Seville Sevilla
Clockwise from top: Seville Cathedral and Giralda, Plaza de España in the Maria Luisa Park, Metropol Parasol, the Isabel II ("Triana") bridge and the Torre del Oro.
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: NO8DO (It [Seville] has not abandoned me)
Seville Location in Andalusia
Seville Location in Spain
Coordinates: 37°22′38″N 5°59′13″W / 37.37722°N 5.98694°W / 37.37722; -5.98694Coordinates: 37°22′38″N 5°59′13″W / 37.37722°N 5.98694°W / 37.37722; -5.98694
Country	Spain
Autonomous Community	Andalusia
Province	Seville
Comarca	Sevilla
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Body	Ayuntamiento de Sevilla
• Mayor	Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (PP)
Area
• City	140 km2 (50 sq mi)
Elevation	7 m (23 ft)
Population (2011)INE
• City	703,021
• Rank	4th
• Density	5,002.93/km2 (12,957.5/sq mi)
• Metro	1,519,639
Demonym	Sevillan, Sevillian sevillano (m), sevillana (f) hispalense
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	41001-41080
Website	www.sevilla.org

Seville ( /səˈvɪl/; Spanish: Sevilla, IPA: [seˈβiʎa], locally: [seˈβiʝa]; see also different names) is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville, Spain. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of 7 metres (23 ft) above sea level. The inhabitants of the city are known as sevillanos (feminine form: sevillanas) or hispalenses, following the Roman name of the city, Hispalis.

Seville is the fourth largest city of Spain with a municipal population of about 703 thousand as of 2011, and a metropolitan population (including satellite towns) of about 1.5 million, making it the 31st most populous municipality in the European Union. Its old town is the largest in Spain (covering almost four square kilometers), and is one of the three largest in Europe along with Venice and Genoa. The Seville harbor, located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain.

The University of Seville was founded in 1505. Recently ranked the third university in Spain (and 190th in the world), it currently has over 50,000 students.^{[citation needed]}

Seville has a developed network of road and rail transport, as well as an international airport. Industrially, there is a longstanding tradition of aeronautic and military manufacturing.

Etymology[link]

Spal is the oldest known name for Seville. It appears to be related to the Phoenician colonization of the Tartessos culture from south-western Iberia, meaning "lowland".^[1] During Roman rule, the name was Latinized as Hispalis. After Moorish invasion, this name evolved to Ishbiliya (Arabic أشبيليّة) due to the phonetic phenomenon called imela, since "p" does not exist in Arabic, and stressed "a" /æ/ turns into "i" /i/.^[2] The current Spanish denomination Sevilla come from the Arabic Isbiliya.

History[link]

Seville is approximately 3,000 years old. The passage of the various civilizations instrumental in its growth has left the city a distinct personality, and a large and well-preserved historical center. Although it has a strong medieval, renaissance and baroque heritage, the city was greatly influenced by Arabic culture.

Early periods[link]

The mythological founder of the city is Hercules (Heracles), commonly identified with the Phoenician god Melqart, who the myth says sailed through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Atlantic, and founded trading posts at the current sites of Cadiz and of Seville.^[3]

The city was known from Roman times as Hispalis. The nearby Roman city of Italica, a mainly residential city at the time, is well-preserved and gives an impression of how Hispalis may have looked in the later Roman period. Important remains also exist in the nearby city of Carmona.

Existing Roman features in Seville include the remnants of an aqueduct, a temple in Mármoles Street, the columns of La Alameda de Hércules, the remains exposed in situ in the underground Antiquarium of the Metropol Parasol building and, finally, the remains in Patio de Banderas square, near of the Seville Cathedral. The walls surrounding the city were originally built during the rule of Julius Caesar, but their current course and design were the result of Moorish reconstructions.^[4]

Following Roman rule, there were successive conquests of the Roman province of Hispania Baetica by the Vandals and the Visigoths during the 5th and 6th centuries.

Moorish era[link]

Coin of the Almoravids, Sevilla, Spain, 1116. British Museum.

Seville was taken by the Moors, Muslims from the North of Africa, during the conquest of Hispalis in 712. It was the capital for the kings of the Umayyad Caliphate, the Almoravid dynasty first and after the Almohad dynasty (from Arabic الموحدون al-Muwahhidun, i.e., "the monotheists" or "the Unitarians"), from the 8th to 13th centuries.

The Moorish urban influences continued and are present in contemporary Seville, for instance in the custom of decorating with herbaje and small fountains the courtyards of the houses. However, most buildings of the Moorish aesthetic actually belong to the Mudéjar style of Islamic art, developed under Christian rule inspired the Arabic style. Original Moorish buildings are the Patio del Yeso in the Alcázar, the city walls, and the main section of the Giralda, bell tower of the Seville Cathedral.^[5]

Castilian rule[link]

In 1248 forces of King Fernando III of Castile won victory in Seville's chapter of the peninsula's Catholic Reconquista (reconquest). Fernando, who died in the Alcázar in 1252, was declared Saint in 1671 and his body is embalmed in the Seville Cathedral and it's shown to the people several times by year in the main days, announced in the Cathedral Calendar.

