General Information

The south The autonomous region of Andalusia lies in the the south of Spain, and its coasts are bathed by both the Mediterranean and Atlantic oceans.

It borders Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha in the north, Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea in the east, the Mediterranean and Atlantic ocean in the south, and Portugal in the west. The region's scenery stands out because of its sheer diversity. Some areas are covered in mountains while others are full of plains. There are three distinct geographical structures: the sierra Morena to the north, the Guadalquivir river and Betica depression in the central part of the region, and the Betica mountain ranges in the south. The two most notable mountainous areas are the sub-Betica range, containing La Sagra massif that reaches an altitude of 2,383 metres and the Penibetica mountain range. The Sierra Nevada is also outstanding and is home to el Mulhacen, the highest mountain peak on the Iberian Peninsula reaching a height of 3,481 metres. Next comes Veleta peak at 3,392 metres. Andalusian rivers that lead into the Mediterranean sea are relatively short and contain small amounts of water. Amongst these are the Almanzora, the Almeria, the Adra, the Guadalfeo, the Guadalhore and the Guadiaro. The rivers that flow into the Atlantic are bigger and have more copious waters. The region's most important river is the Guadalquivir and its tributaries: the Guadalimar, the Guadiana Menor and the Genil. The Guadiana, the Odiel and the Tinto rivers also flow into the Atlantic. The vast stretch of coast that extends along Andalusia is filled with bays and inlets, some a little more craggy than others as we near the Betica mountain ranges. The most notable geographical quirks that are found along the coast include: the steep rock summit of Farallon, Polacra point, Gata cape, the gulf of Almeria, las Entinas point, Adra bay, Sacratif bay, Malaga bay and Calaburras point. Europa Point forms the Gibraltar headland. This is where the Spanish coast begins stretching from the straits of Gibraltar up to the cape of Trafalgar. Within the straits the most notable parts of the landscape are formed by Algeciras bay as well as by Marroqui (Moroccan) and Tarifa points.

Transportation

Seaports in the region are based around the port of Algeciras and to a lesser degree Malaga, the bay of Cadiz, Huelva, Almeria and Seville. The road network is made up of motorways, dual carriageways and major roads connecting all the province capitals with each other. The road from Huelva to Portugal (Faro) is also extremely important. The roads of Huelva, Seville and Cordoba all head out towards Extremadura. The road from Cordoba heads towards the Spanish plain via Despeñaperros. There is also a road from Villacarrillo to Albacete and roads that connect Almeria and Granada with Murcia. The most outstanding part of the rail network is the AVE high-speed train that connects Madrid with Seville in less than three hours. The high-speed train network in Andalusia runs from Seville to Cordoba to Madrid. There are also other rail networks that connect the major cities in the region with each other and with the rest of the mainland.

Administration

Regional Assembly This comprises eight provinces that include: Almeria, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Huelva, Malaga, Jaen and Seville. Its political capital is Seville. The highest institutional body of the Autonomous Region which governs the life of the people of Andalusia is the Regional Assembly of Andalusia. Article 24 of its Autonomy Statute (1981) states that it is “a political entity of self-government within an autonomous region. The Regional Assembly of Andalusia is made up of a Parliament, a Government Council and a Regional Assembly PresidentÝ. The Regional Assembly of Andalusia is made up of various Ministries that include Presidency, Tourism and Sport, Economy and Treasury, Government, Justice, Public Administration, Employment and Technological Development, Institutional Relations, Public Transport, Agriculture and Fisheries, Health, Education and Science, Culture, Environment and Social Affairs.

Back to Information page