Almería (2003 pop. 176,338) is the capital of the province of Almería (Pop. 604,903) in Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea and all its area is an important Mediterranean resort. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... Almería province Almería is a province of southern Spain, in the eastern part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... -1...

The name "Almería" stems from al-Meraya (Arabic, "the watchtower"), because of its magnificent Moorish castle, Alcazaba: among the Muslim fortresses of Andalusia, only Alhambra is larger. The city was founded by Abd ar-Rahman III of Cordoba in 955 as a principal harbour in his extensive domain, to strengthen his Mediterranean defenses against the Fatimid caliphate in Tunisia. In this period, the port city of Almería reached its historical peak, continuing, after the fragmentation of the Caliphate of Cordoba, under powerful local muslim taifa emirs like Jairan, the first independent Emir of Almería and Cartagena and Almotacin the poet emir, both fearless warriors but also patrons of the arts. A silk industry, based upon plantings of mulberry trees in the hot dry landscape supported Almería in the 11th century and made its strategic harbour an evben more valuable prize. Contested by the emirs of Granada and Valencia, Almería suffered many sieges, and one especially fierce when Christians, called to the Second Crusade by Pope Eugenius III, were also encouraged to fall upon the Muslim infidel. Alfonso VII, at the head of mixed forces of Catalans, Genoese, Pisans and Franks led a crusade against the rich city and Almería was occupied in October 1147. Within a decade it was in the control of the puritannical Almoravid emirs, and though its glorious culture was diminished, not until the late 15th century did it fell permanently into Christian hands, surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, December 26, 1489. Arabic is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Motto: Dominator Hercules Fundator Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia for herself, for Spain, and for humanity) Capital Seville Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87 268 km²  17,2% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 1st  7 478 432  17,9%  85,70/km² Demonym... (This article is about the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. ... Abd-ar-Rahman III, Emir and Caliph of Cordoba (912 - 961) was the greatest and the most successful of the princes of the Ummayad dynasty in Spain. ... The Caliph of Cordoba ruled Islamic Spain (Al-Andalus) and North Africa from the city of Cordoba, from 929 to 1031. ... Events Otto I the Great defeats Magyars in the Battle of Lechfeld Births Deaths November 8 - Pope Agapetus II Categories: 955 ... The Fatimid Empire or Fatimid Caliphate ruled North Africa from A.D. 909 to 1171. ... The Caliph of Cordoba ruled Islamic Spain (Al-Andalus) and North Africa from the city of Cordoba, from 929 to 1031. ... The term taifa in the history of Iberia refers to an Islamic independent city-state with its supporting surrounding region, an emirate or petty kingdom, of which a number formed in Al-Andalus after the final collapse of the Umayyad caliphate of Córdoba in 1031. ... Cartagena is the name of two cities: Cartagena, Spain Cartagena, Colombia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The City of Granada Alhambra, Courtyard of the Lions Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in Andalusia, Spain (Andalucía, España). ... Pavement of a Valencia street, with arbour. ... The Second Crusade was called in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144. ... The Blessed Eugene III, né Bernardo Pignatelli (d. ... Alfonso VII of Castile (March 1, 1104/5 _ August 21, 1157), nicknamed the Emperor, was the king of Castile and Leon since 1126, son of Urraca of Castile and Count Raymond (the third?) of Burgundy. ... Almoravides (From Arabic المرابطون sing. ... The Catholic monarchs (Spanish: Reyes licos) is the collective title used in history for Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon. ... Ferdinand II of Aragon (Fernando de Aragón in Spanish and Ferran dAragó in Catalan), nicknamed the Catholic (March 10, 1452 – June 23, 1516) was king of Aragon, Castile, Sicily, Naples and Navarre and Count of Barcelona. ... Isabella of Castile (Spanish: Ysabel, Isabel or Isabela) (22 April 1451 - 26 November 1504) was queen of Castile. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... Events March 14 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. ...

See: List of Almería Kings

The 16th century was for Almería a century of natural and human catastrophes, for there were at least four earthquakes, of which the one in 1522 was especially violent, devastating the city. The people who had remained Muslim were expelled from Almería after the War of Las Alpujarras in 1568 and scattered across Spain. Landings and attacks by Berber pirates were also frequent in that century, and continued until the early 18th century. In that time, huge iron mines were discovered and French and British companies came to settle in the area, bringing renewed prosperity and bringing Almería back to a relative importance within Spain. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a trembling or a shaking movement of the Earths surface. ... Events January 9 - Adrian Dedens becomes Pope Adrian VI. February 26 - Execution by hanging of Cuauhtémoc, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan under orders of conquistador Hernán Cortés. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group indigenous to the Maghreb, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ... A pirate is one who robs or plunders at sea without a commission from a recognised sovereign nation. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

In the second half of the 20th century, Almería witnessed spectacular economic growth due to tourism and especially to its intensive agriculture with a world wide repuation, which has made Almería products a must item in any quality European market. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

From the political point of view, there is a strong populist desire to achieve the status of an "autonomous region" in Spain, in spite of the great efforts of the Andalusian government to disuade the voters. An autonomous region or autonomous district is a subnational region with special powers of self-rule. ...

Famous natives of Almería include Nicolás Salmerón, who in 1873 was the third president of the First Spanish Republic, and several musicians, like the popular folk singer Manolo Escobar, reputed Flamenco guitar player José Tomás "Tomatito" or Grammy Award winner David Bisbal, record-breaker album seller in America and Spain. 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Flag of the Spanish Republics. ... David Bisbal (born June 5, 1979) is a Spanish singer. ...

Almería has been chosen to host the Mediterranean Games in 2005. The Mediterranean Games are a multi-sport games held every four years for nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Ayuntamiento de Almería (http://www.a2000.es/almeria/otros/princip.htm)
• www.andalucia.com/cities/almeria.htm
• Almería 2005 - XV Juegos Mediterráneos (http://www.almeria2005.es/)
• [1] (http://www.udalmeriasad.com)Almería Football Club
• "Almería's History" (http://www.almeria2005.es/cgi-bin/Almeria2005_ING.asp?idTraduccion=1510)