The city's development continued after the Castilian conquest in 1248. Public buildings constructed including churches, many of which were built in Mudéjar style, and the Seville Cathedral, built during the 15th century with Gothic architecture. The Moors' Palace became the Castilian royal residence, and during Pedro I's rule it was replaced by the Alcázar (the upper levels are still used by the Royal Family as the official Seville residence).

In 1391, Archdeacon Ferrant Martinez closed all the synagogues in Seville, converting them to churches, as in the case of Santa María la Blanca, and also appropriated the Jewish quarter's land and shops (sited in modern-day 'Barrio Santa Cruz'). Thousands were killed during the pogrom, while others were forced to convert. The Plaza de San Francisco was the site of the 'autos de fé'. At first, the activity of the Inquisition was limited to the dioceses of Seville and Cordoba, where Alonso de Hojeda had detected converso activity. The first Auto de Fé took place in Seville on 6 February 1481, when six people were burned alive. Alonso de Hojeda himself gave the sermon. The Inquisition then grew rapidly. By 1492, tribunals existed in eight Castilian cities: Ávila, Cordoba, Jaén, Medina del Campo, Segovia, Sigüenza, Toledo and Valladolid.^[6]

The Golden Age[link]

Seville in the 16th century

Following the 1492 Christopher Columbus expedition to the New World (from Palos de la Frontera's port), the results from his claiming territory and trade for the Crown of Castile (incipient Spain) in the West Indies began to profit the city, as all goods imported from the New World had to pass through the Casa de Contratacion before being distributed throughout the rest of Spain. A 'golden age of development' commenced in Seville, due to its being the only port awarded the royal monopoly for trade with the growing Spanish colonies in the Americas and the influx of riches from them. Since only sailing ships leaving from and returning to the inland port of Seville could engage in trade with the Spanish Americas, merchants from Europe and other trade centers needed to go to Seville to acquire New World trade goods. The city's population grew to nearly a million people^{[citation needed]} in the first hundred years after Columbus. In the late 16th century the monopoly was broken, with the port of Cádiz also authorized as a port of trade. The Great Plague of Seville in 1649 reduced the population by almost half, and it would not recover until the early 19th century.^[7] By the 18th century its international importance was in decline. After the silting up of the harbor by the Guadalquivir (river) upriver shipping ceased and the city went into relative economic decline.

19th and 20th centuries[link]

Holy Week in 1855

Seville's development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was characterised by population growth and increasing industrialisation, unlike the rest of Andalusia.

Seville fell very quickly at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. General Queipo de Llano carried out a coup within the city, quickly capturing the city centre.^[8] Radio Seville opposed the uprising and called for the peasants to come to the city for arms, while worker's groups established barricades.^[8] De Llano then moved to capture Radio Seville, which he used to broadcast propaganda on behalf of the Francoist forces.^[8] After the initial takeover of the city, resistance continued amongst the working-class areas for some time, until a series of fierce reprisals took place.^[9]

Main sights[link]

The Alcázar, the Cathedral, and the Archivo General de Indias (General Archive of the Indies) are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Landmarks[link]

Patio de las Doncellas, Alcázar

Cathedral of St. Mary of Seville.

Giralda of Seville.

• The Cathedral of St. Mary was built from 1401–1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city's mosque. It is amongst the largest of all medieval and Gothic cathedrals, in terms of both area and volume. The interior is the longest nave in Spain, and is lavishly decorated, with a large quantity of gold evident. The Cathedral reused some columns and elements from the mosque, and, most famously, the Giralda, originally a minaret, was converted into a bell tower. It is topped with a statue, known locally as El Giraldillo, representing Faith. The tower's interior was built with ramps rather than stairs, to allow the Muezzin and others to ride on horseback to the top.
• The Alcázar facing the cathedral was developed from a previous Moorish Palace. Construction was started in 1181 and continued for over 500 years, mainly in the Mudéjar style, but also in the Renaissance style. Its gardens are a blend of Moorish, Renaissance, and English traditions.

• The Torre del Oro was built by the Almohad dynasty as a watchtower and defensive barrier on the river. A chain was strung through the water from the base of the tower to prevent boats from traveling into the river port.
• The Town Hall was built in the 16th century in high Plateresque style by master architect Diego de Riaño. The Facade to Plaza Nueva was built in the 19th century in Neoclassical style.

The Torre del Oro ("Gold Tower")

• The Palace of San Telmo, formerly the University of Sailors, and later the Seminary, is now the seat for the Andalusian Autonomous Government. It is one of the most emblematic buildings of baroque architecture, mainly to its world-renowned churrigueresque principal facade and the impressive chapel.
• The University of Seville is housed on the original site of the first tobacco factory in Europe, La Antigua Fábrica de Tabacos, a vast 18th century building in Baroque style and the purported inspiration for the opera Carmen.

Metropol Parasol.

• The Plaza de España, in Maria Luisa Park (Parque de Maria Luisa), was built by the architect Aníbal González for the 1929 Exposición Ibero-Americana. It is an outstanding example of Regionalist Revival Architecture, a bizarre and loftily conceived mixture of diverse historic styles, such as Art Deco and Neo-Mudéjar and lavishly ornamented with typical glazed tiles.^[10][11]
• The Metropol Parasol, in La Encarnación square, is the world largest wooden structure.^[12] A monumental umbrella-like building designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer, finished in 2011. This modern architecture structure houses the central market and an underground archaeological complex. The terrace roof is a city viewpoint.^[13]
• The Hotel Alfonso XIII, next to the University, is one of the famous buildings of architect José Espiau y Muñoz. It was built between 1916 and 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, and officially inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII.

