{{otheruses}}
{{Autonomous community
|name = Andalusia
|full-name = Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía
|flag = Bandera de Andalucia.svg
|coat-of-arms = Escudo Andalucía.png
|motto = Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad<br />({{lang-es|Andalusia by herself, for Spain and for Humankind}})
|map = Localización Andalucía.png
|capital = &nbsp;[[Seville]]
|language = [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
|area = 87,268
|area-rank = 2nd
|area-magnitude = E10
|area-percent = 17.2%
|pop = 7,975,672
|pop-rank = 1st
|pop-date = 2006
|pop-percent = 17.84
|density = 91.39
|english-name = Andalusian
|spanish-name = Andaluz, andaluza
|autonomy = [[December 30]] [[1981]]
|congress = 62
|senate = 40
|president = [[Manuel Chaves González]] ([[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSOE]])
|president-link = List of Presidents of Andalusia
|code = AN
|website = [http://www.juntadeandalucia.es Junta de Andalucía]
|anthem = [[La bandera blanca y verde]]
}}
[[Image:Calatrava Puente del Alamillo Seville.jpg|thumb|[[Puente del Alamillo|Alamillo Bridge]], [[Seville]] designed by [[Santiago Calatrava]] ]]
[[Image:Malecón de La Caleta, Cádiz.JPG|thumb|[[Malecón]] of La Caleta, [[Cádiz]] ]]

'''Andalusia''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Andalucía'')<!-- Arabic language is NOT official --> is an [[autonomous communities of Spain|autonomous community of Spain]]. Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest, in terms of its land area, of the seventeen autonomous communities of the [[Spain|Kingdom of Spain]]. Its capital is [[Seville]].

Andalusia is located 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]], the [[Strait of Gibraltar]], which separates [[Spain]] from [[Morocco]], and the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. The small [[British overseas territory]] of [[Gibraltar]] shares a three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian [[province of Cádiz]] at the eastern end of the [[Strait of Gibraltar]].

==History==

===Tartessians and Phoenicians===
[[Tartessos]], home of the once-powerful Tartessian civilization, was founded in Andalusia in pre-Roman times. The [[Phoenicians]] colonized several areas on the Andalusian coast during the latter part of the second millennium BCE. The most important settlement was [[Cadiz]] (Gdr or Gdz in Hebrew) around 1100 BC.

===Carthaginians and Romans===
With the fall of the Phoenician cities, [[Carthage]] became the dominant sea power in the western Mediterranean and the most important trading partner for the [[Semitic]] towns along the Andalusian coast. Between the first and second Carthaginian wars, Carthage extended its control beyond Andalusia to include all of Iberia except the Basquelands. Andalusia was the major staging ground for the war vs Rome led by the Barkid [[Hannibal]]. The Romans defeated the Carthaginians and conquered Andalusia, the region being renamed [[Betica]].

===Vandals and Visigoths===
{{section-stub}}
The [[Vandals]] moved briefly through the region during the [[5th century]] CE before settling in [[North Africa]], after which the region fell into the hands of the [[Visigoths|Kingdom of the Visigoths]] who had to face the Byzantine interests in the region.

===Arabs and Moors===
{{See also|Al-Andalus}}
The [[Muslim conquests#Conquest of Hispania: 711-718|Umayyad Caliphate invasion]] of the [[Iberian peninsula]] in 711-718 marked the collapse of Visigothic rule. Andalucian culture was deeply influenced by half a millennium of Muslim rule during the [[Middle Ages]]. [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] became the largest and richest city in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world. The [[Moors]] established universities in Andalucia, and cultivated scholarship, bringing together the greatest achievements of all of the civilizations they had encountered. During that period Moorish and Jewish scholars played a major part in reviving and contributing to Western [[astronomy]], [[medicine]], [[philosophy]] and [[mathematics]]. With the fall of [[Seville]] in 1248 most of Andalucia came under [[Castilian]] control, leaving only the [[emirate]] of [[Granada]] under Muslim rule until it too was conquered by the [[Catholic monarchs]], [[Ferdinand]] and [[Isabella]] in 1492. The largest Arabic speaking population was in Andalucia, which also received Moors from other regions who were driven south by the [[Reconquista]], and although many either converted or left later, they gave the region its distinctive character till this day.

Andalucia is known for its [[Moors|Moorish]] and Moorish influenced architecture. Notable examples include the [[Alhambra]] in [[Granada]], the [[Mezquita]] in [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], the [[Torre del Oro]] and [[Giralda]] towers. Other architectural styles include Mozarabic, such as the [[Reales Alcázares]] in [[Seville]], and the [[Alcazaba (Málaga)|Alcazaba]] in [[Málaga]]. Archaeological ruins include [[Medina Azahara]], near Córdoba, and the Roman city of [[Itálica]], near Seville, and at [[Palos de la Frontera]], in the province of [[Huelva]], the Andalusian port from which Columbus's expedition of discovery was launched.

