|
AlmerIa[AlmArE´A] Pronunciation Key, city (1990 pop. 161,566), capital of AlmerIa prov., SE Spain, in Andalusia, on the Gulf of AlmerIa. A busy Mediterranean port, it exports the celebrated grapes of the region, other fruits, esparto, as well as iron and other minerals mined nearby. The city has refineries, chemical and cement plants, and light industries. The sunny, mild climate attracts many Northern Europeans. Probably founded by Phoenicians, AlmerIa flourished from the 13th to the 15th cent. as the outlet of the Moorish kingdom of Granada. It fell to the Christians in 1489. There is a Moorish fort, now in ruins, and a Gothic cathedral. In 1937, during the civil war, the city was shelled by German warships.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2009, Columbia
University Press.
Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
|
