Determining role of the relief
Although it's home to many southern lands, it's above all the relief that will play a fundamental role in Andalusia's distinctive geographical features. Structuring it into three main areas. To the north, it is separated from the Castilian Meseta, Spain's central plateau, by the Sierra Morena, an ancient massif rich in mining resources: coal, copper, mercury and lead. To the southeast, the Betic Cordilleras, another mountainous region, are home to the Veleta and Mulhacén peaks. And in the center, the Guadalquivir depression marks the separation between Betic and Mediterranean Andalusia. The Despeñaperros pass in the province of Jaén connects the Spanish Meseta with the Guadalquivir plain, home to the major cities of Cordoba, Seville and Cadiz. This alternation between mountains, plains and coasts gives rise to a wide variety of landscapes: the hills of the province of Jaén, populated by a sea of olive trees; the craggy, sometimes snow-capped peaks; the cereal-growing plains of the Seville Campina or the marshes of the Guadalquivir. In just a few kilometers, for example, you can go from the sandy beaches of the Granada coast to the Tabernas desert, which in the neighbouring province of Almeria is home to Europe's only arid desert. The setting for numerous films, the most famous of which are the spaghetti westerns.
Sierras and mountains
More than a third of Andalusia lies above 600 metres in altitude, but its mountain system is dominated by two major ranges. In the north, the Sierra Morena runs 450 km from west to east, crossing the provinces of Huelva, Seville, Cordoba and Jaén. It takes its name, "brown mountain", from the nature of its rocks and vegetation. Unlike the Betic Cordilleras, this is an area of medium-altitude mountains, with the highest peak, the Sierra Madrona, at 1,333 meters. It also has a gentler, less rugged relief. Sparsely populated and relatively isolated, it is home to several protected natural areas, such as the Peñas de Aroche, and was also the setting for part of the adventures of Cervantes' Don Quixote. Occupying the south-eastern half of Andalusia, the Betic Cordilleras stretch between the Guadalquivir valley and the Mediterranean coast. They form the most important mountain range in Andalusia and Spain. To the north, the Cordillera Subbética reveals a highly discontinuous relief with numerous passages facilitating communication, in contrast to the Cordillera Penibética to the south, which acts as a barrier between the Mediterranean coast and the interior. It is this second mountain range that is home to 24 peaks over 3,000 metres, as well as the highest peaks on the Iberian Peninsula, such as Mulhacén (3,478 m) and Veleta (3,396 m), whose snow-capped peaks are the symbols of the Sierra Nevada, making this region a prime location for skiing and hiking. These two areas are crossed by the Intrabasic Trench, a corridor of small depressions that runs from west to east, parallel to the Mediterranean coast.
Sea side and ocean side
In total, Andalusia boasts more than 864 km of coastline, but its coastline and the way it has been exploited vary almost completely between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The community is cradled by the Atlantic Ocean, from the province of Huelva in the north to the Strait of Gibraltar in the province of Cadiz in the south. Along the way, you'll find immense sandy beaches. The often sandy composition of the coasts has led to the formation of beautiful dunes, very large marshes, marismas, or lagoons, which are very well maintained and sometimes classified as nature parks. Much less exploited than the Mediterranean coast, this coastline remains unspoiled, some arguing that the wind, which is also very present here, contributes in part to maintaining its tranquility. Everything changes on the Mediterranean coast. More rocky due to the Betic mountain range, it alternates between steep cliffs, numerous coves and smaller beaches with graying sand. A mecca for Andalusian tourism since the 1960s, this coastline is home to both mass and luxury tourism, particularly on the Costa del Sol in the province of Malaga. And construction fever shows no signs of abating, even though, fortunately, a large part of Almeria's coastline, Cabo de Gata, is classified as a nature park.
The great river
At 657 km in length, the Guadalquivir, or Great River in Arabic, is the largest and longest river in Andalusia, and the fifth longest in Spain. Rising in the Sierra de Cazorla park in the province of Jaén, it flows into the Atlantic via a wide estuary that stretches from Almonte in the province of Huelva to Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the province of Cadiz, passing through the provinces of Cordoba and Seville. While the Romans sailed up the river they called the Betis as far as Cordoba, today it is navigable only as far as Seville. It has always played a crucial economic role (trade route, water supply and irrigation), but its flooding has often caused serious problems. The construction of large dams and reservoirs around the river and its tributaries has prevented historic floods such as the one in Seville in 1963, but in 2010, the great river again experienced flows in excess of 6,700m3 in Seville, mainly due to the flooding of its most important tributary, the Genil. When visiting Seville, don't miss the chance to sail up the Guadalquivir from Seville to Sanlúcar aboard the Real Fernando, provided you book well in advance. Or follow the film route designed to discover the thousands of hectares of marshland that served as the setting for the film La Isla Mínima.
