Western Costa del Sol

The Western Costa del Sol is one of the nine regions of the province of Málaga, Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia.

According to the regional division of the Malaga Provincial Council, the municipalities that make up the region are: Benahavís, Benalmádena, Casares, Estepona, Fuengirola, Manilva, Marbella, Mijas and Torremolinos. Although, traditionally and according to other definitions, also Istán and Ojén would be included, municipalities that are integrated into the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol and that are part of the Sierra de las Nieves region according to the Provincial Council.

According to the regional division of the Provincial Council of Málaga, the region of the Western Costa del Sol limits to the east with the region of Málaga-Costa del Sol; to the north, with the regions of Valle del Guadalhorce, Sierra de las Nieves and Serranía de Ronda; and to the west, with the Cádiz region of Campo de Gibraltar. To the south it is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea.

Geography

Relieve

The Western Costa del Sol occupies a narrow geographical strip delimited by the western end of the Betic Mountain Range (Serranía de Ronda) to the north and the sea to the south. The Serranía de Ronda is made up of a group of mountain ranges that often exceed 1000 m s. n. m. altitude: the Sierra de Mijas, Sierra Alpujata and Sierra Blanca, collectively called Cordón Montañoso Litoral, make up the beginning of the coastal mountain ranges in the eastern area, while Sierra Bermeja and its small extension in Sierra Crestellina close this mountainous alignment. Towards the west, the region opens up to the Guadiaro Valley.

In the narrow strip between the mountains and the sea there is a great diversity of landscapes: beaches, cliffs, mouths, coves and dunes. The rivers are short and seasonal, which results in small estuaries and valleys that are not very suitable for agriculture. The leeward effect caused by the Betic Systems means that their contributions are reduced.

The coastline shows a fairly rectilinear profile. The sandy areas occupy most of the Western Costa del Sol, saving some rocky sections in Manilva, Mijas, Torremolinos and Benalmádena. The bays of Estepona, Marbella and Fuengirola stand out in the coastal relief. The emerging lands extend under the sea by a narrow and shallow continental shelf that reaches an average width of about 5 km and a maximum depth of 150-200 m.

Municipalities

The municipalities that make up the region are:

Shield	Name	Population (2021)	Surface (km2)	Density (hab/km2)
	Marbella	149.032	117.12	1.272
	Mijas	86.556	148.77	582
	Fuengirola	81.987	10,36	7.914
	Estepona	71.696	137.51	521
	Benalmadena	70.419	26,87	2.621
	Torremolinos	67.877	19.9	3.411
	Manilva	16.845	35,59	473
	Benahavís	7.958	145.45	55
	Casares	7.321	162.38	45
Costa del Sol Occidental		559.691	803,95	696

Flora and fauna

The region is located between three marine bioregions: the Lusitanian, the Mauritanian and the Mediterranean, which is why it has abundant biodiversity. Especially numerous are the species of brown, red and calcareous algae. Also notable is the presence of Posidonia oceanica meadows, a species endemic to the Mediterranean. The marine fauna is represented by sponges and corals.

Parts of the Manilva, Padrón, Castor, Guadalmansa, Guadalmina, Guadaiza, Verde, Real, Fuengirola rivers and the Cala stream have been declared a Special Conservation Area due to the presence of important natural habitats as well as their essential function of ecological corridors uniting various protected Natura 2000 network spaces and bringing different ecosystems into contact, thus contributing to the connectivity of this ecological network and its coherence. The fauna species present in these rivers are the characteristics of the riparian zones, such as the otter, the leprous pond turtle, the Guadiana boga, the crayfish, the black cork spider and other species of common fish and different amphibians such as the southern spotted toad or the salamander and birds such as the kingfisher and the blackbird. aquatic.

