Andalucía

Geography and Climate

 Andalucia is the second largest Autonomous region of Spain, at 87,268km 2

 It is the most populous region of Spain with over 8 million inhabitants
 Average temperature is 16°C, compared to about 9°C in the UK

Economy

 Traditionally agricultural; tourism now predominates:

o Agriculture
 45% of Andalucian territory is cultivated: cereals and sunflowers, with olives
in the hilly regions
 Most productive/competitive agriculture in Andalucía is forced cultivation of
summer fruits on the coasts
 50% of Andalucian territory is forest, yet represents only 2% of agricultural
production
o Tourism
 Second only to Cataluña in number of tourists - 30 million/year
 South of Spain gains visitors in winter because of warmth
 Heavy tourism on the coastal areas (Málaga, Torremeleinos, etc.) and
pockets of tourism inland (such as Granada for La Alhambra, and Córdoba
for the Mezquita Catedral)
 Around 70% of tourism in Andalucía is on the coast
 August is heaviest month - with 13% of all bookings made for August
 Andalucía was hit badly by the Global Recession
o GDP is second lowest in Spain (ahead of Extremadura) at €17,401 per capita
o There are around 2.8 million workers in Andalucía and around 0.75 million
unemployed
o Andalucía has the worst unemployment levels in Spain, at around 20%, expected to
rise

Culture
 Many festivals in Holy Week
 An annual pilgrimage brings a million visitors to the Hermitage of El Rocío in Almonte
 Andalucía has several festivals, the most famous being:
o Feria de Abril in Seville
 Dates back to 1847
 Two weeks after Holy Week
 Begins Midnight on Monday, lasts six days
 Each day begins with a parade of carriages and riders at Midday
 Marquee tents, casetas, along the banks of the Guadalquivir River
 o Feria de Agosto in Malaga
 Commemorates the taking of the City by Catholic Monarchs in 1487
 Lasts ten nights and nine days, ending on a Sunday night
 Two areas: Feria de la noche and Feria de día
 Streets adorned with paper lanterns and floral displays
 Bullfighting each afternoon
 Local variation of Flamenco, Verdiales, is danced
 The Flamenco culture is native to Andalucía
o Originated in circa 15th Century as the music of gypsies, gitanos
o Traditional Flamenco dancers receive no formal training
o Palilos (castanets) are used, along with hand-clapping known as palmas
o The type of dance most Europeans would call Flamenco is very commercialized;
 Traditional Flamenco dance - Flamenco Puro - is always danced solo, and is
improvised rather than choreographed
 Women typically wear black, red or white frilly dresses with many ruffles,
high heels, their hair in a bun, and a rose behind their ear.
 Men wear black or red tuxedo undershirts with classic pants that allow
freedom.