Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain. The Spanish form of the name is Andaluca.

Andalusia was a province of Spain until 1833, when it was divided into eight modern provinces, named for their capital cities: Almera, Cdiz, Crdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jan, Mlaga, and Seville. The region is celebrated for its fertility, picturesque beauty, and the architectural remains of Moorish civilization. the mountains of the Sierra Morena the Sierra Nevada Between these mountains in the southeast and the Sierra Morena lies the heart of Andalusia, a fertile plain watered by the Guadalquivir River and its tributaries. The settlement of the Moors in Andalusia from the 8th to 13th centuries (at Granada until 1492) left a permanent imprint on the region. The popular language spoken in Andalusia contains a greater admixture of Arabic words than is common elsewhere in Spain. Another peculiarity of Andalusian popular speech is the pronunciation of z, and of c before e or i, as s, whereas in Castilian Spanish these consonants approximate the English th. Since Seville and Cdiz were the centers through which trade and emigration were funneled to the Spanish colonies in America, the Spanish spoken in Latin America generally follows the Andalusian s rather than the Castilian th.\ The name "Andalusia" is thought to have arisen either from Vandalusia,land of the Vandals, or from al-Andalus, the term used by Arab geographers for Andalusia and for the Iberian peninsula. This Moorish period was the golden age of Andalusia, not even equaled during the prosperous 16th and 17th centuries when Seville and Cdiz held monopolies of the trade with the Americas. Under the Arabs, Crdoba, Granada, and Seville became centers of Muslim culture, commerce, and industry. Crdoba, in particular, under Abd ar-Rahman III and his successors, became "the Athens of the West," the seat of the arts and sciences. "Andalusia (Spain)." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2011. It is a land of contrasts, containing Spain's highest mountains (the Sierra Nevada chain that rises to heights of over 3,350 m (11,000 ft), its hottest lowlands (the Andalusian Plains), the white beaches of the Costa del Sol, and the Las Marismas marshes, home of the Coto de Doana National Park. Andalusia is crossed by the Guadalquivir River, known as the "father" of old civilizations. Seville, located 64 km (40 mi) inland on the river, is Spain's most important western port. Flamenco is a Spanish style of music and dance that originated in Andalusia by the end of the 18th century. It was developed mainly by the gypsies, although it has several elements that reveal possible Roman, Arabic, Jewish, African, and American substrata. It is expressed by song (cante), guitar music, clapping of the hands (palmas), and dancing. Like people in the other regions of Spain, the Andalusians are overwhelmingly Catholic. The Catholicism of Andalusia has a strong element of belief in the miraculous, and some scholars believe it is possible to trace the region's devotion to the Virgin Mary to the mother goddesses of pre-Christian religions. They are particularly known for the colorful Holy Week (Semana Santa)celebrations held in their cities and towns. Spain's other national holidays, including New Year's Day, Epiphany, St. Joseph's Day (March 19), the

Day of St. Peter and St. Paul (June 29), St. James's Day (July 25), andAndalusia Day, on February 28, to commemorate the date of the successful referendum vote on autonomy. The most famous celebration is Seville's Semana Santa, or Holy Week, celebration, which begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Saturday. In the cities, office hours begin at 9:00 AM and traditionally include an extended afternoon lunch break beginning at 2:00 PM. Workers then return to their offices from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Typical Andalusian dishes include gazpacho, pescato frito (fried fish), several kinds of shellfish, jamn (cured ham), and prepared olives. Gazpacho is a cold soup made with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and olive oil that has become common fare in Spain. While today gazpacho is usually prepared using a blender, the ingredients were traditionally pounded by hand in a special bowl called a dornillo. Pescato frito fried in batter is available throughout the region at special shops called freiduras.Some of the types of fish used for frying include sole, whiting, red mullet, and anchovies. A salad of lettuce and tomatoes is served with most dishes, but these are usually the only vegetables that accompany a meal. Andalusia's most popular drinks are white wines, different kinds of manzanilla and sherry, and icecold beer. There is a rich variety of Andalusian deserts, heavily influenced by medieval Andalusian cuisine, like pestios (deep-fried pastry bathed in honey), polvorones (almond cookies), amarguillos (almond macaroons) and alfajores. Tapas, said to have originated in Andalusia, are popular in all of Spain and include shrimp-fried squid, cured ham, chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage), and potato omelets (called tortillas). The wines of Jerez are famous the world over. Other stand-outs are the manzanilla of Sanlcar, the white wines of Cdiz, and the Moriles, Montilla, and Mlaga wines, among others. The liquors of the region are also popular, included the Rute and Cazalla anis, and the rums from Motril.
"Andalusians." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Jeneen Hobby. 2nd ed. Vol. 5: Europe. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 42-45. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 Sep. 2011.

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 1950s to the 1970s transformed Andalusias economy. Since the 1960s, the region has experienced a rapid increase in tourism, particularly in the area called the Costa del Sol (Sunny Coast) around the city of Mlaga.
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.

Cazorla-Snchez, Antonio. "Andalusia." World Book Online InfoFinder. World Book, 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.
With extensive pastureland, Andalusia is famous for its horses, bulls (for bullfighting), and sheep. The region is also highly urbanized, and manufacturing has expanded in the cities. Sherry, textiles, leather, and cork are leading manufactures. Fishing, especially for sardines and tunny, is important along the coast.
Pounds, Norman J. G. "Andalusia." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 7 Sept. 2011.