Located at the heart of the province, between countryside and mountains, most of the municipal area consists of fields and plains, among which Montellano Lagoon, part of Chiclana Marsh Complex, is to be found; the rest, made up of mountains, is part of Los Alcornocales Natural Park.
The town belonged to the Phoenicians, Romans and later the Moslems, who gave it the appearance that it still conserves today, though it enjoyed greatest wealth and splendour after becoming the seat of the Dukedom of Medina Sidonia. Proof of this is provided by the many buildings and places of interest still standing today: the Roman sewers and bridge, St. Mary’s Church, St. Joseph’s Monastery, the Castle and La Pastora Arch.