Cadiz Province

Grazalema, in the mountains of Cadiz, made up of the mountainous territory located in the province

The province of Cadiz stands out for the great length of its coast, which has decisively influenced its existence. Photo of Cape Trafalgar

Cádiz is a Spanish province located in the south of the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its capital is the city of Cádiz, the third most populous city in the province after Jerez and Algeciras. It is divided into 45 municipalities, including Jerez, Algeciras, Cádiz, San Fernando, El Puerto de Santa María, Chiclana de la Frontera, Conil, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and La Línea de la Concepción.

The population of the province is 1,257,785 inhabitants (INE 2021), of which 639,049 live in the Bahía de Cádiz-Jerez metropolitan area and 268,417 in the Bahía de Algeciras metropolitan area, the highest figure in its entire history and five thousand more people than in 2019. It has an area of 7,435.85 km², with a population density of 169.06 inhab./km². The most populated city is Jerez de la Frontera with 212,801 inhabitants (2021).

The province is bordered to the north by the provinces of Seville and Huelva, to the east by the province of Malaga, to the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by the Mediterranean Sea, and to the south by the Strait of Gibraltar.

The main economic activities are tourism and other activities of the tertiary sector (67% of the provincial GDP), followed by industries (shipping, aeronautics, petrochemicals...) which constitute 28% of the GDP. Gross per capita income is €15,814 in the third quarter of 2015 (INE).

The province is divided into six regions: the Bay of Cádiz, the Campiña de Jerez, the Northwest Coast, the Sierra, the Janda and the Campo de Gibraltar, as well as historical regions such as the Marco de Jerez and Cádiz and the Ports. Among its varied protected natural spaces, the six natural parks stand out.

Toponymy

The province takes its name from the city of Cádiz, whose name is of Phoenician origin.

Symbols

Shield

The shield of the province of Cádiz was adopted by agreement of the Provincial Council on January 2, 1886 and underwent a modification in 1927. Located on a parchment, it is made up of twelve quarters that collect the coats of arms of the Cádiz municipalities of Algeciras, San Fernando, Arcos de la Frontera, Puerto Real, Olvera, Cádiz, San Roque (former coat of arms of Gibraltar), Medina Sidonia, Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, Chiclana de la Frontera, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Grazalema. It is flanked by two silver columns that carry a silver phylactery with the Latin legend Plus Ultra for saber and the royal crown stamp.

Flag

The provincial flag is green, with a border of castles and lions alluding to the Crown of Castile and with the provincial coat of arms in the center.

History

The province of Cádiz was created by Royal Decree of November 30, 1833 and was formed by uniting localities of the Kingdom of Seville, except those that became part of the Province of Seville and the Province of Huelva. Likewise, the new province of Cádiz incorporated Alcalá del Valle, Benaocaz, Grazalema, Setenil and Ubrique, which until then had belonged to the Kingdom of Granada. In 1995 the city of Ceuta was separated from the province of Cádiz, acquiring the status of autonomous city. Currently, the province is made up of the municipalities that can be seen in the annex Municipalities of the province of Cádiz.

Prehistory

The rock art of the extreme south of the Iberian Peninsula is an important testimony of the passage of the first hominids through the provincial territory. There are more than 300 caves with southern rock art. El Aculadero is an important Paleolithic site, in a territory then flooded by the Lacus Ligustinus.

Old Age

Baelo Claudia

Around the IX century BCE. C., a colonizing process took place with the creation of Phoenician colonies and factories in Tartessian territory, such as Gadir (Cádiz), the City of the Castle of Doña Blanca, in El Puerto de Santa María, the site of Cerro del Castillo in Chiclana de la Frontera and Medina Sidonia, whose name refers to its founders from Sidon. The Temple of Hercules Gaditano has since become an important place of worship. There is evidence of the Greek presence in the Port of Menesteo.

During the Roman Empire, the territory of the current province was part of the administrative circumscription known as Conventus Gaditanus, registered in the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior and later in the senatorial province of Betica, from the august period. The Via Augusta, one of the main roads of the Empire, connected Gades with Rome. Among the most important places and towns in Roman times were Baelo Claudia, Carteia, Iulia Traducta, Asido Caesarina, Luciferi Fanum, Lucus Oleastrum, Asta Regia, Ebura, Portus Gaditanus, Iptuci, Carissa Aurelia... Economic activity was centered in the production and export of wine, oil, wheat and garum.

