Benahavís

Benahavís municipality
coat of arms	Map of Spain
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Andalusia
Province :	Málaga
Coordinates	36 ° 31 ′  N , 5 ° 3 ′  W Coordinates: 36 ° 31 ′  N , 5 ° 3 ′  W
Height :	150  msnm
Area :	145 km²
Residents :	8,085 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density :	55.76 inhabitants / km²
Postal code :	29678, 29679
Municipality number  ( INE ):	29023
administration
Mayor :	Jose Antonio Mena Castilla ( PP )
Website :	www.benahavis.net
Location of the municipality

Benahavís is a municipality in the province of Málaga ( Spain ).

History and origin of name

The place name Benahavís is made up of the Arabic word for son (ben, ibn) and the name of a Moorish ruler (Avis or Havis) who had his seat in the castle of Montemayor in the 11th century. In 1485, during the Reconquista , the Catholic Monarchs conquered Marbella and the surrounding villages, including Benahavís. In 1492 it was given to the Count of Cifuentes. In 1572 Philip II declared Benahavís independent from Marbella. Benahavís was the scene of several battles during the Spanish War of Independence against the French.

tourism

Although Benahavís, in contrast to other villages, was able to retain the original charm of a “white village”, it was strongly influenced by tourism due to its proximity to the Costa del Sol and places like Marbella . Today Benahavís is mainly famous for its many restaurants: it is the municipality with the highest number of restaurants per capita.

Like many villages on the Costa del Sol that were once characterized by emigration , Benahavís now has a higher rate of immigration than emigration.

Web links

Commons : Benahavís  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• All you want to know about Benahavis: www.benahavis.net
• Statistical information on Benahavís of the Junta de Andalucía

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero . Population statistics from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (population update).