with the poorest of Spain, one in four poor Spanish is Andalusian and one in three Andalusians is poor. About 3.5 million Andalusians live on the threshold of misery, which accounts for more than 40% of the population according to the Arope rate. According to the National Statistical Institute (INE) Living Conditions Survey (ECV), 31 per cent of Andalusians living below the poverty line and placing 55 per cent of households at serious risk.

According to the Regional Accounting developed by the National Statistical Institute, the per capita income of the community was located in 2008 at 18 155 €, which is the second lowest in Spain.

Andalusia is the autonomous community with the highest number of officials, with 499 974 people (2010). However, it is around the national average of staff for every 1000 inhabitants (60.93 per thousand in Andalusia and 58.78 per national average) and below autonomous communities such as the Canary Islands, Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragon, Castilla y León and Extremadura. For provinces, Seville, is the largest number with 120 806. The province of Seville accumulates more staff than 9 CC. AA. and 47 Spanish provinces, and concentrates 24.16 % of officials in the region. The rest of the officials of the region would be distributed in Cadiz with 80 502; Malaga, with 76 127; Granada, with 61 450; Cordoba, with 48 550; Jaén, with 41 102; Almeria, with 37 806; and Huelva, with 33 631.

Negative trade balance, worsening in recent years due to the weight of oil imports and consumer goods (imports 14 261 million euros, exports 17 535 million euros).

The stagnation of the industry (12 % of the VAB), within which the agro-food industry remains of great importance.

Excessive construction weight, principal responsible for the growth of the Andalusian VAB in the first decade of 2000, with a contribution of 13 % to the VAB in 2005.

The services sector is approximately 62 % of the VAB. With a special relevance of the tourist sector, with more than 21.8 million tourists received in the autonomous community in 2011.

Tertiary sector

La Torre de la Higuera on the beach of Matalascañas (Huelva) is considered historical heritage

The tertiary or service sector, both in terms of production and employment, has experienced very significant growth in its share of the economy in recent decades. From being a minority sector, it has become a vast majority as in most Western economies.

This process, which has been called tertiarization of the economy, has manifested itself in Andalusia in a peculiar way. In this way, in 1975 the services sector produced 51.1% of the Andalusian Gross Value Added (VAB) and gave employment to 40.8%, while in 2007, it produced 67.9% of the GVA and the 66.42% of jobs. However, this growth in the tertiary sector occurred earlier than in other developed economies and was independent of the industrial sector.

In Andalusia the anachronistic development of the tertiary is due to two main reasons:

The Andalusian capital in the face of the impossibility of competing with the industry in the developed regions is forced to undertake activities of easier access.
The absence of a strong industrial sector that can absorb the surplus of labour from agriculture and the one created by the disappearance of the craft leads to the proliferation of certain types of services with low productivity. It is therefore the role that the Andalusian economy plays, within the process of uneven development, which results in a hypertrophied and unproductive tertiary, which contributes to the reproduction of the conditions of little dynamism, hindering the accumulation of capital.

Tourism sector

Main article: Tourism in Andalusia

Monastery of La Rábida. Palos de la Frontera, Huelva

Landscape of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

Ronda, Malaga

In 2011, with 7,218,291 foreign visitors, it was established as the fourth Spanish community in terms of international tourism, (not counting national tourists, with whom it ranks first) whose main destinations within the region They are: Seville, the Costa del Sol and Sierra Nevada. The situation of Andalusia, in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, makes it one of the warmest places in Europe. The Mediterranean climate predominates throughout the territory, which provides a large number of hours of sunshine, which, together with its beaches, sets the conditions for the development of "sun and beach" tourism.

The coast is presented as the most important asset from the tourist point of view, although it is also true that it is where its intensive nature causes a greater environmental impact, since it is also where most visitors are concentrated.

Its coast is bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west, where the Costa de la Luz is located, and by the Mediterranean Sea, where the eastern coast is divided into the Costa del Sol, Costa Tropical and Costa de Almería. Although the granting of private awards such as the 84 blue flags awarded in 2004 (66 beaches, 18 marinas) may indicate a good state of conservation, in terms of sustainability, accessibility and quality, other organizations such as Ecologistas en Acción or Greenpeace, however, they manifest themselves in the opposite direction.

Regarding cultural tourism, the community has a great patrimonial and historical wealth. Andalusia has monuments such as the Mosque of Córdoba, the Alhambra in Granada and the Giralda in Seville. Also notable are the cathedrals, castles or fortresses, monasteries and historic quarters of monumental cities, such as the declared World Heritage sites of Úbeda and Baeza (Jaén).

Each of the provinces displays a wide variety of architectural styles (from Islamic to Renaissance to Baroque architecture). Another of the cultural attractions is the Columbian Places (Palos de la Frontera, La Rábida and Moguer) in Huelva, places especially linked to Columbus's first voyage that resulted in the discovery of America. Regarding archaeological tourism, Andalusia has archaeological sites of great interest, such as Itálica, the Roman city where the emperors Trajan and Adriano originated, Baelo Claudia or Medina Azahara, a city-palace ordered to be built by the Cordovan caliph Abderramán III, in which, even though there is a lot that can be visited, the proportion of what has already been excavated with respect to the total number of sites is minimal.