The [[Spanish language]] spoken in the [[Americas]] is largely descended from the [[Andalusian dialect]] of [[Spanish language|Spanish]], although the Spanish spoken at the Canary Islands resembles more the Spanish spoken in the Caribbean. This is due to the role played by [[Seville]] as the gateway to Spain's American territories during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Andalusia Day (in Spanish, ''Día de Andalucía'') is celebrated on [[February 28]], to commemorate the date of the successful referendum vote on [[autonomous communities of Spain|autonomy]].
<!-- ==Geography==
==Economy==
==Transports and commerce== -->

==Administrative divisions==
[[Image:Mosque of Cordoba Spain.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The [[Mezquita]] in Córdoba]]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Province !! Capital !! Population !! Density !! Municipalities
|-
! [[Almería (province)|Almería]]
| [[Almería]] || 635.850 || 72,47 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Almería|Municipalities]]
|-
! [[Cádiz (province)|Cádiz]]
| [[Cádiz]] || 1.180.817 || 158,80 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Cádiz|Municipalities]]
|-
! [[Córdoba (province)|Córdoba]]
| [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] || 788.287 || 72,47 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Córdoba|Municipalities]]
|-
! [[Granada (province)|Granada]]
| [[Granada]] || 882.184 || 68,70 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Granada|Municipalities]]
|-
! [[Huelva (province)|Huelva]]
| [[Huelva]] || 483.792 || 47,67 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Huelva|Municipalities]]
|-
! [[Jaén (province)|Jaén]]
| [[Jaén]] || 662.751 || 49,09 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Jaén|Municipalities]]
|-
! [[Málaga (province)|Málaga]]
| [[Málaga]] || 1.491.287 || 204,06 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Málaga|Municipalities]]
|-
! [[Seville (province)|Seville]]
| [[Seville]] || 1.813.908 || 129,23 hab./km² || [[List of municipalities in Seville|Municipalities]]
|}

[[Image:Mapa de las provincias de Andalucía.png|thumb|right|200px|Provinces of Andalusia]]

'''Other''' important Andalusian cities are:
*[[El Ejido]], and [[Roquetas de Mar]], Almería
*[[La Línea de la Concepción]], [[Algeciras]], [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda]], [[Rota, Spain|Rota]], [[San Fernando]], [[Jerez]], and [[El Puerto de Santa María|El Puerto]], Cádiz
*[[Almuñécar]], [[Guadix]], [[Loja, Granada|Loja]] and [[Motril]], Granada
*[[Linares]], [[Úbeda]] and [[Baeza]], Jaén
*[[Antequera]], [[Ronda]], [[Gaucin]] and [[Marbella]], Málaga
*[[Dos Hermanas]], [[Lebrija]], [[Osuna]] and [[Utrera]], Sevilla

==Economy==
According to the Spanish [[Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)|Instituto Nacional de Estadística]], the GDP per capita of Andalusia (€17,401, 2006) is still the second lowest in Spain. At the same time, the economic growth rate for the 2000-2006 period was 3.72%, one of the highest in the country.<ref> [http://www.google.es/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diariodesevilla.es%2Farticle%2Feconomia%2F19254%2Fla%2Frenta%2Fcapita%2Fandaluza%2Falcanza%2Flos%2Feuros%2Fla%2Fsegunda%2Fmas%2Fbaja%2Fespana.html&ei=yeR0R6-VD5Cc0QTIzdRE&usg=AFQjCNFddsDkDTxBOtTkbX-e-o-8SXz2Yw&sig2=PQQIwJA4SwTK5H4b_wDGGw "La renta per cápita andaluza alcanza los 17.401 euros, la segunda más baja de España"], ''Diario de Sevilla'', 28 December 2007, pg. 40</ref>

==Transports and commerce==
The main road in the region is the European Route E15.

==Government and Politics==

The Autonomous Community of Andalusia is administrated through the "Junta de Andalucia" and is one of the 4 historic regions of Spain. It has a local parliament and president.


<!-- ==Tourism in Andalusia==
{{Lopsided}}

Ths south of Spain is somewhat legendary for it's attraction to overseas visitors - especially the Brits. While inland areas such as [[Jaen]], [[Cordoba]] and the hill villages and towns remain in part untouched by the throngs of tourists, the coastal areas of Andalusia are heavy with visitors for much of the year.

