From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Almería is a province of southern Spain. It is bordered by the
provinces of Granada, Murcia, and
the Mediterranean Sea. Its capital is Almería.
Its area is 8,769 km². Its population is 546,499 (2002)
with a density of 62.32/km². It contains 101 municipalities.
Almeria belongs to the Autonomous Community of Andalucia, in Southern
Spain.
Geography
Europe's only desert is
found in Almería, and is part of the National Park of Sierra
Nevada (in the Sierra Nevada mountain range),
which it shares with Granada province.
The desert landscape and climate that characterizes part of the
province have made it an ideal setting for Western films,
especially during the 1960s. Because of the demand for these
locations, quite a number of Western towns were built near the Desert of Tabernas. Films
such as The Good, the Bad and the
Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars were
shot here. Years later the film of 800 Bullets was
filmed in the same place. Large sections of Lawrence of Arabia and
Patton
were shot there as well.
The principal river is Rio Andarax (Andarax River), which is
located near Granada in the Alpujarras. The Beninar pressure, which
is located near Darrical, gives part of the water needed in the
production in greenhouses.
Fauna
Interesting and unique species of animals native to the Alto
Almanzora are in the process of extinction.
Economy
The most important economic activity is greenhouse farming.
Millions of tons of vegetables are exported to other European
countries and other parts of the world each year. Tourism is also a
key sector of the economy, due to the sunny weather and attractive
areas such as Roquetas de Mar, Aguadulce, Almerimar, Vera or Cabo
de Gata.
The principal industrial activity is in the Macael (Comarca del Marmol) canteras marble quarrying area in the
Sierra de los Filabres region from Macael Viejo to Chercos, Lijar
and Cobdar which produce in excess of 1.3 million tons. The
Cantoria, Fines, Olula del Rio and Purchena area of the Alto
Almanzora valley is fast becoming the regional megalopolis through
high imports and exports and employment in local, national and
international marble processing. All the tourist accommodations and
construction throughout coastal Spain has driven high demand and
brought huge modernisation. Small pueblos of
agriculturalists have given rise to computerized machining
factories.
The German-Spanish Calar Alto Astronomical
Observatory is one of the most important observatories of
Spain. France's Michelin operates a research
center in Cabo de Gata and in Tabernas there is a
solar energy research center, PSA.
History
The rich customs and Fiestas of the denizens retain links deep into
the past, unto the Moors, the Romans, the Greeks, and the
Phoenicians.
During the taifa era, it was
ruled by the Moor Banu al-Amiri from 1012 to 1038, briefly annexed
by Valencia (1038-1041), then given by Zaragoza to the Banu Sumadih dynasty
until its conquest by the Almoravids in 1091. Some centuries later,
it became part of the kingdom of Granada.
Largest
salad
On September 29, 2007, Pulpí, in Almería (province), Spain tossed the world's largest salad, with 6,700 kilograms (14,740 pounds) of
lettuce, tomato, onion, pepper and olives, supervised by 20 cooks
over 3 hours. A Guinness World Records judge was present to confirm the
new record. The salad was prepared in a container 18m (59ft) long
and 4.8m (15.7ft) wide.[1]
| Demographic
evolution |
| Year |
Population |
% Spain |
| 1857 |
315.664 |
2,04% |
| 1900 |
359.013 |
1,93% |
| 1910 |
380.388 |
1,90% |
| 1920 |
358.149 |
1,67% |
| 1930 |
341.550 |
1,44% |
| 1940 |
359.730 |
1,38% |
| 1950 |
357.401 |
1,27% |
| 1960 |
360.777 |
2,33% |
| 1970 |
375.004 |
2,71% |
| 1981 |
405.019 |
1,18% |
| 1991 |
465.662 |
1,10% |
| 1996 |
501.761 |
1,18% |
| 2001 |
533.168 |
1,30% |
| 2006 |
635.850 |
1,42% |
See also
External
links
References
Coordinates: 37°10′N 2°20′W / 37.167°N
2.333°W / 37.167;
-2.333
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