The neighbourhood of Triana, situated on the west bank of the Guadalquivir River, played an important role in the history of the city and constitutes by itself a folk, monumental and cultural center.

On the other hand, La Macarena neighbourhood is located on the northern side of the city center. It contains some important monuments and religious buildings, such as the Museum and Basilica of La Macarena or the Hospital de las Cinco Llagas.

Plaza de España Panorama

Museums[link]

Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares (Traditional Arts and Customs Museum)

Museum of Fine Arts of Seville

The most important art collection of Seville is the Museum of Fine Arts of Seville. It was established in 1835 in the former Convent of La Merced. It holds many masterworks by Murillo, Pacheco, Zurbarán, Valdés Leal, and others masters of the Baroque Sevillian School, containing also Flemish paintings of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Other remarkable museums in Seville are:

• The Archaeological Museum, which contains collections from the Tartessian and Roman periods, placed in América square at María Luisa Park.
• The Museum of Arts and Traditions, also in América square, in front of the Archaeological museum.
• The Andalusian Contemporary Art Center, placed in La Cartuja.
• The Naval Museum, housed in the Torre del Oro, next to the Guadalquivir river.
• The Carriages Museum, in Los Remedios neighbourhood.
• The Flamenco Art Museum, in Manuel Rojas Marcos street.
• The Bullfight Museum, in La Maestranza bullring
• The Palace of the Countess of Lebrija, a private collection that contains many of the mosaic floors discovered in the nearby Roman town of Italica.
• The "Centro Velázquez" (Velázquez Center) located at the Old Priests Hospital in the turistic Santa Cruz neighbourhood.
• The Antiquarium at Metropol Parasol, an underground museum that exhibits in situ Roman and Muslim remains.
• The Castillo de San Jorge (Castle of St. George) remains, below the Triana market, next to Isabel II bridge. It was the last seat for the Spanish Inquisition.
• The Museum and Treasure of La Macarena, where the collection of the Macarena brotherhood is exhibited. This exhibition gives visitors an accurate impression about the Seville Holy Week.

In the future, the Pottery Museum is planned to be located in Triana neighbourhood, on the west bank of the Guadalqivir River.

• 

  Virgen de las Cuevas by Francisco Zurbarán (Museum of Fine Arts)

• 

  San Antonio de Padua con el Niño by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (Museum of Fine Arts)

• 

  Cigarreras by Gonzalo Bilbao (Museum of Fine Arts)

• 

  Sagrada Cena by Alonso Vázquez (Museum of Fine Arts)

• 

  Portrait of King Alfonso XIII by Gonzalo Bilbao (Museum of Fine Arts)

• 

  Juicio Final by Marten de Vos (Museum of Fine Arts)

• 

  San Hugo en el Refectorio by Francisco de Zurbarán (Museum of Fine Arts)

• 

  Mosaico de Baco (3rd Century) (Archeological Museum of Seville)

Parks and gardens[link]

Monument dedicated to Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer in María Luisa Park

• The Parque de María Luisa (María Luisa Park), is a monumental park built for the 1929 World's Fair held in Seville, the Exposición Ibero-Americana. The so-called Jardines de las Delicias (literally, Delighting Gardens), closer to the river, are part of the Parque de María Luisa.
• The Alcázar Gardens, within the grounds of the Alcázar palace, consist of several sectors developed in different historical styles. A Renaissance terrace garden fronts the space leading from the Gothic part of the palace, whereas the outermost part is an English style garden. The areas closest to the Mudéjar buildings were kept in Moorish style.

The Gardens of Murillo

• The Gardens of Murillo and the Gardens of Catalina de Ribera, both along and outside the South wall of the Alcázar, lie next to the Santa Cruz quarter. They were developed from parts of the Alcazar gardens after being transferred to the City. The appearance of the gardens is due to aesthetic improvements made at the beginning of the 20th century, following classic gardening styles with a predominant Moorish Revival influence.
• The Parque del Alamillo y San Jerónimo, the largest park in Andalusia, was originally built for Seville Expo '92 to reproduce the Andalusian native flora. It lines both Guadalquivir shores around the San Jerónimo meander. The impressive 32-meters-high bronze sculpture, "Birth of the New World" (popularly known as Columbus's Egg, el Huevo de Colón), by the Georgian sculptor Zurab Tsereteli,^[14] is located in its northwestern sector.

Birth of the New World in the Alamillo and San Jerónimo Park

American Garden.

• The American Garden, also completed for Expo '92, is in La Cartuja. It is a public botanical garden, with a representative collection of American plants donated by different countries on the occasion of the world exposition. A shadehouse for shade-loving plants, and the cactus and palms collections are the best features of the garden.

