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Thursday, 06 September 2007 |
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Localization Seville is situated on the SW part of Spain, in center of the State of Andalusia. It is the capital of Andalusia, is the fourth biggest city in number of population. It counts with 704,414 people in municipal term. The total population in the capital and the 105 villages of the province is of 1.835.077 people spread out in an area of 14,042 square kilometers. Seville can be considered, with out a doubt, artistically, cultural, finance and social center of the south of Spain. At only 6 meters above sea level, in the heat of fertile valley and Countryside of the Guadalquivir River, and to borders of this one, it conforms an urban sprawl that extends towards the Aljarafe, the Salt marshes, the National Park of Doñana, the North Mountain range and the South Mountain range. Climate Seville has the Mediterranean climate, with an annual average tempeture of 26 degrees Celsius in the summer and 12 degrees Celsius in the winter, also with light breezes during spring and summer. Winters are mild and autumn with very little precipitations (average precipitations for the year are of 534 mm), counting with higher tempetures during the summer. It’s almost 3,000 hours of sun during the year, makes the climate in Seville almost perfect all year around.  Plaza de España
History Until today, all of the investigations point that the foundation of the city was by the Tartesos on an elevated terrain next to the Guadalquivir River, and it’s old name was Ispal, this accrued about VIII B.C. The Phoenicians, Greek and Carthaginian arrived later in 500 B.C. while the Tartesos civilization disappeared. Later in 205 B.C. the Romans were to expel the Carthaginians and proclaimed the city’s name as Betica, this was a very important time for the city because it expanded considerably, and also with important edifications, like the Giralda, the Torre del Oro, or the Alcazar, by this time the name was Hispalis. In the year 712 A.C. Hispalis was conquered by the muslums and was recaptured, this time with the name Isbiliya, it had a great cultural wealth at that time thanks to the Arab legacy, even depending on the califato of Cordova, it was of but important of Al-Andalus (the A'rabe name of Andalusia).After between the final of Xi century and until mid XII century the Almorávides appeared (Muslims from north Africa from the family of the bereberes), it was a flourishing time for the businesses and the architecture. In 1248 the Cristians defeated the muslims and King Fernando III of Castilla installed there his court, but this fact did not suppose that the craftsmen and the retailers had to leave the city, but that the activity continued, the port of Seville was an important point between Italy and other Baltic countries and other important ports in north Africa. The discovery of America in 1492 later supposed for Seville a great wealth, in 1502 the Reyes Cotolicos founded the hiring house, what was the site from where it went and contracted the trips to control the wealth coming from the new world, this fact supposed for Seville a new great urban expansion, as it demonstrates that at that time was constructed the cathedral, the House of Pilatos, the House of the Owners, the Colegiata of the Salvador and already named House of Hiring (today the general archive of Indians are located there). As of century XVII and XVIII it’s declivity, motivated among other things by the transfer of the House of Hiring to the port of Cadiz. It would be necessary to wait until XX century to return to Seville and se it splendorous. The Exhibition of 1929, next to the Universal Exhibition of 1992 (mainly this last one) for platform as a fame and world-wide launching of Seville like modern city, the center of business and politics of Andalusia, not in vain it’s the capital of Andalusia
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Sevilla
