Almeria Province

Almería Andalusia ,  Spain
coat of arms	flag
Basic data
Autonomous Community :	Andalusia
Capital :	Almeria
Official language :	Spanish
Area :	8,774 km²
Residents :	716.820 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density :	81.7 inhabitants / km²
ISO 3166-2 :	ES-AL
Website :	dipalme.org
Location of the province of Almería

The province of Almería ( Spanish Provincia de Almería , postcode 04xxx, former license plate AL ) is one of the eight provinces of the autonomous region of Andalusia in southern Spain . It borders the Andalusian province of Granada , as well as the Murcia region and the Mediterranean Sea . The name of the capital is also Almería .

Area and population

The province covers an area of ​​8,774.15 square kilometers with 716,820 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2019). The population density is 82 inhabitants per km² and is thus well below the Spanish average.

Population development of the province

Comarcas

Like all provinces of Andalusia, the province of Almería was divided into comarcas with effect from March 28, 2003 .

Comarca	Residents (as of Jan. 1, 2013)	Communities
Alpujarra Almeriense	15,368	Alboloduy, Alcolea, Alhabia, Alhama de Almería , Alicún, Almócita, Alsodux, Bayárcal, Beires, Bentarique, Canjáyar, Fondón, Huécija, Illar, Instinción, Láujar de Andarax, Ohanes, Padules, Paterna del Río, Rágol, Santa Cruz de Marchena , Terque
Filabres-Tabernas	14,596	Abla, Abrucena, Alcudia de Monteagud, Benitagla, Benizalón, Castro de Filabres, Fiñana, Gérgal, Lucainena de las Torres, Nacimiento, Olula de Castro, Senés, Tabernas, Tahal, Las Tres Villas, Turrillas, Uleila del Campo, Velefique
Levante Almeriense	97.068	Antas, Bédar, Carboneras, Cuevas del Almanzora, Los Gallardos, Garrucha, Huércal-Overa, Lubrín, Mojácar, Pulpí, Sorbas , Turre, Vera
Metropolitana de Almería	255.984	Almería , Benahadux, Gádor, Huércal de Almería, Níjar, Pechina, Rioja, Santa Fe de Mondújar, Viator
Poniente Almeriense	249,300	Adra, Berja, Dalías, El Ejido, Enix, Felix, La Mojonera, Roquetas de Mar, Vícar
Valle del Almanzora	54,959	Albánchez, Albox, Alcóntar, Arboleas, Armuña de Almanzora, Bacares, Bayarque, Cantoria, Chercos, Cóbdar, Fines, Laroya, Líjar, Lúcar, Macael, Olula del Río, Oria, Partaloa, Purchena, Serón, Sierro, Somontín, Suflí, Taberno, Tíjola, Urrácal, Zurgena
Los Vélez	12,054	Chirivel, María, Vélez-Blanco, Vélez-Rubio

Bigger places

The following twelve municipalities had more than 10,000 inhabitants on January 1, 2013.

local community	Residents (January 1, 2019)
Almeria	198,533
El ejido	83,594
Roquetas de Mar	96,800
Níjar	30,663
Adra	25,148
Vícar	26,028
Huércal-Overa	19,127
Berja	12,415
Huércal de Almería	17,651
Vera	16,452
Cuevas de Almanzora	14,081
Albox	11,805

There were also 10 municipalities with more than 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants, 30 municipalities with more than 1,000 to 5,000 inhabitants and 50 municipalities with up to 1,000 inhabitants. The smallest municipality is Benitagla with 58 inhabitants.

history

Almería has a long prehistory characterized by the presence of different civilizations . There are traces ( cave paintings ) from the Paleolithic (Paleolithic) as well as from the Neolithic (Neolithic ). The oldest finds come from the Cuesta del Rio Claro and Zájara I. More recent ones were made in the Cueva de Ambrosio , Zájara II, Humosa, Serrón and La Palica and in Carboneras. From 5000 BC Neolithic traces (goods of the cardial or imprint culture ) from Cabecicos Negos (near Vera) and on the Cerro de los López can be found. The Almería culture shapes the transition to the metal age . The oldest "settlement" in the province, Los Millares , was built in the Stone Age and already had over 1,000 inhabitants, whose culture was based on copper processing . Objects from this place spread over much of the Iberian Peninsula during the 3rd millennium BC .