Although it is not properly a park, most of the Guadalquivir's banks constitute a linear string of parks and green areas from "Delicias" bridge to the Parque del Alamillo. The Chapina green, between the Plaza de Armas bus station and the Isabel II bridge, offers a panoramic view of the Triana old quarter neighbourhood, and is a popular zone for relaxing and sunbathing. La Cartuja's rivershore has a well-developed shady river forest, panoramic piers, and floating walkways.

Isla Mágica

Other prominent parks and gardens include:

• Jardines de Cristina, Romantic gardens built at 1830 in Puerta Jerez, close to the Cathedral and Alcázar, are named after King Ferdinand VII's second wife María Cristina.^[15] After the 2011 restoration, they were dedicated to the Generation of '27 poets.
• Parque de los Príncipes, the second oldest park in the city, built in 1973 in the Los Remedios neighbourhood.
• Parque de Miraflores, the second largest park of Seville, on the NE side of the city. It houses an area of traditional vegetable gardens, and several ancient farm buildings dating from Roman and Moorish times.
• Jardines de la Buhaira, in Nervión neighbourhood. It was modified at the end of 20th century, inspired by traditional farm-gardening. The irrigation channels and the reservoir are original Moorish remains.
• Jardines del Valle, on the northeast side of the city center. Developed from the vegetable gardens of an old monastery. Here is found a well-preserved stretch of the Almohad City Wall.
• Jardines del Guadalquivir, in La Cartuja, a modern-art garden built for Expo '92 within the exhibition site as a resting area.
• Isla Mágica, Cartuja Island, a theme park just to the west of Seville built on the site of Expo '92.

The Alcázar Gardens

Climate[link]

Seville has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa),^[16] with Semi-arid climate (BSh) influences. The annual average temperature is 18.6 °C (65 °F).

• After the neighbouring city of Cordoba, Seville has the warmest summer in the European continent (among all cities with a population over 100,000 people), with average daily highs in July of 35.3 °C (96 °F). Average minimum temperatures in July are 19.4 °C (67 °F) and every year the temperature exceeds 40 °C (104 °F) on several occasions. The extremes of temperature registered by the weather station at Seville Airport are −5.5 °C (22 °F) on 12 February 1956, and 46.6 °C (116 °F) on 23 July 1995. There is a non-accredited record by the National Institute of Meteorology which is 47.2 °C (117 °F) on 1 August during the 2003 heat wave, according to a weather station (83910 LEZL) located in the southern part of Seville Airport, near the abandoned military zone. This temperature would be one of the highest ever recorded in Spain and Europe after the European record of 48.0 °C (118 °F) recorded in Athens on 10/07/1977.
• Winters are mild: January is the coolest month, with average maximum temperatures of 15.9 °C (61 °F) and minimum of 5.2 °C (41 °F).
• Precipitation varies from 600 to 800 mm (23.5–31.5 in) per year, concentrated in the period October to April. December is the wettest month, with an average rainfall of 95 millimetres (4 in). On average there are 52 days of rain, 120.75 days of sun and four days of frost per year.
• Average number of days above 32 °C (90 °F) is 88, average number of days below 0 °C (32 °F) is 6. Average morning relative humidity: 84%, average evening relative humidity: 46%.

Culture[link]

Festivals[link]

Jesus of the Great Power (Juan de Mesa, 1620), in the Holy Week Madrugá.

The Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the Feria de Sevilla (Seville Fair), also known as Feria de Abril (April Fair), are the two most well-known of Seville's festivals. Seville is internationally renowned for the solemn but beautiful processions during Holy Week and the colourful and lively fair held two weeks after. During Feria, families, businesses and organizations set up casetas (marquees) in which they spend the week dancing, drinking, and socializing. Traditionally, women wear elaborate flamenco dresses and men dress in their best suits. The marquees are set up on a permanent fairground in which each street is named after a famous bullfighter.

Gastronomy[link]

Gazpacho

La Campana Confectionery

The tapas scene is one of the main cultural attractions of the city: people go from one bar to another, enjoying small dishes called tapas (literally "lids" or "covers" in Spanish, referring to their probable origin as snacks served in small plates used to cover drinks.) Local specialities include fried and grilled seafood (including squid, choco (cuttlefish), swordfish, marinated dogfish, and ortiguillas), grilled and stewed meat, spinach with chickpeas, Jamón ibérico, lamb kidneys in sherry sauce, snails, caldo de puchero, and gazpacho. A sandwich known as serranito is the typical and popular version of fast food.

Typical sweet cakes of this province are polvorones and mantecados from the town of Estepa, a kind of shortcake made with almonds, sugar and lard; pestiños, a honey-coated sweet fritter; torrijas, fried slices of bread with honey; roscos fritos, deep-fried sugar-coated ring doughnuts; magdalenas or fairy cakes; yemas de San Leandro, which provide the city's convents with a source of revenue; and tortas de aceite, a thin sugar-coated cake made with olive oil. Polvorones and mantecados are traditional Christmas products, whereas pestiños and torrijas are typically consumed during the Holy Week. In any case they can be tasted the round year in cake shops and patisseries.

The Seville oranges that dot the city landscape, too bitter for modern tastes, are commonly used to make marmalade and lotions; according to legend, the trees were imported when the mosque was constructed in order to provide shade and mask the scent of the medieval city. However, many tourists insist on trying the oranges which taste like sour lemons.

