The largest town on  the Costa Tropical and the second largest town in the province on the Mediterranean coast, the town is located near the Guadalfeo River 69 km (43 miles) from Granada in the province of Granada, Spain.

Motril has 61,171 inhabitants and 557.27 /km2 (1,443.3 /sq mi) as of 2013. There has been an increasing in the population, primarily due to immigration.

Historically, Motril has been a gateway for many civilisations, from the ancient Phoenicians who founded Sexi (Now Almuñecar), and Salambina (Now Salobreña), to Abd al-Rahman I, the founder of a Muslim dynasty that ruled Iberia for nearly Three Centuries.

Motril is a thriving commercial port that is becoming a tourist destination in its own right. This seaport offers a variety of sunny beaches and water sports. In the past, Motril was one of the major growers of sugar cane, dating back over 1000 years. In fact, the sugar cane plant that Christopher Columbus took back to South America was from Motril.

Other main places of interest are the Calderon de la Barca Theatre, the Botanical Pueblos de America Park, and a number of picturesque Spanish Colonial churches.