Andalusia << an duh LOO zhuh >>, also spelled Andalucía << ahn duh loo SEE uh or ahn duh loo THEE uh >>, is a mountain and plains region of southern Spain. It covers about 33,821 square miles (87,597 square kilometers). Andalusia is divided into the provinces of Almería, Granada, Jaén, Málaga, Cádiz, Córdoba, Huelva, and Seville. It is the most populated of Spain’s 17 regions. About 8,500,000 people live in Andalusia. The area is known for its mild climate, mountains, and flamenco music.
Traditionally, Andalusia was a farming region, producing olive oil, wheat, and wine. Landownership was distributed unevenly, especially in western Andalusia. There, large estates owned by wealthy aristocrats employed hundreds of thousands of laborers for a few months each year. Industrialization, mass migrations, and the growth of tourism from the 1950’s to the 1970’s transformed Andalusia’s economy. Since the 1960’s, the region has experienced a rapid increase in tourism, particularly in the area called the Costa del Sol (Sunny Coast) around the city of Málaga.
In 1977, following the lengthy dictatorship of Francisco Franco, democracy was restored to Spain. In 1981, Andalusia gained regional autonomy (self-government) within the new parliamentary monarchy. Since that time, the policy of the regional government has been to modernize and diversify the economy and to improve education and social services. Andalusia has made significant progress in these areas.