Music[link]

Flamenco dancers

Seville had a strong music scene in the 1970s and 1980s with bands like Triana, Alameda, Smash, Guadalquivir, Gong, Goma, Storm, Nuevos Tiempos... groups influenced by Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Jethro Tull, that fused progressive rock with flamenco. In the early 1990s groups like Reincidentes, Sr Chinarro or singer Kiko Veneno kept the city's musical scene vibrant. Today many of those groups are still active. The music scene also has a lot of rap groups like SFDK, Tote King, La Mala Rodríguez, Dogma Crew... Seville's music scene is quite diverse and this is reflected in its nightlife.

The city is also home to many theaters and theater spaces where classical music is offered, such as Teatro Lope de Vega, Teatro La Maestranza, Teatro Central, the Real Alcazar Gardens and the Sala Joaquín Turina.

Flamenco and Sevillanas

The sevillana dance, commonly presented as flamenco, is not thought to be of Sevillan origin. But the folksongs called sevillanas are authentically Sevillan, as is the four-part dance that goes with them.

Seville, and most significantly one of the most popular neighborhoods, Triana, was a major centre in the development of flamenco.

Nightlife[link]

Isabel II Bridge during the Velá de Santa Ana

Seville has a wide variety of entertainment to offer all the day, but especially from late evening to the early morning hours. The pleasant climate and the natural sociability of Sevillians lead people to spend most of their spare time outdoors talking, drinking and eating tapas. The nightclubs and disco-pubs don't fill with crowds before 2:00 am.

The main nightlife attractions are located within and around the city center. The La Alfalfa neighbourhood houses many pubs and tapas bars. A more alternative atmosphere can be found in La Alameda, with a frenetic nightlife of entertainment that ranges from traditional flamenco to heavy metal. Another popular area is El Arenal. Most of the discothèques are found in Betis street in Triana and in La Cartuja.

During spring and summer, outdoor cocktails bars (known as kioskos) are opened along Paseo de Colón, next to the Guadalquivir river.

Motto[link]

"NO8DO" is the official motto and the subject of one of the many legends of Seville. The legend has left its very tangible mark throughout the city as NO8DO can be seen on landmarks ranging from the common bike rack, the caps of the municipal sewer and water system, ordinary sidewalks, buses, taxis, monuments, even Christopher Columbus's tomb. The motto of Seville is a visible presence of which any visitor is sure to take note.

The motto is a rebus, combining the Spanish syllables (NO and DO) and a drawing in between of the figure "8". The figure represents a skein of yarn, or in Spanish, a "madeja". When read aloud, "No madeja do" sounds like "No me ha dejado", which means "It [Seville] has not abandoned me".

The story of how NO8DO came to be the motto of the city has undoubtedly been embellished throughout the centuries, but legend has it that after the conquest of Seville from the Muslims in 1248, King Ferdinand III of Castile and León moved his court to the former Muslim palace, the Alcázar of Seville.

After San Fernando's death in the Real Alcázar, his son, Alfonso X (El Sabio) assumed the throne. Alfonso X was a scholar king, hence his title. He was a poet, astronomer, astrologer, musician and linguist. Alfonso's son, Sancho IV of Castile, tried to usurp the throne from his father, but the people of Seville remained loyal to their scholar king and this is where NO8DO was believed to have originated when, according to legend, Alfonso X rewarded the fidelity of the "Sevillanos" with the words that now appear on the official emblem of the city of Seville.

Plaza del Triunfo

Neighborhoods[link]

Guadalquivir River and Triana

Avenida de la Constitución

Seville has 11 districts and 108 neighborhoods.

Santa Marta Square in Casco Antiguo

Avenida de la Constitución in Casco Antiguo

• Casco Antiguo: It is the old quarter of ​​Seville, one of the main shopping and nightlife center. Here the principal tourist attractions are located, as the cathedral, the Alcázar, the Torre del Oro, the Town Hall, the Palace of San Telmo, the University of Seville or the Metropol Parasol. It has a population of 56,206 inhabitants. Neighbourhoods: Alameda, Alfalfa, Arenal, Encarnación, Feria, Judería, Macarena (Centro), Magdalena, Puerta Osario, San Julián, San Lorenzo, San Vicente and Santa Cruz.
• Distrito Sur: This district is notable because of the placement of most the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 buildings: the Plaza de España, the Parque de María Luisa, Seville's Archaeological Museum or the Traditional Arts and Customs Museum. It has a population of 75,620 inhabitants. Neighborhoods: Bami, Felipe II-Los Diez Mandamientos, Giralda Sur, Huerta de la Salud, El Juncal, Las Letanías, La Oliva, El Plantinar, Polígono Sur, El Porvenir, Prado, Tabladilla-La Estrella and Tiro de Línea.

Navigation Pavilion, Schindler Tower and Cajasol Tower (Under construction) in La Cartuja

Isabel II Bridge (Puente de Triana)

• Triana: Like other neighbourhoods that were historically split from the main city, it was known as an arrabal. Triana is placed in an almost-island between two branches of the Guadalquivir, narrowly linked to the mainland in the north. This district has many historical buildings, such as the Santa Ana Church, or the remains of the San Jorge Castle. The old quarter of the neighbourhood offers from Betis street what might be considered the best panoramic view of Seville's city center. At the north of the district is the placed La Cartuja, a research and development park, former site of Expo 92, from which some monumental buildings were kept. Here is also placed the Isla Mágica amusement park. Triana has a population of 52,401 inhabitants. Neighborhoods: Barrio León, Cartuja, Tardón, Triana Casco Antiguo, Triana Este and Triana Oeste.

