Cádiz (population 160,000) is a coastal city in south-west Spain, in the region of Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Cádiz.
The city was originally founded as Gadir (meaning walled city) by the Phoenicians, who used it in their trade with Tartessos. Traditionally, its date of establishment is circa 1100 BCE, although upto now no finds have been found yet that date back further than the 9th century BCE.
Via the Carthaginians it fell in hands of the Romans, who called it Gades. Gadir became an important commercial city during the Carthaginian domination and disappeared in the last days of the Roman Empire when commerce decayed.
According to Greek legend, Gadir was founded by Hercules after killing Geryon.