On the other hand, Andalusia saw the birth of great painters, such as Picasso (Málaga), or Murillo and Velázquez (Seville), an important circumstance also from the tourist point of view, since as a result of it institutions such as the Fundación Picasso Museo Casa Natal or the Museo Picasso Málaga itself, as well as the Museo Casa de Murillo in Seville, designed to make these artists known. It also has a range of museums spread throughout its geography, which show not only paintings, but also archaeological remains and pieces of goldsmithing, ceramics, pottery, artistic works that try to show the traditions and typical crafts of the region.

The Governing Council declared Tourist Municipalities in Almería: Roquetas de Mar; in Cádiz: Chiclana de la Frontera, Chipiona, Conil de la Frontera, Grazalema, Rota and Tarifa; in Granada: Almunecar; in Huelva: Aracena; in Jaén: Cazorla; in Malaga: Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Nerja, Rincón de la Victoria, Ronda and Torremolinos; in Seville: Santiponce.

Secondary sector

Dry dike, shipyards of Cadiz

The Andalusian industrial sector has traditionally had little weight in the economy and has been characterized by its weakness. However, in absolute values the industry contributed 11,979 million euros in 2007 and paid more than 290,000 workers. The contribution of production represents 9.15%, below the 15.08% of the Spanish economy, a situation increased with the decrease in the weight of the industrial sector with respect to the Andalusian economy, despite the slight increase in the weight of the community in the last five years.

When analyzing the different subsectors of the Andalusian industry, the agri-food sector accounts for more than 16% of total production. In a comparison with the Spanish economy, this agri-food subsector is practically the only one that has a certain weight in the national economy with 16.16%. Far behind is the transport materials manufacturing sector, which accounts for just over 10% of the Spanish economy. Companies such as Cruzcampo (Heineken Group), Puleva, Domecq, Renault Andalucía, Santana Motor or Valeo are exponents of these two subsectors. It is worth noting the Andalusian aeronautical sector, which is the second nationally only behind Madrid and represents approximately 21% of the total in terms of turnover and employment, highlighting companies such as Airbus, Airbus Military, or the recently created Alestis Aerospace. In the opposite direction, the low weight of the Andalusian economy in sectors as important as textiles or electronics at the national level is very symptomatic.

Another characteristic of Andalusian industry is its majority specialization in industrial activities involving the transformation of agricultural raw materials and minerals. The vast majority of companies are very small and only companies with public participation or external capital are capable of developing large business structures.

Exports of high and medium technology products from Andalusia reached 7,628 million euros between January and October 2022, which represents its historical record for this period since comparable records exist (1995), thanks to growth in the 21.6% year-on-year. An increase higher than the average for Spain (+20.9% to 138,644 million). Seville is the main technological hub of Andalusia, exporting 33% of all high and medium technology products.

Primary sector

Olivares in Baños de la Encina, Jaén, typical of the Andalusian countryside

The primary sector, despite being the one that contributes the least GVA to the economy, still represents a certain relative importance with respect to the rest of the productive sectors. This importance becomes greater if we compare it with the primary sector of other Western economies, where it has been reduced to a minimum. The primary sector, with a long Andalusian tradition, produces 8.26% of the total and employs 8.19% of the active population. In monetary terms, it can be considered a sector of growing competitiveness in recent years.

The primary sector can be divided into a number of subsectors: agriculture, fishing, livestock, hunting, forestry, and mining.

Agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry

Montilla-Moriles vineyards

Denominations of origin of olive oil in Andalusia

Fishing

Algeciras fishing port

Main article: Fishing in Andalusia

Fishing is a traditional activity of the Andalusian coasts that provides an essential component to the Andalusian diet and even to the gastronomic culture -fried fish, white shrimp, almadraba tuna, among others-. The Andalusian fishing fleet is the second in importance in the nation -after Galicia and the first in number of fishing ports with 38.

The fishing sector only accounts for 0.5% of final agricultural production. However, analyzing these data at the provincial level -Huelva accounts for 20% of agricultural production- or local -in Punta Umbría 70% of the population is linked to this sector- gives an idea of the importance of this sector and even dependence in certain Andalusian regions.

Until a few years ago, non-compliance with fishing legislation regarding the use of trawling, urban pollution of the coastline, destruction of habitats by coastal engineering works (alteration of river mouths, marinas and commercial ports) and the scarcity of catches due to overexploitation are factors that have caused a crisis situation in the Andalusian fishing activity and have justified strong actions to reconvert the fishing fleet. Along with this, aquaculture, both on the coast and in inland fish farms, is developing rapidly.

Mining

Main article: Mining in Andalusia

Despite the low profitability and general crisis in the sector, mining still has some importance. If we compare the value of the extractions with the rest of Spain, it can be seen that, in terms of metallic extractions, Andalusia contributes more than 50% of the national production. In its distribution, the province of Huelva stands out in first place, where almost half of the extractions are generated -Faja Pirítica Ibérica- and, to a lesser extent, the provinces of Córdoba -coal from the Guadiato basin-, Seville -polymetallic from Aznalcóllar- and Granada -Alquife iron-. The coal mines (already closed) in Linares (Jaén) were also of great importance. In the case of industrial rocks (limestone, clay and other materials used in construction) they have a very distributed distribution throughout the Andalusian territory.

Unemployment and inequality

According to Eurostat, Andalusia has the worst labor market in EU Europe, reaching the highest unemployment rate in the entire EU in 2011. In 2012, this negative figure continued to increase until reaching 35.42% in the third quarter, with 1,424,200 unemployed.

