The Costa Cálida (, "Warm Coast") is the approximately 250 km stretch of

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coastline of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

. This region has a

micro-climate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

which features comparatively hot mean annual temperatures (and hence its name, "Warm Coast") and a relative degree of aridity (

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...

averaging less than 34 cm annually), scoring a semidesert and even in the southern parts even desert status in Koppen classification.

Geography and location

The Costa Cálida extends from El Mojón in the north near the province of

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

, to near the municipality of

Águilas Águilas () is a municipality and seaport of southeastern Spain, in the province of Murcia. It is situated at the southern end of Murcia's Mediterranean coastline, otherwise known as the Costa Cálida, near the border with the Province of Almería ...

in the south bordering on the region of

Almería province Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city g ...

. The northern end of this coastline includes the Mar Menor ("Lesser Sea"), a coastal saltwater lagoon which at around 170 km² is Europe's largest. The Mar Menor is separated from the Mediterranean by a 22 km-long spit of land called

La Manga La Manga (), or La Manga del Mar Menor (meaning "The Sandbar of the Minor Sea") is a seaside spit of Mar Menor in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The strip is 21 km long and 100 metres wide (average), separating the Mediterranean Sea from the ...

, on which most of the

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

development for the region has been constructed. Cartagena and

Mazarrón Mazarrón is a municipality in the autonomous community and province of Murcia, southeastern Spain. The municipality has an area of , and a population of 31,562 inhabitants in 2019. A military fort (named C1 or ''Castillitos''-small castles) bui ...

are two other important coastal towns in the region. Golf is a popular pastime for visitors and residents. There are many PGA championship courses such as

Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort is a golf and leisure complex that opened in 2007. It is located between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, in south-east Spain and surrounds a manor house that dates to the mid nineteenth century. Geography a ...

which hosted the 2009 an
2010 Spanish Pro Golf Championship
El Valle which hosted the PGA European Seniors Tour in June 2011,

Hacienda del Alamo An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

which is the longest golf course in Spain and the famous

La Manga Club La Manga Club is a sports and leisure resort located in the south-eastern region of Spain, Murcia, south of La Manga, and bordered by the Mar Menor and Calblanque Regional Park. The resort complex opened in 1972 and covers an area of 1,400 ...

External links

Official Tourism site of Murcia, Spain
(click on ''English'' at the bottom)

Calida Landforms of the Region of Murcia {{spain-geo-stub