Middle Ages

Ataifor andalusí de Jerez

Royal royal jurisdictions of the present province of Cadiz, belonging until 1833 to the Kingdom of Seville, according to the General Responses of the Catastro de Ensenada (1750-1754)

Royal royal jurisdictions of the present province of Cadiz, belonging until 1833 to the Kingdom of Granada, according to the General Responses of the Catastro de Ensenada (1750-54)

In 711, the battle of Guadalete and the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula took place. During the Caliphate of Córdoba in the territory there were the choras of Sidonia and al-Yazirat (Medina Sidonia and Algeciras respectively).

• Arcos Taifa
• Algeciras Taifa
• Midian Taifa
• Round Taifa

Walls and Alcazar of Jerez

With the Christian reconquest of the lands of the Guadalquivir valley in the time of Fernando III, the Cádiz area came under a protectorate regime, with the Mudejar population remaining in the area. However, after the revolt of 1264, the definitive reconquest of the Cadiz area by Alfonso X the Wise took place and the expulsion of most of the Muslim population.

Guzmán el Bueno defense of Tarifa

After the reconquest and the decisive battle of Salado, a process of repopulation and feudalization of the territory took place, with the House of Medina Sidonia being the lineage with the most jurisdictional lordships in the territory of the current province, together with the House of Alcalá de the Gazules, the House of Arcs and the House of Medinaceli.

Modern Age

At the beginning of the XVII century, Andalusia suffered from the increasing Spanish decadence, which led to an acute crisis and economic stagnation. In the period between 1640 and 1655, the tax abuses of the Count-Duke of Olivares led the Duke of Medina Sidonia and the Marquis of Ayamonte to organize an independence conspiracy in Andalusia in 1641, with Sanlúcar and Jerez as two of their key supporters.

In 1717, the Casa de Contratación de Indias was moved from Seville to Cádiz, which revitalized the commercial role of said city and other surrounding towns, such as Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María, where the houses of porters a Indias are a clear testimony of such mercantile activity, such as the exceptional Casa de Arizón.

At the end of the century, a multitude of Economic Societies of Friends of the Country were created, such as those of Sanlúcar, Jerez, Alcalá, Medina Sidonia, etc.

Contemporary Age

Trafalgar symbol

Amaldus Nielsen painted this picture of the Cadiz coast in 1925

The closest antecedent of what is now covered by the administration of the province of Cádiz can be found in 1810, during the reign of José Bonaparte, and according to the project of the clergyman Llorente was made a new administrative division of Spain into 38 prefectures, equivalent to the current provinces. The new prefectures were made starting from scratch and ignoring previous historical conditions and being governed exclusively by social and economic issues, thus they were named after the nearest geographical feature. Jerez was designated the capital of the "Prefectura del Guadalete", although it was common to refer to it as "Prefectura de Xerez". The chancellery of the prefecture was located in Seville. This administrative division, still in force at political, it was never carried out effectively due to the drift of the War of Independence.

In 1811 the Cortes of Cádiz repealed jurisdictional manors, thus disappearing the division between manor and royalty, which despite the restoration of absolutism by Ferdinand VII in 1812 would not come into force again.

At the same time, the Cortes of Cádiz tried to create a new regime, also liberal, in which all the provinces had the same obligations. The 1812 constitution does not recognize the political personality of the former historical territories. This was approved by the deputies of all the provinces, including the American territories. The Courts arrive at a new system that does take historical conditions into account. 32 provinces are created, according to the Floridablanca gazetteer, with some corrections. But, in addition, in 1813 they entrust a new provincial division to Felipe Bauzá, which determines 36 provinces, with seven subaltern provinces, with historical criteria. But none of this was approved, and the return of Fernando VII meant a return to the Old Regime, with certain modifications. In 1817 Spain was divided into 29 intendancies and 13 consulates.

After the uprising of General Riego, during the Liberal Triennium (1820-1823), the construction of the Liberal State was promoted, and with it a new provincial division was promoted, although first the deputations of 1813 were recovered. that this division would reach the entire country, without exceptions, and be the only plot for administrative, governmental, judicial and economic activities, according to criteria of legal equality, unity and efficiency.

In January 1822, a provisional division of Spain into 52 provinces, already grouped into 15 regions, was approved. The current province of Cádiz is created, with a territory similar, although smaller, to that of the Prefecture of Guadalete, or Xerez, defined in 1810. For this division, historical conditions were taken into account and the capital of the province was established in the city of Cádiz, it must be remembered that this city resisted the Napoleonic invasion and was where the Constituent Cortes of 1812 were constituted. As was customary in the new provinces, the entire province took the name of the capital.

Between the 13th and 18th -both inclusive- of July 1936, military exercises were scheduled at the González Hontoria polygon in Cádiz, between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., with experiments with 106 x 6-mm illuminated projectiles.

