Misplaced Pages

#812187

90-549: The Costa del Sol ( Spanish: [ˈkosta ðel ˈsol] ; literally "Coast of the Sun") is a region in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia , comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga and the eastern part of Campo de Gibraltar in Cádiz . Formerly made up only of a series of small fishing settlements, today the region

180-495: A Phylloxera epidemic. The social disruption caused by the crisis and its aftermath of job loss, business collapse and general decline in economic activity, led many residents to consider other means of livelihood. Even at this early date some of them envisaged tourism as an alternative source of income, but years passed before initiatives were put forward to develop Málaga as a tourist resort. The Sociedad Propagandística del Clima y Embellecimiento de Málaga (Propagation Society for

270-534: A federation , even though in many respects the country can be compared to countries which are undeniably federal. The unique resulting system is referred to as "Autonomous state", or more precisely "State of Autonomies". With the implementation of the Autonomous Communities, Spain went from being one of the most centralized countries in the OECD to being one of the most decentralized; in particular, it has been

360-553: A "Statute of Autonomy" during the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1936). Otherwise, the constitution required the approval of three-fourths of the municipalities involved whose population would be at least the majority of the electoral census of each province, and required the ratification through a referendum with the affirmative vote of the absolute majority of the electoral census of each province (that is, of all registered citizens, not only of those who would vote). While

450-413: A Google cybersecurity center and a Vodafone research and development center. The Costa del Sol includes the city of Málaga and also the towns of Torremolinos , Benalmádena , Fuengirola , Mijas , Marbella , San Pedro de Alcántara , Estepona , Manilva , Casares , Rincón de la Victoria , Vélez-Málaga , Nerja , Frigiliana and Torrox . This shoreline region extends from the cliffs at Maro in

540-456: A co-official language in Catalonia, making it the only autonomous community whose name has three official variants (Spanish: Cataluña , Catalan: Catalunya , Occitan: Catalonha ). PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) PP (Since July 2024) RA: Regionally Appointed DE: Directly Elected DE: Directly Elected Spain

630-522: A country estate located between Marbella and San Pedro called El Rodeo , and later built a resort there called Venta y Albergues El Rodeo , beginning the development of tourism in Marbella. Soriano's nephew, Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg , acquired another estate, Finca Santa Margarita , which in 1954 would become the Marbella Club , an international resort of movie stars, business executives and

720-675: A federal system in all but name, or a "federation without federalism". The official names of the autonomous communities can be in Spanish only (which applies to the majority of them), in the co-official language in the community only (as in the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands), or in both Spanish and the co-official language (as in the Basque Country, Navarre and Galicia). Since 2006, Occitan —in its Aranese dialect —is also

810-407: A plate of thin-sliced jamón serrano , or dry-cured ham, with a glass of sherry or Málaga wine is a traditional combination. The Ir de Tapas (Tapas tour) is a popular activity where one visits various bars and restaurants to eat Tapas. Some bars will serve a tapa for free when one orders a drink. Churros , fried-dough pastries served hot and dipped in café con leche or hot chocolate are

900-409: A provisional period of 5 years, after which they could assume further powers, upon negotiation with the central government. However, the constitution did not explicitly establish an institutional framework for these communities. They could have established a parliamentary system like the "historical nationalities", or they could have not assumed any legislative powers and simply established mechanisms for

990-450: A short distance inland in the mountains running down to the coast. The area was developed to meet the demands of international tourism in the 1950s and has since been a popular destination for foreign tourists not only for its beaches but also for its local culture. The " Spanish miracle " fed itself on the rural exodus which created a new class of industrial workers. The economic boom led to an increase in rapid, largely unplanned building on

SECTION 10

#1732884195813

1080-673: A typical breakfast food. Chiringuitos , small, open-air beachside restaurants, offer respite from the summer heat of the cities in the high holiday season. 36°47′N 4°29′W  /  36.79°N 4.48°W  / 36.79; -4.48 Autonomous communities of Spain Spanish : comunidad autónoma Aragonese : comunidat autonoma Asturian : comunidá autónoma Basque : autonomia erkidegoa Catalan : comunitat autònoma Galician : comunidade autónoma Occitan : comunautat autonòma The autonomous communities ( Spanish : comunidad autónoma ) are

