Almería
[key], city, capital of Almería prov., SE Spain, in Andalusia, on the Gulf of
Almería. A busy Mediterranean port, it exports the celebrated grapes of the region,
other fruits, esparto, as well as iron and other minerals mined nearby. The city has
refineries, chemical and cement plants, and light industries. The sunny, mild climate attracts
many Northern Europeans. Probably founded by Phoenicians, Almería flourished from the
13th to the 15th cent. as the outlet of the Moorish kingdom of Granada. It fell to the
Christians in 1489. There is a Moorish fort, now in ruins, and a Gothic cathedral. In 1937,
during the civil war, the city was shelled by German warships.
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