Málaga
Málaga is a municipality of Spain and the capital of the province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 592,346 in 2024, it is the 2nd-largest city in Andalusia and the 6th-largest in the country. It lies in Southern Iberia on the Costa del Sol ('Coast of the Sun') of the Mediterranean, primarily on the left bank of the Guadalhorce.
Typical weather
1981–presentCity Rhythm
measuredOpening hours, by kind of place
median across mapped venuesVital absurdities
measured · the Anti-AwardsSame time system
by rhythmWhat to do each season
2winter
mild, with most of the year's rainfall concentrated in Oct-Apr; mean 12.8-18.1 °C across the range; January mean min 11.2 °C; November-December wettest (2.4-2.6 mm/day)
- the Costa del Sol high-season begins; retirees and northern-Europe second-homers activate
- the Picasso Museum, the Carmen Thyssen, the Centre Pompidou Málaga (the only one outside France) carry indoor cultural life
- Holy Week (Semana Santa) — observed for 5 centuries; massive tronos (floats weighing >5,000 kg) carried through the streets
summer
warm-hot and almost rainless; mean 21.3-24.5 °C, August mean max 26.9 °C; Jul precip 0.0 mm/day, Aug 0.1 mm/day; the Mediterranean is at its warmest — humidity rises
- the Malagueta beach and the Pedregalejo beach-bars activate; the city is a beach city
- the Feria de Málaga (August) — the city's largest festival, with the whole civic calendar compressed into 9 days
- Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (Spain's 4th busiest, 12.8M pax in 2008) at peak; the Costa del Sol saturated
- humidity rises; the apparent temperature feels higher than the air temperature
What it is known for
Important moments in a year
Feria de Malaga
- the city's largest festival
- horse shows, flamenco, the port converted to fairground
- citywide crowds
Holy Week
- 5-century tradition of Passion processions
- huge tronos (floats)
- brass bands and penitents
Malaga Film Festival
- Spanish-language film industry's annual gathering
On the record
source-trackedMálaga is the 2nd-largest city in Andalusia and the 6th-largest in the country [Spain].
Málaga's history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe.
According to most scholars, it was founded about 770 BC by the Phoenicians from Tyre as Malaka.
The city is an important tourist destination, known as "the capital of the Costa del Sol". An estimated 6 million tourists visit the city each year.
The Málaga harbour is also the second busiest cruise port of the Iberian Peninsula.
Málaga's climate is a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa) with mild winters, during which most of the year's rainfall occurs, and hot summers with very little rainfall.
Holy Week has been observed for five centuries in Málaga. Images depicting scenes from the Passion are displayed on huge ornate tronos (floats or thrones), some weighing more than 5,000 kilograms (11,000 pounds).
It [Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport] is the international airport of Andalusia, accounting for 85 percent of its international traffic.
In 2018, this high-tech, science and industrial park [Andalusia Technology Park] employs over 16,774 workers.
Málaga is the fourth-ranking city in economic activity in Spain behind Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
The method behind this atlas — 196 pp. Not published yet.