Map of Andalucía
Andalucía is a first-level division of Spain. Its largest mapped city is Seville, with about 1.21 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Andalucía, and the tables list its 11 mapped cities along with the mountains, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 11
- Largest City
- Seville
- Country
- Spain
- Highest Point Mapped
- 3,479 m
Interactive Map of Andalucía
About Andalucía
Andalusia (UK: AN-də-LOO-see-ə, -zee-ə, US: -zh(ee-)ə, -sh(ee-)ə; Spanish: Andalucía [andaluˈθi.a] , locally also [-ˈsi.a]) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognized as a historical nationality and a national reality. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga, and Seville. Its capital city is Seville, while the seat of its High Court of Justice is the city of Granada.
Andalusia is immediately south of the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha; west of the autonomous community of Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea; east of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean; and north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. The British Overseas Territory and city of Gibraltar, located at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar, shares a 1.2-kilometre (3⁄4 mi) land border with the Andalusian province of Cádiz.
The main mountain ranges of Andalusia are the Sierra Morena and the Baetic System, consisting of the Subbaetic and Penibaetic Mountains, separated by the Intrabaetic Basin and with the latter system containing the Iberian Peninsula's highest point (Mulhacén, in the subrange of Sierra Nevada). In the north, the Sierra Morena separates Andalusia from the plains of Extremadura and Castile–La Mancha on Spain's Meseta Central. To the south lies the western part of the Baetic System, while the north and west feature the Baetic Depression of the valley of the Guadalquivir.
The name Andalusia is derived from the Arabic word Al-Andalus (الأندلس), which in turn may be derived from the Vandals, the Goths or pre-Roman Iberian tribes. The toponym al-Andalus is first attested by inscriptions on coins minted in 716 by the new Muslim government of Iberia.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Andalusia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Andalucía in Depth
History
The geostrategic position of Andalusia, at the southernmost tip of Europe, between Europe and Africa and between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, has made it a hub for various civilizations since the Metal Ages. Its wealth of minerals and fertile land, combined with its large surface area, attracted settlers from the Phoenicians to the Greeks, who influenced the development of early cultures like Los Millares, El Argar, and Tartessos. These early Andalusian societies played a vital role in the region's transition from prehistory to protohistory.
With the Roman conquest, Andalusia became fully integrated into the Roman world as the prosperous province of Baetica, which contributed emperors like Trajan and Hadrian to the Roman Empire.
Geography
Andalusia has a surface area of 87,597 square kilometres (33,821 sq mi), 17.3% of the territory of Spain. Andalusia alone is comparable in extent and in the variety of its terrain to any of several of the smaller European countries. To the east is the Mediterranean Sea; to the west Portugal and the Gulf of Cádiz (Atlantic Ocean); to the north the Sierra Morena constitutes the border with the Meseta Central; to the south, the self-governing British overseas territory of Gibraltar and the Strait of Gibraltar separate it from Morocco.
Andalusia is home to the hottest and driest climates in Spain, with yearly average rainfall around 150 millimetres (5.9 in) in Cabo de Gata, as well as some of the wettest ones, with yearly average rainfall above 2,000 millimetres (79 in) in inland Cádiz.
Economy
Andalusia is traditionally an agricultural area, but the service sector (particularly tourism, retail sales, and transportation) now predominates. The once booming construction sector, hit hard by the 2009 recession, was also important to the region's economy. The industrial sector is less developed than most other regions in Spain.
Between 2000 and 2006 economic growth per annum was 3.72%, one of the highest in the country. Still, according to the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of Andalusia (€17,401; 2006) remains the second lowest in Spain, with only Extremadura lagging behind. The GDP of the autonomous community was 160.6 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 13.4% of Spanish economic output.
