Adra, Spain

This article is about the Spanish municipality. For other uses, see Adra.

Adra, the classical Abdera, is a municipality of Almería province, Spain.

Adra
Flag Coat of arms
Adra Location of Adra Adra Adra (Andalusia) Adra Adra (Spain)
Coordinates: 36°44′52″N 3°0′58″W
Country	Spain
Community	Andalusia
Province	Almería
Comarca	Poniente Almeriense
Municipality	Adra
Government
• Mayor (2015– )	Manuel Cortés Pérez (PPA)
Area
• Total	90.05 km2 (34.77 sq mi)
Elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	24,859
• Density	280/km2 (710/sq mi)
Demonym	Abderitano
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Website	adra.es

History

City Centre, March 2011

Typical street in Adra, March 2011

Main article: Abdera, Spain

Abdera was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading colony. It later grew to prominence under the Roman Empire.

Adra was the last stronghold of the Moors in Spain. In January 1492 it was here that the forces of Boabdil were defeated ending the power of the Moors in Spain.

In the 16th century defensive walls were built to protect the settlement. These partially survive.

Demographics

Adra had a population of 25,412 inhabitants in 2020 (according to the municipal census published by the National Institute of Statistics).

The percentage of foreign born residents was 5.2% in 2005. The majority of these residents originated from Morocco, making up 49% of the total.

The percentage of people living in the urban centre of Adra has been slowly increasing. In 2017 it represented 80% of the total municipal population.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1999	21,286	—
2000	21,505	+1.0%
2001	21,810	+1.4%
2002	22,034	+1.0%
2003	21,704	−1.5%
2004	22,257	+2.5%
2005	23,195	+4.2%
2006	23,545	+1.5%
2007	23,742	+0.8%
2008	23,880	+0.6%
2009	24,373	+2.1%
2010	24,512	+0.6%
2011	24,512	+0.0%
2012	24,626	+0.5%
2013	24,761	+0.5%
2014	24,782	+0.1%
2015	24,670	−0.5%
2016	24,713	+0.2%
2017	24,697	−0.1%
2018	24,859	+0.7%
2019	25,148	+1.2%
2020	25,412	+1.0%
Source:

Culture in Adra

Adra Museum: Visitors can spend their free time in the three exhibition halls of the museum, which show the cultural legacy of the Phoenician, Punic and Roman civilizations, and which educate and entertain at the same time. Important exhibitions of national prestige are periodically held here with success. The museum has a shop where archaeological reproductions can be bought. A nearby mill, El Molino del Lugar, built around 1814 and recently renovated, is the site of the ethnographic section of the museum.

The Fair: Adra's fair is considered to be the second most important in the province of Almería and the population of Adra and countless visitors gather between September 5 and 10. The patron saint is la Virgen del Mar, who is taken out in a procession on September 8, while San Nicolás de Tolentino is celebrated on the 10th with a procession through el Barrio, the old town.

April 25 is the day of San Marcos and is important to the farmers of Adra. It is an official festival of tourist interest in Andalucía.

July 16 is the day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron saint of fishermen. A procession takes place by boat.

Bazaars take place two Saturdays a month in a carpark which is beside the Sports Center and I.E.S Abdera School.

Adra had a successful regional level football club, C.F. Adra, which is now defunct.

People

C

• Virtudes Castro, socialist politician
• Carmen Crespo, Spanish politician from Popular Party
• Francisco Cuenca Benet, Spanish writer, biographer, essayist, journalist, musicographer and diplomat
• Victoria Cuenca Gnecco, Spanish historian, poet and documentary filmmaker

F

• José Fernández Campos, Spanish musician, composer and guitarist

G

• Rafael Gómez Nieto, spanish soldier
• Francisco Gutiérrez Latorre, Spanish writer and journalist

L

• Nicolás Linares Navarro, deputy in the I legislature of the Parliament of Andalusia
• Juan Lirola, Spanish politician and mayor of Almeria
• Juan José López Martos, Spanish politician belonging to the PSOE
• Federico Luque Velázquez, banker, agricultural businessman and Spanish politician of the Restoration

O

• Ángel Ortiz de Villajos, Spanish composer

R

• Juan Luis Riado, footballer
• Manolo de la Rivera,
• Pepita Rodríguez, Spanish-Brazilian actress and television presenter

S

• Álvaro Santiago (footballer)
• Enrique Sierra Valenzuela, Spanish writer

T

• Ismael Torres, Argentine cyclist

V

• La Veneno, Spanish singer, actress, sex worker, vedette and media personality. Considered one of the more important LGBT icons in Spain

Albufera de Adra

The Albufera de Adra is a wetland site. It is on the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance. Although it is protected as a nature reserve, the surrounding land is used for intensive agriculture.

External links

• (in Spanish) Official Website
• (in English) Official Website