Almería

The name "Almería" means "The Mirror of the Sea", in Arabic.

The city was founded in 955, as a principal harbor strengthen the Mediterranean defenses.

Its Moorish castle, Alcazaba, is the second largest among the Muslim fortresses of Andalusia after the Alhambra.

The 16th century was for Almería a century of natural and human catastrophes, for there were at least four earthquakes— of which the one in 1522 was especially violent— devastating the city. The people who had remained Muslim were expelled from Almería after the War of Las Alpujarras in 1568 and scattered across Spain. Landings and attacks by Berber pirates were also frequent in that century, and continued until the early 18th century. In that time, huge iron mines were discovered and French and British companies came to settle in the area, bringing renewed prosperity and bringing Almería back to a relative importance within Spain.

During the Spanish Civil War the city was shelled by the German navy. It and Málaga were the last cities to surrender to Francisco Franco and the fascists. In the second half of the 20th century, Almería witnessed spectacular economic growth due to tourism and its intensive agriculture, with plants grown year-round in massive 'invernaderos' - plastic-covered intensive farms.

After Franco's death and the approval of the new Spanish Constitution, the people of southern Spain were called into referendum to approve an autonomous status for the region. The province of Almeria voted in favour of it and join the newly created autonomous region of Andalusia.

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