Andalusia: between Arab and Christian art

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Andalusia is by extension the second region (comunidad autónoma) of Spain and the most populated, it is made up of 8 provinces: Almería, Cadiz (Cádiz), Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville (Sevilla).

The capital of this Spanish region is the city of Seville, one of the most beautiful and dynamic cities in Spain. The region borders Portugal to the west, Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha to the north and Murcia to the east, while the English possession of Gibraltar lies to the south.

GEOGRAPHY

The Andalusian territory is made up of an important flat area, the Betic Depression, but most of Andalusia is mountainous. This plain is located at the Guadalquivir valley. This river flows through the region from northeast to southwest.

To the north of the Guadalquivir valley, there are in fact the low mountains (just above 1,000 meters) of the Sierra Morena, beyond which Meseta begins. While to the east of the river valley and close to the coast rises the Sierra Nevada chain, part of the Betic Cordillera.

The Sierra Nevada is formed by numerous peaks that exceed 3,000 meters, and which reach the highest point with the Pico Mulhacén (3,478 meters), the highest mountain in the entire Iberian Peninsula. Andalusia is an agricultural region where citrus, vegetables, olive trees, vines and cereals are grown, and livestock is also developed.

HISTORY

Andalusia has always been the gateway to the Iberian Peninsula for populations from North Africa. In fact, a few kilometers of sea separate the southern end of Andalusia from Morocco. The country has seen over the centuries the dominations of the Greeks, the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Vandals, the Vikings, the Arabs and the Franks. Andalusia is a crossroads of peoples, races and cultures, these mixtures are visible in the architecture of the Andalusian cities, in the foods and customs typical of the region.

The climate. Tourist attractions.

Official site of the Government of Andalusia.