Andalusia - Andalusia (English spelling)

Japanese: アンダルシア - あんだるしあ（英語表記）Andalucía

The name of a region in southern Spain, facing the western edge of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cordoba, Cadiz, Jaén, Malaga, Granada, and Almeria. It has an area of 87,280 square kilometers and a population of 7,357,558 (2001). It is the region that retains the strongest Arab influence, and flamenco is originally a dance of this region. There are many Islamic cultural heritages and many tourist cities. In general, summers are hot and dry, and winters are warm and rainy. Although it has a Mediterranean climate, the lowlands have as many as 250 sunny days and subtropical plants, while the peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains have snowfall for 3 to 4 months. Topographically, it is divided into three regions from north to south: the Guadalquivir River lowlands, the Betic mountain range including the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Mediterranean coast.

The lowlands are well irrigated and agriculture is well developed, with olive cultivation being particularly popular in the Guadalquivir lowlands. There are also many vineyards, and large farms mainly producing rice are distributed in the downstream delta region. Because the groundwater level is high, pasture grass grows luxuriantly even in the dry summer season, and bulls are traditionally raised there for bullfighting. Sugarcane, bananas, and cotton are also cultivated in the coastal plains. This region is dominated by large farms run by large landowners, with many landless agricultural workers, absentee landlords, and low productivity management. Iron, lead, zinc, copper, and other underground resources are abundant, especially in the mountainous regions. Industrialization is also progressing, and factories have been established in each city, but the region is still underdeveloped. In recent years, tourism development has been progressing, mainly in the Costa del Sol on the eastern coast.

[Yutaka Tanabe and Yumiko Takizawa]

history

Facing the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans and close to Africa, it has welcomed many invaders since ancient times. According to Strabo, an ancient Greek geographer and historian, the Tartessian Kingdom was located near present-day Huelva and traded with the Phoenicians who founded Cadiz around 1100 BC. The Greeks also established a colony in Maenake near Malaga, but after Carthage was defeated in the Punic Wars in the 2nd century BC, it became a province of the Roman Empire. Its capital, Cordoba, produced many literary figures, including Seneca and Lucan.

From around 411, there were invasions by foreign tribes, and after a period of Visigothic rule, in 711, Muslims under the command of Tariq crossed the straits and defeated Visigothic King Rodrigo in the Guadaret plains. The name "Andalusia" originated from the name given to the Germanic Vandal kingdom, which was called Bandarisia by Islam. At first, it was subordinate to the caliph of Damascus, but during the reign of Abd al-Rahman I (reigned 756-788), the Umayyad dynasty was established and it gained independence, reaching its zenith during the reign of Abd al-Rahman III (reigned 912-961). After the death of Hisham II's vizier Mansur, unity collapsed and the region became a series of small principalities. From the 11th century onwards, the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties intervened, but in 1212 the Christian army won the Battle of Tolosa, and in 1492 the Catholic kings Ferdinand and Isabella entered Granada, bringing to an end the 800-year-long Reconquista. From then until the 18th century, Seville and Cadiz prospered as bases for the development of the Americas. From the 19th century onwards, a supreme council was established in Cadiz to counter the French invasion, and the first constitution was promulgated, but there were frequent rebellions led by Riego and others, and the lives of the people deteriorated to an extreme extent, leading to the rise of a secret society called the Black Hand. In addition, the power of large landowners was strong, and during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) there were fierce battles in various places in support of Franco, but when peace came, tourists from all over the world flocked to the area, seeking the strong tropical sunshine and attractive historical sites such as the Alhambra Palace.

