Linares (; ) is a city located in the Andalusian province of Jaén, Spain. It is considered the second-most important city in that province and had a population of 56,525 in the most recent census (2021). The altitude is and the total area of the municipality is . It is located on kilometer 120 on the Valencia-Córdoba highway (N-322) and is from the province capital, Jaén. Overview Location Located in the Central-Western part of the province, the city of Linares is the second-biggest city in the province after the capital, Jaén. It is also the commercial capital of Sierra Morena, as well as the referential city in the surrounding areas. Geography The city term is orientated in a NE-SW direction, giving the transition in altitude decreasing between the higher northern area of Sierra Morena; being Paño Pico (552 m) the highest area of the municipal term; and the lowest area, the Guadalimar Valley in the South-Western limit, with an altitude of (318 m). Climate The city has a Mediterranean Climate (Csa) clearly divided into four seasons, with hot and dry summers where the temperatures can reach frequently 40 °C, two transitioning seasons, spring and autumn, that concentrate most of the annual rainfall; and a moderate winter, with temperatures that can sometimes drop below 0 °C during night time, and occasional rainfall. The annual medium temperature oscillates between 8 °C in January and the 27 °C in July. The daily variations can reach 20 °C. The annual rainfall is about 500 mm, with frequent fluctuations along the years. Snow is rarely spotted in the city and storms, that are quite frequent especially around summer and early autumn, can cause hail and big amounts of rainfall in shorts periods. Transport The city is well connected to the rest of Spain. The Autovia de Andalucía (A-4), NIV Madrid-Cádiz, is located to the west at Bailén. The (A-32) highway, NIV Linares-Albacete, also traverses through the city. There is a railroad station at Linares-Baeza, with lines connecting Madrid and Cádiz, and Madrid-Granada-Almería. The railroad has also a cargo deck. Near to Linares is the ancient town of Castulo, which dates to antiquity and earned much of its revenue from the lead mines located there. It was at Castulo that Carthaginian general Hannibal married the local Iberian princess Himilce on the eve of the Second Punic War. The city has also a recent university campus known