Demographics
Andalusia ranks first by population among the 17 autonomous communities of Spain. The estimated population as of 1 January 2026 was 8,733,535. The population is concentrated mainly in the provincial capitals and along the coasts. The level of urbanization is quite high; half the population is concentrated in the 28 cities of more than 50,000 inhabitants. While the population is aging, the process of immigration is countering the inversion of the population pyramid.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Andalusia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
History of Andalucía: Empires and States
The atlas records 23 polities whose mapped territory included part of Andalucía, from Carthage in 230 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Carthage | 230–204 BCE |
| Roman Republic | 203–32 BCE |
| The Roman Empire | 31 BCE – 468 CE |
| Western Roman Empire | 395–468 CE |
| Vandals | 410–438 CE |
| Kingdom of the Suebi | 441–457 CE |
| Visigothic Kingdom | 458–717 CE |
| The Byzantine Empire | 555–576 CE |
| Eastern Roman Empire | 555–576 CE |
| The Umayyad Caliphate | 718–756 CE |
| Emirate of Córdoba | 757–935 CE |
| Caliphate of Córdoba | 936–1027 CE |
| Taifa of Granada | 1015–1084 CE |
| Taifas of Iberia | 1015–1151 CE |
| Taifa of Seville | 1072–1093 CE |
| Almoravid Dynasty | 1094–1151 CE |
| Almohad Caliphate | 1147–1249 CE |
| Crown of Castile | 1236–1515 CE |
| The Spanish Empire | 1516–1931 CE |
| Kingdom of Spain | 1516–2024 CE |
| Iberian Union | 1582–1639 CE |
| Second Spanish Republic | 1932–1938 CE |
| Francoist Spain | 1939–1975 CE |
Historical Maps of Andalucía
Andalucía on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Andalucía
Andalusia (Spanish: Andalucía) is the southern part of Spain. It has a heritage back to the Roman Empire, and a diverse scenery of deserts, beaches along the Costa del Sol and Costa de la Luz and the Sierra Nevada range, with Iberia's tallest mountains, and Europe's southernmost ski resorts.
Andalusia encompasses an area of 87,268 km2 with 8.4 million inhabitants. To the south in the Province of Cadiz at the very tip of Spain lies the British overseas territory of Gibraltar where it is separate from North Africa by just a few miles.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Andalusia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Andalucía
11 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seville | 1.21 million | Andalucía | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Málaga | 550,058 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 3 | Granada | 388,290 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 4 | Córdoba | 321,376 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 5 | Cádiz | 283,157 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 6 | Marbella | 186,131 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 7 | Almería | 179,405 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 8 | Huelva | 144,174 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 9 | Jaén | 116,400 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 10 | Algeciras | 111,027 | Andalucía | Populated place |
| 11 | Linares | 59,761 | Andalucía | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Andalucía
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mulhacén | 3,479 m | 11,414 ft | Europe |
Ports in Andalucía
12 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adra | 42.1 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | point_of_interest |
| 2 | Sevilla | 42.1 m | Minor | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | medium vessels |
| 3 | Rota | 38.4 m | Very Small | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | large vessels |
| 4 | Motril | 34.7 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 5 | Almeria | 34.7 m | Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 6 | Cadiz | 31.1 m | Minor | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | medium vessels |
| 7 | Huelva | 31.1 m | Minor | Bay of Biscay & Atlantic Iberia | medium vessels |
| 8 | Aguilas | 27.4 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 9 | Hornillo | 27.4 m | Very Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
| 10 | Puerto de Carboneras | 5.5 m | Small | Western Mediterranean | medium vessels |
The other 2 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Puerto de Garrucha · Very Small · Western Mediterranean · medium vessels
- Ceuta · Minor · Western Mediterranean · medium vessels
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Andalucía
7 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada | 1984 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) |
| 2 | historic centre of Córdoba | 1984 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) |
| 3 | Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville | 1987 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iii) (vi) |
| 4 | Doñana National Park | 1994 | Natural | (vii) (ix) (x) |
| 5 | Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of Úbeda and Baeza | 2003 | Cultural | (i) (ii) (iv) |
| 6 | Antequera Dolmens Site | 2016 | Cultural | (i) (iii) (iv) |
| 7 | Madinat Al-Zahra | 2018 | Cultural | (iii) (iv) |
Andalucía: Quick Answers
- Where is Andalucía?
- Andalucía is a first-level division of Spain, in Europe. Its mapped cities centre on 37.1167° N, 4.7385° W.
- What is the largest city in Andalucía?
- Seville is the largest city mapped in Andalucía, with a metropolitan population of about 1.21 million.
- How many cities are in Andalucía?
- YearMaps maps 11 cities and towns in Andalucía, with a combined metropolitan population of about 3.55 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Andalucía?
- The highest summit mapped in Andalucía is Mulhacén at 3,479 m.