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Almeria


Almera is the capital of the province of Almera, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea and all its area is an important Mediterranean resort. It also has the only official desert area in Europe.

History

The name "Almera" is believed to stem from Al-Mariyat: "The Mirror of the Sea", in Arabic.

The city was founded by Abd ar-Rahman III of Cordoba, in 955, as a principal harbor in his extensive domain to strengthen his Mediterranean defenses.

Its Moorish castle, Alcazaba, is the second largest among the Muslim fortresses of Andalusia after the Alhambra.

In this period, the port city of Almera reached its historical peak, continuing, after the fragmentation of the Caliphate of Cordoba, under powerful local Muslim taifa emirs like Jairan, the first independent Emir of Almera and Cartagena and Almotacin the poet emir, both fearless warriors but also patrons of the arts. A silk industry, based upon plantings of mulberry trees in the hot dry landscape supported Almera in the 11th century and made its strategic harbour an even more valuable prize. Contested by the emirs of Granada and Valencia, Almera suffered many sieges, and one especially fierce when Christians, called to the Second Crusade by Pope Eugene III, were also encouraged to fall upon the Muslim infidel on a more familiar coast.

On that occasion Alfonso VII, at the head of mixed forces of Catalans, Genoese, Pisans and Franks led a crusade against the rich city, and Almera was occupied in October 1147. Within a decade it had passed to the control of the puritanical Almoravid emirs, and though its glorious culture was diminished, not until the late 15th century did it fall permanently into Christian hands, surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, December 26, 1489.

The 16th century was for Almera a century of natural and human catastrophes, for there were at least four earthquakes of which the one in 1522 was especially violent devastating the city. The people who had remained Muslim were expelled from Almera after the War of Las Alpujarras in 1568 and scattered across Spain. Landings and attacks by Berber pirates were also frequent in that century, and continued until the early 18th century. In that time, huge iron mines were discovered and French and British companies came to settle in the area, bringing renewed prosperity and bringing Almera back to a relative importance within Spain.

During the Spanish Civil War the city was shelled by the German navy. It and Mlaga were the last cities to surrender to Francisco Franco and the fascists. In the second half of the 20th century, Almera witnessed spectacular economic growth due to tourism and its intensive agriculture, with plants grown year-round in massive 'invernaderos' - plastic-covered intensive farms.

After Franco's death and the approval of the new Spanish Constitution, the people of southern Spain were called into referendum to approve an autonomous status for the region. The province of Almeria voted in favour of it and join the newly created autonomous region of Andalusia.
 

People and culture

Famous natives of Almera include Nicols Salmern, who in 1873 was the third president of the First Spanish Republic, and several musicians, like the popular folk singer Manolo Escobar, reputed Flamenco guitar player Jos Toms "Tomatito" and Grammy Award winner David Bisbal, record-breaker album seller in America and Spain. Although administratively annexed to the Autonomus Community of Andalucia, in Southern Spain, the people of the province have always shown a clear desire for regional autonomy shown in different referendums. The island effect produced by the geographical situation has made customs, accents and history very different from the rest of the Autonomous Region of Andalucia. Almera hosted the Mediterranean Games in 2005.

Economy

Almera has an international airport, named Almera International Airport.

Almera has the largest naturist beach in Europe (also surrounded by naturist accommodations) called El Playazo despite current attempts to reduce the naturist extent of it. A great part of Almera's economy is based on agriculture, which is located mainly in the west part of the region. There we can find a sea of plastics, which are in fact green houses which produce tons of fruit and vegetables, more than 70% of the product is exported to the rest of Europe.

Geography

Almera is the driest region in Europe as well as one of the warmest with an average annual temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. Due to its arid landscape, numerous spaghetti westerns were filmed in Almera. According to Christopher Frayling, the author of 'Once Upon A Time in Italy': The Films of Sergio Leone, ' some of the sets are still there. [1] These sets are located in the desert of Tabernas. The town and region were also used by David Lean in Lawrence of Arabia (1962), John Milius in The Wind and the Lion (1975), and others. One of Almera's most famous natural spots is the Cabo de Gata-Njar Natural Park. This park is of volcanic origin, and is the largest and most ecologically significant marine-terrestrial space in the European Western Mediterranean Sea. With one of the most beautiful and ecologically rich coasts of the western Mediterranean and an area of 380 square kilometres it is one of Spain's natural jewels. The Cabo de Gata Natural Park runs through the municipal areas of Njar, Almera and Carboneras. Its villages, previously dedicated to fishing, have become tourism spots for those interested in nature. One of the greatest drawcards of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park is its beaches. You will find solitary coves, long beaches, naturist beaches and coves, or maybe a solitary corner accessible only by sea or by means of a wonderful excursion. Almeria administratively controls the Isla de Alboran North of the Morrocan

Crystal Cave

In 2000, a team of geologists found a cave filled with giant gypsum crystals in an abandoned silver mine near Almera. The cavity, which measures 1.8x1.7 meters, would be the largest geode ever found. The entrance of the cave has been blocked by five tons of rocks, and is under police protection (to prevent looters from entering). According to geological models, the cave was formed during the Messinian salinity crisis 6 million years ago, when the Mediterranean sea evaporated and left thick layers of salt sediments (evaporites). The cave is currently not accessible to tourists.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia