The province of Málaga ( es, Provincia de Málaga ) is located in

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. 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 north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

to the south and by the

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

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

to the west,

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) 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 fo ...

to the east.

Overview

Its area is and its population is 1,652,999 (2013), which is concentrated mainly in the metropolitan area of

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

, province capital, and throughout the coastal area. The population density surpasses both the Andalusia and Spanish averages, reaching 222.53 inhabitants/km². Málaga contains 102 municipalities. Besides the capital, its 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 r ...

Mijas Mijas ( ; ) is a municipality in the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Located on the southeastern coast of Spain, Mijas belongs to the region of Costa del Sol Occidental. Its center is a typical Andalusian white ...

, Fuengirola,

Vélez-Málaga Vélez-Málaga () is a municipality and the capital of the Axarquía comarca in the province of Málaga, in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is the most important city in the comarca. Locally it is referred to as Vélez. Vélez ...

Torremolinos Torremolinos () is a municipality in Andalusia, southern Spain, west of Málaga. A poor fishing village before the growth in tourism began in the late 1950s, Torremolinos was the first of the Costa del Sol resorts to be developed and is still t ...

Estepona Estepona () is a town and municipality in the comarca of the Costa del Sol, southern Spain. It is located in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its district covers an area of 137 square kilometers in a fertile ...

, and Benalmádena, all in the coastal zone. The towns of Antequera and

Ronda Ronda () is a town in the Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about west of the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliff-side location and a deep chasm ...

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 temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. To the north, a

continental Mediterranean climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

exists with cold, dry winters and warm summers. Its main industry and claim to fame is its tourist resorts, particularly those on the beaches along the Costa del Sol. These beaches are visited by millions of European tourists; other attractions include the gorge of

El Chorro El Chorro ("The Cascade") is a small village located in Málaga (Andalusia) in southern Spain, near the town of Álora. It is one of the most popular rock climbing attractions in Spain as it is located next to ''Desfiladero de los Gaitanes'' ...

near

Álora Álora is a town and municipality in southern Spain in the province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Located c. 40 km from Málaga, on the right bank of the river Guadalhorce and on the Córdoba-Málaga railway, withi ...

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 off the A45 road in Andalusia, Spain. It is known for its unusual landforms, and is regarded as ...

, the Moorish-Mudéjar district of

Frigiliana Frigiliana is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is situated approximately 71 kilometers east of Málaga, the provincial capital, and approximate ...

, the

Dolmen of Menga __NOTOC__ The Dolmen of Menga ( es, Dolmen de Menga) is a megalithic burial mound called a tumulus, a long barrow form of dolmen, dating from 3750-3650 BCE approximately. It is near Antequera, Málaga, Spain. It is one of the largest known anci ...

, and the

Caves of Nerja The Caves of Nerja ( es, Cueva de Nerja) are a series of caverns close to the town of Nerja in the Province of Málaga, Spain. Stretching for almost , the caverns are one of Spain's major tourist attractions. Concerts are regularly held in one of ...

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

* Costa del Sol *

Valle del Guadalhorce The Valle del Guadalhorce is a ''comarca'' in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, southern Spain. It includes 8 municipalities and is part of the natural region of the Guadalhorce river. Coín Coín () is a town and municipality in the Provin ...

* Axarquía *

Serranía de Ronda The Serranía de Ronda is a comarca in the western part of the province of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain. As is currently (as of 2009) the norm in Andalusia, it has no formal status. The 2007 Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia, unlike its 1981 predecess ...

* Antequera

Protected areas

Los Alcornocales Natural Park Los Alcornocales Natural Park (in Spanish, Parque natural de Los Alcornocales) is a natural park located in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia; it is shared between the Province of Cádiz and Málaga. The natural park o ...

Sierra de las Nieves National Park The Sierra de las Nieves National Park ( es, Parque Nacional de la Sierra de las Nieves) is a national park in the Sierra de las Nieves range, Andalusia, southern Spain. It is located behind Marbella and to the east of the road to Ronda from the C ...

Montes de Málaga Natural Park Montes de Málaga Natural Park ( es, Parque Natural Montes de Málaga) is the name of a natural park in Andalusia, Spain. It is named after the Montes de Málaga range located near Málaga city and was established in 1989. Description The park ...

Sierras of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park The Sierras of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park ( es, Parque natural de las Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama) is a protected area in the Spanish provinces of Málaga and Granada. It contains the Sierra de Tejeda and Sierra de Almijara ...

References

External links