Unemployed at the AC. Andalusia. December 2022.
CC.AA/Provinces	Andalusia	Almería	Cadiz	Córdoba	Grenada	Huelva	Jaén	Malaga	Sevilla
Total number of unemployed	727.097	53.435	138.666	62.664	77.678	42.714	43.107	136.439	172.814
Percentage of unemployment	18,00 %	14.4%	26,06 %	16.82 %	17.88 %	14.41 %	14.52 %	16.95 %	17.49 %

In 2017, Andalusia was the leader in poverty and inequality, with almost 42% of the population living at risk of social exclusion, according to data from the en:EAPN-Andalusia. In the II Report of the Inequality Observatory of Andalusia, from 2018, they revealed that the poorest neighborhoods of Esp and Las Palmeras (Córdoba) and 1,000 euros in areas such as Polígono Sur or Los Pajaritos, the poorest neighborhood in Spain, from Seville. While an upper-class Andalusian neighborhood was around 4,000 euros, in Barcelona or Madrid they were between 8,000 and 9,000.

Culture

Andaluz courtyard in Córdoba

Main article: Culture of Andalusia

The particular historical and geographical conditions of the Andalusian space, as well as the complex flows of population, have favored the conformation of the Andalusian culture. Different peoples and civilizations have passed through Andalusia that over time have shaped a particular cultural identity. These towns, some of which are very different from each other, have slowly left a mark among the inhabitants. The arrival of the first oriental merchants in the Ancient Age, Romanization, the extensive Islamic period and Christianization have gradually shaped the Andalusian identity, which already in the century XIX was perfectly defined and widely disseminated through Andalusian costumbrismo.

In that classical period of Andalusian culture, this became to a great extent the Spanish culture par excellence, partly thanks to the vision of romantic travelers, who found in Andalusia the most traditional idiosyncrasy of Spain, for being the more exotic from a foreigner's point of view.

In the words of Ortega y Gasset:

Andalusia, which has never shown pujos or petulancias of particularism; that it has never intended to be a separate state, is, of all the Spanish regions, that it possesses a more radically its culture.
Throughout the 19th century, Spain has lived under the hegemonic influence of Andalusia. It begins that centuria with the Courts of Cadiz; it ends with the murder of Cánovas del Castillo, Malagueño, and the exaltation of Silvela, no less malagueño. The dominant ideas are of Andalusian accent. It looks like Andalusia - a stubborn, some pots, blue sky. The southern writers are read. It is spoken at all times of the “land of Mary Most Holy”. The Sierra Morena thief and the smuggler are national heroes. All Spain feels justified in its existence for the honor of including in its flanks the Andalusian piece of the planet. Around 1900, like so many other things, it changes. The North is incorporated.
s:Theory of Andalusia, 1927

In his book dedicated to cante jondo, Andalusia, its communism and its cante jondo, Pedro Caba Landa, philosopher, essayist and poet would say of the Andalusian people:

In Andalusia the philosophical desperation of Islam, the religious desperation of the Hebrew, and the social desperation of the Gypsy
Andalusia, his communism and his singing, 1933

Art

Main article: Art of Andalusia

Andalusia has always been the cradle of great artists. The painters Velázquez, Murillo, Valdés Leal and the sculptors Martínez Montañés and Alonso Cano stand out. From more recent times the painters Vázquez Díaz and Pablo Picasso are known throughout the world. The Cádiz composer Manuel de Falla incorporated typical Andalusian melodies into his works, as did the Sevillian Joaquín Turina. The cantaor Camarón de la Isla, born in San Fernando, also stands out.

Architecture

View of the Alhambra of Granada

Main article: Architecture of Andalusia

Important examples of megalithism have been preserved from the Neolithic, such as the Menga and Viera dolmens. The first examples of urbanism date from the Bronze Age in Los Millares and El Argar.

From the Ancient Age, the archaeological sites of Doña Blanca and Cerro del Villar, and the ruins of Baelo Claudia or Itálica and the Ibero-Roman archaeological site of Castulo in Linares, among others, are of special importance.

General view of the Giralda in Seville Cathedral

Mezquita-Cathedral of Córdoba

Hispano-Arabic or Andalusian architecture includes some of the most representative buildings in Andalusia such as the Alhambra, the Cordoba Mosque, the Málaga citadel, the Giralda, the Santa Catalina castle in Jaén or the Almería citadel and its walls.

Andalusi architecture, like Roman architecture before it, had a notable influence on later architecture, especially Mudejar architecture, the main examples of which are the Real Alcázar in Seville or the parish churches of the kingdom of Córdoba or Seville, which combine elements of Andalusian roots with others typical of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.

Later, the cathedral of Seville, the largest Gothic temple in the world, set the tone for the construction of other buildings in his kingdom, such as the church of San Miguel in Jerez, the Priory of Puerto de Santa María and Las Covachas de Sanlucar de Barrameda.

Alcazaba de Almeria

In Granada, the Royal Chapel, the palace of Carlos V, which is of singular importance due to its Italianate Renaissance purism, and the cathedral, with a Gothic floor plan and a Renaissance body, are essential. Likewise, in Malaga it is worth noting, in addition to the palace of the Counts of Buenavista, its cathedral, whose original Gothic-style traces, led to a Renaissance project in whose plans Diego de Siloé and Andrés de Vandelvira participated. Renaissance architecture had another of its main foci in the kingdom of Jaén, with the construction of its cathedral by Andrés de Vandelvira, which served as a model for that of Guadix, and with the monumental ensembles of the cities of Úbeda and Baeza, declared Heritage of humanity by unesco. Seville and its kingdom were also important centers of Renaissance architecture, as shown by the Seville City Hall, the Hospital de las Cinco Llagas or the Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera.

