Granada

Granada is the capital city of the province of Granada, which is located in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is also known as the "City of Gold." Granada is situated at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of four rivers: the Darro, the Genil, the Monachil, and the Beiro. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Granada. The city, which is part of the Vega de Granada comarca, is located at an average height of 738 m (2,421 ft) above sea level, but it is just one hour by vehicle from the Costa Tropical, which is a stretch of Mediterranean coastline. Nearby lies the Sierra Nevada Ski Station, which hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 in the winter sports discipline.

With a population of 236,982 people according to the national census in 2005, the city of Granada was ranked as Spain's 13th-largest urban area, with a total estimated population of 472,638, according to the same census. It was estimated that 3.3 percent of the population was non-Spanish nationals, with the majority of these individuals (31 percent, or 1 percent of the overall population) being from South America. The closest airport is Federico Garca Lorca Granada-Jaén Airport, which is located about 15 miles away.

Granada is home to the Alhambra, a historic Nasrid fortress and palace that dates back to the 11th century. It is the most well-known structure of the Islamic historical heritage, and its many cultural attractions and architectural features contribute to Granada's popularity as a tourist destination among the Spanish cities. The impact of the Almohads on architecture may also be seen in the Albaicin district of Granada, which has beautiful examples of Moorish and Morisco architecture. Additionally, Granada is well-known across Spain for the University of Granada, which has an estimated 82,000 students distributed across five distinct campuses around the city. The pomegranate (also known as the granada in Spanish) is the heraldic device of the city of Granada.