Malaga is the capital of the province by the same name, and one of the most important cities in the region of Andalucia. With its location on the Mediterranean coast, specifically the Costa del Sol, the city is also an important tourist centre. Malaga is slightly larger than Oslo (561.250 inhabitant in 2007). If you include its suburbs, the population passes one million. In the province of Malaga there are today well over 1,5 million inhabitants.
Climate
Malaga has an exceptionally tourist friendly climate with 300 complete sunshine days a year, and you can pick and choose from the many, long and inviting beaches in the area. The city has two mountain ranges ”in the back”, and these act as a protective barrier against the cold air from the north, making it mild throughout the year. The annual average temperature is around 19 degrees Celcius. The Malaga mountains were in 1989 declared a national park.
History
The city’s oldest history dates back to around 1000 BC when the Phoenicians founded the market place Malaka here. The town later became an important economic centre for the Moors, who conquered Spain in 700 BC. The modern Malaga grew into a big city in the 1900’s, when the iron and steel industries in particular laid the foundation for a strong economic expansion and population growth.
The two major rivers, Guadalmedina and Guadalhorce, run through the town and the Guadalmina spilts the centre in two. On the left bank we find the historic centre, while the modern city extends beyond the right bank. Malaga is also an important seaport and the port (Puerto de Malaga) is well developed and has over the past decades become Spain’s second largest cruise port. The central downtown is within the port area and is otherwise surrounded by the headquarters of EL Perchel, La Trinidad and Langunillas.
Infrastructure
The infrastructure is well developed. Malaga has good train and bus links to the rest of the country, and is also connected to the Mediterranean motorway, the A7/E15. The train service to Madrid has for many years been fast and reliable, thanks to the rapid Talgo 300. On the 27. December 2007 the service was further enhanced by introducing the high speed train AVE (with a top speed of 300 km/h). This is something which reduces the travel time for the 500 km stretch by 1 ½ hours, and one can now travel from Malaga to the Spanish capital in an amazing 2 ½ hours. Malaga Airport (Aeropuerto de Malaga) is located halfway between Malaga and Torremolinos and is the largest airport in Andalucia. It is also Spain’s fourth busiest. No less than 13,5 million passengers were served in 2007.