Malaga Tourist Information

Malaga

"Malaga (Phoenician: Malaka, Arabic: Mālaqah (مالقة)‎) is a city in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the second most populous city of Andalusia, the sixth largest in Spain and 43rd-most populous municipality in the European Union, with a population of 566,447 in 2008. It is the 8th largest European city above the Mediterranean Sea and experiences the warmest winters of any European city with a population over 250,000, with a Mediterranean-Subtropical climate. It lies in southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun), about 100 km on east from the Strait of Gibraltar.
Malaga, together with Rincon de la Victoria, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Alhaurin de la Torre create an urban area named Greater Malaga populated by 824,842 in 561.71 km² (density 1,468 hab / km²). The population of the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) is 1,091,228 (according to Plan de Ordenación del Territorio de la Aglomeración Urbana de Málaga), ranking it as the fifth largest metropolitan area in Spain.
The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabian and Christian epochs convert the historic center into an "Open Museum" displaying its rich history of more than 3,000 years. Malaga is the birthplace of artist Pablo Picasso and was the port city for Spanish military leader Bernardo de Gálvez, who served as Louisiana Governor.
This important cultural infrastructure and the rich artistic heritage make Malaga a deserving candidate for the 2016 European Capital of Culture.
It was Vicente Aleixandre, 1977 Nobel Prize laureate for Literature, who first called Malaga a "City of Paradise" which is a fitting description for the city. In addition to the fact that parks and green spaces throughout the city are covered with the beautiful Strelitzia flower commonly known as a Bird of Paradise, Malaga is a paradise in every sense of the word, from its charming citizens to its wonderful climate. Mild winters, comfortable summers and 300+ days of sunshine have converted Malaga into a golfer´s paradise with over 50 golf courses in the area. Malaga is a paradise in terms of quality of life given its privileged location between the mountains and the sea, its excellent transportation infrastructure, its vibrant business environment, its prestigious university atmosphere and its important cultural heritage."

This articol is release from GNU Free Documentation License. It use material from Wikipedia voices: "Malaga".