Spanish
Cities and Towns
Once you have selected your preferred
region of Spain read up on some of the towns and cities to
narrow your choice for a property purchase. The most popular
of these are described in the following pages.
Alicante,
Almeria,
Altea,
Andalusia,
Aspe,
Barcelona,
Baza,
Benalmadena,
Benidorm,
Benitachell,
Blanes,
Calpe,
Cartegena,
Castilla la Macha,
Catalonia,
Crevillent,
Denia,
Elche,
Estepona,
Fuengirola,
Granada,
Guadix,
La Romana,
La Vega Baja,
Lorca,
Malaga,
Mar Menor,
Marbella,
Mazarron,
Mijas,
Murcia,
Nerja,
Orihuela,
Puerto Banus,
Quesada,
Salinas,
Salou,
Sitges,
Sotogrande,
Spanish regions,
Tabarca,
Taberno,
Tarragona,
Torremolinos,
Torrevieja,
Tossa del Mar,
Valencia,
Valencian Community,
Zurgena
Mar Menor
Mar Menor (Little Sea) is a unique area
located on the east coast of Spain, within the region of Murcia,
just above the city of Cartagena. Few regions have the good
fortune to have both a saltwater lake and a Mediterranean
shore. The region of Murcia has both and the salt water lake
with an area of 170sq.km is known as Mar Menor, the largest
salt water lake in Europe. Mar Menor is part of the Costa
Calida.
The area dates back to prehistoric times but most remains
found date from the Roman and Arabic periods. The Romans valued
the area highly and developed a valuable salt industry. It
was about 1000 years ago that the lake took on the appearance
it has today.
The Romans called it Belich and referred
to it as a port of refuge. It was much deeper in those times
so could cope with even the largest of vessels. Over the last
hundred years or so, the area has developed into a tourist
haven.
As well as the natural importance of
the area the mud and clay are said to have therapeutic properties,
known for centuries. The average annual temperature here is
17ºC and the average during the summer is above 21ºC.
The winters are very mild, very rarely falling below 10ºC.
Rain is also rare here. With over 3000 hours of sunshine a
year and the mild climate, the water here can reach 30º
in August.
The coast of the Mar Menor is flanked by small towns, in the
past homes to fishermen and today, tourist enclaves. San Pedro
del Pinatar in the north covers 21.7sq.km and has 15,200 inhabitants.
This can swell to 60,000 in the summer months. Below this
is San Javier with over 20,000 residents. The area offers
several golf courses, municipal parks and the famous resort
of La Manga. La Manga has more than 40km of beaches and the
unique possibility of choosing between two seas with very
different water temperatures, one with waves and one practically
calm all year long. The number of hotels at La Manga make
up 50% of the total hotels in the region.
With so much water here there is no
wonder that the area is a haven for watersports. The possibilities
here are endless from sailing to diving, windsurfing and jetskiing.
Other places worthy of a visit are Santiago de la Riberera,
Los Alcázares and old fishing village and the point
at Cabo de Palos with its lighthouse.
If history is of interest to you then you must visit nearby
Cartagena with its castles, forts and lighthouses.
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