Baix Vinalopó

The Baix Vinalopó (, ; ; lit. "Lower Vinalopó") is a ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

'' in the

province of Alicante Alicante (, , ; ; ; officially: / ) is a province located in eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is the second most populated Valencian province, containing the second and third biggest cities in the Valencian Co ...

(

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

). It is bordered by the ''comarques'' of

Vinalopó Mitjà Vinalopó Mitjà (; ; lit. "Middle Vinalopó") is a Comarques of the Valencian Community, ''comarca'' in the Provinces of Spain, province of Alicante (province), Alicante, Valencian Community, Spain. Municipalities The ''comarca'' comprises elev ...

and

Alacantí Alacantí (, ), also known in Spanish as and , is a ''Comarques of the Valencian Community, comarca'' in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is bordered by the ''comarques'' of Marina Baixa and Alcoià to the north, Baix Vinalopó to the south and ...

on the north and

Vega Baja del Segura Vega Baja del Segura (; Mapa temàtic comarcal de la Comunitat Valenciana, serie CV350. Institut Cartogràfic Valencià. 2022, Col·leccions AutonòmiquesPDF/ref> ), simply known locally and regionally as Vega Baja (in Spanish), is a ''comarca'' ...

on the south. Its capital is the city of

Elche Elche (, ; , , , ; officially: ''/'' ) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2024's data, Elche has a population of 234,800 inhabitants,

(''Elx'' in Valencian), with a population of 232,517 in 2019. The other major towns in the comarca are Crevillent/Crevillente and

Santa Pola Santa Pola (; ) is a coastal town located in the comarca of Baix Vinalopó in the Valencian Community, Spain, by the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of and has a population of 36,174 inhabitants of whom 6,000 are residents of the nearby to ...

Vinalopó The Vinalopó is a small river flowing through the Province of Alicante, Alicante province, of Spain. It flows from north to south and, with a length of 81 km., it is the longest of the rivers which flows for its entire length within the l ...

river flows through this ''comarca'' giving its name to it, even though nowadays is just a tiny stream more than a proper river. The territory is mostly flat except for some of the last ranges belonging to the

Baetic System The Baetic System or Betic System () is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. Located in the southern and eastern Iberian Peninsula, it is also known as the Cordilleras Béticas (Baetic Mountain Ranges) or Baetic Mountains. The n ...

which appear here near the border with the neighbouring ''comarcas''

, following a general southwest–northeast trend. The highest peaks are found in the Serra de Crevillent (''Sierra de Crevillente''), a mountain range close to Crevillent/Crevillente, being its highest the ''Sant Gaietà'' with its 816 metres, a local hiking attraction. Its

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

is dry, with scarce rainfalls—below the

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

threshold—which happen mostly in Autumn and Spring amounting an average of 250–300 mm per year and showing relatively warm mean temperatures. Among the

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

aceous species,

esparto Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. '' Stipa tenacissima'' and '' Lygeum spar ...

and

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

deserve to be mentioned due to their industrial value in the past. Some important natural places are the swamps in the lower part of the comarca known as ''El Fondo'' Natural Park and the ''Salines de

'' Natural Park, both

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Comarques of the Valencian Community Geography of the Province of Alicante