During the civil war, the province experienced episodes of repression. Likewise, its importance in World War II stands out.

Geography

The province of Cádiz is located in the south of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula and Andalusia, next to the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar.

Northwest: Province of Huelva	North: Province of Seville	Northeast: Province of Seville
West: Atlantic Ocean		This: Province of Malaga
Southwest: Atlantic Ocean	South: Strait of Gibraltar	Sureste: Mediterranean Sea / Gibraltar (United Kingdom)

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Interactive map — Province of Cadiz and its centre or geographical centre

Relief

View of the climb to Torreón, the highest peak of the province with 1654 m

The largest orographic accidents in the province are the foothills of the Betic Systems. Among the Sierras that the province contains is the Sierra de Grazalema, part of the Serranía de Ronda and the lower systems on which the Alcornocales Natural Park is based. In the Sierra de Grazalema is the highest point of the province, the peak of El Torreón with 1654 m above sea level. Continuing to the south, the Bética mountain range is abruptly cut by the Strait of Gibraltar. The region of Campo de Gibraltar thus has a steep relief and its coast is formed by cliffs except in the bay of Algeciras. The erosion of this system and the contribution of sediments from the Guadalquivir, Guadalete and Barbate rivers (the latter two extraordinarily important for the province's water consumption) during the Tertiary and Quaternary Eras built the coastal plain that extends from the slopes of the Sierra, the Campiña de Jerez, the Northwest Region and La Janda. The Bay of Cádiz was formed later from the contributions of the Guadalete River, which together with oceanic drift processes shaped the western coast.

Hydrography

Rio Majaceite is the most important tributary of the Guadalete

The province of Cádiz is occupied by several important basins:

• Guadalquivir Basin, also known as "Bajo Guadalquivir" which includes Sanlúcar. It is a low area where the water pours to the river Guadalquivir and the marshes.
• Guadalete Basin. Perhaps the Cadiz river par excellence is the Guadalete river when occupying its basin much of the province. It is born in Grazalema, in the Cadiz mountain range and flows into El Puerto de Santa María. Its passage runs a very productive agricultural valley and depends on much of the supply of drinking water in the province. Pick up the rivers from the Atlantic side of the Sierra de Cádiz.
• Cuenca del Barbate, although it would be more correct to say the area of the Janda, since the river Barbate produced a natural lagoon called the Janda, where the name of the region comes from. Like the river Guadalete collects the waters of the mountain range and supplies to the south of the province.
• Mediterranean side, where the rivers that pour into the Mediterranean, like the Guadiaro River, would remain.

In addition, it has various wetlands and endorheic complexes, highlighting the Medina lagoon and the Espera endorheic complex. Despite the fact that many of those that existed centuries ago have disappeared, in the second decade of the century XXI actions began to recover some of them.

More than fifty species in danger of extinction have been catalogued on its coasts.

Climate

The climate of the province is characterized by being Mediterranean with a marked absence of rain in summer, however, due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, this has a great influence on the climate, with winter rains being very abundant. The Sierra de Grazalema produces the maximum rainfall on the peninsula with levels above 2,500 mm/year. As for the temperatures, it can be said that they are mild in winter and warm in summer, with an average annual temperature of 18 °C in the plains near the coast. Frosts on the coast are rare, although they can be seen inland. In summer it is normal to exceed 40 °C one day.

Flora and fauna

Theba pisana

There are studies from the last century, highlighting that of José María Pérez Lara, author of a systematic review of the flora of the province, in his book Florula Cádiz. Currently there is a Catalog of Forests-Island of the Province of Cádiz. The ornithological tourism initiative also stands out. The following stand out:

• Theba pisana arietina, endemic snail of the San Cristobal mountain range.
• Taraxacum gaditanumendemism in the coastal area of Chipiona.

Spaces of environmental interest

Breña and Marismas del Barbate

Natural parks

Olvera, Sierra de Cádiz

Natural landscapes

View from El Picacho, Los Alcornocales

Natural reserves

Beach of Bologna

Concerted natural reserve

• Laguna de la Paja

Parques periurbanos

Natural monuments

Territorial organization

Map of the different regions that make up the province of Cadiz

According to the catalog prepared by the Council of Tourism and Sports of the Junta de Andalucía (March 27, 2003), in the province of Cádiz there are six counties.

