The Province of Seville is the largest province in Andalucia, occupying an area of just over 14 thousand kilometres, and has a population of approximately 1.75 million people.

Economy:
The city's economy is being increasingly dominated by the service sector which has expanded dramatically in recent decades, especially in the areas of health and education and retail. As the capital and administrative centre of Andalucia, Seville also has a significant number of people working in the administrative offices of the regional government. The main growth in the service sector in recent years has been focused on the tourist industry and advanced services.

Figures published by the European Commission show that the service sector accounts for over 70 per cent of employment in Seville, while the industrial sector accounts for approximately 18 per cent. Some of the principle industries include ceramics, food processing and distilleries, iron manufacture and textiles.

Local Infrastructure:
Over the last decade Seville has received considerable investment in its transport infrastructure and is well connected to national and international destinations.

The high-speed train (AVE) connects Seville and Madrid with trains departing the city every hour. The journey time is approximately two and a half hours. There are also regular direct rail connections between Seville and several other cities throughout Spain, although the trains a slower.

The city has two bus stations, El Prado and Plaza de Armas, from where there are regular bus services to numerous destinations within the Andalucia region and throughout Spain.

Seville is also served by the San Pablo international Airport, which is located just 12 kilometres outside of the city. The airport caters for flights to and from the main European capitals as well as several national flights.

The city also benefits from its own port, which is accessible to ocean going ships. It is situated 80 kilometres from the mouth of the Guadalquivir River and is Spain's only commercial river port. The port has excellent facilities including cranes, container terminals, Roll-On/Roll-Off ramps and storage space.

Local Workforce:
Seville and the surrounding area suffers from significantly high levels of unemployment. According to figures released by the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Eurostat, in August 2002, the Andalucia region has one of the highest unemployment rates in the EU at over 22 per cent. However, the region benefits from seven universities, which ensures companies operating in Seville have access to a large and well educated supply of labour.

Standard of Living:
Seville is one of the largest historical centres in Europe and a beautiful city benefiting from fantastic parks and wonderful architecture. The city enjoys a hot Mediterranean climate with plenty of sun and has plenty on offer in terms of good food and entertainment, with numerous cafes, restaurants, theatres, museums and its own royal symphonic orchestra.

Business Costs:
Spain was regarded as the cheapest country in which to conduct business out of the eight European Union member states studied in the Worldwide Business Cost Comparisons report, published by the Economist Intelligence Unit at the end of 2001. The other European Union countries considered were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK. In comparison with the other European Union members surveyed, Spain has the cheapest labour and transport costs.

According to a study published in July 2002 by Spain's leading trade union trade union, the national minimum wage is the third lowest in the European Union, at only 40 per cent of the average wage.