subject: Andalucia The Place For Great Sun, Sea And Beaches [print this page] When you ask people what they want from a perfect holiday, many of them will tell you that they are looking for a warm climate, lots of sun, beautiful ocean and nice sandy beaches, which initially describes exactly what Andalucia can offer.
Andalucia represents to many a pictorial image that is representative of Spain; include the bullfighting and the flamenco dancing and it just about has it all. You will find Andalucia on the southern coast of Spain covering more than 33,000 miles; it is one of the most populated areas of Spain.
The city itself is steeped in history and was founded in the 11th century BC by the Phoenicians. They were eventually dispelled by the Romans who in turn were removed by the Moors who established themselves in Cordoba.
After the Moors settled in Andalucia, it entered a prosperous period with lots of leather, mining and pottery industries developing. The city remained under the rule of the Moors until the 13th century when the kings of Castile, then the Catholic kings took their turn at ruling.
It is a region with many contrasts in terms of climate with the deserts to the east and the southwest coast incurring the most rain from the Atlantic. Two of the cities, Cordoba and Seville suffer stifling heat during the summer, yet the mountains in the Sierra Nevada stay covered in snow all year round. One feature that drives the tourists in floods are the beautiful beaches in Malaga which are densely populated during the summer months.
The Moorish influence is still fairly predominant in the region and can be seen in the character and customs of the locals. Tourists are drawn to the age old traditions of bullfighting, flamenco dancing and natural exuberance of the people; all in all it is a very colorful region.
The architecture of the region still demonstrates its Moorish origins and with the warm soothing climate, it is no surprise that tourists still flock to the area. Ironically with all this abundance of fertile regions, agriculture and small industry, the area is still one of the poorest in Europe, causing the migration of many of the unemployed workers to the more productive areas in the North.
However, on a positive note the tourist industry is flourishing. There is so much to offer the tourists in terms of beautiful scenery, beaches, climate and entertainment.