1170-575: A uniform decentralization of entities with the same powers and an asymmetrical structure that would distinguish the nationalities. Peripheral nationalist parties wanted a multinational state with a federal or confederal model, whereas the governing Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) and the People's Alliance (AP) wanted minimum decentralization; the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)

1260-685: A variety of local customs, laws, languages and currencies until the mid 19th century. From the 18th century onwards, the Bourbon kings and the government tried to establish a more centralized regime. Leading figures of the Spanish Enlightenment advocated for the building of a Spanish nation beyond the internal territorial boundaries. This culminated in 1833, when Spain was divided into 49 (now 50) provinces , which served mostly as transmission belts for policies developed in Madrid. Spanish history since

1350-555: Is a diverse country made up of several different regions with varying economic and social structures, as well as different languages and historical, political and cultural traditions. While the entire Spanish territory was united under one crown in 1479, this was not a process of national homogenization or amalgamation. The constituent territories—be they crowns, kingdoms, principalities or dominions—retained much of their former institutional existence, including limited legislative, judicial or fiscal autonomy. These territories also exhibited

1440-568: Is a world-renowned tourist destination . The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known coastal regions, the Costa de la Luz and the Costa Tropical . The region has no official limit, but it is generally accepted that the Costa del Sol stretches from the municipality of La Línea de la Concepción in the west to Nerja in the east, spanning around 150 kilometers of coastline. The term Costa del Sol

1530-490: Is the "Prince of Marbella"), masterminded a £700,000 bank fraud. Other European criminal entrepreneurs, many of Russian and Dutch origin, have also settled on this coast for the climate and functional advantages for their enterprises, as well as being active investors in the property sector. The Costa del Sol welcomes millions of tourists annually. Visitors arriving by air can land at either Málaga Airport , Granada Airport or Gibraltar International Airport . and head to one of

1620-616: Is used for the transport of goods. AVE ( Alta Velocidad Española , AVE), a high-speed rail service operated by Renfe , the Spanish national railway company, inaugurated the Córdoba-Málaga high-speed rail line, a standard gauge railway line 155 kilometres (96 mi) in length, on 24 December 2007. Designed for speeds of 300 km/h (186 mph) and compatibility with neighbouring countries' rail systems, it connects Málaga and Córdoba . The proposed Costa del Sol railway would link Málaga with Marbella and Estepona. Native cuisine on

1710-482: Is vested in the nation as a whole, represented in the central institutions of government, the nation has, to varying degrees, devolved power to the communities. This unique framework of territorial administration has been labeled by the Constitutional Court as the "State of Autonomous Communities", to avoid implying either a unitary or federal model. Some scholars have referred to the resulting system as

1800-748: The AVE service reaches the Málaga-María Zambrano railway station in 2 hours and 46 minutes from Madrid . The Costa del Sol has a population of 1,412,541 inhabitants. The Costa del Sol has spas in Málaga , Tolox , Estepona , Benahavís , Benalmádena , Mijas , Torremolinos and Marbella , the largest concentration of golf courses on the European continent , fifteen marinas , nine theme parks (including amusement parks , aquariums and zoos ), as well as an information and communication technology business park (PTA),

1890-620: The Generalitat , Catalonia's mediaeval institution of government, was restored. The constitution of 1931 envisaged a territorial division for all Spain in "autonomous regions", which was never fully attained—only Catalonia , the Basque Country and Galicia had approved " Statutes of Autonomy "—the process being thwarted by the Spanish Civil War that broke out in 1936, and the victory of the rebel Nationalist forces under Francisco Franco . During General Franco's dictatorial regime , centralism

SECTION 20

#1732884195813

1980-540: The Hotel Pez Espada opening in 1959. The Costa del Sol experienced an explosive demographic and economic expansion with the boom in tourism between 1959 and 1974. The name "Costa del Sol" was a brand created specifically to market the Mediterranean coastline of Málaga province to foreign vacationers. Historically the provincial population had lived in the fishing villages, and in the "white" villages (pueblos blancos)

