ALMERIA is a Mediterranean province in Spain. It is one of the provinces dominated by the Moors during their reign. Thus, it derives its name from the Arabic term Al-mariyat meaning the mirror of the sea. It was founded in 955 by Abd ar-Rahman III, the emir and caliph of Cordoba during the time. Because it has many Moorish influences, it has a Moorish castle still standing there, Alcazaba. Alcazaba is one of the tourist attractions of Almeria and it has even been proclaimed by UNESCO as a heritage site. Thus, the Spanish tourism authorities are protecting Alcazaba and keeping it clean. It constantly reminds tourists not to litter the place. One famous native of Almeria is then President Nicolas Salmeron. It even has its own international airport, the Almeria International Airport. This airport services regional destinations such as London, Manchester, Brussels, Newcastle, Leeds, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow and Amsterdam as well as domestic flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other major Spanish cities.

Almeria is also the capital of Almeria, the province. It has a total land area of 8,774 square kilometers making it the 27th largest province of Spain among 52 of them. It also has a population of 635,000 making it the 24th most populous province in Spain. It has a total of 101 cities and municipalities including the capital city of Almeria of course.

One of the main attractions of Almeria is its nudist beach. The nudist beach in Almeria is the largest in Europe, the El Payazo. The center of the city is actually the foot of Alcazaba. Local gastronomic delights here include pasta stew, wheat stew, spicy clam stew and escabeche. As you have noticed, all these dishes are Mediterranean produce. At certain points of the day, Almerians gather at the coast to welcome anglers as well as buy fresh sea produce from them. The Spaniards hate to consume their seafood frozen that is why they immediately go back to their homes to cook the fish in any form. To sauté it, the Almerians use olive oil as it is said to be the healthiest oil in the world. After all, the Spaniards are one of the peoples who have very high life expectancies.

Another attraction exclusively found in Almeria is the only desert in Europe. This is found in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and like Alcazaba, this area is also protected by the Spanish tourism ministry. Many Western-setting movies are filmed here like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, 800 Bullets, Lawrence of Arabia and Patton.

In terms of economy, marble quarrying is one of the backbones of the Almerian industry. They are located in Sierra de los Filabres, Macael Viejo, Chercos, Lijar and Codbar. The combined produce of these marble mines result to 1.3 million tons each year. They are in turn refined and processed in Cantoria, Fines, Olula del Rio, Purchena and Alto Almanzora. So take a visit to Almeria and you will never regret your stay here in Spain.