Málaga, picturesquely situated on the south coast of Spain at the foot of the Montes de Málaga amid luxuriant subtropical vegetation, is one of the oldest Mediterranean ports. The wide sweep of Málaga Bay is bounded on the east by the Punta de los Cántales and on the west by the Torre de Pimentel. Half
way round the bay is the hill of Gibralfaro, crowned by its castle. To the west of the town extends the fertile Vega or Hoya de Málaga, in which oranges, figs, bananas, sugar-cane, cotton and other crops flourish. Málaga is particularly famed for its raisins (pasas). Málaga's proverbially mild climate has made it the chief center of the Costa del Sol, and almost five million holidaymakers fly in every year to its international airport (which is to be expanded to handle up to ten million passengers a year). Málaga was the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, and the 17th century sculptor Pedro de Mena lived and died in the town.
History
Málaga was founded by the Phoenicians, who established a settlement here for the trade in salt fish; and this seems to be the origin of its name (Phoenician malac, to salt). It later became a Carthaginian stronghold, which the Romans conquered and made into a colony. They were succeeded by the Visigoths, who were driven out by the Moors in 711. It then became a petty Moorish kingdom which refused to submit to the Emirs of Córdoba. In 1487 Málaga was recaptured by the Catholic Monarchs, and thereafter many churches were built in the town. In May 1931, after the proclamation of the Republic, more than forty churches were set on fire and destroyed, and the town also suffered severely during the Civil War.
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