2070-901: The Muslim Empire . In 1026 it became the capital of the Taifa of Málaga , an independent Muslim kingdom ruled by the Hammudid dynasty in the Caliphate of Córdoba , which was conquered by the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada . The siege of Mālaqa by the Catholic Monarchs in 1487 was one of the longest of the Reconquista . In the 16th century, the area entered a period of slow decline, exacerbated by epidemics of disease, several successive poor food crops, floods, and earthquakes. Trade, dominated by foreign merchants,

2160-722: The Spanish Civil War and World War II . Following the uprising of Francoist forces in July 1936, control of Andalusia was divided between the Republican forces and the Nationalists , with the Costa del Sol remaining in the Republican zone and Málaga serving as a naval base for the Spanish Republican Navy . The Battle of Málaga was the culmination of an offensive in February 1937 by

2250-455: The "nationalities". After a massive rally in support of autonomy, a referendum was organized for Andalusia to attain autonomy through the strict requirements of article 151, or the "fast route"—with UCD calling for abstention, and the main party in opposition in Parliament, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) calling for a vote in favour. These requirements were not met, as in one of

2340-479: The "norm", was established in article 143. This route could be taken—via the first transitory disposition—by the "pre-autonomic regimes" that had been constituted in 1978, while the constitution was still being drafted, if approved by two-thirds of all municipalities involved whose population would sum up to at least the majority of the electoral census of each province or insular territory. These communities would assume limited powers ( Spanish : competencias ) during

2430-557: The "pre-autonomic regime" of Castile and León—were granted autonomy as single provinces with historical identity, a move supported by the majority of their populations. The "autonomic pacts" give both Cantabria and La Rioja the option of being incorporated into Castile and León in the future, and required that the Statutes of Autonomy of all three communities include such a provision. León, a historical kingdom and historical region of Spain, once joined to Old Castile to form Castile and León,

2520-413: The 19th century, Málaga province experienced a severe economic contraction in the 1880s and 1890s. It led to the end of the iron industry in 1893, and weakened the trade and textile industry. The agricultural sector suffered a deep depression that affected the raising of livestock and all the major crops, especially cultivation of Vitis vinifera , a grape used for the wine industry, which was devastated by

2610-460: The Canary Islands in that, although they took the "slow route", through the subsequent approval of specific organic laws, they were to assume full autonomy in less than 5 years, since they had started a process towards the "fast route" prior to the approval of the "autonomic pacts". On the other hand, Cantabria and La Rioja, although originally part of Old Castile —and both originally included in

2700-472: The Climate and Beautification of Málaga) was founded in 1897 by a pioneering group of influential Málaga businessmen who saw the potential of tourism as a generator of wealth, and tried to organise a rational planned development of this sector of the economy. Their promotional campaigns extolled the mild climate of Málaga, attracting enough tourists and winter visitors to help relieve the economic slump somewhat. At

2790-502: The Constitution not setting a mandatory legislative chamber framework, all autonomous communities have chosen unicameralism . All such governments have legislative and executive branches of government but not judicial. The Spanish model is generally considered by foreign political scientists and scholars as "a federal system with certain peculiarities". However it is also described as a decentralised unitary country. While sovereignty

Costa del Sol - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-486: The Costa del Sol is the city of Málaga , with a metropolitan population of close to one million. Málaga is home to the Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport , which is the third busiest airport in mainland Spain , behind Barajas ( Madrid ) and El Prat ( Barcelona ). The A-7 highway runs through the region, as does the old national highway generally known as N-340 . High-speed trains serve the coastal region and inland areas,

2970-495: The Costa del Sol, as in the rest of Andalusia, has been influenced historically by Spanish, Jewish and Arabic traditions, and emphasises seafood. Pescaíto frito , small fish breaded without egg and fried in olive oil, then served with fresh lemon, is a universally popular dish. Gazpacho is a famous refreshing cold soup made of raw tomatoes, cucumber, onions, green peppers, garlic, bread, oil and vinegar. Tortillas , Spanish omelettes made with potatoes and served cold, are typical, and

