Roquetas de Mar () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

of Almería province, in the autonomous community of

Andalucía Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

, Spain. In 2016, the population was 91,965, the municipality with the second highest population in the province behind

the capital ''The Capital'' (also known as ''Capital Gazette'' as its online nameplate and informally, while the Sunday edition is called ''The Sunday Capital'') is a daily newspaper published by Capital Gazette Communications in Annapolis, Maryland, to ...

, the 14th in

and the 69th in

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 ...

. In 1981, in this town, three young men from Santander were murdered by various members of the

Spanish Civil Guard The Civil Guard (; ) is one of the two national law enforcement agencies of Spain. As a national gendarmerie, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Minis ...

, in what is known as Almería Case.

Geography and climate

Roquetas de Mar has a

hot desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''BWh'') bordering on a hot semi-desert climate (

: ''BSh'') with very mild winters and very hot and dry summers. During July and August, Roquetas de Mar has often southern winds coming from Africa, thus increasing the temperatures. Dust storms coming from the

Sahara desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

are uncommon, but they might happen from time to time.

Tourism

The 'urbanización' (tourist area with hotels and restaurants and shops) of Roquetas is predominantly a Spanish holiday resort for the majority of the summer months, but it also receives many visitors from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It is one of the two major resorts in Costa de Almería, the other being

Mojácar Mojácar () is a municipality situated in the southeast of the Almería (province), Province of Almería (Andalucia) in southern Spain, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is 90 km from the capital of the province, Almería. It is an elevated ...

Demographics

Roquetas de Mar is the second most populous municipality in the province of

Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...

behind its capital. The 2018 padron data counted 94,956 inhabitants, 49,038 of which were men and 45,887 of which were women. The population density is 1600/km².

Transport

Roquetas is served by the

Autovía A-7 The Autovía A-7 (also called ''Autovia del Mediterráneo'') is a Spanish autovía (toll-free limited-access highway) which starts in La Jonquera, near the French frontier and ends in Algeciras. It was finally finished in late 2015 upon complet ...

on its outskirts and is linked to the town itself by the A-1051. It is the second-largest town in Spain without a rail link behind

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the re ...

; in 2020 a proposal was submitted to build a railway from

to Adra via Roquetas and El Ejido.

Gallery

References

External links

Municipalities in the Province of Almería Populated coastal places in Spain {{Andalusia-geo-stub