• The Bay of Cadiz, where is the capital of province, El Puerto de Santa María, Puerto Real, Chiclana de la Frontera and San Fernando.
• La Campiña de Jerez with the most important city in Jerez de la Frontera, where you will find all its rural bars, pedanías and the neighboring town of San José del Valle
• The Northwest Coast of Cadiz, with the most important city in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, which extends across the northwest front of the province.
• La Sierra de Cádiz, with urban centers such as Arcos de la Frontera, Ubrique, Villamartín, Olvera and where the Sierra de Grazalema is located.
• La Janda, which occupies the centre of the interior and coastal province, with centers in Medina Sidonia and Barbate.
• The Campo de Gibraltar, whose most populous city is Algeciras and where there are other important cities such as La Línea de la Concepción, San Roque, Tarifa, or Los Barrios

• See also the articles dedicated to the Marco de Jerez and Cadiz and the Ports

Municipalities

The province of Cádiz has a total of 45 municipalities, which are grouped into six regions and 14 judicial districts. These municipalities were part of the old kingdoms of Seville and Granada, before the current provincial division of Spain took place.

The largest municipality is Jerez de la Frontera (1,187.92 km²), which is also the most populous with 212,801 inhabitants (2021). Other large municipalities are Arcos de la Frontera (526.81 km²), Medina Sidonia (487.23 km²), Alcalá de los Gazules (479.07 km²), Tarifa (419.77 km²), and Los Barrios (330.47 km²). Meanwhile, the capital city of Cádiz is the least extensive (12.3 km²), followed by Paterna de Rivera (13.83 km²), Torre Alháquime (17.36 km²), Algar (26.61 km²), La Línea de La Concepción (26.67 km²) and El Gastor (27.54 km²).

The most populated municipalities are Jerez de la Frontera, Algeciras, Cádiz, San Fernando, Chiclana de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa María. The least inhabited are Villaluenga del Rosario, Benaocaz and Torre Alháquime. In addition, there are a multitude of inhabited rural nuclei, which contain an important agrarian-rural heritage.

Government and provincial administration

Provincial Council of Cadiz

The provinces are Regional Administrative Entities, lower than the autonomous community, determined by the grouping of municipalities, with their own legal personality and full capacity to comply with the guarantee of the principles of inter-municipal solidarity and balance, within the framework of the economic and social policy.

The Government and the autonomous administration of the Province are based in the city of Cádiz. In it are located the administrative entities of provincial scope, both dependent on the autonomous government and the State. On behalf of the Junta de Andalucía there is a provincial delegation from each of the government ministries, coordinated by a Government Delegate dependent on the Government Council of the Junta de Andalucía, on the part of the Government of Spain, the Government Sub-delegation in Cádiz is located depending on the Government Delegate in the autonomous community.

The headquarters of the Provincial Council of Cádiz is also located in the city, with little power in the city but which manages, provides technical support and organizes the powers of the municipalities of the Province of Cádiz at different levels. It is headquartered in the Customs Palace.

It is made up of thirty-one representatives from the forty-four municipalities that make up the province. After the 2007 elections, it was configured as follows: fifteen representatives of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, thirteen of the Popular Party, two representatives of Izquierda Unida Los Verdes-Convocatoria por Andalucía (IULV-CA) and one representative of the Andalusian Party.

There is a decentralization trend regarding government policies and headquarters of public and business administrations. An example of this is the Provincial Court, the General Directorate of Traffic (in Cádiz and La Línea)—, the Cádiz Fair Institution with headquarters in Jerez, the University of Cádiz (with campuses in Cádiz, Puerto Real, Jerez and Algeciras), the diocese of Cádiz and that of Jerez), three regional headquarters of regional television and radio (Cádiz, Jerez and Algeciras), the international airport of the province is located in Jerez, the largest port for merchandise traffic in Algeciras and the largest cruise port in Cádiz, etc.

Population

Vegetative growth (birth - mortality) in the province of Cadiz

Graphic of demographic evolution of the province of Cadiz between 1900 and 2022

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

Metropolitan areas

Metropolitan Area of the Bay of Cadiz-Jerez Municipality Population (2022) Extension (km2) Jerez de la Frontera 212 730 1188.14 Cadiz 113 066 14,2 San Fernando 94 120 35.2 The Port of Santa Maria 89 435 159.4 Chiclana de la Frontera 87 493 205,3 Puerto Real 41 963 197,6

Algeciras Bay Metropolitan Area Municipality Population (2022) Extension (km2) Algeciras 122 368 86.00 The Line of Conception 63 271 19,27 San Roque 33 018 146.88 Los Barrios 24 069 331.33 Rate 18 564 419.67 Jimena de la Frontera 6 681 345.66 Castellar de la Frontera 3 043 178,84 San Martín del Tesorillo 2 797 48,57

