Aguilar de la Frontera

Aguilar, or Aguilar de la Frontera, is a municipality and town in the province of Córdoba, Andalusia, southern Spain, near the small river Cabra, and on the Cordoba-Malaga railway. The population has not changed much in the past hundred years. Pop. (1900) 13,236, Pop. (2005) 13,589 [ [http://www.ine.es/nom/nomena.jsp Instituto Nacional de Estadística population statistics] ] .

Geography

Aguilar de la Frontera is in the south of Andalucía. The mean altitude is 280 meters. It covers 168 km ² and has a density of 80.9 inhab/km ². The mean geographical coordinates are 37º 31' N, 4º 39' W, and it is 50 kilometers from the provincial capital, Córdoba.

History

The town was known in Roman times as Ipagro. Under the Moors, it was known as Bulay or Poley and became the headquarters of Omar ben Hafsun, who built extensive fortifications. However, in 891, Omar ben Hafsun lost the town to Abdallah ibn Muhammad. After being captured by Christians in about 1260, the town was renamed "Aguilar" of the Frontier due to its position on the border with the Moorish territories. The castle is now a ruin, and the spacious squares and modern houses of the existing town retain few vestiges of the Moorish dominion.

Economy

The olives and white wine of Aguilar are celebrated in Spain, although the wine, which somewhat resembles sherry, is known as Montilla, from the adjacent town of that name. Salt springs exist in the neighborhood, and to the south there are two small lakes, Zoñar and Rincon, which abound in fish. Up to 60% of the population are engaged in agricultural work at some time during the year, although agriculture accounts for only 30% of the economic activity. [ [http://www.cajaespana.es/pubweb/decyle.nsf/PorMunicipios/F6187EB67C081FE0C1256DC100542D55/$File/14002.PDF?OpenElement Economic Study of Spain - Aguilar de la Frontera] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.andalucia.com/province/cordoba/aguilar/home.htm Aguilar de la Frontera homepage]
* [http://www.aguilardelafrontera.com/general.htm Aguilar de la Frontera main page]
* [http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/institutodeestadistica/sima/htm/sm14002.htm Aguilar de la Frontera statistics from the Multiterritorial Information System of Andalucía]
* [http://www.cajaespana.es/pubweb/decyle.nsf/PorMunicipios/F6187EB67C081FE0C1256DC100542D55/$File/14002.PDF?OpenElement Economic Study of Spain - Aguilar de la Frontera]
* [http://www.airesdecordoba.com/articuloss/aguilar.htm "Aguilar De La Frontera, Un Pueblo Emblemático" by Diego Igeño Luque, 2005, Aires de Córdoba]