The Lecrin Valley (, ) is a

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

in the center-south part of the

province of Granada Granada is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is bordered by the provinces of Albacete, Murcia, Almería, Jaén, Córdoba, Málaga, and the Mediterranean Sea (along the Costa Tropi ...

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, southern

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. This territory borders the

Vega de Granada The Vega de Granada is a ''comarca'' (county, but with no administrative role) in the province of Granada, in Andalusia, Spain. The name refers to the basin near the city of Granada. This comarca was established in 2003 by the Government of Anda ...

to the north, the

Alpujarra Granadina Alpujarra Granadina is a Spanish Comarcas of Spain, comarca in the Province of Granada. Along with Alpujarra Almeriense, it forms the historical region of the Alpujarras. This comarca was established in 2003 by the Government of Andalusia. Overv ...

to the east, the

Costa Tropical Costa Granadina (; "Granadan Coast") is a comarca in southern Spain, corresponding to the Mediterranean coastline of the province of Granada. It is also but less frequently called the Costa Tropical or Costa de Granada. This comarca was estab ...

to the south, and the Alhama to the west. This comarca was established in 2003 by the

Government of Andalusia The Regional Government of Andalusia () is the government of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Regional Government and the Government Council. The 2011 budget was 31.7 billion euros. It emp ...

. Lecrin derived from Arabic ''Iqlim'', meaning "gateway": this refers to a small area of land situated between the villages of Mondújar and Talará, which controlled the access to the vast coastal areas of sugar production in Moorish times. The Lecrin Valley consists of eight municipalities, of which the most populous is

Padul Padul is a municipality of south-eastern Spain, in the province of Granada, within the comarca of el Valle de Lecrín. The population on 2008 was 8.440 inhabitants. This town is situated 13 km at the south of the city of Granada. Its altitud ...

, and the largest is

Albuñuelas Albuñuelas is a village at the head of the Lecrin Valley, Granada, Spain. It is made up of three neighbourhoods (''barrios''): Alto, Bajo and Fernán Núñez (locally called La Loma). It is situated on the European route Nº 4 (Spain to Crete) ...

, the latter being also the least populated. On the other hand, the municipality with the smallest area is Villamena. Its traditional and historical capital is the town of Dúrcal. Apart from Dúrcal and Padul, agriculture and farming remain the principal occupation with pine, citrus, almond, olive and grape as the main crops. In more recent times, it has become a destination for Spanish and international holidaymakers looking for a quiet holiday amongst the orchards, but with easy reach to the Moorish city of

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

and the

. It is also an increasingly popular destination for walkers, bird watchers, cyclists and artists. The Lecrin Valley is known for its verdant landscape (due to the melt-water run off from

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

) and its views to lake Beznar and up to the Sierra Nevada mountains, its walks, birdlife and spring colours.

Municipalities

This comarca consists of the following municipalities:

Road access

Halfway between the city of Granada and the

, this comarca is traversed from North to South by the A-44 (

Bailén Bailén (archaically known as Baylen in English) is a town in the province of Jaén, Spain. History Bailén is probably the ancient Baecula, where the Romans, under Scipio the Elder, signally defeated the Carthaginians in 209 and 206 B.C. In ...

Motril Motril () is a town and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The main settlement is located a few kilometers inland, separated from the Port of Motril by the Guadalfeo delta. Mo ...

) motorway, which serves all municipalities with the following ways out: * 144: Padul, Otívar. * 153: Cónchar, Cozvíjar, Dúrcal, Albuñuelas. * 157: Dúrcal, Nigüelas. * 159: Lecrín, El Valle. * 164: Pinos del Valle, Lanjarón, Béznar * 169: Ízbor-Acebuches. Other notable roads are: N-323, an old road that connected

with

, connecting the cities of

Jaén Jaén may refer to: Places Peru *Jaén Province, Peru, a province in Cajamarca Region, Peru ** Jaén District, one of twelve districts of the province Jaén in Peru ***Jaén, Peru, a city in Peru, capital of the Jaén Province Philippines * Jaen ...

and

with the coast; A-4050, popularly known as ''Carretera de la Cabra'', which links the mountain port of El Suspiro del Moro with

Almuñécar Almuñécar () is a Spanish city and municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the southwestern part of the comarcas of Spain, comarca of the Costa Granadina, in the province of Granada. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean sea ...

to the west; and A-348, which connects the entire

with the highway.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valle de Lecrin Comarcas of the Province of Granada Valleys of Spain Landforms of Andalusia