In the mountains, invertebrates stand out especially, predominantly among them beetles, plecopterans, caddisflies, arachnids and mollusks. Among the vertebrates, the avifauna stands out, which provides immense biodiversity that is increased by the seasonal passages of birds during times of migration between Europe and Africa. The diurnal and nocturnal raptors and a multitude of birds stand out, some of them included in the Bird Directive, highlighting the golden eagle, the booted eagle, the common falcon, the sparrowhawk, the eagle owl, the long-eared owl, but also the warbler. Yellowtail, Black-headed Warbler, Wheatear, Green Woodpecker, Wryneck, Nuthatch, Red Rock Thrush, Kingfisher, Cattle Egret, Dipper... Other species present are the Betic Salamander, the Southern Toad, the common toad or the southern frog, among amphibians; the ocellated lizard, the long-tailed lizard, the Andalusian lizard, the Iberian skink, the common chameleon, the horseshoe snake, the long-nosed viper, the blind shingle or the leprous tortoise, among reptiles; and the otter, the marten, the wild cat, the mongoose, the roe deer and the wild goat.

Among its extinct fauna in historical or recent times we can mention the bearded vulture, the wolf and the Iberian lynx, in the XX century< /span> and the brown bear in the 16th century.

Transportation

Passenger transport by road

Public transport in the region is practically monopolized by the bus company 'CTSA-Portillo', which is in charge of interurban transport within the region and connects it with the capital. Most of the urban public transport concessions in the different municipalities of the region also belong to this company. There are several companies that connect the most important towns in the region with other points in Andalusia and Spain. The company "Los Amarillos", together with the previously mentioned "CTSA-Portillo" of the communication between this region, the Serranía de Ronda, and Seville. The companies "Transportes Generales Comes, S.L.", "Alsina Graells, S.L", and again "CTSA-Portillo" They are in charge of the communications service between the region, the northeastern area of Andalusia - (Granada-Jaén), and the Cádiz coast. Transportation to the rest of the Mediterranean coast, from the tropical coast of Granada to Barcelona is covered by the company "Alsa". While communication with Madrid is the responsibility of "Daibus.".

Rail transport

Between Málaga and Fuengirola the Cercanías Málaga line C-1 runs. This runs through the municipalities of Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola, linking them with the provincial capital, and specifically with important points such as the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, the Málaga-María Zambrano station, which has high-speed rail communication to Madrid and other points in Spain, and the Malaga bus station.

Several of the train tickets between Malaga and different points in Spain include, without difference in cost, the trip from any train station on this commuter line to Malaga.

The Costa del Sol corridor is a railway network that will link Malaga with Estepona by high-speed rail, partly taking advantage of or improving the layout of the Cercanías line. High-speed connection works are also being carried out from Antequera to Algeciras, passing through the municipalities of Ronda and Gaucín, which will more effectively connect the westernmost end of this region. Currently this route is made by regional trains.

Air transport

There are two airports very close to the region that connect it with the rest of the world.

The first and most important is the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, which is one of the most important international airports in Spain. It is located in the western area of the capital, so it is really close to Torremolinos, the municipality in the region closest to it.

The second is the Gibraltar Airport, which although it receives an infinitely smaller number of travelers, receives an important tourist sector, due to the communication of the colony with the metropolis (the United Kingdom). Recently there has been an agreement between Spain and Gibraltar, which allows the use of said airport to Spanish airlines, and establishes communication between Gibraltar and Madrid. This airport has become another important communication point, because it is located very close to the westernmost part of the region, and because much of the tourism in that area comes from the United Kingdom.

Marine transport

There is an internal line of pleasure boats that go from the Benalmádena Marina to Fuengirola.

The region is very close to the ports of Malaga and Algeciras, which have ferry services to Melilla, in the first case, and to Ceuta and Tangier in the second. Tickets for the Algeciras-Tangier and Algeciras-Ceuta ferry can be purchased at many points in the region, with frequent signs for "Tickets Ceuta-Tanger" along the roads that run through the region, especially in its westernmost part.

Roads

The region has a main artery, the Mediterranean Highway (A-7), with sections of toll highway (AP-7) that, in its coastal section goes from Benalmádena to Guadiaro, a town belonging to the municipality of San Roque. (Cadiz).

An alternative to this road is the old N-340, or Mediterranean highway, which runs through all the towns on the coast, and runs from Cádiz to Barcelona, but in many sections runs through the urban area.