Municipalities of the province

No. Municipality Population (2022) % Province 1 Jerez de la Frontera 212 730 17.06% 2 Algeciras 122 368 9.81% 3 Cadiz (Capital) 113 066 9.07% 4 San Fernando 94 120 7.55% 5 The Port of Santa Maria 89 435 7.17% 6 Chiclana de la Frontera 87 493 7.02% 7 Sanlúcar de Barrameda 69 727 5.59% 8 The Line of Conception 63 271 5.07% 9 Puerto Real 41 963 3.37% 10 San Roque 33 018 2.65% 11 Arcos de la Frontera 30 953 2.48% 12 Rota 29 491 2.37% 13 Los Barrios 24 069 1.93% 14 Conil de la Frontera 23 497 1.88% 15 Barbate 22 872 1.83%

No. Municipality Population (2022) % Province 16 Chipiona 19 592 1.57% 17 Rate 18 564 1.49% 18 Ubrique 16 383 1.31% 19 Vejer de la Frontera 12 656 1.02% 20 Villamartín 12 095 0.97% 21 Medina Sidonia 11 739 0.94% 22 Olvera 7974 0.64% 23 Bornos 7607 0.61% 24 Trebujena 7042 0.57% 25 Benalup-Viejas Houses 7010 0.56% 26 Puerto Serrano 6971 0.56% 27 Jimena de la Frontera 6681 0.54% 28 Prado of the King 5647 0.45% 29 Algodonales 5504 0.44% 30 Rivera Paterna 5451 0.44%

No. Municipality Population (2022) % Province 31 Alcalá de los Gazules 5227 0.42% 32 Alcalá del Valle 4982 0.40% 33 San José del Valle 4453 0.36% 34 Wait. 3820 0.31% 35 Castellar de la Frontera 3043 0.24% 36 San Martín del Tesorillo 2797 0.22% 37 Setenil de las Bodegas 2675 0.21% 38 The Forest 2209 0.18% 39 Grazalema 2005 0.16% 40 The Gastor 1699 0.14% 41 Algar 1433 0.11% 42 Zahara de la Sierra 1371 0.11% 43 Alháquime Tower 803 0.06% 44 Benaocaz 695 0.06% 45 Villaluenga del Rosario 462 0.04%

The province of Cádiz is the 49th (penultimate) in Spain in which there is a lower percentage of inhabitants concentrated in its capital (9.07%).

The city of Cádiz is the only provincial capital in Spain that is surpassed in population by two municipalities in the same province: Jerez de la Frontera and Algeciras.

Population density map by municipalities in the province of Cadiz

Population map by municipalities of the province of Cadiz

Population growth by municipality between 2001 and 2011

Population growth by municipality between 2011 and 2021

Population pyramid in the province of Cadiz in 2008, compared to 1981 (in red)

Immigration

Municipal map of immigrants in the province of Cadiz in 2007

Immigrant population

Country/Zona	Men	Women	Total	% Total Ext. Come on.	% Total And.	% Pob.
European Union	10 924	9 580	20 504	48.05%	6.67%	1.68%
GermanyGermany	1 304	1 287	2 591	6.07%	10.76%	0.21%
BulgariaBulgaria	130	94	224	0.52%	2.18 per cent	0.02%
France	774	794	1 568	3.67%	11.39%	0.13%
ItalyItaly	950	617	1 567	3.67%	9.09%	0.13%
United KingdomUnited Kingdom	4 187	3 652	7 839	18.37%	7.8%	0.64%
Romania Romania	1 442	1 377	2 819	6.61%	3.56%	0.23%
EUROPE NO EU	481	677	1 158	2.71%	4.5%	0.09%
Russia Russia	70	181	251	0.59%	2.89%	0.02%
Ukraine Ukraine	115	245	360	0.84%	3.45%	0.03%
AFRICA	4 418	3 046	7 464	17.49 per cent	6.2%	0.61%
MoroccoMorocco	3 659	2 668	6 327	14.83 per cent	6.82%	0.52%
AMERICA	5 225	6 948	12 173	28.53%	8.61%	1.00%
Argentina	729	651	1 380	3.23%	5.40%	0.11%
BoliviaBolivia	1 409	2 158	3 567	8.36%	16.16%	0.29%
ColombiaColombia	486	925	1 411	3.31%	6.77%	0.12%
EcuadorEcuador	311	370	681	1.60%	2.98 per cent	0.06%
Peru Peru	191	244	435	1.02%	9.60%	0.04%
ASIA	727	609	1 336	3.13 per cent	7.26%	0.11%
ChinaChina	492	401	893	2.09%	8.68%	0.07%
OTHER	17	22	39	0.09%	12.11%	0.00%
TOTAL	21 792	20 882	42 674	100,00%	6.93%	3.50%

Infrastructures and equipment

Transport and communications

Port of Algeciras

Roads

Main roads in and out of the province:

• Autopista del Sur (AP-4/E-5) from Seville. Since January 1, 2020, it has been completely free of toll, which began in October 2005 for the stretch between Jerez and Cadiz. The N-IV, known as National IV, can be used as an alternative to the motorway.

