Depending on your point of view, Andalusia's origins lie in its fortunate, or unfortunate, location. The climate is mild, the land is fertile and the living is easy. So much so that it has acted as a magnet for just about every adventurer and opportunist that graced early Europe.
It was, however, during the domination of the Moors, between the 7th and the 15th centuries AD that the character of Andalusia, or Al andalus as called by its Moorish rulers, was primarily formed; the golden era of which was the rule of the Caliphate of Córdoba between the 8th and 10th centuries AD.
In the end however, enemies waiting in the wings were gathering like darkening storm clouds and Moorish domination was finally brought to an end in the year 1492 with the capture of the last emirate, Granada, by the Catholic Kings (Los Reyes Católico), Fernando and Isabella.
However, during this culturally rich and fertile episode, the Al andalus character had been indelibly impressed on its population. It survives today in the dark complexion of its inhabitants and the distinctive cultural diversity of its regions.
Andalusia is the largest of the autonomous regions of Spain covering some 17.6% of Spanish soil. It consists of 8 provinces and includes Ceuta and Melilla, remnants of Spanish expansion into Africa.
 As if emphasising the cultural diversity of its inhabitants, Andalusian topography is a raucous cacophony of mountains sweeping down to gentle plains girdled with golden beaches that merge into untamed, impenetrable marshland.
In these remote and lonely places, some of Europe's rarest and most fragile biosystems cling precariously to tailcoats of existence. On the east coast, the imposing majesty of the Sierra Nevada forms a ragged backdrop to the seemingly endless golden Mediterranean coastlines enjoyed by millions of annually migrant sunseekers.
 Andalusia boasts both the wettest and the driest regions of Spain, the coast of Cádiz with more than 2,000mm of rain annually and Almería, with less than 250mm of annual rain, respectively.
It is also the region of Spain with the highest annual temperature; an area incorporating a large part of the provinces of Seville and Córdoba earning a reputation as 'the frying pan of Andalusia'. In high summer, heat falls like a leaden blanket on the village of Ejica, white buildings hugging the ground as if attempting to conserve moisture against the naked earth, in a dust-bowl where summer temperatures can reach more than 50ºC.
No-one who visits Andalucia can fail to be impressed by the width and depth of its landscape, by the warmth of its people and, of course, by the strength of the sun that in Springtime stimulates the growth of orange and lemon, filling the streets of the local towns and cities with the rich perfume of blossom bursting with Spanish promise.
More information: http://www.andalucia.org
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Last Updated ( Friday, 21 November 2008 )
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