The Costa del Sol is the coastal region of Andalusia around Málaga, stretching from Gibraltar in the west to Motril in the east. Traditionally composed of fishing villages, the area was discovered for international tourism in the 1950s and has since been a popular destination for foreign tourists not only for its beaches, but also its tourist culture. Settlement in the region dates back to the Bronze Age, and it has been alternatively ruled by many cultures such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths and Moors, before the Reconquista.
The area is heavily urbanised, with a thick ribbon of densely-packed buildings running along most of the coast. Architectural styles are a mixture of low-rise, whitewashed villas and much high-rise development, especially among the tourist resorts, much of it unsympathetic to the geography. The hinterland of Costa del Sol, however, is still in an original state showing much charme.
If you are planning to visit Andalusia you may be interested in having a quick look at several photos of the area. Click on the links at the right to view the pictures. We have taken any attempt to provide exact (GPS-based) coordinates of the positions where the photos have been taken.
Here you see the area of Andalusia from space. Image courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.