• Mediterranean motorway (AP-7). Enlaza Algeciras with the rest of the cities of the Mediterranean coast, ending in Barcelona.

Main inland roads:

• Autovía Jerez-Los Barrios (A-381), the most modern motorway in the province, was designed to cause the least possible impact to the Alcornocales Park, which it passes through. Join the Campo de Gibraltar with Jerez de la Frontera.

• Road N-340, this road unites the populations of the Cadiz coast (along with the already finished section of the A-48, beginning in San Fernando and until reaching Algeciras, where it links with the A-7 or the Mediterranean motorway. This road is gradually being converted into a motorway and will become the A-48 in all its extension.

• Autovía Chipiona-Jerez (A-480), which connects the Northwest Coast of the province (Chipiona and Sanlúcar, mainly) with Jerez de la Frontera.

• Autovía Jerez-Arcos de la Frontera (A-382), main route of communication of the Sierra de Cádiz with Jerez and the rest of the province.

Airports

Jerez airport terminal, main air connection

Jerez International Airport is the only civil airport in the province, which connects the city with other cities in Spain and Europe. The Algeciras heliport offers helicopter flights to the autonomous city of Ceuta.

There is also a military airport, within the Rota Naval Base under Spanish sovereignty and shared use with the United States, and various small airfields throughout the province.

Alternatively, the population of Campo de Gibraltar can use Gibraltar Airport to fly to Madrid, London and other cities in Europe.

Railroads

• Madrid-Cádiz railway line.

Cercanías, regionales and long-distance trains run on this line. The Cercanías has various stops in the municipalities of Cádiz, San Fernando, Puerto Real, El Puerto de Santa María and Jerez de la Frontera. There is also a regional bus that links the province of Cádiz with that of Seville, with stops in Cádiz, San Fernando, Puerto Real, El Puerto de Santa María, Jerez de la Frontera, Las Cabezas de San Juan, Utrera, Dos Hermanas, and Seville.. There are also long-distance trains to Madrid, Barcelona, etc. This track is currently being unfolded and converted to European gauge^{[citation required]}, as part of the Seville-Cádiz high-speed train project.

There is also a connection with Jaén by the same line that connects the city of Cádiz to Jaén, in an AVANT train, which is the range located just below the AVE. Its stations (after Seville) are cities as important as Córdoba, Andújar or Jaén.

• Algeciras-La Bobadilla Rail Line.

A regional train runs with stops in various towns in the Campo de Gibraltar, province of Malaga and Granada, as well as in the mountain town of Setenil de las Bodegas. In this line, the Algeciras Bobadilla route stands out for its scenic beauty, although it is a very old-fashioned and slow route.

Ports

• Port of Algeciras. It is the largest port in Spain by quantity of goods and passage transported. It has become one of the main container ports in Europe. In Spain, only the ports of Barcelona (which almost doubles in number of tons transported per year) and Valencia can compete with it in number of operations. It is one of the main channels of communication with Africa, mainly with Ceuta and Tangier.

• Puerto de la Bahía de Cádiz. It has lost almost all importance as a merchant port in favor of Algeciras. Yet in recent years it is an important stop point of cruises and transatlantic, plus it connects the peninsula with Canary Islands by ferry.

• Puerto de Tarifa. Old fishing port in decline with important recreational boat activity, stands out for its ferry connections with Ceuta and Tangier.

The province of Cádiz has numerous small ports, such as Conil or Barbate, which in their day had a very important fishing activity and which are currently being converted into marinas and recreational ports. In addition, there are numerous infrastructures built for recreational boats, such as Sotogrande, which are very important for tourism in the province.

Education

In Cádiz there are more than 500 schools. Specifically, 473 public schools, 89 subsidized and 8 private are registered. The complete list has been extracted from the list of Colleges in Cádiz.

Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos, at the Campus of Puerto Real

The Universidad de Cádiz is the public university of the province of Cádiz, where 18,694 students studied and 1,504 professors (PDI) and 757 administration and service professionals (PAS) work, according to the data of the course 2015-16.