3060-712: The East to Punta Chullera in the west. It occupies a narrow coastal strip delimited by some ranges of the Penibaetic System , including the Sierra de Mijas , Sierra Alpujata , Sierra Blanca , Sierra Bermeja  [ es ; fr ; de ] , Sierra Crestellina  [ es ] and Montes de Málaga to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The coast shows a diversity of landscapes: beaches, cliffs, estuaries, bays and dunes. The rivers are short and seasonal, while

3150-523: The Eastern Quay passenger terminal will be remodeled to improve pedestrian access and double existing capacity to 560,000 passengers a year. The four ports of Marbella are primarily recreational; although both Puerto Banús and the Puerto de la Bajadilla are permitted to dock cruise ships, neither operates regular service to other ports. The port of Bajadilla is also home to the fishermen's guild of Marbella and

3240-658: The Italian Camorra in the Costa del Sol is also so strong that Camorra bosses refer to it as Costa Nostra ("Our Coast"), according to Italian journalist Roberto Saviano , a specialist on the Naples criminal underworld. With tense relations between the UK and Spain over Gibraltar , extradition arrangements were not at that time agreed. This phenomenon has been alluded to in films and television shows such as Auf Wiedersehen, Pet , Bad Girls , The Cook Report , and The Olsen Gang on

3330-628: The Mediterranean Sea. The decline of the Roman imperial power in the 5th century led to invasions of Hispania Baetica by Germanic peoples and by the Byzantine Empire . The southern Mediterranean coast was part of Visigothic Spain from the fifth century until the Muslim Arab conquest of Hispania (711–718) The city, then known as Mālaqa (مالقة), was encircled by defensive walls and became part of

3420-399: The Parliament approved an amendment to the law that regulated referendums, and used a prerogative of article 144c of the constitution, both actions which combined would allow Andalusia to take the fast route. They also agreed that no other region would take the "fast route", but that all regions would establish a parliamentary system with all institutions of government. This opened a phase that

3510-500: The Track , as well as in the more recent films Sexy Beast and The Business . Some of the more famous British criminals known to have fled to the Costa del Sol in the past were Charlie Wilson , Ronnie Knight, Freddie Foreman , Anthony Fraser (grandson of Mad Frankie Fraser ), and more recently Andrew Moran. John Disley, nicknamed the "King of Marbella", (not to be confused with the international criminal Monzer al-Kassar whose nickname

3600-617: The above criteria, in that the Spanish Parliament could: The constitution also established two "routes" to accede to autonomy. The "fast route" or "fast track", also called the "exception", was established in article 151, and was implicitly reserved for the three "historical nationalities" — Catalonia , the Basque Country and Galicia , regions with strong regional identities —in that the very strict requirements to opt for this route were waived for those territories that had approved

3690-493: The administration of the powers they were granted. The constitution also explicitly established that the institutional framework for these communities would be a parliamentary system , with a Legislative Assembly elected by universal suffrage , a cabinet or "council of government", a president of such a council, elected by the Assembly, and a High Court of Justice. They were also granted a maximum level of devolved powers. While

Costa del Sol - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-518: The agriculture is hampered by the lee effect caused by the Baetic System . The settlement history of this coast spans about 2,800 years. The first inhabitants to settle here may have been the Bastuli , an ancient Celtiberian tribe. The Phoenicians founded their colony of Malaka here about 770 BC, and from the 6th century BC it was under the hegemony of ancient Carthage in north Africa. From 218 BC

3870-457: The approval of the Spanish Parliament, which would exercise its prerogatives to grant autonomy to other entities besides provinces. However one aspect of this asymmetry in powers between regions is a cause of friction, namely that the Basque-speaking areas ( Basque Country and Navarra ) can raise their own taxes and negotiate a transfer to Madrid to pay for common services and hence, unlike

3960-463: The autonomous communities were created, Article 145 prohibits the "federation of autonomous communities". This was understood as any agreement between communities that would produce an alteration to the political and territorial equilibrium that would cause a confrontation between different blocks of communities, an action incompatible with the principle of solidarity and the unity of the nation. The so-called "additional" and "transitory" dispositions of