Buildings from the Baroque are preserved such as the San Telmo Palace in Seville, the Church of Nuestra Señora del Reposo in Campillos, the Cartuja in Granada, the Merced Cathedral in Huelva or the Casa del Consulado in Malaga. From academicism, the Tobacco Factory in Seville and Neoclassicism, the Customs Palace in Malaga or the buildings in the center of Cádiz, such as the Cádiz City Hall, the Cárcel Real and the Santa Cueva.

Calle Marquis de Larios de Málaga, notorious example of the urban planning of the centuryXIX

In nineteenth-century architecture, it is worth highlighting the historic center of Malaga, whose main artery, Marqués de Larios street, flanked by a series of buildings inspired by the Chicago School style, or the Alameda Principal, are clear examples of the urban planning of the nineteenth-century city.

Within the historicist style typical of the XIX and XX, highlights the architectural complex of the Ibero-American Exhibition in Seville in 1929, where the Plaza de España stands out, with a neo-Mudéjar air, called historicist regionalism and the Provincial Museum of Huelva built in 1973. It also preserves an important industrial heritage, related to various economic activities.

Jabalquinto Palace of Baeza, a city declared a World Heritage Site together with Ubeda

Traditional architecture has a strong Mediterranean character that has its roots in Roman and Arab architecture and is strongly conditioned by the climate. Traditional urban houses are usually built attached to each other to insulate them from high outside temperatures. Solid whitewashed walls predominate over the openings to avoid excessive insolation from the interior. Depending on the weather and the tradition of each area, the roofs of the houses can be terraced, forming rooftops, or multi-sloped roofs built with Arab tiles. One of the most characteristic elements is the interior patio. Among the Andalusian patios, the Cordoba patios are famous. In homes, wrought iron bars and tiles are often used as decorative elements. Plants, flowers and water are a fundamental part of traditional Andalusian architecture, both sumptuary and popular. Beyond these generalized elements, there are singular architectural typologies, such as Alpujarra architecture and the caves of La Hoya de Guadix and Sacromonte or the traditional architecture of the Marquesado de Zenete, among others.

In the field of rural architecture, the houses or farmhouses stand out, such as farmhouses, haciendas and farmhouses.

Sculpture

Plain on Christ Dead, by Pedro Millán, Museum of Fine Arts of Seville

Principal level: Sculpture in Andalusia

The Iberian reliefs of Osuna, the Lady of Baza, the Bujalance Lion, the Phoenician sarcophagi of Cádiz and the pieces of Roman sculpture from Betic cities such as Itálica, testify to the cultivation of sculpture in Andalusia since Antiquity. From the time of al-Andalus, hardly any sculptures worth mentioning are preserved, since Islam is a mostly iconoclastic religion, the lions of the Alhambra and the Maristán in Granada being a notable exception.

During the Modern Age, the fundamental role was played by the Sevillian School of Sculpture and the Granada School, with authors such as Mercadante de Bretaña, Pedro Millán, Juan Martínez Montañés, José de Mora, Pedro Roldán, José de Arce, Jerónimo Balbás, Alonso Cano and Pedro de Mena. Both schools were mainly dedicated to religious art with the creation of religious images and altarpieces made mostly of wood.

Non-religious sculpture has existed in Andalusia since ancient times, as evidenced by the Renaissance marbles of the Casa de Pilatos and the mythological sculptures of Diego de Pesquera. However, it did not become widespread until the XIX century, with authors such as Antonio Susillo.

The spicy little girl. Work of the Cordoba painter Julio Romero de Torres, 1930

Painting

Pablo Ruiz Picasso

Principal level: Painting of Andalusia

In the history of painting in Andalusia, the School of Granada and the School of Seville play a fundamental role. The latter is one of the great Spanish and European pictorial schools, which had a long history that goes from the 15th century to the XIX and that important creators such as Zurbarán, Velázquez and Murillo as well as art theorists such as Francisco Pacheco contributed to the history of art. The Museum of Fine Arts of Seville is essential to learn about the history of Sevillian pictorial art.

Given its theme, Andalusian costumbrista painting deserves a special mention, developed from Romanticism by authors such as Manuel Barrón, José García Ramos, Gonzalo Bilbao and Julio Romero de Torres and which is very well represented in the Carmen Thyssen Collection- Bornemisza. A good part of this collection can be seen in the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga.

Portrait of Mariana Pineda. Recorded of the year 1862 by Isidoro Lozano at the Town Hall of Granada

In the context of contemporary painting, the figure of the painter from Málaga Pablo Picasso is fundamental, whose work is widely represented in the Museo Picasso Málaga.

Literature and philosophy

Castilian grammar of Antonio de Nebrija

Federico García Lorca

The weight of Andalusia in the history of literature in Spanish is very great. In 1492 Antonio de Nebrija published his famous Castilian Grammar , the first of a vernacular language written in Europe. In 1528 Francisco Delicado wrote La Lozana andaluza, a novel in the orbit of La Celestina, while the Sevillian Mateo Alemán wrote Guzmán de Alfarache, the first picaresque novel by a well-known author.

