Formerly it was called the Southern Hydrographic Confederation, being a basin organization created in 1960 and attached to the former Ministry of Public Works that was in charge of the public administration of water from the river basins that poured into the Mediterranean plus Ceuta and Melilla. Its headquarters were in Malaga and it had offices in Campo de Gibraltar, Granada, Almería, Ceuta and Melilla.

Polygonal surface water body refers to surface water bodies that have a polygonal shape on their surface, such as lakes, reservoirs, lagoons, etc.

Linear surface water mass refers to surface water bodies that have a linear shape, such as rivers, streams, canals, etc.

The body of groundwater lies below the earth's surface and is found in the aquifer, which is a layer of rock or sediment that contains water. Groundwater may be accessible through wells or springs.

The Andalusian Mediterranean Basin is located in southern Spain, and is an area with high pressure on water resources due to the high demand for water for various uses, such as human supply, agriculture and tourism. Some general characteristics of the state of each of the water masses in this area are described below:

• Polygonal surface water mass: The Andalusian Mediterranean Basin has several important polygonal surface water masses, such as the Iznájar Reservoir and the Fuente de Piedra Lagoon. In general, water quality problems have been observed due to pollution and eutrophication, especially in the case of the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra.

• Linear surface water mass: These rivers are also important for the biodiversity of the area. However, the state of the rivers in the area has been affected by the construction of dams, overexploitation and pollution.

• Groundwater mass: The Andalusian Mediterranean Basin has several important aquifers, such as the Campiña aquifer and the Vega de Granada aquifer. It is necessary to implement management and protection measures to guarantee the sustainability of the aquifers in the area.