4050-502: The beginning of the 20th century, the Baños del Carmen beach was developed and opened in the east of Málaga . The Torremolinos golf course followed in 1928. According to local historian Fernando Alcala, on 15 October 1933, the "Hotel Miramar" was inaugurated in Marbella . The owners, Jose Laguno Canas and Maria Zuzuarregui (daughter of Agustina Zuzuarregui y Sutton Clonard) promoted this hotel and

4140-446: The cities of Ceuta and Melilla were constituted as "autonomous cities" without legislative powers, but with an autonomous assembly not subordinated to any other province or community. The creation of the autonomous communities was a diverse process, that started with the constitution, was normalized with the autonomic pacts and was completed with the Statutes of Autonomy. It is, however, an ongoing process; further devolution—or even

4230-513: The city of Marbella in English and in French, using the expressions "Sunny Coast" and "Côte du Soleil "in all its stationery and lampoons. According to Estefania Rodriguez Camacho, quoting Fernando Alcala's book, ["Marbella. Years of Tourism. Volume I. The beginning of a long march."] these are the real inventors of the expression "Costa del Sol". However, development of the tourist sector was interrupted by

4320-554: The coast, played an essential role in the foreign policy of the Bourbon kings of Spain. The regional military and the defence of the Mediterranean were administered in the city. The loss of Gibraltar to the British in the Battle of Málaga of 1704 made the city the key to military defence of the Strait . During the second half of the 18th century Málaga solved its chronic water supply problems with

4410-507: The coast. Low cost charter flights and holiday packages made it a player on the international market. By the 1970s trips to Spain were the predominant business of the European tour operators, and the Costa del Sol continued to increase in popularity through the decade. This trend coincided with rapid industrial growth in Málaga and the decline of dependence on the agricultural sector, although growth in

4500-536: The combined Nationalist and Italian forces under the command of General Queipo de Llano to eliminate Republican control of the province of Málaga . The participation of Moroccan regulars and Italian tanks from the recently arrived Corpo Truppe Volontarie resulted in a complete rout of the Spanish Republican Army and the capitulation of Málaga in less than a week on 8 February. The occupation of Málaga led to an exodus of civilians and soldiers on

4590-518: The completion of one of the largest infrastructure projects carried out in Spain at the time: the building of the Aqueduct of San Telmo. The peasantry and the working classes still made up the vast majority of the population, but the emergence of a business-oriented middle-class lay the foundations for the 19th-century economic boom. Having been a relatively prosperous commercial and industrial centre for most of

SECTION 50

#1732884195813

4680-412: The constitution allowed for some exceptions to the above-mentioned framework. In terms of territorial organization, the fifth transitory disposition established that the cities of Ceuta and Melilla , Spanish exclaves located on the northern coast of Africa, could be constituted as "autonomous communities" if the absolute majority of the members of their city councils would agree on such a motion, and with

4770-455: The constitution did not establish how many autonomous communities were to be created, on 31 July 1981, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo , then the prime minister of Spain and Felipe González , leader of the opposition in Parliament, signed the " First Autonomic Pacts " ( Primeros pactos autonómicos in Spanish), in which they agreed to the creation of 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities, with

4860-534: The constitution was still being drafted, and self-government seemed likely to be granted only to the "historical nationalities", there was a popular outcry in Andalusia , demanding self-government as well, which led to the creation of a quicker process for that region, which eventually self-identified as a "historical nationality" as well. In the end, the right to self-government was extended to any other region that wanted it. The "slow route" or "slow track", also called

4950-685: The country where the incomes and outcomes of the decentralized bodies (the Autonomous Communities) has grown the most, leading this rank in Europe by 2015 and being fifth among OECD countries in tax devolution (after Canada, Switzerland, the United States and Austria). By means of the State of Autonomies implemented after the Spanish Constitution of 1978, Spain has been quoted to be "remarkable for