It was founded on October 30, 1979. However, many of the centers that were integrated into it already existed before, both as independent schools and belonging to other universities, such as the E.U. of Business Studies and Public Administration of Jerez integrated into the University of Seville in 1972 or the Jesuit College at the Literary University of Seville in 1785.

Among its peculiar aspects we can highlight the specialization that the University has in the disciplines of Marine Sciences, Nautical Sciences and naval engineering. All of them are taught at the Centro Andaluz Superior de Estudios Marinos (CASEM), on the Puerto Real Campus. It was also one of the first Spanish universities to have a Free Software Office.

The Social Council of the UCA seeks to integrate the University with the society in which it has its origin and purpose, trying to keep both together, in a permanent interaction.

The Social Council is configured as the highest representative body of society in the University and exercises the functions attributed to it in Organic Law 6/2001, of December 21, on Universities, in Law 15/2003, of December 22, Andaluza de Universidades, and in the Statutes of the University of Cádiz (Decree 281/2003, of October 7, BOJA no. 207, of October 28, BOE 279/2003, of November 21).

The Social Council is conceived so that, through social participation, the University takes into account the real problems of its environment, in which it develops its teaching and research mission. And in turn, so that the socioeconomic environment is aware of the needs of its university and the potential for development and progress that it offers.

From this permanent and reciprocal knowledge it is sought to derive both the evidence of providing the University with the necessary resources for the best development of its academic and research life, as well as the channeling of the university task towards the search for solutions to the problems of society, and the use of all achievements derived from university activity, for the benefit of all.

The tasks entrusted to the Board of Trustees are generic: the approval of the general budget, the Multiannual Investment Programming, the supervision of activities of an economic nature and the performance of University services, and all promotion for the best collaboration with the society that surrounds it.

Through the FUECA, it has a Modern Languages Superior Center of the UCA in which it offers studies of English, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish for foreigners.

The University of Cádiz, in an effort to integrate all the components of the University Community, also welcomes the Associations that are spontaneously generated within it, they can be consulted at UCA Associations, highlighting the work that the cultural association has carried out since 2005 of the University: ALACE

The University has its centers spread over four campuses:

Health

Economy

Airbus Factor in Puerto Real

Within the primary sector there are various agricultural productions (highlighting the vineyards of the Campiña de Jerez and the olive groves of the Sierra de Cádiz) and livestock, numerous fishing ports (almadraba) and production of food products: salt, pork derivatives, Dairy products, salted foods such as mojama, preserves, cured meats, etc.

There are industrial facilities for shipbuilding (Navantia), aeronautics (Airbus, CASA), petrochemicals (Cepsa, CLH), energy (Endesa) and metallurgy (Acerinox).

The ports of Algeciras and Cádiz are also important for the economy.

An important source of income for the province is tourism in its various forms: beaches, culture, golf, wind sports, cruises. Tourists are mainly of Spanish nationality, followed by British and German.

The economic distribution by sectors is (INE 2018):

The province has an unemployment rate of 26.30% (Active Population Survey for the first quarter of 2022, INE 2022), the second highest province in the country. The registered unemployment rate in June 2022 of the three most populated cities is 28.08% for Jerez de la Frontera, 26.81% for Algeciras and 24.41% for Cádiz.

The following table reflects a list of representative municipal indicators, reflecting the most relevant economic data:

Primary and secondary sector

Within the primary sector there are various agricultural productions of great social and economic importance (highlighting the vineyards of the Campiña de Jerez and the olive groves of the Sierra de Cádiz) and livestock (such as the autochthonous retinto), numerous ports fishing (almadraba) and production of food products: salt, pork derivatives, dairy products, salted foods such as mojama, preserves, cold meats, etc.

There are industrial facilities for shipbuilding (Navantia), aeronautics (Airbus, CASA), agri-food (Azucarera), petrochemicals (Cepsa, CLH), energy (Endesa) and metallurgy (Acerinox).

The ports of Algeciras and Cádiz are also important for the economy.

Tertiary sector

It has one of the most temperate climates in the Iberian Peninsula for a good part of the year, which makes it very interesting for national and international tourism. An important source of income for the province is tourism in its various forms: beaches, culture, golf, wind sports, cruises. Tourists are mainly of Spanish nationality, followed by British and German.

Sports are practiced in Punta Paloma, Tarifa

Beaches

In its 260 km of Atlantic and Mediterranean coast, its long beaches of fine sand stand out, many of them not yet urbanized or extremely exploited by tourists. Almost the entire coastline is part of the Costa de la Luz, with the exception of San Roque and La Línea de la Concepción, which are also part of the Costa del Sol.