During the Bronze Age (between 1700 and 1400 BC) the important El Argar culture spread in the Spanish Levant , to which the Almería region belongs.

The colonies of Baria ( Villaricos ) and Abdera (Adra) bear witness to the presence of the Phoenicians in this area. These were adopted by the Punic civilization (the Carthaginians ), which spread across the western Mediterranean. The conflict with the Roman Empire ended their presence.

In Adra and Almería the remains of Roman salt production sites were found . These are a reference to the flourishing trade based on the production of the garum , a sauce made from fish and aromatic herbs that was considered a delicacy at the time .

After the Roman rule, Almería was conquered by the Vandals , Visigoths and Byzantines . Undoubtedly, however, the Islamic civilization, which was then present for eight centuries, is the one that exerted the greatest influence on the province of Almería. At the beginning of the 8th century, Arabs - mostly Yemenis - and Berbers populated the territory of Almería and began to develop a new type of agriculture that resulted in fundamental changes in the landscape.

Alcazaba - inner courtyard

In 955, Abd ar-Rahman III commanded . (: Spanish the construction of a fortress Alcazaba ) to the advance of the Caliphate the Fatimides of their capital Mahdia ( Tunisia ) prevent from. At 43,000 m², this fortress is the largest on the Iberian Peninsula and at the same time the official birth of the city of Almería, which until then was the port district of Pechina . Later this place became the main port of the Caliphate of Córdoba and developed a brisk trade with the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa . During the 9th century, Almería attributed its prosperity to the import of silk .

During the era of the Taifas (partial kingdoms), the province of Almería was ruled by Banu al-Amiri (1012-1038), then briefly annexed by Valencia (1038-1041). Then it was from Granada to the Banu Sumadih - Dynasty given to it in 1091 by the Almoravids conquered.

In the course of the Reconquista, Alfonso VII besieged Almería with an army supported by troops from Catalonia , Genoa , Pisa and the Frankish Empire ; in 1147 the city was conquered. However, his rule lasted only ten years, after which the area was recaptured by the Arab Almohad dynasty . However, the city never regained its former glory.

In the 13th century, the region became part of the Emirate of Granada until it was finally completely conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1489.

Regular attacks by Berber pirates took place in the 16th century and continued into the 18th century. Mainly as a result, residents of the coastal areas were deported into slavery in North Africa.

stylized indalo

The symbol of the province of Almería der Indalo , which can be found on houses, but is also sold as a lucky charm and printed on T-shirts , also goes back to the long history .

economy

The mar del plástico (German plastic sea ), the world's largest concentration of intensive culture .

The main economic factor is agricultural production in greenhouses . Every year millions of tons of vegetables and fruit are exported not only within Europe but also worldwide . The intensive culture is also responsible for the name Mar del plastico (German plastic sea ). It is the world's largest concentration of intensive culture. These crops cover 350 km² in Almería and generate 80% of Spanish vegetable exports. The work in the facilities, which are heavily contaminated with pesticides, is mainly done by North African migrants, mostly illegally, under inhumane living conditions and at dumping wages due to their insecure legal situation. Due to the low wages and high EU subsidies within the framework of European transit promotion, vegetables from Almería can undercut local production even in Africa. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Spanish authorities took drastic measures to reduce the use of pesticides and the pollution of the groundwater by nitrates , also due to pressure from the EU Commission .

The other economic source is tourism , thanks to the warm and sunny climate and the tourist resorts of Roquetas de Mar, Aguadulce, Vera or Cabo de Gata .

The Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA for short) test site near the town of Tabernas, north of Almería, is also known. Research and development for concentrating solar technologies has been carried out there since 1980 .

Geographical textures

Almería is one of the most mountainous provinces in Spain. 46% of the population live in the mountains, 34% in hilly areas and only 19% in the plains. Various massive high mountain ranges cross the province from west to east and are part of the Penibetic System (Sistema Penibético). This unique arrangement of mountain ranges is mainly responsible for the historical isolation from the rest of Spain as well as the individual districts from one another and leads to a special climate that differs from the rest of Spain, which is particularly advantageous in winter.