The Sevillian humanist literary school was also of special importance with authors such as Juan de Mal Lara, Fernando de Herrera, Gutierre de Cetina, Luis Barahona de Soto, Juan de la Cueva, Gonzalo Argote de Molina and Rodrigo Caro, among others. Within the culteranismo of Baroque poetry of the Golden Age, Luis de Góngora from Cordoba was the greatest exponent.

Literary Romanticism in Spain had one of its fundamental poles in Andalusia, with authors such as the Duke of Rivas, José Cadalso and Bécquer. Andalusian costumbrismo has one of its greatest expressions in the Andalusian Scenes by Serafín Estébanez Calderón and in the works of Pedro Antonio de Alarcón.

Between the 19th century and the XX the Andalusian writers Ángel Ganivet, Manuel Gómez Moreno, Manuel and Antonio Machado and Francisco Villaespesa stand out, traditionally framed in the so-called generation of 98. Within it, the Álvarez Quintero brothers as faithful portraitists of the Andalusian idiosyncrasy in his hors d'oeuvres, in which his characters frequently use the Andalusian dialect, picking up the trail of his teacher José López Pinillos "Parmeno". Especially relevant was the Moguereño Juan Ramón Jiménez, Nobel Prize for Literature, singular and transcendental personality within Spanish poetry of all times.

Many of the members of the generation of '27, the true Silver Age of Spanish culture, gathered around the homage to Góngora at the Ateneo de Sevilla, were Andalusian, such as Federico García Lorca, Luis Cernuda, Rafael Alberti, Manuel Altolaguirre, Emilio Prados and Vicente Aleixandre, who received the Nobel Prize in 1977.

Similarly, there are several literary characters from the Andalusian environment who have become authentic archetypes of universal literature such as Carmen, the gypsy by Prosper Merimée, Fígaro, El barbero de Seville by Pierre-Augustin de Beaumarchais and Don Juan, The Trickster of Seville, by Tirso de Molina.

As in most of Spain, the main vehicle of popular Andalusian lyric is romance, although there are also stanzas typical of Andalusia such as the soleá or the soleariya. The ballads, the lullabies, the proclamations, the recitations, the labor songs, among many others, are very abundant.

Hispano-Arabic literature in Andalusian dialect deserves a separate chapter, with authors born in the current Andalusian territory, such as Ibn Hazm, Ibn Zaydun, Ibn Quzman, Abentofail, Al-Mutamid, Ibn al-Khatib, Ibn al-Yayyab and Ibn Zamrak.

Among the philosophers and thinkers born in Andalusia, Seneca, Ibn Gabirol, Maimonides, Averroes, Fernán Pérez de Oliva, Sebastián Fox Morcillo, Ángel Ganivet, Francisco Giner de los Ríos and María Zambrano stand out.

Music

Malagueño dancer de verdiales

Manuel de Falla

Main articles: Andalusian music and Flamenco.

See also: Copla andaluza, Andalusian Music Awards and Rock andaluz.

Andalusian music is known as, not only the traditional music typical of Andalusia, but also a specific type of music, both popular and cult, defined by its own characteristics in the metric, melodic and harmonic fields. For this reason, Andalusian music composed by non-Andalusian composers can be properly spoken of. In the field of musicology, this tendency is usually called musical Andalusianism.

Flamenco is currently considered as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and is Intangible Ethnological Cultural Heritage of Andalusia. Flamenco is a genre of music and dance that originated and developed in Andalusia and dates as we know it today from the 18th century, which is based on Andalusian music and dance and whose development has been greatly influenced by Andalusians of gypsy ethnicity. Singing, playing and dancing are the main facets of flamenco, which has become one of the main references of Andalusian and Spanish culture throughout the world. Currently, the Andalusian city of Jerez de la Frontera is considered the cradle of current flamenco.

Dance by sevillanas

The Andalusian Statute of Autonomy reflects the importance of flamenco in its articles 37.1.18º and 68:

Guiding principles of public policies: 18th The conservation and value of the cultural, historical and artistic heritage of Andalusia, especially flamenco.
Extract from art. 37.1.18o

The Autonomous Community (Andaluza) also has exclusive competence in the field of knowledge, conservation, research, training, promotion and dissemination of flamenco as a unique element of Andalusian cultural heritage.
Excerpt from art. 68

Fundamental in the history of music in Andalusia are the composers Cristóbal de Morales, Francisco Guerrero, Francisco Correa de Arauxo, Manuel García, Manuel de Falla, Joaquín Turina, Manuel Castillo and the guitarist Andrés Segovia, father of the classical guitar modern.

At the same time, mention should be made of great folkloric artists of the copla and cante hondo, such as Estrellita Castro, Rocío Jurado, Lola Flores (known for her temperament and artistic personality as La Faraona), Juanito Valderrama and the revolutionary Camarón de la isla, considered by much of the specialized critics as one of the best cantaores in history. Among the flamenco guitarists, it is worth mentioning Paco de Lucía.

In fields of modern music, the group Triana, the greatest exponent of this genre, stands out in the field of Andalusian rock. Also noteworthy is the group from Medina Azahara and, more recently, the group Califato ¾ that fuses Andalusian folk music with electronic traits. The duo Los del Río became worldwide popular with their song Macarena, which was heard in the final of the American Superbowl and was used as electoral campaign music by the Democratic Party of the United States. The singer-songwriter and poet Joaquín Sabina, José Ignacio Lapido from Granada (leader of the band 091), Isabel Pantoja and Rosa López, who represented Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2002, and David Bisbal and the flamenco singer from Granada Juan Pinilla.

