Residents along Spain’s southern stretch of Mediterranean coast enjoy around an average of 2,905 sun-filled hours each year, nearly one hundred hours more than the next sunniest zone, the Canary Islands with 2,822 sunny hours.

Sun seekers should base themselves in Malaga which boasts the most sun-filled hours in the whole of Spain, an average of 3,000.

Nearby Almeria clocks up 2,994 sunny hours and Granada records an average of 2, 917 in the report “A Summary Guide to Spain’s Climate 1981-2010”.

Map by WordTravels.com

In fact Malaga was named as the city with the best climate in the whole of Spain by the report, thanks to the mild winters and sea breezes keeping down the mercury during the summer months.

“Malaga has a climate that is very mild in winter, with very mild minimum temperatures and moderate summers due to the influence of the sea,” stated the report.

“The average annual temperature in the city is 18.5 C rising to an average maximum of 25.4 C in August. Rainfall is also low, with an annual average of 469.2 mm. With almost 3,000 hours of annual sunshine and light wind, we can say that Malaga is one of the best cities in Spain to live.”

The report put the cities of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Huelva and Vigo in the top five cities with the best climate after Malaga.