Alcaucín

Alcaucin is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It borders with the province of Granada. The municipality is situated approximately 54 kilometers to the city of Málaga. It is 507 km from the capital of Madrid. The name was derived from al-kautín, the Arabic of "the arches." It has a population of approximately 1,600 residents, partly living in the hamlet of Puente Don Manuel. Natives of the town are called Alcaucineños and have the nickname of tiznaos.GeographyThe village of Alcaucín extends its lands to the north of the Axarquía, between the mountains of the Sierra de Alhama and Sierra de Tejeda with the corridor of Periana. It includes the "Boquete de Zafarraya" an important mountain pass in the mountainous region of Axarquía.Being in the Sierra de Tejeda, the end is rather abrupt as it passes from the Maroma 2,066 meters to 200 meters in Puente Don Manuel. The surrounding terrain is predominantly dense forest.Flora and faunaIn this environment lies one of the richest areas of flora and fauna of the Axarquía. Within the vegetation, the most characteristic feature is the pine forest, which in this case is of Aleppo and is repopulating.The most common tree species are poplars, cedars, oaks, and cypress. There are terebinth shrub species such as, gorse, jaguarzos, ivy thickets, and vines. Herbs such as thyme, rosemary, plamitos, torviscos, can be found here as well.