Cinema

Malaga Spanish Film Festival

Principal level: Cinema of Andalusia

The history of cinema in Andalusia has historically been reduced to the use of the Andalusian archetype (flamenco, bullfights, religion, bandits, the typical Andalusian gentleman, emigrants or the image of the funny and lazy Andalusian), which was greatly exploited especially during the decades from 1940 to 1960 and which ended up consolidating to a great extent the topical image of Andalusia. On the other hand, the province of Almería was the set of legendary western films, where American and Italian producers found an ideal setting for their creations, which constituted the only relevant cinematographic activity until the arrival of democracy.

However, Andalusian cinema has its roots in the early XX century, with José Val del Omar as a reference and is currently experiencing a flourishing period with directors such as Antonio Cuadri (The Heart of the Earth), Jesús Ponce (15 days with you), Chus Gutiérrez (Poniente), Chiqui Carabante (Carlos Against the World), Alberto Rodríguez (7 Virgins), Antonio Banderas (The Way of the English), Benito Zambrano (Solas) or Manuel Martín Cuenca (La flaqueza del bolchevique), backed by national and international critics.

In 2007, more than a thousand filmings were carried out in Andalusia. Although cinema is the most emblematic genre, from an industrial point of view, advertising and television filming are what allow us to consider the audiovisual industry as a sector growth of the Andalusian economy.

The Filmoteca de Andalucía, based in Córdoba, is the public body in charge of researching, compiling and disseminating Andalusian cinematographic heritage, the latter activity, to which annual festivals also contribute significantly, such as: the Malaga Film Festival Spanish, Fancine, the Seville European Film Festival, the Almería en Corto International Short Film Festival, the Ibero-American Film Festival of Huelva, the Alcances Atlantic Film Festival of Cádiz, the Islantilla International Unpublished Film Festival, the Festival of African Cinema of Tarifa or the International Film Music Festival of Úbeda.

Television

Andalusia has a public radio and television entity, which broadcasts the television channels: Canal Sur 1, Canal Sur 2, Andalucía Televisión and Canal Sur Andalucía (Satellite) and four radio stations: Canal Sur Radio, Canal Fiesta, Radio Andalucía Information and Flamenco Radio.

Andalusian dialect

On the map you can see the areas of Andalusia blinding, sessing and distinguishing

Mythology and religion

Paso María Santísima del Mayor Dolor, brotherhood of the Scolapios, in the Holy Week of Granada

Bullfighting

Main article: Tauromaquia

The importance of bullfighting in Andalusia dates back to the XV and XVI, period in which the region led the breeding of the Andalusian breed of fighting bull. It is currently one of the autonomous communities with the greatest bullfighting role in Spain, with 227 cattle farms that occupy an area of 146,917 hectares. In the year 2000, the Andalusian community held 1,139 bullfighting shows in 100 bullrings bulls that the region contains. The Junta de Andalucía has a program called Rutas de Andalucía bullfighting.

Celebrations

Main article: Fairs of Andalusia

Popular art and custom meet at the famous Andalusian fairs. Among the most famous are the April fair in Seville –extended to Madrid and Barcelona due to the large number of Andalusian immigrants–, the Jerez Horse Fair (International Tourist Interest Festival), the August Fair in Malaga, Corpus Christi in Granada, the Fair of Our Lady of Health in Córdoba, the Columbian Festival of Huelva, the Fair of the Virgin of the Sea in Almería or the Fair of San Lucas in Jaén, among many others. The festivities of a religious nature have a deep Andalusian tradition and great popular fervor. Highlights include the celebration of Holy Week in the different towns, the El Rocío Pilgrimage –it reaches a million visitors during the pilgrimage– and the Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza de Andújar Pilgrimage in April.

Other festivities of great tradition and projection are the carnivals of Cádiz, the Harvest Festival of Jerez de la Frontera, the May Crosses in Granada and Córdoba, the latter city that in May also brings together the patio contest Cordoba.

Gastronomy

Salt plate served with tropezones (cooked egg and chopped serrano ham)

Main articles: Gastronomy of Andalusia and Wine of Andalusia.

The traditional gastronomy of Andalusia is very varied. Although there are differences between the cuisine of the coastal zone and that of the interior, it forms part of the Mediterranean diet, based on olive oil, cereals, legumes, vegetables, fish, nuts and meat; in addition to a great tradition in the consumption of wine.

Fried fish and shellfish are widespread along the coast and inland under their influence. Highlighting the bluefin tuna in the almadraba areas of the Gulf of Cádiz, the prawn from Sanlúcar, the white shrimp from Huelva and the anchovies and whitebait from Malaga, the latter is prohibited from being captured due to the use of dense gear that catches immature specimens of other species..

Cured ham is produced in the mountainous areas of Sierra Morena and Sierra Nevada, such as Sierra de Huelva ham, Los Pedroches ham, and Trevélez ham. All three are denominations of origin and have proven quality. In the case of Huelva and Pedroches hams, they are from Iberian pigs and in the case of Trevélez they are from white pigs, however their curing in the microclimate of the north face of the Sierra Nevada provides them with exceptional quality. Likewise, the dish from Alpujarra stands out as one of the best-known mountain specialties.

The confectionery shows great influence of the Andalusian cuisine with the use of almonds and honey, being very well known the Christmas sweets made in the female cloistered convents: mantecados, polvorones, pestiños, alfajores, yolks, as well as churros or weaving, the meringue biscuits and the amarguillos.

