Adra, Spain

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

History


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.

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.

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.