Andalucia

Andalucia is the second largest of the fifteen regions of Spain. It's capital and largest city is Seville (Sevilla). The region made up of eight provinces - Huelva, Seville, Cadiz, Cordoba, Malaga, Jaen, Granada and Almeria.

Andalusia is in the south of the Iberian peninsula, and is bordered to the north by Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha, to the west of Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea, to the east of Portugal, and to the south by the Mediterranean Sea and the Straights of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from Morocco. Gibraltar shares a three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cadiz.

The name Andalusia goes back to the days of Arab occupation when it was called 'Al-Andalus'. Besides the Muslim influences, the region's history and culture was influenced by the earlier Carthaginian and Roman empires, and after the Arab occupation, by the Castilian and other Christian north Iberian nationalities who suceeded them.

The region region offers a large range of altitudes with Andalusia having the Iberian peninsula's highest mountains and nearly 15 percent of its area is over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). It is possible to be on the ski slopes near Granada, and within a relatively short distance, be on the beaches on the coast basking in glorious sunshine.

Due to the relatively mild winters and springs, the south of Spain is legendary for it's attraction to overseas visitors, and especially tourists from more Northern Europe countries. While the inland areas with their cities, towns and hill villages remain almost untouched by the throngs of tourists arriving in Spain each year, the coastal areas of Andalusia are extremely busy with visitors for most of the year.

Some interesting places to visit in Andalucia -

Algeciras, Almeria, Almunecar, Alora, Antequera, La Axarquia, Benalmadena, Cádiz, Casares, Chiclana, Conil, Cordoba, Duquesa, Estepona, Fuengirola, Gaucin, Granada, Grazalema, Guadix, Huelva, Iznajar, Jaen, Jerez, Malaga, Marbella, Mijas, Nerja, Puerto Banus, Ronda, Seville, Sotogrande, Tarifa, Torremolinos.