The town of Rota is a Spanish municipality located in the Province of Cádiz,

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

. Its surface area is 84 km² and is bordered by the towns of

Chipiona Chipiona is a town and municipality located on the Atlantic coast in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2012 census, the city has a population of 18,849 inhabitants, but this amount increases greatly during the summer holiday peri ...

Sanlúcar de Barrameda Sanlúcar de Barrameda (), or simply Sanlúcar, is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposit ...

and El Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city of

Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera (), or simply Jerez (), is a Spanish city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality in the province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, located midway bet ...

and is 36 kilometers away from the provincial capital, Cadiz. It had in the year 2009 28,516 inhabitants, with a density of 339 inhabitants / km². It belongs to two associations, the Association of Municipalities of Cadiz Bay along with the municipalities of Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María, San Fernando, Chiclana and

Puerto Real Puerto Real () is a seaport in Andalusia, in the province of Cádiz. , it had a population of 40,667. The town is located on the northern shore of the inner lobe of the Bay of Cádiz, on the site of the ancient Roman settlement of Portus Gad ...

; and the Association of Municipalities of the Lower Guadalquivir that comprises municipalities of Northwest Coast of

. Located along the

Bay of Cádiz The Bay of Cádiz is a body of water in the province of Cádiz, Spain, adjacent to the southwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The Bay of Cádiz adjoins the Gulf of Cádiz, a larger body of water which is in the same area but further offsho ...

in the Atlantic Ocean, it is halfway between Portugal and Gibraltar, is predominantly a tourist town, a vacation/holiday destination for travelers from all over Europe. During the low season, its main business activity is the fishing industry. In the municipality is located the

Naval Station Rota Naval Station Rota, also known as NAVSTA Rota ( es, Base Naval de Rota, links=no), is a Spanish-American naval base commanded by a Spanish Rear Admiral. Located in Rota in the Province of Cádiz, NAVSTA Rota is the largest American military c ...

, which is the largest source of employment to the municipality. It also served as a transoceanic abort landing site for the Space Shuttle program.

History

Archaeological evidence suggests that there was a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

settlement on the present site of Rota. The current town was founded by the

Phoenicians Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

at approximately the same time as Cádiz. Rota is assumed to be the same city known as ''Astaroth'' of the Tartesian empire. It later passed to the Romans, who knew the town as ''Speculum Rotae''. Following the arrival of the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

in Spain, the city became known as ''Rabita Rutta'' ("watchtower of Rota"), from which it derives its present name. In 1217 the city was raided by a group of Frisian Crusaders en route to the Holy Land. From 1248 onwards, the Moors were gradually expelled from Spain, and the city became Christian. In 1297, Sancho IV awarded the town to Alonso Pérez de Guzmán in honour of his defence of

Tarifa Tarifa (, Arabic: طريفة) is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. Tarifa ...

. Later, Pérez de Guzmán gave it to his daughter, Isabel, as a wedding present when she married Fermin Ponce de León, Maestre of Alcántara and First Lord of Marchena. Construction of the ''Castillo de la Luna'' (Castle of the Moon) had begun in 1295, two years prior to the bequest to Pérez de Guzmán, as part of Sancho IV's effort to develop strong coastal defenses, especially near the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the town was an important port for trading with North Africa. In 1780 the 11th

Duke of Arcos Duke of Arcos ( es, Duque de Arcos) is an hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain, granted by Isabella I in 1493 to Rodrigo Ponce de León, then 4th Count of Arcos. The dukedom is among the first 25 titles which reached the rank of Grandee o ...

died without issue, and the city was rendered to the Duke of Osuna. File:Rota - torre del convento de la Merced.jpg, Tower of the Convent of La Merced File:Rota - Capilla de la Caridad.jpg, Capilla de la Caridad, Rota File:Rota - Portada de piedra ostionera.jpg, Piedra ostinera (shell limestone) cover File:Rota - Azulejo del Pozo de la Villa.jpg, Tile of Pozo (well water) de la Villa File:Rota - Castillo de Luna - exterior.jpg, Castillo de la Luna File:Rota - Castillo de Luna.jpg, Castillo de la Luna File:Rota parroquia de ntra sra de la o 2.jpg, Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la O File:Rota parroquia de ntra sra de la o.jpg, Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la O File:ROTA00945.jpg, Beach

