Axarquía () is a in the province of Málaga, Andalusia in southern Spain. It is the wedge-shaped area east of Málaga. Its name is traced back to Arabic (, meaning "the eastern [region]"). It extends along the coast and inland. Its coastal towns make up the Costa del Sol Oriental - one of the sunniest places in mainland Spain with the average of 320 sunny days a year.Rustical Travel, Holidays in Axarquia and Antequera on January 30, 2019 The natives of the region are called .
The is composed of 31 municipalities, of which the capital is Vélez-Málaga. The Vélez, Algarrobo and Torrox rivers all run through the region. Its highest mountain is La Maroma, highest point of the Sierra de Tejeda, Penibaetic System.Montañas de la Axarquía: Travesía Maroma-Lucero
The Axarquía is also known as Axarquía-Costa del Sol, for it includes the sector of the Costa del Sol, east of Málaga city made up of Rincón de la Victoria, Vélez-Málaga, Algarrobo, Torrox and Nerja municipal terms.Fernando Almeida García & Damián López Cano, La Costa del Sol Oriental: un conflicto territorial entre el turismo, la agricultura y la urbanización metropolitana. Baética: Estudios de arte, geografía e historia, ISSN 0212-5099, Nº 25, 2003, pg. 67-80 This comarca was established in 2003 by the Government of Andalusia.
Etymology The Dictionary of the Spanish Royal Academy defines the word "jarquía" (xarquía in old Castilian) as "district or territory located east of a great city and dependent on it" and says that it proceeds from Arabic Šarqiyya, meaning "eastern part" or " eastern." It coincides with the region of Axarquia which lies in the east of Málaga. The Royal Academy, in its spelling of the Spanish Language, 1999 edition, explains that, in old Castilian, consonant fricative phoneme represented the palatal [ʃ] as in English sh sound, found in words like Axarquía, Don Quixote, Mexico, Texas etc.
Municipalities The Axarquía comarca consists of the following municipalities: Arms Municipality Area(km²) Population(2023)Estimate at 1 January 2023: National Statistics Institute (Spain)Density (/km2)Alcaucín 45.1 2,554 56.6Alfarnate 34.0 1,059 31.1Alfarnatejo 20.4 380 18.6Algarrobo 9.7 6,773 698.2Almáchar 14.4 1,848 128.3Árchez 4.8 391 81.5Arenas 26.3 1,264 48.1Benamargosa 12.1 1,557 128.7Benamocarra 5.7 3,079 540.2El Borge 24.4 925 37.9Canillas de Aceituno 42.0 1,767 42.1Canillas de Albaida 33.2 801 24.1Colmenar 66.0 3,494 52.94Comares 25.5 1,339 52.51Cómpeta 54.2 3,875 71.5Cútar 19.4 592 30.5Frigiliana 40.5 3,322 82.0Iznate 7.5 915 122.0Macharaviaya 7.2 523 72.6Moclinejo 14.3 1,220 85.3Nerja 85.1 21,913 257.5Periana 58.8 3,290 56.0Rincón de la Victoria 28.5 51,300 1,800Riogordo 40.0 2,795 69.9Salares 10.3 187 18.2Sayalonga 18.3 1,647 90.0Sedella 31.6 611 19.3Torrox 50.0 20,932 418.6Totalán 9.2 767 83.4Vélez-Málaga 157.9 85,377 540.7Viñuela 27.2 2,059 75.7Totals 1,023.6 228,556 223.3
See also Baetic System Comarcas of Andalusia
Notes
References
External links
Tejeda (La Maroma), 2.068 m Axarquia Comarca Website