Interior of the Basilica of Macarena

Muslim walls in Macarena

• Macarena: It is the traditional and historical name of the area of Seville located north of the city center. Nowadays, La Macarena is the name of the neighborhood placed on both sides of the north city wall, but also a much bigger administrative district of Seville. Among others monuments The Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza Macarena, the Macarena Gate and the Parliament of Andalusia are prominent. Neighborhoods: Las Avenidas, La Barzola, Begoña, La Carrasca, Campos de Soria, El Cerezo, Cisneo Alto, Cruz Roja, Doctor Barraquer, La Fontanilla, Grupo Renfe, Hermandades del Trabajo, Huerta del Carmen, Macarena Tres Huertas, Macarena 5, Miraflores, La Palmilla-Doctor Marañón, La Paz-Las Golondrinas, León XIII-Los Naranjos, Pino Flores, Pío XII, Polígono Norte, Los Príncipes, Retiro Obrero, El Rocío, San Nicolás, Santa María de Ordas, Santas Justa y Rufina, El Torrejón y Villegas.

Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán (Sevilla FC), in Nervión

• Nervión: It's a large, modern neighborhood in the eastern zone of Seville. The neighborhood is an important commercial district of the city, where much of the regional capital's business takes place. The population is 16,129 inhabitants.[1] It is the second focal point of the city, and is home to a number of important sites:

–Santa Justa, Seville's major train station, with high-speed links via the AVE to Madrid, Córdoba, and Cadiz.

–Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, is home to Sevilla FC, one of Seville's two top-level soccer teams in the top flight of La Liga. The area's name is the origin of one of Sevilla FC's nickname Los Nervionenses.^[19]

–Nervión Plaza, a commercial shopping complex with many chain stores and a large movie theater with 20 screens.

–El Prado, a gardened zone that serves as a major short-distance bus hub.

–Estación de Cadiz, the lesser of the city's two trains stations. It currently serves as a fresh produce market.

The Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales (School of Business) of the University of Seville is located in this neighborhood. Neighborhoods: Nervión, San Bernardo, Huerta del Pilar, La Florida, La Buhaira, La Calzada, San Roque, Ciudad Jardín.

Alamillo Bridge, in Distrito Norte

• Distrito Norte: It has 71,963 inhabitants. Attractions: The old airport, the cemetery of San Fernando, the monastery of San Jeronimo de Buenavista and the Temple or Shrine of San Onofre. Neighborhoods: Pino Montano, Consolación, El Gordillo, Las Almenas, San Jerónimo, La Bachillera, Los Carteros, San Diego (Sevilla), Los Arcos, Las Naciones-Parque Atlántico-Las Dalias, San Matías, Aeropuerto Viejo, Valdezorras.

Memorial honoring Juán Sebastián Elcano, in Los Remedios

• Los Remedios: South of the ancient neighborhood of Triana. It derives its name from a Carmelite convent of the same name found in that area. Before development in the latter half of the 20th Century, this was one of the few standing structures in what is now Los Remedios. It has a population of 27,007. Attractions: The Parque de los Príncipes, the Seville Fair, the Puente de San Telmo, the Museo de Carruajes, Los Remedios' tower and the Cuba Square. Neighborhoods: Tablada and Los Remedios.
• Este-Alcosa-Torreblanca: It has a population of 94,761 inhabitants. Attractions: The Congress and Exhibitions Palace, the Holy Week in Torreblanca and the San Pablo Airport. Neighborhoods: Colores-Entreparques, Torreblanca, Parque Alcosa-Jardines del Edén, Palacio de Congresos-Urbadiez-Entrepuentes.
• Cerro-Amate: It has a population of 88,667 inhabitants. Attractions: Amate Park and Amate Sports Center. Neighborhoods: Amate, Juan XXIII, Los Pájaros, Rochelambert, Santa Aurelia-Cantábrico-Atlántico-La Romería, Palmete, El Cerro, La Plata.
• Bellavista-La Palmera: It has a population of 35,785. Attractions: Heliopolis' typical houses, the Estadio Benito Villamarín, the Luís del Sol Sports City, the Nuestra Señora de Valme Chapel and the Puente del V Centenario. Neighborhoods: Bellavista, Heliópolis, Elcano-Los Bermejales, Sector Sur-La Palmera-Reina Mercedes, Pedro Salvador-Las Palmeritas, Barriada de Pineda.
• San Pablo-Santa Justa: It has a population of 66,600. Attractions: The Sports Palace of Seville and Kansas City Avenue. Neighborhoods: Árbol Gordo, La Corza, Las Huertas, San Carlos-Tartessos, San José Obrero, El Fontanal-María Auxiliadora-Carretera de Carmona, Santa Clara, Zodiaco, San Pablo A y B, San Pablo C, San Pablo D y E, Huerta de Santa Teresa.

