Málaga (/ˈmæləɡə/ ⓘ; Spanish: [ˈmalaɣa] ⓘ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia and the sixth most populous in the country. It lies in Southern Iberia on the Costa del Sol (“Coast of the Sun”) of the Mediterranean, primarily in the left bank of the Guadalhorce. The urban core originally developed in the space between the Gibralfaro Hill and the Guadalmedina.
Málaga’s history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe. According to most scholars, it was founded about 770 BC by the Phoenicians from Tyre as Malaka.[6] From the 6th century BC the city was under the hegemony of Ancient Carthage, and from 218 BC, it was under Roman rule, economically prospering owing to garum production.[7] In the 8th century, after a period of Visigothic and Byzantine rule, it was placed under Islamic rule. In 1487, the Crown of Castile gained control in the midst of the Granada War. In the 19th century, the city underwent a period of industrialisation followed by a decay in all socioeconomic parametres in the last third of the century.
The cuisine of Málaga and the wider Costa del Sol is known for its espetos, fish (most often sardines) grilled over open fires in the chiringuitos located near the beaches.[98] The espeto has been proposed as a candidate for designation by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.
Bilingual education in schools
Since the launch of the ‘Plan de Fomento del Plurilingüismo’ in 2005, 169 schools in Málaga have included bilingual education in their programmes.[109] Although English is the most usual second language, many other primary and secondary schools in Málaga offer the choice of French, German, Arabic, Portuguese or Chinese. This first action has been followed by a second project run by the Junta de Andalucia. The so-called “Plan Estratégico de Desarrollo de las Lenguas en Andalucía” intends to provide pupils with a basic level (B1) of at least one foreign language.[110]
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