5040-476: The demands of the peripheral nationalists. The Prime Minister of Spain , Adolfo Suárez , met with Josep Tarradellas , president of the Generalitat of Catalonia in exile. They agreed to restore the Generalitat and transfer limited powers while the constitution was still being written. Shortly after, the government allowed the creation of "assemblies of members of parliament" made up of deputies and senators of

5130-415: The difference between "nation" and "nationality"; and it does not specify which are the "nationalities" and which are the "regions", or the territories they comprise. Rather than imposing, it enables a process towards a decentralized structure based on the exercise that these "nationalities and regions" would make of the right to self-government that they were granted. As such, the outcome of this exercise

5220-425: The different territories of Spain, so that they could constitute "pre-autonomic regimes" for their regions as well. The Fathers of the Constitution had to strike a balance between the opposing views of Spain—on the one hand, the centralist view inherited from monarchist and nationalist elements of Spanish society, and on the other hand federalism and a pluralistic view of Spain as a "nation of nations"; between

5310-472: The eight provinces, Almería , votes in favour — although the plurality — did not amount to half of the electoral census as required. Yet, in general, the results of the referendum had been clear and unequivocal. After several months of discussion, the then prime minister of Spain, Adolfo Suárez and the leader of the opposition , Felipe González , reached an agreement to resolve the Andalusian issue, whereby

5400-448: The extent of the powers peacefully devolved over the past 30 years" and "an extraordinarily decentralized country", with the central government accounting for just 18% of public spending, 38% by the regional governments, 13% by the local councils, and the remaining 31% by the social security system . Rinc%C3%B3n de la Victoria Archaeological findings at the Cueva del Tesoro testify

5490-569: The first-level administrative divisions of Spain , created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978 , with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Spain. There are 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities ( Ceuta and Melilla ) that are collectively known as " autonomies ". The two autonomous cities have the right to become autonomous communities. The autonomous communities exercise their right to self-government within

SECTION 60

#1732884195813

5580-544: The general economy of Spain slowed almost to a standstill after 1973. As rapid development proceeded on the Costa del Sol, and the influx of expatriate retirees from northern European countries, notably Great Britain, increased during the late 1970s and 1980s. It has since then sometimes been referred to in the press of the United Kingdom as the "Costa del Crime", because British criminals would escape justice at home by moving there to live their lives in luxury. The presence of

5670-620: The human presence as early as the Palaeolithic Age. There are remains of walls from around 1000 BC which perhaps included an Iberian settlement. Around 50 BC the Carthaginians established a port in a harbour nearby, followed by the Romans , who built here a fortified village called Bezmiliana . The presence of a Greek colony is unconfirmed. Under the Moors it became a larger city, described by

5760-406: The indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards; it recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government of the nationalities and regions of which it is composed and the solidarity among them all. The constitution was rather ambiguous on how this was to take place. It does not define, detail, or impose the structure of the state; it does not tell

5850-407: The late 1960s and early 1970s, nearby municipalities such as Benalmadena , Fuengirola and Mijas , also saw a growth in the number of tourists. The 1960s brought a radical change in the appearance of the small fishing villages. Hotels were opened in Nerja and Málaga and promoted by Ricardo Soriano and his nephew Alfonso of Hohenlohe . Marbella became a fashionable destination for aristocrats and

5940-414: The late 19th century has been shaped by a dialectical struggle between Spanish nationalism and peripheral nationalisms, mostly in Catalonia and the Basque Country, and to a lesser degree in Galicia . In a response to Catalan demands, limited autonomy was granted to the Commonwealth of Catalonia in 1914, only to be abolished in 1925. It was granted again in 1932 during the Second Spanish Republic , when

6030-458: The limits set forth in the constitution and organic laws known as Statutes of Autonomy , which broadly define the powers that they assume. Each statute sets out the devolved powers ( Spanish : competencia ) for each community; typically those communities with stronger local nationalism have more powers, and this type of devolution has been called asymmetrical which is on the whole seen as advantageous, able to respond to diversity. Despite

