"Andalucia" a Andalucía Travel Page by Beach_dog

Andalucia, one of Spain's largest autonomous regions is comprised of the Provinces of Huelva, Sevilla, Cordoba, Jaen, Granada, Almeria, Cadiz and Malaga. Its located in the far south of the Iberian peninsula.

Its a rugged mountainous region and contains Spains highest mountain range, the Sierra Nevada. The coast around Malaga, the 'Costa del Sol' is one of the most developed tourist areas in Europe, but to the west 'Costa de la Luz' and the east Costa Tropical and Costa Almeria are quiet and not so developed.

Andalucia's climate is varied, the summers are hot and dry, especially inland around Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba, in fact the region around Cordoba and Sevilla is known as the frying pan of Spain. Winter time inland can be dry and cold especially in the mountains and snow is not unusual, but the coasts are mild with many warm days. Andalucia.s desert regions are some of the driest areas of Europe.

Andalucia has been occupied by successive waves of peoples from the Paleolithic to the present. The Phoenecians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors and Christians have all left there mark in the region. The most significant culture were the Moors, a mixture of of Arab and Berber peoples from North Africa and Morocco, who arrived in 710 AD and stayed for over 7 centuries. In the 1490's they were finally conquered by the Christians from the North. They made a great impact on the region in the people, culture and architecture. After the conquest, artisans that stayed on working with the Christians developed the Modojar style of Architecture, a mixture of Arab and Christiam styles. Many examples can be seen in the regions older buildings, and many Moorish mosques and palaces were reused by the Christians.. Most notably the Mezquita (Mosque turned Cathedral) at Cordoba and the Alhambra Palaces at Granada, but examples can be found throughout Andalucia.

The people of Andalucia know how to celebrate, each town and city has its annual Feria, Fiesta or Romeria. These are normally held on the town Saints day or on other religious occassions, such as Christmas, New Year and Easter. The region is the home of Flamenco and Bullfighting. For the best Flamenco try Sevilla and Granada. Bullfights takes place normally during the ferias, but often take place at other times also.
The best Festivals include the Giant April Feria in Sevilla and Semana Santa celebrations at Malaga, Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba and Jerez.
Nightlife in Andalucia starts late (from midnight) and oftenruns through to the morning, this is especially so during festivals.