Province of Almería
Template:Infobox Province Spain Almería is a province of the Autonomous Community of Andalucia, 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.
Geography
The highest mountain range in the Province of Almería is the 50 km long Sierra de Los Filabres.
One of Europe's driest areas is found in Almería and is part of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. The semiarid 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 [1] Desert of Tabernas. Films such as A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 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 main river is the Andarax River, which is located near Granada in the Alpujarras. The Beninar Reservoir, located near Darrical, provides part of the water needed in the production in greenhouses.[citation needed]
Fauna
Interesting and unique species of animals native to the Alto Almanzora are in the process of extinction.[citation needed]
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, Mojacar, Vera or Cabo de Gata.
Industry
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.
Research facilities
The German-Spanish Calar Alto Astronomical Observatory is one of the most important observatories of Spain.
In Tabernas there is a solar energy research center, the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA).[1]
France's Michelin operates an industrial research center in Cabo de Gata.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1857 | 315,664 | — |
| 1900 | 359,013 | +13.7% |
| 1910 | 380,388 | +6.0% |
| 1920 | 358,149 | −5.8% |
| 1930 | 341,550 | −4.6% |
| 1940 | 359,730 | +5.3% |
| 1950 | 357,401 | −0.6% |
| 1960 | 360,777 | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 375,004 | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 405,019 | +8.0% |
| 1991 | 465,662 | +15.0% |
| 1996 | 501,761 | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 533,168 | +6.3% |
| 2006 | 635,850 | +19.3% |
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. In 1454, Frederick III, Habsburg Emperor, laid siege to the city of Almeria and its province, as three other cities of the Crown of Castile: Lugo, Oviedo and Badajoz. Under the rule of Holy Roman Empire, Castile and letters sent scouts to recover Almería. One of them was in 1469 Adolfo Lopez was sent by Henry IV of Castile, of which only recovered Lugo, Badajoz and Oviedo. Twenty years later Isabel of Castile negotiates the Holy Roman Empire, will buy every centimeter of the present province of Almeria, by 0.10 mrs, the 8774 km2 which forms the province of Almeria earned a total of 87,740,000 mrs.
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 18 m (59 ft) long and 4.8 m (15.7 ft) wide.[2]
See also
External links
- maps of Almería
- Template:En icon Smart Insider Travel Guide to Almeria
- Template:Es icon Diputación Provincial de Almería (Provincial government)
- Template:Es Cabo de Gata - Níjar Natural Park
- Template:Es Sierra María - Los Vélez Natural Park
- Template:Es Sierra Nevada Natural Park