The province's desert-like climate is responsible for the characteristic dry river beds that can be found everywhere, but mainly in the regions close to the sea. The smaller rivers carry water for most of the river's course, but it usually seeps away before it reaches the sea mouth. The main rivers are the Almanzora , the Andarax , the Grande de Adra , the Alías and the Río de Aguas . The latter is responsible for the plaster - Karst in Sorbas .

The highest mountain in the province is the Chullo ( 2609  msnm ), which blends into the Sierra Nevada . Almería shares this mountain range with the province of Granada. Other important peaks are the Almírez (2,518 m), the Morrón (2,236 m) in the Sierra de Gádor , the Calar Alto (2,168 m) in the Sierra de los Filabres , the Tetica de Bacares (2,080 m) there and the Pico de María (2,045 m) in the mountains of the same name.

The Almería coast stretches for 219 km and has various geographical irregularities. The most famous are the Gulf of Almería , Cabo de Gata, Punta Estinas and Punta Sabinar . Also the rock islands Terreros and San Andrés ; and the island of Alborán , an important enclave important for nature , fishing and strategic reasons . The name is derived from the pirate Al Borán , who used it as a base.

There are also three reservoirs . The one of the Almanzora river (venue of the 15th Mediterranean Games ), the Beninar , in whose bed the village of the same name lies, and the Isabel II , one of the oldest in Spain: it was inaugurated in 1850 near Níjar.

The natural wealth of the province of Almería can be found in several protected areas:

1. The Sierra Nevada National Park , which the region shares with the province of Granada; Iberian ibex and wild boar can be found there .
2. The Natural Park of Cabo de Gata Natural Park (since 1987); it is the first natural park in Spain to stretch over part of the sea as well as on land, and possibly the last part of unspoilt Mediterranean coastline. There is a large number of native xerophilic (= drought-loving) plants there, and until a few years ago the last monk seals in Europe were found there .
3. The Natural Park of the Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park . There is a large population of Mediterranean holm oak forests . The rare Moorish tortoise (Spanish tortuga mora ; Latin Testudo graeca ) can also be found there.

There are also four other "natural areas" ( Parajes Naturales ):

1. Desierto de Tabernas
2. Reserva Natural Karst en Yesos de Sorbas , a gypsum karst area with caves and niches that were washed out by the Rio de Aguas .
3. Punta Entinas-Sabinar
4. Sierra Alhamilla

and the Reserva Natural Albufera de Adra . In addition, the above-mentioned island of Alborán and its surroundings are also to be declared a Paraje Natural .

Other natural treasures in this region are the large olive tree of Aguamarga , possibly the largest of all and one of the oldest in Europe, and the chalk geod of Pulpí , also one of the largest on earth.

climate

In the province of Almería there is a desert-like, Mediterranean, warm and dry climate; the sky is mostly cloudless and very bright, the summers warm and the winters mild. A strong west wind blows most of the time on the south coast. The east wind, on the other hand, ensures that the temperature in the capital Almería is usually a few degrees higher.

The rainfall is low, Cabo de Gata is the place where it rains in Spain the least. At the same time, Desierto de Tabernas is the only desert on the European continent; And due to the unique nature of the nature, some western films were made here in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s , for example Two Glorious Scoundrels or For a Fistful of Dollars . But also significant parts of Lawrence of Arabia , Conan the Barbarian and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed here.

See also

List of municipalities in the province of Almería

Web links

Commons : Province of Almería  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• http://arheologija.ff.uni-lj.si/documenta/pdf31/31camalich.pdf on the history of the province (PDF file; 2.7 MB)
• http://www.psa.es/ Website of the Plataforma Solar de Almería

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).
2. ↑ Orden de 14 de March 2003, por la que se aprueba el mapa de comarcas de Andalucía a efectos de la planificación de la oferta turística y deportiva, Boletín Oficial de la Junta de Andalucía (Official Gazette of the Government of Andalusia), No. 59 of March 27, 2003, p. 6248
3. ↑ 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).
4. ↑ http://www.andalucia.com/province/almeria/indalo/home.htm
5. ↑ Thomas Urban , Intensivgemüse , in: Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 31, 2014, p. 34.