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Seville
Seville (Sevilla in Spanish) is the capital of Andalusia (Andalucía) and Spain's fourth-largest city. Due to its location near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, Seville flourished as the center of Spanish exploration and trade in the 15th and 16th centuries. This legacy is preserved in the city's valuable Archive of the Indies, which is located in the old Jewish quarter, the Santa Cruz district. Nearby is the Gothic cathedral, the third largest in Europe. It features an Islamic courtyard, the tomb of Christopher Columbus, and its bell tower, La Giralda, is a modified 12th-century minaret. Be sure to visit the beautiful Moorish castle-palace (Alcázar) and its welcoming gardens as well as María Luisa Park, full of buildings erected for a 1929 exposition. Other monuments include the Casa de Pilatos and the Torre de Oro. Some of the Seville's newest sights were built for Expo '92 and the city has a new theme park, Isla Mágica. Seville comes alive in the spring with its popular Holy Week processions and April festival.
Southeast of the city is Doñana National Park, a wetland and nature reserve featuring a diverse bird population.
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