In 2005 the province obtained the highest number of Blue Flags of all the coastal provinces in Europe.

Playa de La Barrosa, in Chiclana

Playa de la Victoria, Cadiz

There are excellent quality urban beaches such as La Victoria in the capital of Cádiz or La Barrosa in Chiclana, La Cachucha urban beach and Río San Pedro Beach in Puerto Real and virgin beaches such as Levante in El Puerto; Los Caños de Meca and Zahora in the municipality of Barbate, Zahara de los Atunes and Bolonia in Tarifa, Camposoto in San Fernando and El Palmar in Vejer. Municipalities such as Conil have many kilometers of beaches of varied nature: from long sandy beaches to secluded coves suitable for nudism, such as the calas de Roche. Special mention to the more than 11 km of La Línea de la Concepción beach.

The beaches of Tarifa are famous for their excellent conditions for windsurfing and other wind and/or water sports.

More to the north of the capital of Cádiz there are other coastal cities and towns, with a different character such as Rota, Chipiona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda and El Puerto de Santa María, famous for its prawns and wineries.

In the province of Cádiz, 24 blue flags were waved in 2011, making it the Andalusian province with the most. Nachet, Younes (June 2, 2010). "The province receives up to 24 blue flags for its beaches." Cadiz. Accessed May 17, 2011.

Beach maintenance phases throughout the year: «Beaches». Cadiz. Archived from the original on 2011-08-16. Accessed May 11, 2011.

1.-Winter phase: Framed between the months of November to March, and the works are focused on the elimination of the waste contributed by the tides and by the users. The staff available is less and the frequency of cleaning is scarce, once or twice a week, achieving a pleasant visual aspect avoiding the burying of objects.

2.- Pre-summer phase: It is focused on the months of April to May and it is there that work begins to leave the beach in perfect condition for use. The waste contributed by the tides and users continues to be eliminated, although this cleaning is more exhaustive and practically daily. Stone removal work begins with stone removal machines, which at the same time turn the sand over, presenting the buried areas to the action of the sun.

3.- Summer phase: Waste from the tides, users and bins continue to be removed on a daily basis on the entire surface of the beach. The cleansing and beach-cleaning machines continue, turning over the sand daily. It coincides with the opening to the public of all Public Services, as well as the start of the Civil Protection, Health, Tourism and Youth and Sports Services in coordination with the Beach Services.

Nature

There is a wide range of active tourism activities for nature lovers, such as hiking, horseback riding, climbing, bird watching and canyoning, among others. It is worth noting the Jerez Botanical Zoo and its Natural Parks:

Llanos del Endrinal en Grazalema

In the south of the province (Campo de Gibraltar, La Janda and neighboring areas) there is an important set of rock art from Europe, locally known as southern art.

Culture

Jacimiento de Baelo Claudia

The long history of many of the towns in the province means that there are countless monuments, churches, emblematic buildings, museums and archaeological remains. The most important monumental complex in the province is the Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera.

There are also numerous typical festivals in each town throughout the year, such as the Carnival of Cádiz or the Jerez Fair. Of special interest is Holy Week, with processions in various towns. In Sanlúcar every year in the second half of August the famous horse races are held on the beach, also declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest.

In inland tourism, it is worth highlighting the wineries of Jerez and Sanlúcar, or the Route of the White Villages and the Ruta del Toro.

Traditions and festivities

Semana Santa de Jerez

Carnival, characterized by its chirigotas and comparsas, in addition to the Andalusian fairs, for their booths, wine and attractions, are the most outstanding festivals. The Jerez de la Frontera Horse Fair in May and the Cádiz Carnival in February stand out as festivities, both declared of International Tourist Interest. Also Holy Week is another of the most outstanding festivities in the province, highlighting that of Jerez de la Frontera. In both his flamenco tradition is reflected with saetas, alegrías and bulerías among other styles.

The day of the province is celebrated on March 19, commemorating the constituent Cortes of Cádiz.

Sports

Fernando Alonso in Jerez

Jerez has received worldwide attention due to the numerous sporting events it hosts such as the Spanish Motorcycling Grand Prix, a test belonging to the Motorcycling World Championship, the Formula 1 European Grand Prix, the 2002 World Equestrian Games and numerous International Athletics Meetings. Sotogrande in San Roque is the setting where the Volvo Masters golf course was held and is currently hosting the Andalucía Valderrama Masters.

As far as soccer is concerned, the Ramón de Carranza Trophy is famous, although in recent years its poster has lost potential.

Notable people