Economic and Social Development

Cordoba's economy is dependent on a constant flux of tourism, tourists deliver benefits to ever section of Cordoba's walls by paying for hotels, museums, and souvenirs. Before the city relied on copper mines and the herding of animals. Tourism is especially popular during the month of May in Cordoba because of the three festivals it hosts, uniting social and economic goals into one big party.

Here is a picture of a Spanish man with his dog, he was so nice he even let me take a picture of him!

The first festival is the May Crosses Festival which metamorphoses Cordoba's streets into beautiful flower decorated paths while musicians play on ever corner. A contest is held for the prettiest flower!

The second festival is the Patios Festival and it takes place in the middle of the month. Every historic house or villa opens its doors to the public to be judged on its beauty and use of architecture.

The third festival is the Seville Festival which occurs at the end of May. Carriages and horse-riders walk throughout the city, leading every tourist and citizen to an exciting bull fight at the famous bullring La Real Maestranza. All these festivals help ensure Cordoba's economy is in check and that every social relationship is still strong with the city's culture and spirit.


Here is a video of a man playing guitar, honoring Cordoba and it's beauty.

Geopolitical Framework

 Andres Ocana, a supporter of the United Left, has lead Cordoba as mayor since 2009. The United Left is a political coalition consisting of a handful of leftists, socialists, and republicans who lean towards the left. The coalition was created in 1986 in response to Spain joining NATO.

Cordoba is also supported by its City Council, which covers a range of different subjects and areas concerning the city including Tourism, Security, Infrastructure and the Environment. The council meets monthly in the Congress hall of Cordoba, which was previously the former Royal Hospital San Sebastian. 

Andres Ocana runs the Governing Board, which holds ten members, five members being supporters of United Left. Cordoba has ten districts which form the neighborhoods of the city, The municipal council and district boards tend over the separate districts.

Cultural Coherance

Cordoba is one of the biggest cultural landmarks of Spain, having the second largest Old Town in Europe and a very large open urban area. Wherever you look in Cordoba, you can see a slice of history. The Roman Bridge and The Great Mosque of Cordoba are the most popular attractions. Here's a picture I took of the Roman Bridge!

Juderia, the medieval jewish quarter of Cordoba, contains small beautiful houses with patios and courtyards bursting with flower pots and color. It's impossible to escape beauty and culture in Cordoba, it's around every cobblestone corner.

Religion is throughout Cordoba, in fact, Nuns of every type frequent Cordoba's streets. They represent the Christian community of Cordoba.

Here is a video that tours most of Cordoba, and shows how magical of a city it is.

Population and Settlement

Cordoba, in the past, used to be one of the most populous cities in the world, specifically in the 10th century, since there was a large fluctuation of Islamic peoples joining Cordoba's city walls. The large Islamic population continued to grow, but there were still small Christian and Jewish communities surrounding Cordoba. The Islamic people were tolerant of the other religious groups, which allowed Cordoba to prosper under its Islamic rulers at the time. Cordoba formed into a center for education through the buildings of schools, hospitals, and libraries.


 Today, Cordoba still holds many precious Islamic artifacts and wonders. For example the Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the oldest and most historically richest Mosque's in the world. Here are a few pictures I took inside of the mosque!

In 2011, Cordoba's population averaged at about 330,033 people.

"Cordoba, Andalusia" Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, last modified 9 March 2013 at 01:34.

Environmental Geography

Cordoba resides in Andalusia, the Southern section of Spain and is a part of eight different provinces including Granada and Seville, Seville being the capital of Andalusia.

Spain itself is surrounded by several bodies of water, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and is the 52nd largest country in the world. Cordoba's borders meet on the Guadalquivir river, leading to Sierra Morena, a location that provides natural resources such as coal, lead, and zinc for the people of Cordoba. Mining these resources helps the population prosper and thrive.

 Islands, Mountains, Fun Facts

Since Spain is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, many groups of islands reside near Spain's coast. For example, The Balearic Islands are on the Mediterranean side and the Canary Islands are on the Atlantic side. Tenerife, one of the seven Canary Islands, contains the largest population for both groups at 899,833 and contains Spain's highest mountain peak, Mt. Teide.  Mt. Teide's elevation is 12, 198 ft!

Many Spanish residents travel to these islands to escape the daily grind of their lives, although Cordoba residents might not travel as much, since they already live in a paradise of culture and history. A fun fact that many people don't know about Cordoba is that it is one of the few cities that has an antipodal city. Antipodal meaning Cordoba has a city exactly opposite to its location on the other side of the Earth. The equator splits the Earth, but their can still be antipodes connecting two different locations having the same latitudes but one location is north of the equator and the other is south of the equator. Cordoba's antipodal city is Hamilton, New Zealand, imagine that! Also the picture below is one I took of a couple kissing in a restaurant in Cordoba, it's so great I had to put it up =)

Climate

Cordoba's climate is a Subtropical-Mediterranean climate, due to the Mediterranean Sea and Cordoba being adjacent to the Tropics, making the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn Cordoba's main climate zone. In the summer, Cordoba's average daily temperature peaks at about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, but has been known to reach about 104 degrees Fahrenheit on especially hot days. 

Bibliography

"Cordoba, Andalusia," Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, last modified 9 March 2013 at 01:34.

Starting Things Off!

Hello Internet and World Geography 150! I have decided to pick Cordoba, Spain as my location because of its beauty and that I visited Spain a few years ago on a choir trip.

 My high school choir toured throughout Spain, we traversed through shining gray churches and silver stone streets, singing for audiences big and small.

Cordoba, however, immediately stood out to me. It became my favorite Spanish city in a little over two hours. Most of the pictures I'm going to post I took myself.  I hope you, the reader, will enjoy this blog!