Jaén Province, Province in eastern Andalusia, Spain.
Jaén Province is an administrative area in the eastern part of Andalusia in southern Spain, covering mountain ranges and fertile valleys. The landscape is dominated by endless olive groves that reach up to the heights of the Sierra Morena and roll over wide hills in silvery green waves.
The area became a separate administrative unit in 1833, after serving as a decisive frontier region between Christian and Muslim kingdoms during the medieval Reconquista. The new structure followed centuries of shifting rule and aimed to reorganize the land after the wars ended.
The name derives from the Arabic Jayyān, recalling centuries under Moorish rule. In towns and villages across the region, olive oil stands at the center of daily life and shapes local cooking and craft traditions.
Many local roads connect the towns and wind through gentle hills and narrow mountain passes. Those exploring the area should allow time for winding routes and be prepared for changing weather at higher elevations.
The landscape holds more olive trees than any other area on Earth and supplies about one fifth of the world's olive oil. The sheer scale of the groves transforms entire valleys into a single green sea stretching to the horizon.
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