Málaga is a port city in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. At the 2008 census the population is 566,447.
The population of the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) is 1.100.082, ranking as the fifth largest metropolitan area in Spain. Málaga is surrounded by mountains, lying in the southern base of the Axarquía hills, and two rivers, the Guadalmedina - the historic center is located on its left bank - and the Guadalhorce, which flows west of the city into the Mediterranean.
The inner city of Málaga is just behind the harbour. The quarters of El Perchel, La Trinidad and Lagunillas surround this centre. The city has much revenue from the agricultural sector and from tourism.
The Holy Week, and the Málaga Fair ("Feria de Málaga") are two well-known Málaga festivals. The Malaguenos choose the hottest month of the year, August, to celebrate the Feria de Malaga. The streets are transformed into symbols of Spanish culture and history, with sweet wine, tapas, and live flamenco shows filling the town. The day events consist of live music and dancing, while the night fair is moved to the Recinto Ferial, consisting of restaurants, clubs, and an entire fair ground with rides & games.
The city is a tourist destination, due mainly to its proximity to the Costa del Sol. Tourists also visit here to see the birthplace of Pablo Picasso. From Málaga, other cities like Seville, Córdoba, Granada, and Jaén can be reached by train, bus or car.
A popular walk leads up the hill to the Gibralfaro castle (a Parador), offering views over the city. The castle is next to the Alcazaba, which in turn is next to the inner city of Málaga. A walk takes the Paseo del Parque (a promenade that runs alongside a park with many palm trees and statue) to the harbour, finishing in Calle Larios the main commercial street of the city.
The climate is mild, the mean annual temperature being about 19 °C (66 °F). For its broad sky and wide bay the city has been compared to Naples. The highest recorded temperature was +44.1 (18.7.1978) and the lowest recorded was -3.8 (4.2.1954).
Malaga"s location ensures a Mediterranean type of climate with a pleasant weather. The mountains and the sandy, warm Mediterranean coastline calls in for a mild weather throughout the year. The city experiences fairly hot summers and cool, dry winters. Summer temperatures tend to be higher with cooler evenings.
The oldest architectural remains in the city is the Roman theater which dates from the 1st century BCE, and that was rediscovered fortuitously in 1951.
The Moors left the dominating castle on mount Gibralfaro that is connected to the Alcazaba, the lower fortress and regal residence. Both constructions built during the Taifas period (11th century) and extended during the Nasrid period (13th and 14th centuries.). The Alcazaba stands on a hill within the city of Malaga. Originally, the Alcazaba monument defended the city from the incursions of pirates. Later, in the mid-11th century, it was completely rebuilt, by the Hammudid dynasty. Occupying the eastern hillside that rises from the sea and overlooks the city, the Alcazaba was surrounded by palms and pine trees.
Like many of the military fortifications that were constructed in Islamic Spain, the Alcazaba of Malaga featured a quadrangular plan. It was protected by an outer and inner wall, both supported by rectangular towers, between which a covered walkway led up the slope to the Gibralfaro. (This was the only exchange between the two sites.) Due to its rough and awkward hillside topography, corridors throughout the site provided a means of communications for administrative and defensive operations, also affording privacy to the palatial residential quarters. The entrance of the complex featured a grand tower that led into a sophisticated double bent entrance. After passing through several gates, open yards with beautiful gardens of pine and eucalyptus trees, and the inner wall through the Puerta de Granada, one finds the eleventh and fourteenth century governor"s palace. It was organized around a central rectangular courtyard with a triple-arched gateway and some of the rooms have been preserved until today. An open eleventh century mirador (belvedere), to the south of this area, affords views of the gardens and sea below. Measuring 2.5 square meters, this small structure highlighted scalloped, five-lobed arches. To the north of this area were a waterwheel and Cyclopean well, penetrating forty meters below ground, a hammam, workshops and the monumental Puerta de la Torre del Homenaje, the northernmost point of the inner walls. Directly beyond was the passage to the Gibralfaro above.
The church of Santiago (St James) is a splendid manifestation of Gothic-Mudejar, the hybrid style that evolved after the reconquista incorporating elements from both Christian and Islamic tradition. Also from the period is the Iglesia del Sagrario, which was raised on the site of the old mosque immediately after the city fell to Christian troops. It boasts a richly ornamental portal in the Isabeline-Gothic style, unique in the city.
The Cathedral and the Episcopal palace were planned with renaissance ideals but fell short of funds and were finished in baroque style.
The Iglesia de la Victoria built in the late 17th century has a spectacular chapel in which the vertical volume is filled with elaborate baroque plasterwork.
The Phoenicians from Tyre founded the city here circa 1000 BCE. The name Malaka is probably derived from the Phoenician word for "salt" because fish was salted near the harbour.
In the 8th century, duríng the Muslim Arabic rule over Spain, the city became an important centre of trade. Málaga was first a possession of the Caliphate of Córdoba. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, it became the capital of a distinct kingdom, dependent on Granada. During this time, the city was called M?laqah (Arabic).
The traveller Ibn Battuta, who passed through around 1325, characterised it as "one of the largest and most beautiful towns of Andalusia [uniting] the conveniences of both sea and land, and is abundantly supplied with foodstuffs and fruits". He praised its grapes, figs, and almonds; "its ruby-coloured Murcian pomegranates have no equal in the world." Another export good was "excellent gilded pottery". The town"s mosque was large and beautiful, with "exceptionally tall orange trees" in its courtyard.
Málaga was one of the Iberian cities where Arab rule persisted the longest, having been part of the Emirate of Granada while most other part of the peninsula already succumpbed to the reconquista, the medieval Christian Spanish struggled to drive the Muslim Arabs out. Málaga was conquered by Christian forces in 1487, five years beofre the fall of Granada.
On 24 August 1704 the indecisive Battle of Vélez-Málaga, largest naval battle in the War of the Spanish Succession, took place in the sea south of Málaga.
Málaga did not undergo fierce bombing by Nationalist or Republican air forces during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The well-known British journalist and writer Arthur Koestler was captured by the Nationalist forces on their entry into Málaga, which formed the material for his book Spanish Testament.
Tourism on the adjacent Costa del Sol boosted the city"s economy from the 1960s onwards.
The magnum opus of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, "Malagueña", is named for the music of the Gypsies of this region of Spain.