Morón de la Frontera

Morón de la Frontera
Municipality
Town Hall
Flag Coat of arms
Morón de la Frontera Location in Spain
Coordinates: 37°7′20″N 5°27′6″W / 37.12222°N 5.45167°W / 37.12222; -5.45167Coordinates: 37°7′20″N 5°27′6″W / 37.12222°N 5.45167°W / 37.12222; -5.45167
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Seville
Comarca	Campiña de Morón y Marchena
Judicial district	Morón de la Frontera
Government
• Alcalde	Juan Manuel Rodríguez (PSOE)
Area
• Total	431.94 km2 (166.77 sq mi)
Elevation	297 m (974 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	28,390
• Density	66/km2 (170/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Moronero, Moronera / Moronense
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	41530
Official language(s)	Spanish
Website	Official website

Morón de la Frontera is a Spanish town in Seville province, Andalusia, 63 km South-East of Seville. Situated in the south of the province, it is the center of the region that bears the same name and is the head of one of the 85 judicial courts of Andalucia.^[1]

Geography

In the year 2011 there were 28 489 inhabitants. At that time the municipality was 431,94 km², a population density of 65,96 habitants/km², an average altitude of 297 msnm and is 67 kilometers from the provincial capital, Seville. Morón de la Frontera is ranked 11th in the municipality of the province in terms of the largest population. It is bordered in the north by Marchena and with Arahal. To the east is La Puebla de Cazalla, and to the west and the south are Montellano, Coripe and Pruna along with the province of Cádiz.^[2]

Climate

The climate of Morón de la Frontera is similar to the rest of the province of Seville, which is similar to other subtropical Mediterranean regions. Rain occurs fairly irregularly for most of the year, with the typical driest part of the year being during the summer and the wettest near the end of autumn. According to data from the meteorological station at the air force base from 1981-2010, the average annual precipitation was 543.6 mm and the average relative humidity was 61%. In a typical year, there were 61.1 days with precipitation, and 52.5 days with precipitation more than 1 mm.^[3]

There are significant temperature differences between the day and night, and the average annual temperature is 17.9°C. Winters are cool and the summers are generally hot and dry, with the average high temperature being 35 °C and the average low temperature being 18 °C in July. During January and February, the prevailing winds were northeastern while during the rest of the year, especially during May and August, the prevailing winds were southeastern.^[3]

Flora and fauna

The vegetation in the area mainly consists of cultivated olives and, to a lesser extent, oaks and almonds. In the surrounding mountains common flora include rosemary, mastic, thyme, and cane apple. Fauna includes several species of rabbits and hares as well as a large variety of birds.^[5]

History

Overview

The origins of the city go all the way back to prehistory, with the first human settlement being near the hill where the castle is today. For this reason and the rugged topography of this region, the historical district has steep and narrow roads, but newer sections of the city to the west and northwest have more standard sized roads. Much of the architecture in the city is listed under the categories of Bien de Interés Cultural and conjunto histórico, categories that are part of Spain's national system of heritage listing. ^[6]

Etymology

The first historical reference to Moron goes back to ancient times, when the Greek geographer Strabo referred to the city by the name of Almourol. Later, with the Roman conquest of the Iberian peninsula, the Romans called the city Maurorum, which was a reference to the large population from North Africa. During the Moorish rule of the Iberian Peninsula the Latin term evolved into Mawror, and finally Moron.^[7] Though generally less accepted, there is another theory that the name Moron, comes from the preromanesque word morr, translated as "rocky hill" or "rock." This has been justified by the rocky terrain around Moron.^[8]

The phrase "de la Frontera" or "Of the Border" refers to the border with Granada, because it was a border town between Fernando III's 1240 Christian conquest of Iberia until the fall of the kingdom of Granada in the late fifteenth century.^[7]

There are other cities with the same name in Spain, France, Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela, Peru and Mongolia.^[9]

Economy

The economy of Morón is primarily based in the industries of construction, and the production of olive oil, cereals and preserved vegetables. The extraction of Calcium Oxide and, to a lesser extent tourism industry, are also important to the economy. With the development of the working population, more women have been incorporated into the labor market, increasing from 19.56% of women participating in 1981 to 41.42% in 2001. Most of the female workforce is employed in the sale of food and household goods. Many of these women are also employed by the olive industry part-time during the live harvesting season, both for making olive oil, and other olive products.^[10]

Demographics

The last census by the national institute of statistics, released January 1, 2011, states that the city has 28 489 inhabitants.^[11] In the 20th century, the demographics of the city were affected similarly to other agrarian zones in the province. Remarkably, the population of Morón de la Frontera actually increased during the Spanish Civil War, but this shift also produced a larger ratio of women to men in the city due to the conscription of many military-age men. There was smooth population growth into the 1960s, which was then followed by a sudden decline due to the decreasing birth rate and emigration. Since the late 1980s, the city has maintained slow but stable population growth.^[12]

Symbols

Flag

The flag of Morón de la Frontera is a blue rectangle that contains the municipal coat of arms in the center. It is unknown why the flag is blue or when the flag was adopted by the city.^[13]

Coat of Arms

Morón de la Frontera's coat of arms consists of a white horse in reins in front of a red background. the outline of the shield is gold and is topped by a royal crown. The figure of the horse was adopted in the fifteenth century. Though there are several legends about the origin of the figure, most historians agree it is a reference to a type of Berber horse. Nearby cities like Los Corrales, Coripe and Utrera also carry a horse on their shields. The coat of arms is completed with the crown of Henry II of Castile.^[13]

The current design was adopted in the year 1970, and is attributed to the painter Joaquín Pascual Alemán. The horse's reins represent the desire for freedom. The figure is based on the equine figures present in the baroque paintings of Diego Velázquez.^[14]

Representation in the coat of arms of Seville

In the coat of arms of the province of shield, the cities with judicial courts are represented by simplified versions of their coat of arms. This arrangement began when the province of Seville was created in 192.^[15]

Landmarks

San Miguel church

It is primarily known outside of Spain as being home to Morón Air Base. The most remarkable monuments are the Moorish castle ruins and the main church (San Miguel).

Famous people

• Fernando Villalón, poet
• Diego del Gastor, guitarist
• Ramón Castellano de Torres,historian and painter
• Juan Antonio Carrillo Salcedo, Law teacher
• Capitan Bartolome Gonzalez y Olivarez, born circa 1615, founder of one of the González branches of Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, Texas and the U.S. Southwest.

Sister Cities

• Abanilla, Spain.^[16]
• Dos Torres, Spain.^[17]
• Morón, Cuba.^[18]
• La Romana, Dominican Republic.^[19]
• Strabane, United Kingdom.^[20]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Morón de la Frontera.

• Official website