Geography and History
Costa de Almeria” is located on the shores of the Mediterranean in the southeast of Spain. It has 200 km of coastline. The gently sloping beaches of the Alboran Sea and the Bay of Almeria, contrast sharply with the abrupt profile of the coast of Aguadulce.
Almeria´s strategic location on the shores of the Mediterranean is reason many different civilisations have made it their home over the centuries. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Greeks exploited its mines and traded along its coast. The Romans, who established themselves here in the 3rd century BC, turned it into the “Porto Magnus” of the Mediterranean and dominated the area until the arrival of the Visigoths, in the 7th century.
In the 10th century the Arabs created Almaiyyat Bayyana, the present-day capital, from where they ruled one of the most important “taifa” kingdom in Muslim Spain. The Arabs, who stayed in our lands for almost eight centuries, have had the strongest influence. Long subjected to border conflicts and the need to defend itself, the province of Almeria has a large and varied selection of castles that make up a little known heritage.
Roquetas de Mar
Roquetas de Mar is a town in the province of Almeria covering an area of 60 Km2 located at an altitude of 10 metres and 19 kilometres from the provincial capital, Almeria.
Historically, it is believed that Roquetas was founded by the Phoenicians, who built small fishing villages on its beaches, setting up a small trading point. In Roman times, it received the name of Turaniana, a term which remains to this day as the origin of the name used to refer to the inhabitants of the area. During the Nasrid period it was fortified, and today, numerous constructions dating from that time can still be seen: Esparto Tower, Cerrillos Tower and Roquetas Castle, currently known as Santa Ana Castle.
The original activity of the town’s inhabitants was fishing and salt mining. However, since the 1980’s it has experienced a sharp demographic and economic boom as a result of the intensive farming under plastic and sun and beach tourism.
Roquetas de Mar was the first municipality where a greenhouse was built, this was an innovative and productive experience, leading to the development of this cultivation technique for which Almeria is now known worldwide. The agriculture has been, since then, the principal source, with a great variety of yield. It is important to emphasize the evolution of tourism, this sector has turned in one of the mainstays of Roquetas de Mar economy. This development started in1964 in Aguadulce, located 15kms from Almeria`s capital, which at that moment was designated as Site of National Touristic Interest.
Aguadulce
Aguadulce owes its name to the fresh water springs that rose near the seashore in an area near where the marina is today. Unfortunately, these springs no longer exist because they were blocked by building in the area. It is even said that these springs welled up in the seawater itself, giving the water in the Mediterranean a unique “fresh water” flavour.
Natural resources
Posidonia oceánica
The Posidonia oceánica barrier reef: This natural phenomenon is unique in Andalusia and is one of the few that exist in Spain. It lies on one of the few undeveloped strips of the coast in the town of Roquetas de Mar.
Posidonia oceánica is a species of marine phanerogam that is exclusive to the Mediterranean Sea. The western border of its distribution area lies in the Alboran Sea. On the European coast, it spans to the border between the provinces of Málaga and Cádiz. It is not present in the furthest east sector of the Mediterranean (Israel, Lebanon and Syria) and it has a highly localized distribution in Egypt.
It is a very demanding plant in its ecological requirements and does not tolerate great variations in salinity, and for this reason it is not found in briny lagoons. It is not found in areas near the mouths of large rivers either. This plant can be considered an indicator of clean, well-oxygenated water free of pollution, due to the fact that it is very sensitive to eutrophication and to most pollutants.
On the Spanish coast, the prairies of this plant cover over 3,000 Km2. The largest and best-preserved prairies are found in the Balearic Islands and on the East coast, From Cape San Antonio (Alicante) to Cape Gata (Almería).
Presently, the alarming increase in pollution and cloudiness, together with the overall deterioration of the entire coastline, has caused a considerable decline in the Posidonia prairies. It is protected by the Protocol on Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (Annex II: List of endangered and threatened species) and is listed as a protected species under French, Catalan and Valencian legislation.
Gastronomy
The region’s gastronomy it based on excellent agricultural and fishery production. Almeria preserves ancestral recipes comprising centuries of wisdom, such as: garlic and ‘caldos coloraos’ (dried red peppers soups), wheat pots, “migas” (similar to bread crumbs), “moraga”, etc., with an astonishing and wonderful baked confectionery like date and wine sponge cake.
Craftwork
Cestos de mimbre
Textile crafts “jarapas” are outstanding, with different colours and textures, such as carpets and curtains. Exist a high demand on traditional ceramic.
Works maked with vegetal syntetic garment (wicker and esparto grass) it is used for manufacture chairs, carpets and shelves.
Places of interest
Cabo de Gata
Cabo de Gata
In 1987 Cabo de Gata was the first site to be designated as Marine-Terrestrial Natural Park in Andalucía. It is an arid enclave, which comprises unique animal and vegetal features.
A landscape of huge contrasts, the park includes, from volcanic outstanding cliffs to vast white sand beaches, that surround this natural site. Some of these are named after historic events, such as: Playa de los Muertos, de los Genoveses…
Granada
Alhambra's gardens
A well-known city, Granada merges both occidental and oriental civilitations, which once had there privileged to meet there.
The old town conserves an urban environment with picturesque spots, dominated by the Alhambra, the most visited monument in Spain, as well as the Islamic Albayzín and Sacromonte, with caves where gypsies used to live and celebrate their typical “zambras”, genuine folkloric celebrations