In 2008 the population was 236,988 inhabitants, and more
than half a million counting the metropolitan area. The neighborhoods are very
different from each other because of the continuous immigration until the
1990s. The most important districts are Zaidin, Albaicin, Sacromonte, Realejo,
The Chana, Almanjayar, and The Cartuja.
Currently,Granada is a core
receiver of tourism, because of, in addition to the monuments of the city, the
proximity of theSierra Nevada ski resort, the
Alpujarras mountains, and the Costa Tropical.
Among its historic buildings, theAlhambra is one of the largest in the
country, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984, together with the garden of
the Generalife and the Albaicin.Granada
also has the largest cathedral in the world, designed during the Spanish
Renaissance.
TheUniversity
ofGranada is one of the
preferred destinations for European students, who attend through the Erasmus program.
They completed the work of a large university hospital that
focuses on medical research and are building a railroad for a high-speed train
(AVE).
The town ofGranada takes
about 90 square kilometers and is located in the easternmost part ofGranada, near the foot of theSierra Nevada
foothills. People fromMadrid andLecrin Valley
have access to the subtropical coast ofGranada.
The Puerto de la Mora has access to the valleys in Guadix
Baza and, therefore, toAlmeria andMurcia,
and, finally, from the hallway of Loja
The region has two distinct areas: the western alluvial
plain, which belongs to the Depression of Granada and IntrabeticoAndalusia, and the mountainous east.Granada
is situated at the foot of the northwestern flank of theSierra
Nevada, 683 m, at the confluence of the rivers Beiro, Darro, and
Genil.
Climate
The Mediterranean climate is continental—cool in winter,
with heavy frost, and hot in summer, with maximum of 35° Celsius. The thermal
oscillation is great all year round, often exceeding 20° Celsius in one day.
The rains, absent in summer, are rare during the rest of the year and are
concentrated in winter.
Granada is a city and a
municipality and the capital of theprovince
ofGranada in the autonomous region of
Andalusia,Spain.
It was the capital of the ancientKingdom
ofGranada, and the coat of arms bears
the title “Very noble, very loyal, appointed, large, famous, and heroic city of
Granada.”
