Málaga
Industrial seaport and capital of Málaga province in Andalusia, southern Spain, situated at the mouth of the River Guadalmedina on the Mediterranean coast; population (2001 est) 534,200. Industries include sugar refining, textiles, distilling, brewing, and olive-oil pressing. Almonds, olives, dried fruits, Málaga wine, and iron ore are exported. Crude oil is unloaded from tankers offshore into a pipeline that transports it to the town of Puertollano. Tourism has been particularly important to the local economy since the 1960s; Málaga's Pablo Picasso international airport is the gateway to the popular Costa del Sol coastline.
History
Málaga was founded in the 12th century
BC by the Phoenicians, who built a fortress where the city now stands. The Phoenician period lasted until around 550
BC, when Málaga was conquered by the Carthaginians; the Romans colonized the area in 218
BC. The city was occupied by the Moors in
AD 711, and became capital of the Moorish kingdom of Málaga from the 13th century, until it was captured in 1487 by the Catholic monarchs,
Ferdinand II and
Isabella I. The city's strategic position on the Straits of Gibraltar made it an important trading post for Africa and the Americas, especially during the industrialization of the 19th century. It became home to a large number of immigrant communities, including Italians, Berbers, Syrians, Jews, and Germans.
Features The city has a large cathedral (1528–1782), which has elements of Gothic, baroque, and neoclassical architecture. Although it was originally intended that the cathedral have two towers, funding only provided for one, giving rise to the local nickname of La Manquita (‘the one-armed’). It contains 40 wooden statues of the saints carved by the celebrated 17th-century sculptor Pedro de Mena. There is also a 15th-century Gothic church and the ruins of a Moorish alcazar (fortified palace). |
| The artist Pablo Picasso was born here in 1881, and the Museo Picasso Málaga, celebrating his life and work, opened in 2003. |
Málaga
| Province of southern Spain in Andalusia autonomous community; area 7,275 sq km/2,809 sq mi; population (2001 est) 1,257,400. The capital is Málaga. The province is mountainous, reaching 2,100 m/6,890 ft at some points. The lowlands, particularly the coastal plain, are very fertile, and produce includes oranges, olives, melons, pomegranates, sugar cane, Málaga wine, and cotton. The southern coastline, the Costa del Sol, is on the Mediterranean Sea, and has become a highly developed tourist area. Other towns in the province include Ronda, Marbella, and Torremolinos. |
| The area has had a succession of invaders and settlers, most notably the Phoenicians in about 1000 BC, the Greeks in about 600 BC, and the Romans in 218 BC. The Moors invaded in AD 711, maintaining their control over Málaga until it was lost to the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand II and Isabella I, in 1487. Although the Moors were expelled from Spain, they left behind an enduring cultural legacy in the province, especially in their architecture. |
