7-704: The Lecrin Valley (Spanish: Valle de Lecrín , Spanish pronunciation: [ˈβaʎe ðe leˈkɾiŋ] ) is a comarca in the center-south part of the province of Granada , Andalusia , southern Spain . This territory borders the Vega de Granada to the north, the Alpujarra Granadina to the east, the Costa Tropical to the south, and the Alhama to the west. Lecrin derived from Arabic Iqlim , meaning "gateway": this refers to
14-451: A small area of land situated between the villages of Mondújar and Talará , which controlled the access to the vast coastal areas of sugar production in Moorish times. The Lecrin Valley consists of eight municipalities, of which the most populous is El Padul , and the largest is Albuñuelas , the latter being also the least populated. On the other hand, the municipality with the smallest area
21-427: Is Villamena. Its traditional and historical capital is the town of Dúrcal . Apart from Dúrcal and Padul, agriculture and farming remain the principal occupation with pine, citrus, almond, olive and grape as the main crops. In more recent times, it has become a destination for Spanish and international holidaymakers looking for a quiet holiday amongst the orchards, but with easy reach to the Moorish city of Granada and
28-467: The Costa Tropical . It is also an increasingly popular destination for walkers, bird watchers, cyclists and artists. The Lecrin Valley is known for its verdant landscape (due to the melt-water run off from Sierra Nevada ) and its views to lake Beznar and up to the Sierra Nevada mountains, its walks, birdlife and spring colours. This comarca consists of the following municipalities: Halfway between
35-452: The city of Granada and the Costa Tropical , this comarca is traversed from North to South by the A-44 ( Bailén - Motril ) motorway, which serves all municipalities with the following ways out: Other notable roads are: N-323, an old road that connected Bailén with Motril , connecting the cities of Jaén and Granada with the coast; A-4050, popularly known as Carretera de la Cabra , which links
42-495: The mountain port of El Suspiro del Moro with Almuñécar to the west; and A-348, which connects the entire Alpujarra Granadina with the highway. 36°59′N 3°34′W / 36.983°N 3.567°W / 36.983; -3.567 Comarcas of Andalusia In Andalusia , comarcas have no defined administrative powers; many municipalities have gathered together to form mancomunidades in order to provide basic services, but those do not always coincide with
49-549: The traditional comarcas . The current (2007) Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia , unlike its 1981 predecessor, allows for the establishment and regulation of official comarcas under its Title III, Article 97, which defines the significance of comarcas and sets the basis for future legislation in this area. In 2003, the Council of Tourism and Sports of the Regional Government of Andalusia published an order in which it defined
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