As for dishes made from cereals, flour crumbs are widespread in Eastern Andalusia, closer to La Mancha porridge than migas itself. In Western Andalusia, however, it is the poleás that take their place.

Vegetables are the base of dishes such as alboronía and pipirrana or piriñaca. Especially characteristic are the hot and cold soups made with oil, vinegar, garlic, bread, tomato and pepper, such as gazpacho, salmorejo, porra antequerana, hot garlic, country soup or dispensing with tomato and using almonds -ajoblanco. –.

In Andalusian gastronomy, wine has a privileged place at the table. The cultivation of the vine and the production of wine have enjoyed great prestige and fame throughout the world. Traditionally, the most characteristic wines have been generous and sweet, made using criaderas and solera processes. They are generous in alcohol but also delicate. Its enormous diversity, within its own style, is one of the current characteristics of its production: finos and manzanillas, amontillados, olorosos, palo cortado, sweets and muscatels, among others.

Most Andalusian wines are covered by one of the six denominations of origin: Jerez-Xérès-Sherry, Condado de Huelva, Manzanilla-Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Málaga, Montilla-Moriles and Sierras de Málaga. There are also other historical wines not covered by any designation of origin or geographical indication, such as Tintilla de Rota, Pajarete, Moscatel de Chipiona or Mosto de Umbrete.

Alicated from the Alhambra

In Andalusia, the production of vinegars and brandies is also important, some of them with their own denomination of origin, such as Vinagre de Jerez, Brandy de Jerez and Anís de Rute.

Other arts and customs

Sports

The Recreative of Huelva, founded by British in 1889, was the first Spanish football team

Main article: Sport in Andalusia

Sport by equipment

Andalusian sport is marked, like the rest of Spain, by the predominance of soccer over any other sport. This sport was introduced to Spain by citizens of Anglo-Saxon origin who worked in mining companies in the province of Huelva and who quickly spread the sport among the local population. Recreativo de Huelva is the oldest club in Spain since it was founded in 1889. The first Andalusian team to play in the first division was Real Betis Balompié in the 1932-33 season. The first league for an Andalusian team was achieved by Real Betis Balompié in the 1934-35 season, it was also the first Andalusian club to participate in the UEFA Champions League in the 2005-06 season, Real Betis has also managed to proclaim itself cup champion three times; Sevilla FC followed in the 1945-46 season and are currently the only league championships won by Andalusian teams. Sevilla was the first team from the autonomous community to qualify for the highest European competition: the European Cup in the 1957-58 season, reaching the quarterfinals, they also qualified more recently in the years 2007-08 and 2009-10 reaching the quarterfinals in both years and in 2015-16, in addition to owning six UEFA Europa League and one European Super Cup, one League, five Spanish Cups and 1 Spanish Super Cup.

There are currently four teams in the Spanish First Division of Soccer: U. D. Almería, Betis, Sevilla Fútbol Club and Cádiz Club de Fútbol and in the Second Spanish Soccer Division, two: Málaga Club de Fútbol and Granada. In Second B group 4th there are the following teams: Recreativo de Huelva, Balompédica Linense, Marbella, San Fernando, Córdoba, Sevilla "B", Betis "B", Granada "B", Atlético Sanluqueño, Cádiz "B", Algeciras CF, El Ejido 2012, Linares. In the Third Division category, Andalucía has two groups: Group IX, which includes teams from the eastern provinces of Jaén, Granada, Almería and Málaga; and group X with those from the western provinces such as Seville, Córdoba, Cádiz and Huelva. In futsal, there are four Andalusian representatives in the highest category: Jaén Paraíso Interior Futsal Futsal, Córdoba World Heritage Site, Real Betis Futsal and Besoccer UMA Antequera, and Mengíbar Futsal plays in the second division.

In basketball, the region has one of the leading teams in Spain, Unicaja Málaga, which after being runner-up in the 94-95 season and winning the first European title, the Korać Cup, in 2001, won the first ACB League 2005-06 for Andalusia and also the Copa del Rey 2005. Currently, together with Coosur Real Betis, they are the only two Andalusian teams that play in the ACB League. Clínicas Rincón, a team associated with Unicaja Málaga, participates in the LEB Oro.

Unlike basketball, Andalusian handball has not just taken off due to the lack of teams fighting for titles. Currently, a team represents the community in the ASOBAL League, the highest category of national handball, and it is the Puente Genil Handball Club, although it is still far from having the same media impact as other sports and from opting for titles at the highest national level. Handball Antequera, Keymare Almería and Algeciras Handball were recently among the elite of Andalusian handball

In Andalusian volleyball, Unicaja Almería stands out, being the most successful team in men's volleyball in Spain, with 22 official titles to its credit. He currently competes in the Spanish men's volleyball Super League.

Table tennis, at the level of titles achieved, is the sport where the region plays a greater role at the national level. There are two teams; Cajasur Priego TM and Caja Granada TM, the greatest exponent and representative of this sport in Spain. The Granada club has won more than 20 leagues (almost all of them consecutive) and 14 Copas del Rey (also consecutive). last years.

Another competition held in the region is the jábegas league, a series of regattas that take place during the summer off the coast of Malaga.

