Spain, Sevilla

Seville is the artistic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain, irrigated by the river Guadalquivir (37°22′38″N, 5°59′13″W). It is the capital of Andalusia and of the province of Sevilla. The inhabitants of the city are known as Sevillanos (feminine form: Sevillanas). The population of the city of Seville proper was 704,154 as of 2005 (INE estimate). The population of the urban area was 1,043,000 as of 2000 estimates. Population of the metropolitan area (urban area plus satellite towns) was 1,317,098 as of 2005 (INE estimate), ranking as the fourth-largest metropolitan area of Spain.

History
 
Roman Hispalis (Ἵσπαλις in Greek sources; and Hispal in some sources  in the province of Hispania Baetica. Though Greeks and Romans repeated a founding myth connected with Heracles' visit to the Hesperides the historical site was occupied by the Tartessos in the 8th or 9th century BCE. Later it was a trading colony occupied by the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians, who destroyed the city in 216 BCE. In 206 BCE, Scipio Africanus founded Italica nearby, to settle his wounded veterans, and began the reconstruction of Hispalis. It was made a colony by Julius Caesar; and although an attempt seems to have been made to exalt the neighbouring colony of Baetis above it, the very site of which is now doubtful, it ranked, in Strabo's time, among the first cities of Turdetania, next after Corduba (modern Córdoba) and Gades (modern Cádiz); and afterwards even advanced in dignity, so that, in the time of Ptolemy, it had the title of metropolis, and under the Vandals and Goths it ranked above Corduba, and became the capital of Southern Spain. In the Roman Empire it was the seat of a conventus juridicus, and bore the titles of Julia Romula and Colonia Romulensis.

Hispalis became under the Moors. The architecture of the older parts of the city still reflects the centuries of Moorish control of the city, beginning in 711. After a brief independence as one of the taifa principalities, from 1023 to 1091, when it was the seat of the Abbadids while the Caliphate of Cordoba collapsed, Seville then fell to the Reconquista of Ferdinand III of Castile in 1248.

Seville was governed from Cordoba but as a port it retained strategic importance: Emir Abd ar-Rahman II built a fleet and arsenal at Seville in the mid-9th century.

Sights

The city's cathedral was built from 1401–1519 after the Reconquista on the former site of the city's mosque. It is the largest of all medieval and Gothic cathedrals, in terms of both area and volume. The interior, with the longest nave in Spain, 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 La Giraldilla, representing Faith. The Giralda is the city's most famous symbol.

Festivals

The Easter Holy Week, "Semana Santa", and the Seville Fair, "La Feria de Sevilla"  are the two most well-known of Seville's festivals. Seville is internationally renowned for the solemn but beautiful processions during Semana Santa and the colorful and lively fair held two weeks after. During Feria, families set up casetas, tents, in which they spend the week dancing, drinking, and socializing with their extended families. The women wear elaborate flamenco dresses and the men dress in their best suits. The fair grounds are set up like a type of village in which each street is named after a famous torero, or bull fighter.

Education

University of Seville
Pablo de Olavide University

Sports

Seville is the hometown of two rival football (soccer) teams: Real Betis Balompié and Sevilla Fútbol Club.

Seville also unsuccessfully bid for the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, which it lost to Athens and Beijing, respectively. For political reasons, it was unable to bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics as Madrid was also interested in submitting its own bid. Seville had already shown its ability to cope with other international sport events such as the Tennis Davis Cup in 2004 and the 7th Athletics World Championships in 1999.

Seville also hosted in 2003 the UEFA Cup Final in the new Olympic stadium. The final was between Celtic F.C. (Scotland) and Futebol Clube do Porto (Portugal). The match finished in extra time 3–2 to Porto after a 2-2 draw at 90 minutes.

Seville FC are the 2006 UEFA Cup Champions, their first European trophy after an emphatic 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough FC (England) in the final, played at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven on May 10 2006. They are also the holders of the European Supercup which they won with another emphatic 0-3 defeat of F.C. Barcelona (Spain) in Stade Louis II in Monaco on August 26 2006. Real Betis are the 2005 King's Cup (Copa del Rey) Champions, and were the first team from Andalusia to compete in the UEFA Champion's League competition in 2005-2006.

Climate

Hot sun almost every day from June to September. Virtually no rain. July and August almost too hot. Daily highs up to 40ºC and nightly lows 18ºC. Short sleeve weather all the time evenings included. 

Mixture of beautiful clear, sunny winter days with overcast but warm days. Evenings noticebly cooler. First rains are late September or early October, can be heavy but rarely last more than a day or two. Daily highs about 20ºC and nightly lows rarely below 10ºC. Pullover in the day, jacket in the evening.