What is "andalusia"

former name of southern Spain, from Spanish, from Arabic al Andalus, name for the entire peninsula, from Late Latin *Vandalicia "the country of the Vandals," in reference to one of the Germanic tribes that overran the Western Empire 3c.-4c. and for a time settled in southern Spain. See vandal.\n

Andalusia (; ) is a south-western European region established as an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain. It is the most populated and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities in Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville. Its capital is the city of Seville (Spanish: Sevilla).

Andalusia is in the south of the Iberian peninsula, immediately south of the autonomous communities of Extremadura and Castile–La Mancha; west of the autonomous community of Murcia and the Mediterranean Sea; east of Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean; and north of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar. Andalusia is the only European region with both Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines. The small British overseas territory of Gibraltar shares a three-quarter-mile land border with the Andalusian province of Cádiz at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar.

The main mountain ranges of Andalusia are the Sierra Morena and the Baetic System, consisting of the Subbaetic and Penibaetic Mountains, separated by the Intrabaetic Basin. In the north, the Sierra Morena separates Andalusia from the plains of Extremadura and Castile–La Mancha on Spain's Meseta Central. To the south the geographic subregion of Upper Andalusia lies mostly within the Baetic System, while Lower Andalusia is in the Baetic Depression of the valley of the Guadalquivir.

The name "Andalusia" is derived from the Arabic word Al-Andalus (الأندلس) and this term derives in turn from an older word: Vandalusia or land of the Vandals. As well as Muslim and Romani influences, the region's history and culture have been influenced by the earlier Iberians, Carthaginians/Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Byzantines, as well as the later Castilian and other Christian North Iberian nationalities who conquered and repopulated the area in the latter phases of the Reconquista.

Andalusia has been a traditionally agricultural region, compared to the rest of Spain and the rest of Europe. However, the growth of the community especially in the sectors of industry and services was above average in Spain and higher than many communities in the Eurozone. The region has, however, a rich culture and a strong cultural identity. Many cultural phenomena that are seen internationally as distinctively Spanish are largely or entirely Andalusian in origin. These include flamenco and, to a lesser extent, bullfighting, Hispano-Moorish architectural styles.

Andalusia's interior is the hottest area of Europe, with cities like Córdoba and Seville averaging above 36 °C (97 °F) in summer high temperatures. Late evening temperatures can sometimes stay around 35 °C (95 °F) up close to midnight, with daytime highs of over 40 °C (104 °F) common. Seville also has the highest average annual temperature in mainland Spain (19.2 °C).

Andalusia is an autonomous community of Spain. "Andalusia" or "Andalucia" may refer to:

Andalusia is the name of Southern American author Flannery O'Connor's rural Georgia estate. The estate is located in Baldwin County, Georgia, approximately northwest of Milledgeville. It comprises , including the plantation house where O'Connor wrote some of her last and best-known fiction.

Andalusia, also known as the Nicholas Biddle Estate, is a historic mansion and estate located on the Delaware River, just north of Philadelphia, in Bensalem Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The community surrounding it, Andalusia, takes its name from the 225-acre estate.

Andalusia is an apartment building located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, built in 1926 in Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Architects Arthur and Nina Zwebell designed the structure, which is said to be turned inward to a richly landscaped interior courtyard. The building is located in a historic neighborhood across Sunset Boulevard from the Chateau Marmont. The same block of Havenhurst Drive also includes two other apartment buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Colonial House (1416 Havenhurst Dr.) and Ronda (1400–1414 Havenhurst Dr.).