Soccer selection

Main article: Soccer Selection of Andalusia

El F.8 también presentaba un fuselaje alargado de 76 cm (30 pulgadas), destinado a cambiar el centro de gravedad de la aeronave y también eliminar el uso de lastre que antes era necesario en marcas anteriores debido a la subsiguiente eliminación de el diseño de dos de los seis cañones instalados originalmente diseñados. El F.8 incorporó motores mejorados, Derwent 8s, con 3600 lbf (16 kN) de empuje cada uno combinado con refuerzo estructural, un asiento eyectable Martin Baker y un motor "soplado" Dosel de cabina en forma de lágrima que proporcionó una mejor visibilidad al piloto. Entre 1950 y 1955, el Meteor F.8 fue el pilar del RAF Fighter Command y sirvió con distinción en combate en Corea con la RAAF, además de operar con muchas fuerzas aéreas en todo el mundo, aunque estaba claro que el diseño original era obsoleto en comparación. con cazas de ala en flecha contemporáneos como el F-86 Sabre norteamericano y el MiG-15 soviético.

Olympic Games

As for Olympic sport, Andalusian athletes have participated in 16 editions of the Olympic Games, both summer and winter, reaching a total of 220 participations. Leopoldo Sainz de la Maza was the first Andalusian to participate and to win a medal (silver in polo, Antwerp 1920) in an Olympic Games.

In total, athletes born in Andalusia have won 6 gold, 11 silver and 2 bronze medals for Spain. Among the most successful are the boxer from Córdoba Rafael Lozano (1 bronze medal -Atlanta 1996- and another silver -Sydney 2000-), the sailor from Málaga by adoption Theresa Zabell (two gold medals -Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996-), the Granada tennis player Manuel Orantes (two medals —in Mexico 1968, tennis was still an exhibition sport—), the Jerez jockeys Ignacio Rambla and Rafael Soto (silver in dressage -Athens 2004-) and the Accitan walker Paquillo Fernández —silver in Athens 2004—

The Andalusians with the most participations in the Olympic Games are the swimmer from Malaga María Peláez —five participations—, the skier from Granada María José Rienda, the Sevillian rider Luis Astolfi —four times— and the Sevillian rower Fernando Climent —four times and silver in Los Angeles 1984.

Fernando Alonso testing Ferrari F10 in 2010 during a training session in Jerez

In addition, Seville was a pre-candidate on several occasions for the organization of the Summer Olympic Games and Granada for the Winter Olympic Games.

Other sports

One of the important sporting events is the Spanish Motorcycling Grand Prix that is held every spring at the Circuito de Jerez.

Among the most minority sports, Tarifa stands out as a center of world relevance in competitions and development of surfing, kitesurfing and windsurfing. It is also worth mentioning other sports such as golf in the coastal areas or horse riding in the interior.

Andalusia also has extensive experience in organizing major sporting events. Among the most outstanding are the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship in Seville in 1998, the World Athletics Championship in Seville in 1999, the World Rowing Championship in 2002, the Mediterranean Games in Almería in 2005, the World Equestrian Games in Jerez 2002, the I World Sailing Championship in the Bay of Cádiz or the Alpine Ski World Championship in Sierra Nevada (Granada) in 1996, among others. Also noteworthy is the annual organization of events such as the Cycling Tour of Andalusia or the Ciudad de Linares International Chess Tournament.

Media

Cartel RTVA Viewed from Juan Carlos I Street, Seville

In Andalusia, the international, national or regional media are represented by delegations, either through agencies or through delegations specific to each medium.

But in the field of communication, the public company Radio y Televisión de Andalucía (RTVA) stands out, currently made up of its regional television station, Canal Sur and four radio stations, Canal Sur Radio, Canal Fiesta Radio, Radio Andalucía Información and Canal Flamenco Radio, in addition to various digital signals and channels that are broadcast through digital platforms.

Written press

Main article: Newspapers of Andalusia

The press is quite fragmented. Publishing groups usually launch a header for each provincial capital, region or major city. In this way, it is not strange to observe how different versions of the same newspaper are usually found with a lot of common content, which usually differ in their header and in the local information they expose. The free press that is usually distributed with the same pattern has also become quite popular.

There is no Andalusian newspaper distributed globally throughout the autonomous territory. The first Andalusian publishing group is the Joly Group, which has its origins in the Diario de Cádiz, and is domiciled and capitalized entirely in Andalusia. The newspaper Ideal, belonging to the Vocento group, is distributed in the eastern zone, with editions in the provinces of Almería, Granada and Jaén. The attempts that have existed to create a global regional newspaper have not prospered (the last of these was the Diario de Andalucía). The state press includes specific sections or editions of Andalusia (El País, El Mundo, ABC, etc).

Public television

Andalusian Radio and Television Building in Córdoba

Andalusia has a public television channel:

South Canal broadcasts for the first time on February 28 (day of Andalusia) in 1989 and broadcasts its contents in Canal Sur HD since February 2010 and other contents for international broadcasting in Canal Sur Andalucía.

Until its cancellation in 2012, Canal Sur 2 also operated, which made its appearance on June 5, 1998 and whose programming was based on cultural and sports spaces and aimed at children and young people.

In 2015, a new channel was launched, Andalucía Televisión with independent programming from Canal Sur 1 and of a cultural and general nature.

Radius

The four public regional stations stand out:

Canal Sur Radio, since October 1988.
Canal Fiesta Radio, since January 2001.
Radio Andalucía Information, since September 1998.
Canal Flamenco Radio, since September 29, 2008.

International relations

Twinnings

Regions and autonomous communities twinned with Andalusia:

Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, (2001).

Córdoba, Argentina.

Agreements

Regions that have a collaboration agreement:

Guerrero, Mexico (2008).

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