[Mitsuo Niwa]

Alcazaba Castle
A Muslim fortress built in the 11th century. It is located on a hill overlooking the city of Malaga. Spain, Malaga ©Shogakukan ">

Alcazaba Castle

flamenco
A musical dance from the Andalusian region of southern Spain. The dance itself is musical, with elements such as pitos (finger clapping), palmas (hand clapping), and zapateado (foot stomping). Seville, Spain ©Shogakukan ">

flamenco

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

スペイン南部、地中海の西端と大西洋に面する地方名。ウェルバ、セビーリャ、コルドバ、カディス、ハエン、マラガ、グラナダ、アルメリアの8県からなる。面積8万7280平方キロメートル、人口735万7558（2001）。アラブの影響をもっとも色濃く残す地方で、フラメンコは本来この地方の踊りである。イスラム文化の遺産が多く、観光都市も多い。一般的に夏は高温で乾燥し、冬は温暖で降雨をみる。地中海性気候であるが、低地では晴天日数が250日にも達し、亜熱帯性植物がみられるのに対し、シエラ・ネバダ山脈の山頂では降雪が3～4か月間ある。地形上、北から南へ、グアダルキビル川低地、シエラ・ネバダ山脈を含むベティカ山系、地中海沿岸部の3地域に分けられる。

　低地はよく灌漑(かんがい)されて農業が発達し、グアダルキビル川低地ではとくにオリーブ栽培が盛んである。ブドウ園も多く、下流の三角州地域では米作を主とする大農場が分布する。夏の乾期にも地下水位が高いため牧草が繁茂するので、伝統的に闘牛用のウシを飼育している。海岸部平野ではサトウキビ、バナナ、綿花なども栽培される。この地方は大土地所有者による大農場経営が支配的で、土地をもたない農業労働者が多く、不在地主や生産性の低い経営が目だっている。山岳地域を中心に鉄、鉛、亜鉛、銅などの地下資源が豊富に産出される。また工業化が進められ、各都市に工場が立地しているが、まだ低開発の状態にある。近年、東部海岸のコスタ・デル・ソルを中心とした観光開発が進んでいる。

［田辺　裕・滝沢由美子］

歴史

地中海と大西洋に面し、アフリカに近いため、古くから多くの侵入者を迎えた。古代ギリシアの地理・歴史学者ストラボンによると、現ウェルバ近傍にタルテソス王国があって、紀元前1100年ごろカディスを建設したフェニキア人と交易していたという。ギリシア人もマラガ近くのマイナケに植民地をつくっているが、前2世紀にカルタゴがポエニ戦争に敗れてから、ローマ帝国の属州となった。その首都コルドバから、セネカ、ルカヌスなど文人が輩出している。

　411年ごろから異民族の侵入があり、西ゴートの支配が続いたのち、711年タリク指揮のイスラムが海峡を渡り、グワダレテの野に西ゴート王ロドリゴを破った。ゲルマン系のバンダル人の王国を、イスラムがバンダリシアとよんだのが、地名「アンダルシア」の起源である。初めダマスカスのカリフに従属していたが、アブドゥル・ラフマーン1世（在位756～788）の時代に後ウマイヤ朝を開いて独立、同3世（在位912～961）のころ最盛期を迎えた。ヒシャーム2世の宰相マンスールの死後、統一が崩れ、群小君主国となる。11世紀以降、ムラービト、ムワッヒド両朝が介入するが、1212年トロサの戦いにキリスト教軍が勝利し、1492年、フェルナンド、イサベルのカトリック両王のグラナダ入城とともに、800年にわたる国土回復戦争（レコンキスタ）が終結する。以後、18世紀にかけて、セビーリャ、カディスはアメリカ大陸発展への基地として繁栄した。19世紀以降、フランス軍侵入に対抗してカディスに最高評議会が置かれ、初の憲法を発布するが、リエゴなどによる反乱が多発し、民衆の生活も極度に悪化して「黒い手」という秘密結社が跳梁(ちょうりょう)した。また大土地所有者の勢力が強く、フランコ反乱のスペイン内戦時（1936～1939）には彼を支持して各地に激戦があったが、平和になると、南国の強い日差しとアルハンブラ宮殿のような魅力的な旧跡を求めて、全世界から観光客が押し寄せるようになった。

［丹羽光男］