6120-544: The many resorts located along this stretch of coastline from Manilva in the west to Nerja in the east. Since 1998 the Port of Málaga has been undergoing renovation and expansion as part of the project called the Plan Especial del Puerto de Málaga . There are major projects underway or planned which will radically change the image of the port and surrounding areas. The traffic of goods rose from 2,261,828 metric tonnes in 2010 and more than doubled to 5,448,260 tonnes in 2011. Cruise shipping has become an essential industry at

6210-446: The nobility. Both these resorts would be frequented by members of European aristocratic families, transforming Marbella into a destination for the international jet set . In the 1950s Torremolinos began to become a popular holiday destination and was visited by international celebrities such as Grace Kelly , Ava Gardner , Marlon Brando , Orson Welles , Brigitte Bardot and Frank Sinatra . The Hotel la Roca had opened in 1942, with

6300-417: The other regions, do not contribute to fiscal equalisation across Spain. These two regions or communities are known as "chartered" territories, In all other communities, all taxes are levied and collected by or for the central government and then redistributed among all. The Statutes of Autonomy of the Basque Country and Catalonia were sanctioned by the Spanish Parliament on 18 December 1979. The position of

6390-419: The party in government, the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD), was that only the three "historical nationalities" would assume full powers, while the rest would accede to autonomy via article 143, assuming fewer powers and perhaps not even establishing institutions of government. This was firmly opposed by the representatives of Andalusia , who demanded for their region the maximum level of powers granted to

6480-403: The periphery of the cities of the Costa del Sol to accommodate the new workers arriving from the countryside. Some cities preserved their historic centres, but most were altered by often haphazard commercial and residential developments. The same fate befell long stretches of scenic coastline as mass tourism exploded. Torremolinos' popularity as a tourist destination had a domino effect, and in

6570-510: The port and a major driver of investment in Málaga. In 2012 there were 651,517 passengers visiting the city on board cruise ships calling at the port, including those who started or ended their cruise in Málaga. The development of the cruise industry is proceeding with a new passenger terminal, port museum, and environmental education centre planned for inclusion in the cruise ship facilities at Quay 2. A commercial marina will also operate from Quay 1, catering to 24 super-yachts of up to 30 metres, and

6660-471: The pre-existing 50 provinces of Spain , a territorial division of the liberal centralizing regime of the 19th century created for purely administrative purposes (it also recognized the municipalities that integrated the provinces). These provinces would serve as the building blocks and constituent parts of the autonomous communities. The constitution stipulated that the following could be constituted as autonomous communities: It also allowed for exceptions to

6750-470: The recognition of a pluralistic vision of Spanish nationhood. When Franco died in 1975, Spain entered into a phase of transition towards democracy . The most difficult task of the newly democratically elected Cortes Generales (the Spanish Parliament) in 1977 acting as a Constituent Assembly was to transition from a unitary centralized state into a decentralized state in a way that would satisfy

6840-684: The region was ruled by the Roman Republic and then at the end of the 1st century it was federated with the Roman Empire . Under the rule of the Roman Republic, the Municipium Malacitanum became a transit point on the Via Herculea , which revitalised the city both economically and culturally by connecting it with other developed enclaves in the interior of Hispania and with other ports of

6930-562: The region; in 2009 it had 17 million overnight stays. The region was a relatively prosperous commercial and industrial center for much of the 19th century. The tourist boom in the area began in the 1920s with the opening of the Baños del Carmen  [ es ] in Málaga and a golf course in Torremolinos . It became an international tourist destination in the 1950s and is today particularly popular among British, German, Scandinavian, French and Moroccan tourists. The most populated city on

7020-430: The return of transferred powers—is always a possibility. This has been evidenced in the 2000s, at the beginning with a wave of approval of new Statutes of Autonomy for many communities, and more recently with many considering the recentralization of some powers in the wake of the economic and financial crisis of 2008. Nonetheless, Spain is now a decentralized country with a structure unlike any other, similar but not equal to

7110-519: The rich. The author Juan Bonilla portrayed the swinging Sixties scene on the Costa del Sol in his non-fiction work of caustic cultural criticism, La Costa del Sol en la hora pop (2007), depicting real-life characters from elderly expatriate Nazis and jailbird criminal politicians to titled aristocratic playboys like Soriano and Hohenlohe. The rebuilding of the Málaga Airport was the decisive improvement to infrastructure that facilitated mass tourism on

