The province of Málaga ( ) is located in

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 ...

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 ...

. It is bordered by the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

to the south and by the

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

to the west,

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and

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 ...

to the east. The province is subject to extreme

water stress Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ( ...

in the wake of the proliferation of

avocado The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...

plantations in the Axarquía region, with the arid local climate being unsuitable to the plant's large water demands.

Overview

The province of Málaga has an area of and a population of 1,652,999 (2013), concentrated mainly in the metropolitan area of

Málaga Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...

, the provincial capital, and throughout the coastal area. The population density surpasses both the Andalusia and Spanish averages, reaching 222.53 inhabitants per km². Málaga contains 102 municipalities. Besides the capital, the main cities are

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...

, Mijas,

Fuengirola Fuengirola () is a city on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is located on the central coast of the province and integrated into the region of the Costa del Sol and the Com ...

, Vélez-Málaga, Torremolinos, Estepona, and Benalmádena, all in the coastal zone. The towns of

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de An ...

and

Ronda Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...

are located in the interior. The prevailing climate is a warm Mediterranean, with dry and warm long summers with short mild winters. The geographical relief varies greatly from zone to zone. In general, the coastal zone has a subtropical

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

. To the north, a continental Mediterranean climate exists with cold, dry winters and warm summers. The main industry and claim to fame are tourist resorts, particularly those on the beaches along the

Costa del Sol The Costa del Sol (; literally "Coast of the Sun") is a region in the south of Spain in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of ...

. These beaches are visited by millions of European tourists; other attractions include the gorge of El Chorro near Álora,

El Torcal de Antequera El Torcal de Antequera is a nature reserve in the Sierra del Torcal mountain range located south of the city of Antequera, in the Province of Málaga, province of Málaga of the A45 road (Spain), A45 road in Andalusia, Spain. It is known for its u ...

, the Moorish-Mudéjar district of Frigiliana, the Dolmen of Menga, the

Tholos de El Romeral Tholos de El Romeral, situated north east of the town of Antequera (Andalusia), is one of the most important examples of early Bronze Age architecture in southern Europe. Tholos de El Romeral, also known as ''Cueva de Romeral'' (Cave of Romeral) ...

, the Dolmen de Viera and the Caves of Nerja.

Population development

The historical population is given in the following chart: Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) ImageSize = width:650 height:auto barincrement:28 PlotArea = left:40 bottom:40 top:20 right:20 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:1800 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:100 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:50 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo PlotData= color:skyblue width:20 shift:(-60,-5) fontsize:M anchor:till bar:1877 from:0 till: 502 text: 502,407 bar:1887 from:0 till: 524 text: 523,915 bar:1900 from:0 till: 520 text: 520,429 bar:1910 from:0 till: 530 text: 529,575 bar:1920 from:0 till: 563 text: 562,525 bar:1930 from:0 till: 610 text: 609,613 bar:1940 from:0 till: 688 text: 688,193 bar:1950 from:0 till: 756 text: 756,083 bar:1960 from:0 till: 782 text: 781,690 bar:1970 from:0 till: 854 text: 853,579 bar:1980 from:0 till:1026 text:1,025,609 bar:1990 from:0 till:1161 text:1,160,843 bar:2000 from:0 till:1287 text:1,287,017 bar:2010 from:0 till:1595 text:1,594,808 bar:2021 from:0 till:1701 text:1,700,752 TextData= pos:(35,20) fontsize:M text:"Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE"

Regions

* Valle del Guadalhorce * Axarquía * Serranía de Ronda *

Protected areas

* Los Alcornocales Natural Park * Sierra de las Nieves National Park * Montes de Málaga Natural Park * Sierras of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park

References

External links