Economy[link]

Calle Sierpes (Shopping Street)

The economic activity of Seville cannot be detached from the geographical and urban context of the city; the capital of Andalusia is the centre of a growing metropolitan area. Aside from traditional neighborhoods such as Santa Cruz, Triana and others, those further away from the centre, such as Nervión, Sevilla Este, and El Porvenir have seen recent economic growth. Over the past twenty years, this urban area has seen significant population growth and the development of new industrial and commercial parks.

The infrastructure available in the city contributes to the growth of an economy dominated by the service sector, but in which industry still holds a considerable place.

Infrastructure[link]

The 1990s saw massive growth in investment in infrastructure in Seville, largely due to the hosting of the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992, which saw the economic development of the city and its urban area is supported by good transport links to other Spanish cities, including a high-speed AVE railway link to Madrid, and a new international airport. In addition:

• Seville has the only inland port of Spain, located 80 km (50 mi) from the mouth of the River Guadalquivir. This harbor complex offers access to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and allows trade in goods between the south of Spain (Andalusia, Extremadura) and Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The port has undergone reorganisation. Annual tonnage rose to 5.3 million tonnes of goods in 2006.
• Cartuja 93 is a research and development park ^[20] employing 15,000 persons. The Cajasol Tower is an skyscraper under construction located in this park for the Cajasol's headquarters and offices. The tower was started on March 2008 and it is expected to be finished the first trimester of 2013. With a height of 180.5 metres (592 feet) tall and 40 floors, it will be the tallest building in Andalusia.
• Seville has conference facilities, including the Congress Palace.
• The city and its surrounding province have a number of large industrial parks and technology centres: Dos Hermanas accommodates an industrial park, while Alcalá de Guadaíra has an industrial complex; the Parque Científico Tecnológico Sevilla Tecnopolis, gathers companies, research centres and university departments directed towards the development of new technologies; the Parque Tecnológico y Aeronáutico Aerópolis is focused on the aircraft industry.
• Outside of Seville are 9 PS20 solar power towers providing most of the city of Seville with clean and renewable energy. These towers use mirrors to focus sunlight on the tower, heating it and creating superheated steam. This steam drives turbines that in turn create electric power and provide electricity during day and night.

Seville harbor.

Characteristics by sector[link]

Heineken brewery in Seville

The town of Seville and its agglomeration have, by their situation by the river Guadalquivir, maintained dynamic agricultural activity. Agroalimentary industry may be productive. Nevertheless, for a long time the area has been looking to the future, while investing massively in industrial activities, supported by the existing infrastructures. The service sector and new technologies are increasingly important. Seville concentrated, in 2004, 31% of large Andalusian companies and 128 of the 6,000 largest national companies. In 2005, the metropolitan area counted a working population of 471,947 people, of which 329,471 (69.81%) worked within the city centre.

• Agriculture represents less than 1.3% of the workers of the city. Cereal, fruit and olive-growing constitute the principal agricultural activities in this area of Andalusia.
• Industry contributes up to 28% of the economic output of Seville. It employed in 2005 15.2% of workers in the city. It is well established in the metropolitan area, stimulated by the various industrial parks, the presence of good infrastructure and the proximity of the complexes of the Bays of Cádiz, Algeciras, and Huelva.

• The service sector employs 83.5% of the working population of Seville. It represents a significant share of the local economy and is centred on tourism, trade and financial services.

Research and development[link]

Palmas Altas Campus, Abengoa’s headquarters

The Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas en Sevilla (CSIC) is based in the former Pavilion of Peru in the Maria Luisa Park. In April 2008 the city council of Seville provided a grant to renovate the building to create the Science Center to encourage popular interest in science.^[21] The city of Seville makes a significant contribution to scientific research, as it houses the first and largest DNA bank in Spain, through the local company Neocodex. Neocodex stores 20,000 DNA samples and is recognised internationally. In addition, Seville is also considered an important technological and research centre for renewable energies and the aeronautics industry.

Through its high-tech centres and its fabric of innovating companies, the Andalusian capital has risen to among the most important Spanish cities in term of development and research. Moreover, the scientific and technological activity of the three Seville universities has to be added, whose certain laboratories and research centres work in close connection with the local socio-economic power. Thus, the Parque Científico Tecnológico Cartuja 93 gathers private and public actors in various fields of research.

The principal innovation and research orientations are telecommunications, new technologies, biotechnologies (in relation to local agricultural specificities), environment and renewable energy.

Transportation[link]

Bus in Seville

Bus[link]

Seville is served by the TUSSAM (Transportes Urbanos de Sevilla) bus network which runs buses throughout the city. Two bus stations serve transport with surrounding areas and other cities: Plaza de Armas station, with destinations towards north and west, and Prado de San Sebastián stations, covering routes to south and east.

Metro[link]

San Bernardo station.

The Seville metro ("Metro de Sevilla" in Spanish) is a light metro network serving the city of Seville and its metropolitan area. The system is totally independent of any other rail or street traffic. All stations were built with platform screen doors.
It was the sixth Metro system to be built in Spain, after those in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Palma de Mallorca. Currently, it is the fifth biggest Metro company in Spain by number of passengers carried (more than 12,000,000 in 2009).