7200-570: The road to Almería , who were bombarded by Franco's air force, navy cruisers, tanks and artillery on 8 February, causing hundreds of deaths. This episode is known as the " Málaga-Almería road massacre ". A local historian recounted that nationalist reprisals after the province was captured resulted in total deaths of over 7,000 people. Until after World War II, Marbella was a small jasmine-lined village with only 900 inhabitants. Ricardo Soriano, Marquis of Ivanrey, moved to Marbella and popularised it among his rich and famous friends. In 1943 he had acquired

7290-779: The same institutions of government, but different competences. By 1983, all 17 autonomous communities were constituted: Andalusia , Aragon , Asturias , the Balearic Islands , the Basque Country , the Canary Islands , Cantabria , Castile and León , Castile–La Mancha , Catalonia , the Community of Madrid , Extremadura , Galicia , La Rioja , Navarra , the Region of Murcia and the Valencian Community . The two autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla were constituted in 1995. Once

7380-408: The territorial arrangements, while enshrining in the constitution the right to autonomy or self-government of the "nationalities and regions", through a process of asymmetric devolution of power to the "autonomous communities" that were to be created. The starting point in the territorial organization of Spain was the second article of the constitution, which reads: The Constitution is based on

7470-466: The then prime minister of Spain Felipe González from PSOE and the leader of the opposition, José María Aznar from the newly created People's Party (PP) successor of the People's Alliance party . Through these agreements new powers were transferred, with the reforms to many Statutes of Autonomy of the "slow-route" communities with the aim of equalizing them to the "fast route" communities. In 1995,

7560-464: Was coined at the beginning of the 20th century by Rodolfo Lussnigg to promote the Almería coastline. Until the late 1960s, it was used in reference to the entire Mediterranean coast of Eastern Andalusia . The name refers to the sunny climate, present in the region most days of the year. The Costa del Sol is one of the most important tourist areas in Spain; around 35% of Andalusia's tourism is concentrated in

7650-439: Was denied secession to be constituted as an autonomous community on its own right. During the second half of the 1980s, the central government seemed reluctant to transfer all powers to the "slow route" communities. After the five years set up by the constitution, all "slow route" communities demanded the maximum transfer guaranteed by the constitution. This led to what has been called the "second autonomic pacts" of 1992, between

7740-402: Was dubbed as café para todos , "coffee for all". This agreement was eventually put into writing in July 1981 in what has been called the "first autonomic pacts". These "autonomic pacts" filled in the gap left by the open character of the constitution. Among other things: In the end, 17 autonomous communities were created: Special provisions were made for the Valencian Community and

7830-469: Was not predictable and its construction was deliberately open-ended; the constitution only created a process for an eventual devolution , but it was voluntary in nature: the "nationalities and regions" themselves had the option of choosing to attain self-government or not. In order to exercise this right, the constitution established an open process whereby the "nationalities and regions" could be constituted as "autonomous communities". First, it recognized

7920-414: Was sympathetic to a federal system. In the end, the constitution, published and ratified in 1978, found a balance in recognizing the existence of "nationalities and regions" in Spain, within the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation". In order to manage the tensions present in the Spanish transition to democracy, the drafters of the current Spanish constitution avoided giving labels such as 'federal' to

8010-581: Was the main source of wealth in Málaga province of the 18th century, with wine and raisins as the principal commodity exports. Public works done on the Málaga city port as well as those on the Antequera and Velez roadways provided the necessary infrastructure for distribution of the renowned Málaga wines. Málaga, as headquarters of the Capitanía General de Granada (Captaincy General of the Kingdom of Granada) on

8100-410: Was vigorously enforced as a way of preserving the "unity of the Spanish nation". Peripheral nationalism, along with communism and atheism, were regarded by his regime as the main threats. His attempts to fight separatism with heavy-handed but sporadic repression, and his often severe suppression of language and regional identities backfired: the demands for democracy became intertwined with demands for

#812187