DEMOGRAPHY

It is situated in the southeast of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea. The city has got around 200.000 inhabitants. The province is inhabited by a bit more than 700.000 people. Other important towns in the province are Roquetas de Mar , El Ejido, Níjar y Adra.

Europe's driest area is found in Almería and is part of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. The arid landscape and climate that characterizes part of the province have made it an ideal setting for Western films,

HISTORY

The city was founded by Calipha Abd-ar-Rahman III of Córdoba in 955 AD. It was to be a principal harbour in his extensive domain to strengthen his Mediterranean defences.

The 16th century was for Almería a century of natural and human catastrophes; for there were at least four earthquakes, of which the one in 1522 was especially violent, devastating the city. The people who had remained Muslim were expelled from Almería after the War of Las Alpujarras in 1568.

During the Spanish Civil War the city was shelled by the German Navy, with news reaching the London and Parisian press about the "criminal bombardment of Almería by German planes".

ECONOMY

In the second half of the 20th century, Almería witnessed spectacular economic growth due to tourism and intensive agriculture, with crops grown year-round in massive invernaderos – plastic-covered "greenhouses" – for intensive vegetable production.

ARTS

Archaeologists have stated the rich prehistoric wealth of Almería, particularly that of the Metal Age. Almería is like "an open-air museum". Indeed, Almería is home to two of the most important cultures of the Metal Age in the peninsula: Los Millares and El Argar.

Architecture

The Alcazaba, a medieval fortress that was begun in the 10th century but destroyed by an earthquake in 1522.

Painting

Manuel Domínguez.

Luis Fernández Cañadas.

Music

José Padilla

Manolo Escobar