Costa del Sol Towns
Benalmádena is a town
that is part of the metropolitan area ofMalaga,
in the judicial district of Torremolinos and in the region of theCosta del Sol. Under this territorial division,
Benalmádena is pooled together with other municipalities within the
Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol.
The township of Benalmádena is situated in
the coastal strip between the Sierra de Mijas and the Alboran Sea, just over
100 km from the Strait of Gibraltar. It is built on a mountain beside the sea,
which makes up its geography. Moreover, it is crossed by creeks and streams and
adjoins the municipalities of northeast Torremolinos, Alhaurín de la Torre to
the north, Mijas and Fuengirola to the east, as well as theMediterranean
Sea to the south.
The climate is
typically Mediterranean, with mild temperatures all year round, no frost in the
colder months and an average of 19 degrees centigrade. Its climate and its
location on the southern coastEurope are
important factors for the tourism industry is the main industry of the
municipality.
It has a population
of 60,000 and has experienced tremendous growth since the 60s due to tourism
development. However, it is estimated that around 80,000 regular residents, a
number that triples during the summer.
The population is distributed around the three main towns in the Borough
distinguished as the following.
Benalmádena Pueblo
Benalmádena Pueblo is known as the old part of town and its surrounding
neighbourhoods. Situated on the slopes of Pico Mijas, where there was once a
walled town and a fortress of which there is no longer any remains. This is the
aesthetic of the white villages of Andalusia and theMediterranean
is home to the central units of the City Council. The post code is 29639
Benalmadena Pueblo.
Benalmádena Costa
The coastal area of Benalmadena is known by this name, "Coast" is the
tourist heart of the town and here is concentrated the bulk of the hotels. It
is built on the old road of Cadiz (now the Avenida Antonio Machado and Avenida
del Sol), which runs parallel to the coastline, the Puerto Deportivo de
Benalmádena and the beaches, which are accessed from a promenade that crosses
the town from the border with the neighbouring towns of Fuengirola to
Torremolinos. The zip code is 29630 Benalmádena Costa.
Several authors have
presented theories on the origin of the name of the town, but none has been
proven as true. The first documents in which references to Benalmadena date of
the fifteenth century in the context of the struggles of recapturing the crown
of Castile
against the Nazari Kingdom of Granada.
The assumption on which most historians agree is one that relates the Arabic
name Ibn al-ma'din with "children of mine" by the existence of ocher
and iron deposits in the area. Another theory, also related to the mining
industry, says the current name of Benalmadena comes from the Arabic word
al-Bina ma'din whose Castilian translation would be "the construction or
building of the mine."
Among the theories are less meaning that
the claim that the original name of the place means "people from springs,
whose voice would be Arabic Ena Bena-A. Furthermore, it is believed that the
potential Madina al-Bina name could refer to "the wealth of the family
al-Madina", which historical data was a wealthy Muslim family from Malaga who may have owned
land in the area. Finally it has been suggested that the name of the
municipality referred to a lineage where Arabic "al-Madan Ben would like
to refer to the lineage of the Madan.
