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Vélez- Málaga is a city and municipality in the province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the most important city in the region of La Axarquía, the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Solo, and the head of the judicial party that bears its name. It is located 37 kilometres from the centre of Málaga. He obtained the title of City of Vélez- Málaga in 1487 by the Catholic Kings.

With 83 899 inhabitants according to the census of 2022, Vélez- Málaga is the third municipality of the province in terms of population only behind Málaga and Marbella. It is scattered in several urban centres, numerous coastal urbanizations and cortijos in the interior; yet more than half of it is concentrated in the city itself. Its municipal term covers an area of 158 km ² which extend along the Vega of the Vélez River and the surrounding mountains, opening to the Mediterranean in the south.

The tourism sector is the main production sector of the municipality, followed by agriculture, which stands out by the production of subtropical crops such as the mango, the chirimoya, the nispero and, above all, the avocado, of which it is the largest producer in Spain. In addition, in the port of Caleta de Vélez, it is the largest fishing fleet in the province. The historic centre of Vélez- Málaga is declared a historical-artistic complex. The city retains a significant Mudejar and Baroque architectural heritage, with palaces, churches and convents between picturesque streets.

The archaeological sites of Vélez- Málaga prove the existence of Phoenical and Roman settlements in the current municipal term, although the main urban nucleus was founded in the 10th century by the Andalusians, who called it Ballix Malaca (Valle de Málaga).

Geography

The municipality of Vélez- Málaga is composed of two territories separated by the municipal term Algarrobo. The main territory, where the central urban core is located, occupies the Vega of the Vélez River, an extensive valley bordered to the west by the Málaga Mountains and to the east by the foothills of the saws of Tejeda and Almijara. This area is bordered to the north by the municipality of La Viñuela; to the east by Arenas and Algarrobo; to the west by Rincón de la Victoria, Macharaviaya, Benamocarra and Iznate; and to the northwest by Almáchar and Benamargosa.

The second territory, located more east and considerably smaller, is known as the Lagos enclave. This area is bordered to the north by Sayalonga, to the east by Torrox, to the west by Algarrobo and to the south by the Mediterranean Sea. The reason for the separation of both territories is that since 1501 Vélez- Málaga had jurisdiction over 27 villages of La Axarquía, covering the coastal area from Benajarafe to Maro. Many of these localities were built into municipalities. In the eastern area of the coast, Algarrobo, Torrox and Nerja were segregated. However, Lagos no alc