The Lecrin Valley ( es, link=no, Valle de Lecrín, ) is a

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

in the center-south part of the province of Granada,

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

, southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. This territory borders the

Vega de Granada The Vega de Granada is a ''comarca'' (county, but with no administrative role) in the province of Granada, southeastern Spain. According to the 2007 census (INE), the comarca has a population of 500,121 inhabitants, which is over half the overa ...

to the north, the

Alpujarra Granadina Alpujarra Granadina is a Spanish comarca in the Province of Granada. Along with Alpujarra Almeriense, it forms the historical region of the Alpujarras. Overview Located in the west of the Alpujarras, it borders the Granadan comarcas of Accit ...

to the east, the

Costa Tropical Costa Granadina is a comarca in southern Spain, corresponding to the Mediterranean coastline of the province of Granada. It is also but less frequently called the Costa Tropical or Costa de Granada. It is crossed by the N-340 coastal highway th ...

to the south, and the Alhama to the west. Lecrin derived from Arabic ''Iqlim'', meaning "gateway": this refers to a small area of land situated between the villages of Mondújar and Talará, which controlled the access to the vast coastal areas of sugar production in Moorish times. The Lecrin Valley consists of eight municipalities, of which the most populous is

El Padul El Padul is a municipality of south-eastern Spain, in the province of Granada, within the comarca of el Valle de Lecrín. The population on 2008 was 8.440 inhabitants. This town is situated 13 km at the south of the city of Granada. Its al ...

, and the largest is Albuñuelas, the latter being also the least populated. On the other hand, the municipality with the smallest area is Villamena. Its traditional and historical capital is the town of Dúrcal. Apart from Dúrcal and Padul, agriculture and farming remain the principal occupation with pine, citrus, almond, olive and grape as the main crops. In more recent times, it has become a destination for Spanish and international holidaymakers looking for a quiet holiday amongst the orchards, but with easy reach to the Moorish city of Granada and the

. It is also an increasingly popular destination for walkers, bird watchers, cyclists and artists. The Lecrin Valley is known for its verdant landscape (due to the melt-water run off from Sierra Nevada) and its views to lake Beznar and up to the Sierra Nevada mountains, its walks, birdlife and spring colours.

Municipalities

This comarca consists of the following municipalities:

Road access

Halfway between the city of Granada and the

, this comarca is traversed from North to South by the A-44 (

Bailén Bailén (archaically known as Baylen in English) is a town in the province of Jaén, Spain. History Bailén is probably the ancient Baecula, where the Romans, under Scipio the elder, signally defeated the Carthaginians in 209 and 206 B.C. In i ...

Motril Motril () is a town and municipality on the Mediterranean coast in the Granada, Spain. It is the second largest town in the province, with a population of 60,368 as of 2016. The town is located near the Guadalfeo River and is from Granada. Hi ...

) motorway, which serves all municipalities with the following ways out: * 144: El Padul, Otívar. * 153: Cónchar, Cozvíjar, Dúrcal, Albuñuelas. * 157: Dúrcal, Nigüelas. * 159: Lecrín, El Valle. * 164: Pinos del Valle, Lanjarón, Béznar * 169: Ízbor-Acebuches. Other notable roads are: N-323, an old road that connected

with

, connecting the cities of Jaén and Granada with the coast; A-4050, popularly known as ''Carretera de la Cabra'', which links the mountain port of El Suspiro del Moro with

Almuñécar Almuñécar () is a Spanish city and municipality located in the southwestern part of the comarca of the Costa Granadina, in the province of Granada. It is located on the shores of the Mediterranean sea and borders the Granadin municipalities of ...

to the west; and A-348, which connects the entire

with the highway. {{DEFAULTSORT:Valle de Lecrin Comarcas of the Province of Granada Valleys of Spain Landforms of Andalusia