House prices and new developments continue to increase in response to the hundreds of thousands of happy holidaymakers who flock year after year to enjoy the gentle Mediterranean sea breezes and home-away-from-home comforts (Irish bars, chinese restautants, kebab vans and the like)

The discerning visitor who wishes to enjoy something of the real Spain will head inland. A longer drive might seem like a chore, but with areas like the [[Sierra de Grazalema]] and the national parks, and the pretty white villages that hide around every mountain bend, you won't regret leaving the more obvious pleasures of the coast behind you.
-->

==Monuments==
==Native or Famous people from Andalusia==
{{main|List of Andalusians}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-1-of-3}}
*[[Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi]]
*[[Alejandro Sanz]]
*[[Antonio Banderas]]
*[[Antonio Gala]]
*[[Averroes]]
*[[Blas Infante]]
*[[Camarón de la Isla]]
*[[Carmen Sevilla]]
*[[Chiquito de la Calzada]]
*[[Cristina Hoyos]]
*[[David Bisbal]]
{{col-2-of-3}}
*[[Enrique Morente]]
*[[Estrella Morente]]
*[[Eva Yerbabuena]]
*[[Diego Velázquez]]
*[[Federico García Lorca]]
*[[Felipe González]]
*[[Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer]]
*[[Ibn Bajjah]]
*[[Isabel Pantoja]]
*[[Israel Galván]]
*[[Jean Reno]]
{{col-3-of-3}}
*[[Lola Flores]]
*[[Maimonides]]
*[[Manolo Caracol]]
*[[Manuel de Falla]]
*[[Pablo Picasso]]
*[[Paco de Lucía]]
*[[Rocío Jurado]]
*[[Rosa López]]
*[[Sara Baras]]
*[[Seneca the Younger]]
*[[Tomatito]]
*[[Trajan]]
{{col-end}}

==See also==
*[[Andalusian people]]
*[[List of Andalusians]]
*[[Andalusian nationalism]]
*[[Music of Andalusia]]
*[[Andalusian cuisine]]
*[[Flamenco]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
<!--| DO NOT ADD MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF |-->
<!--| LINKS. If you think that your link might be useful, do not add it here, |-->
<!--| but put it on this article's discussion page first or submit your link |-->
<!--| to the appropriate category at the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org)|-->
<!--| and link back to that category using the {{dmoz}} template. |-->
<!--| |-->
<!--| Links that have not been verified WILL BE DELETED. |-->
<!--| See [[Wikipedia:External links]] and [[Wikipedia:Spam]] for details |-->
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
*[http://www.andalucia.org/modulos.php?modulo=Index&nuevoidioma=eng Official Tourism Website of Andalusia]
*[http://www.andalusia.org/ A wide range of information of Andalusia]
*[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/es-an_hi.html History of the Andalusian Flag]
*[http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/Spain/Andalucia/Andalucia.htm Andalucia Photo and History Pages]
*[http://www.yourmarbella.com/ Meet people in Andalucia]
*[http://www.fiestasdeandalucia.com/ FiestasdeAndalucia.com] Fairs and traditional fiestas of Andalusia

{{Provinces of Andalusia}}
{{Administrative divisions of Spain}}

[[Category:Andalusia]]
[[Category:Autonomous communities of Spain]]
[[Category:Vandal history]]
[[Category:NUTS 2 statistical regions of the European Union]]
[[Category:Historic Jewish communities]]

[[ar:منطقة الأندلس ذاتية الحكم]]
[[an:Andaluzía]]
[[frp:Andalosie]]
[[ast:Andalucía]]
[[bn:আন্দালুসিয়া]]
[[bs:Andaluzija]]
[[bg:Андалусия]]
[[ca:Andalusia]]
[[cs:Andalusie]]
[[cy:Andalucía]]
[[da:Andalusien]]
[[de:Andalusien]]
[[et:Andaluusia]]
[[el:Ανδαλουσία]]
[[es:Andalucía]]
[[eo:Andaluzio]]
[[eu:Andaluzia]]
[[fa:اندلس]]
[[fo:Andalusia]]
[[fr:Andalousie]]
[[ga:Andalucía]]
[[gv:Andalusia]]
[[gl:Andalucía]]
[[got:𐍅𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌻𐌹𐍄𐌾𐌰]]
[[hr:Andaluzija]]
[[io:Andaluzia]]
[[id:Andalusia]]
[[ia:Andalusia]]
[[it:Andalusia]]
[[he:אנדלוסיה]]
[[jv:Andalusia]]
[[ka:ანდალუსია]]
[[ko:안달루시아 지방]]
[[kw:Andalousi]]
[[sw:Andalusia]]
[[ku:Endulus (herêm)]]
[[lad:Andaluziya]]
[[la:Vandalitia]]
[[lv:Andalūzija]]
[[lb:Andalusien]]
[[lt:Andalūzija]]
[[hu:Andalúzia]]
[[mi:Andalusia]]
[[ms:Andalusia]]
[[nah:Andaluxia]]
[[nl:Andalusië]]
[[ja:アンダルシア州]]
[[no:Andalucía]]
[[nn:Andalucía]]
[[oc:Andalosia]]
[[pl:Andaluzja]]
[[pt:Andaluzia]]
[[ro:Andaluzia]]
[[rmy:Andalusiya]]
[[qu:Andalucía]]
[[ru:Андалусия]]
[[simple:Andalusia]]
[[sk:Andalúzia]]
[[sr:Андалузија]]
[[fi:Andalusia]]
[[sv:Andalusien]]
[[tl:Andalucía]]
[[th:แคว้นอันดาลูเซีย]]
[[tr:Endülüs Özerk Bölgesi]]
[[uk:Андалусія]]
[[zh:安達魯西亞]]