Benaoján | |
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.svg) Coat of arms | |
  Benaoján Location in Spain | |
| Coordinates:36°43′N4°15′W / 36.717°N 4.250°W /36.717; -4.250 | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Autonomous community |  Andalusia |
| Province | Málaga |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Soraya García |
| Area | |
• Total | 32 km2 (12 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 524 m (1,719 ft) |
| Population (2024-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 1,428 |
| • Density | 45/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Benaojanos |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 29370 |
| Official language(s) | Spanish |
| Website | Official website[permanent dead link] |
Benaoján (Spanish pronunciation:[benaoˈxan]) is a town and municipality in theprovince of Málaga, part of theautonomous community ofAndalusia in southernSpain. It is located within theSierra de Grazalema Natural Park. Its surface area is 32 km2. The municipality is situated approximately 17 kilometers fromRonda and 116 km from the capital of the province. It is situated at an altitude of 524 meters. Its inhabitants are calledbenaojanos.
Its name is ofArab origin. Some believe it means children of Oján, from theBerber tribe, and others think "home of the baker."
The municipality has two towns: Benaoján and Benaoján Station, the first being the center. It has a population of 1,683 people. It has a population density of 50.37 inhabitants/km2. The topography is very rugged karst mountains highlighting the two major geological formations: the Hundidero-Gato system and Cave of the Bathing Pool, of great importance for its prehistoric paintings dating from theUpper Paleolithic, for which it has been declared National Monument of Rock Art. Also, there are other geological cavities of importance scattered throughout the municipality.
It is uneven terrain because of the mountain ranges of Montalate and Líbar and drained by theGuadiaro river. It is highlighted by its oaks, pastures rainfed by the Mediterranean and sheep industry. Its cuisine is highlighted by the sausages and other pork products and dried fruits (especially almonds).
It is also the exact Antipode of the suburb ofBrowns Bay inAuckland,New Zealand.
The first evidence of settlement in the land of the current municipality of Benaoján dating back some 250,000 years ago, whenHomo heidelbergensis groups using transverse valleys of the Sierra Bética moved between coastal and inland Andalucia. Later theNeantherthal man populated these mountains.
Some 27,000 years ago Homo sapiens arrived. They were living for more than 20,000 years in the Cave of the Bathing Pool, whose walls would contain hundreds of pictorial representations of The Pool, one of the caves with the most important rock art.
When the last ice age ended 10,000 years ago, the fauna of large mammals that inhabited these lands changed which changed the climate as well, which in turn made man's lifestyle change.[citation needed]
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