Roquetas de Mar (Spanish pronunciation: [roˈketas de maɾ]) is a municipality of Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalucía, Spain.[2] In 2016, the population was 91,965, the municipality with the second highest population in the province behind the capital, the 14th in Andalucía and the 69th in Spain.

Roquetas de Mar
Municipality
The Old Lighthouse
The Old Lighthouse
Flag of Roquetas de Mar
Coat of arms of Roquetas de Mar
Map
Location of Roquetas de Mar
Coordinates: 36°45′51″N 2°36′53″W / 36.76417°N 2.61472°W / 36.76417; -2.61472
CountrySpain
RegionAndalusia
ProvinceAlmería
ComarcaPoniente Almeriense
MunicipalityRoquetas de Mar
Government
 • MayorGabriel Amat Ayllón (PPA)
Area
 • Total
60 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total
94,925
 • Density1,600/km2 (4,100/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Websiteaytoroquetas.org

In 1981, in this town, three young men from Santander were murdered by various members of the Spanish Civil Guard, in what is known as Almería Case.[3]

Geography and climate

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Roquetas de Mar has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) bordering on a hot semi-desert climate (Köppen: BSh)[4] 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.[5] Dust storms coming from the Sahara desert are uncommon, but they might happen from time to time.[6]

Climate data for Roquetas de Mar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 17.5
(63.5)
18.5
(65.3)
21.0
(69.8)
22.8
(73.0)
26.0
(78.8)
30.3
(86.5)
33.6
(92.5)
33.5
(92.3)
30.2
(86.4)
25.7
(78.3)
21.2
(70.2)
18.2
(64.8)
24.9
(76.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.8
(55.0)
13.7
(56.7)
16.0
(60.8)
17.6
(63.7)
20.7
(69.3)
24.8
(76.6)
28.0
(82.4)
28.3
(82.9)
25.1
(77.2)
21.0
(69.8)
16.6
(61.9)
13.8
(56.8)
19.9
(67.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 8.1
(46.6)
8.9
(48.0)
10.9
(51.6)
12.4
(54.3)
15.4
(59.7)
19.3
(66.7)
22.4
(72.3)
23.0
(73.4)
20.0
(68.0)
16.3
(61.3)
12.0
(53.6)
9.4
(48.9)
14.8
(58.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 25.4
(1.00)
29.1
(1.15)
21.0
(0.83)
17.0
(0.67)
13.6
(0.54)
4.0
(0.16)
1.2
(0.05)
0.5
(0.02)
14.3
(0.56)
22.1
(0.87)
30.6
(1.20)
38.0
(1.50)
216.8
(8.55)
Source: World Meteorological Organization (WMO)[7]

Tourism

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

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
199942,333—    
200044,370+4.8%
200147,570+7.2%
200250,954+7.1%
200353,815+5.6%
200458,519+8.7%
200565,886+12.6%
200671,740+8.9%
200771,279−0.6%
200877,423+8.6%
200982,665+6.8%
201085,808+3.8%
201189,851+4.7%
201290,358+0.6%
201387,868−2.8%
201491,682+4.3%
201590,623−1.2%
201691,965+1.5%
201793,363+1.5%
201894,925+1.7%
Source: INE (Spain)

Roquetas de Mar is the second most populous municipality in the province of Almería behind its capital. The 2018 padron data counted 94,956 inhabitants, 49,038 of which were men and 45,887 of which were women.[8] The population density is 1600/km2.

Transport

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Roquetas is served by the Autovía A-7 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; in 2020 a proposal was submitted to build a railway from Almería to Adra via Roquetas and El Ejido.[9]

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A street in Roquetas de Mar
 
Nocturnal beach at Roquetas de Mar
 
Castillo de Santa Ana, a fortification in Roquetas de Mar.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
  2. ^ McFee, James (31 July 2017). City Maps Roquetas de Mar Spain. Soffer Publishing. p. 24.
  3. ^ Emilio Pelayo, José (17 May 2016). "Caso Almería, aniversario de un horror" [Almería Case, anniversary of a horror] (in Spanish). El Diario Montañés. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Evolucion de los climas de Köppen en España en el periodo 1951-2020" (PDF). Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  5. ^ "El dichoso vientecico almeriense". Diario de Almería (in Spanish). 25 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Una tormenta de arena del Sáhara cubre Almería de polvo rojizo". La Voz de Almería (in Spanish). 22 February 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  7. ^ "World Weather Information Service. Roquetas de Mar". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Almería: Población por municipios y sexo". www.ine.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2019.
  9. ^ "La Mesa del Ferrocarril insiste con el corredor ferroviario del Poniente". Diario de Almería (in Spanish). 3 June 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
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