Economy

Rota is primarily a resort town, offering eight hotels and nearly two thousand beds. It is a summer destination for tourists from all over Europe. During the off-season, its main commercial activity centres on the fishing industry. Rota is also the location of the Rota naval base, a joint

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 ...

and

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

naval base, opened in 1955 (which also hosts U.S. Marine Corps and

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

units). It is also the usual first and last port of call for U.S. naval vessels after leaving the

Mediterranean Sea 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 and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

. Once contributing up to 80 percent of Rota's economy directly or indirectly, the significant decrease in the American presence since about 1995, and the city's modern infrastructures that enable those remaining to commute readily from surrounding towns and cities, the base has given way to tourism as the leading source of revenue. The surrounding area is used for agriculture; the predominant crops are

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

and sunflowers, as well as sweet green

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

es, and pumpkins.

Climate

Rota has a hot-summer

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csa'') with mild winters and hot summers. Rota has significant maritime influences from the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The average temperature during the coldest month (January) is around while the average temperature during the hottest month (August) is around . Rota is very sunny, as the annual sunshine hours are above 3,000h. The average sea temperature is around during the winter and around during the summer.

Demographics

Culinary

A traditional dish is the ''arranque'' made with chopped bread, tomatoes, green peppers, garlic, salt and olive oil. The local wine, known as ''

tintilla Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world.Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditio ...

'', is made with dark, ripe grapes. It can be found in the numerous ''bodegas'' spread over the old town, one of them being ''El Gato'' which produces its own wine. Spanish, Andalucian, Cádiz, and Rota gastronomic delights are many and varied. Most Spanish people enjoy dishes such as caracoles (snails), menudo (tripe soup),

chicharrón (, , plural ; pt, torresmo ; fil, chicharon; ch, chachalon) is a dish generally consisting of fried pork belly or fried pork rinds. may also be made from chicken, mutton or beef. Name , as a dish with sauce, or as finger-food snacks, ar ...

(deep fried pork rinds), a variety of wines, and of course

gazpacho Gazpacho (; ) or Gaspacho (), also called Andalusian gazpacho, is a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian peninsula and spread into other areas. Gazpacho is widely eaten in Sp ...

(cold tomato soup taken as a drink).

Arts

The Foundation

Ruiz Mateos The Spanish surname Ruiz originates from the Germanic personal name " Hrodric" which is composed of the elements "Hrōd", meaning "renown", and "rīc", meaning "power(ful)", thus "famous ruler". Ruiz is a patronymic from the personal name Ruy, a sh ...

delivers a biannual award called Villa de Rota in the field of the plastic arts, music and literature. This constitutes nowadays an extensive art collection which is being shown in the Museum Ruiz Mateos since opened its doors on 4 February 2005.Museum Ruiz Mateos
/ref> This museum gathers a total of 102 works composed of oil paintings, watercolors, engravings and sculptures, and includes all first prizes awarded in the course of the national contests “Villa de Rota” as well as individual donations received. Among other artists, Antonio Utrera, Francisco Luque and Dominika Grisgrabed have won the contest.

Politics

Traditionally the town has four predominant parties: People's Party,

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gove ...

, United Left, and the local Roteños Unidos (United Rotanians). While there are occasional independent parties, the only one to successfully enter the Town Council is Roteños Unidos.

Sports

Rota has two football (soccer) teams: CD Rota and UD Roteña, and also a basketball team: C.D. Don Bosco 88.

Notes

External links

Rota municipal government
official website
VillaDeRota.com (previously ROTAcom° Web Oficial - Rota, Andalusia (Spain)
On-line since 1999! News, premiere information, pictures, weather, etc. Into Spanish, English... (https://villaderota.com)
Rota.City
Tourism website. Find out what's on in Rota City and explore the best routes, shows & events)
U.S. Naval Station Rota Spain website

U.S. Naval Hospital Rota Spain website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rota, Cadiz Costa de la Luz Municipalities of the Province of Cádiz Port cities and towns on the Spanish Atlantic coast