Seville Metro
Line	Terminals	Length	Stations	In service	Opened
	Ciudad Expo Olivar Quintos	18 km	22	21	2/04/2009
	Torreblanca Puerta Triana	13.4 km	18	0	2017 (partial)
	Pino Montano Bermejales	11.5 km	17	0	2017 (partial)
	Circular line	17.7 km	24	0	2017 (partial)

Tram[link]

Seville Tram

MetroCentro is a surface tramway serving the centre of the city. It began operating in October 2007.

At the present time, the service consists of just five stops, Plaza Nueva, Archivo de Indias, Puerta de Jerez, Prado de San Sebastián and San Bernardo, as part of Phase I of the project. The service is expected to be extended to Santa Justa AVE station, including four new stops: San Francisco Javier, Eduardo Dato, Luis de Morales and Santa Justa. This plan is now postponed. City council gived priority to extend metro lines.

Train[link]

The Santa Justa train station of Seville

The Santa Justa train station is served by the AVE high-speed rail system, and is operated by the Spanish formerly state-owned rail company Renfe. A five-line commuter rail service (Cercanías) joins the city with the Metropolitan area.

Bicycle[link]

Bicycle Parking of Sevici

The Sevici community bicycle program has integrated bicycles into the public transport network. Across the city, bicycles are available for hire at low cost and green bicycle lanes can be seen on most major streets. Number of people using bicycle as a mean of transport in Seville increased a lot in recent years. It multiplied by ten from 2006 to 2010. These are unique results in comparison with other cities. Now more than 7% of all trips in the city are made by bicycle.

The most important factor beside Sevici bikes is that the municipality created more than 120 km of safe bike paths throughout the city and did it fast. Bi-directional green paths follow main avenues. They are continuous (properly connected at crossings), uniform (green surface, 2.5 m wide) and segregated from motorised traffic. Whole network cost 32 million Euros. Measures were based on sustainable mobility plan. Seville proves that development of cycling can be achieved fast.

Airport[link]

Airbus A320-216 in San Pablo Airport

San Pablo airport is the main airport for Seville and is Andalusia’s second airport, behind Málaga. The airport handled 4,051,392 passengers and just under 5,000 tonnes of cargo in 2009.^[22] It has one terminal and one runway. Construction of the airport began in 1915, and by 1919 the first commercial flights had started. At the start of Spanish Civil War it was the arrival point for Spanish Legion troops. During 1940s, the airport was designated a custom post for international traffic, primarily to South America, and was largely reconstructed. Furthermore, extensive rebuilding of the airport between 1989 and 1992 facilitated the arrival of many visitors for EXPO'92. It is one of many bases for the Spanish low cost carrier Vueling, and from November^[when?] Ryanair will base two aircraft at the airport.

Education[link]

Rectorate of the University of Seville

State Education in Spain is free, and compulsory from 6 to 16 years. The current education system is called LOGSE (Ley de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo).^[23]

Higher education[link]

Seville is home of three public universities: the University of Seville, founded on 1505, the Pablo de Olavide University, founded in 1997 and the International University of Andalusia, founded in 1994.^[24]

Additionally, there is the School of Hispanic American Studies, founded on 1942, the Texas Tech University, based in Lubbock, Texas, the Menéndez Pelayo International University, based in Santander, which operate branch campuses in Seville.^[25]

Famous natives[link]

• Maria Antonietta of Spain, Queen consort of Sardinia (1729–1785)
• Roman emperors Trajan and Hadrian were born in Italica
• Physician Avenzoar
• The family of the Arabic historian and sociologist Ibn Khaldun
• Renaissance composer Cristóbal de Morales, Francisco Guerrero
• 16th century novelist Mateo Alemán
• Playwrights Lope de Rueda, Hermanos Alvarez Quintero
• Historian of New Spain Bartolomé de Las Casas
• Explorer Juan Díaz de Solís, born in Lebrija
• Spanish linguist and grammarian Antonio de Nebrija, born in Lebrija
• Baroque painters Diego Velázquez, Valdés Leal and Murillo
• Explorer and astronomer Antonio de Ulloa
• Renaissance poet Gutierre de Cetina
• Romantic poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
• Bullfighters Juan Belmonte, Curro Romero, Ignacio Sánchez Mejías and Joselito el Gallo
• 20th century poets:
  • Vicente Aleixandre (Nobel Laureate)
  • Antonio Machado
  • Manuel Machado, his brother
  • Luis Cernuda
• Composer Joaquín Turina
• Actors Juan Diego, Paco León
• Actresses Soledad Miranda, Verónica Sánchez, Carmen Sevilla, Paz Vega, Azucena Hernández
• Miss España 2003 (representing Andalusia), beauty queen and model Eva Maria González
• Singers Isabel Pantoja, Juanita Reina, Lole y Manuel, Paquita Rico, El Caracol, Falete
• Comedian Manuel Summers
• Association footballers José Antonio Reyes, Fernando "Nando" Muñoz, Ricardo Serna, Sergio Ramos, Jesús Navas, Antonio Puerta, Carlos Marchena.
• Olympic swimmer Fátima Madrid
• Politicians Felipe González, President of the Government of Spain from 1982 to 1996, and Alfonso Guerra, vice president from 1982 to 1991