LA MANGA - Mar Menor- Murcia Spain.
You will find La Manga situated in the Province of Murcia in a coastal area of the Mar Menor
which boasts one of the most moderate climates in Spain, with
more days of sunshine than other mainland areas and water
temperatures higher than average. As a result it has become
known as the "Costa Calida" - the "Warm Coast". It is a strip of
sand, approx. 22kms. long, which forms a "barrier" and encloses
the "Mar Menor" (Minor Sea) and separates it from the "Mar
Mayor" (the Mediterranean). At it's narrowest parts it is only
100 metres wide and the maximum width is 1.5km.
There are four canals along the length of La Manga which allow
the water to flow from one sea to the other and at the two
extremes of the strip there are two protected natural spaces -
at the northern end is the "Parque Regional de las Salinas (salt
flats) y Arenales de San Pedro, and to the south are more salt
flats known as "Las Salinas de Marchamalo y Las Amoladeras".
There are over 44km. of beaches, narrower but with protected
bays and coves on the side of the Mar Menor, and longer, wider
expanses of pure golden sand fronting the Mediterranean.
Considering the vast effort needed to keep them clean, we are
proud to say that many can boast the "Blue Flag" - awarded in
accordance with the regulations laid down by the European
Community.
It is an area which offers many alternative types of holiday and
recreation and is becoming one of the most important tourist
centres on the Mediterranean coast. It offers the visitor a
selection of beach-side Hotel or Apartment holidays, and, ! in
the summer months!, restaurants, bars, plus shopping complexes
and a night-life which are there to meet the demands of every
holidaymaker.
Nearby is the well known golf complex - "La
Manga Club" - with it's four very different courses, the
luxurious 5 star Hyatt Hotel and a more peaceful atmosphere for
those that prefer it.
A SEA WITH A HISTORY
La Manga, (which means "sleeve" or "arm" and indicates the shape
of this strip of land) was formed from the sediment from the
accumulation of sand transported on the marine winds which was
forced to the surface when it encountered the volcanic
formations below the sea. This created a barrier and so the Mar
Menor began to take shape.
Although La Manga acquired it's actual form and structure in the
17th century, the first human habitation can be attributed to
Neolithic Man. Some 5000 years ago a village was built in the
area of Las Amoladeras, at what is now the entrance to La Manga.
This settlement was in the form of huts built in a circle and
made from wattle and reeds. The settlement did not have any form
of fortification and the villagers lived from the sea, by
fishing and collecting the shell-fish of the region. It is
difficult to imagine today, but the area was surrounded by
forests which reached to the edge of the sea. The richness of
the mountain range above La Union, now called the Sierra Minera,
plus the exceptional conditions of the Mar Menor, attracted
settlers from all over Spain and together with the Carthaginians
and the Romans, they began to exploit both the silver mines and
the fishing trade.It has been established from the sunken ruins
at "El Estacio" that La Manga was used in pre-historic times as
a "fish factory". From other treasures discovered at the bottom
of the seas which skirt La Manga, the remains of various vessels
can be traced to the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans and
these were used to transport ingots of silver and lead, in
addition to ceramic pots containing a variety of merchandise.
The arrival of the Arabs brought about the introduction of a
form of fishing known as "las Encañizadas" (cane enclosures), a
method which is still in use today and can be seen in many areas
of the Mar Menor. After the expulsion of the Moors, La Manga was
constantly assaulted by the magrebs who constantly patrolled the
coastline. To help defend themselves against these attacks, the
emperor Carlos and his son Felipe II ordered the construction of
three "watch towers" on La Manga and another at Cabo de Palos.
The vast forests of pines, plus the different varieties of oak
and yew were gradually reduced during the Middle Ages and in the
18th century their exploitation for fuel and brushwood, aided by
the strong winds from the Mediterranean, added to the gradual
deforestation.
In the year 1862 the lighthouses at "el Estacio" and "Islas
Hormigas" were built, followed three years later by the one at
Cabo de Palos. The existence of many submerged rocks brought
about many maritime disasters in the area. The sinking of the "Sirio"
in 1906, with the loss of over 300 lives being one of the worst
ever recorded disasters at sea. In the middle of the 18th
century, in line with the policy of disposing of large tracts of
land by public auction, the family "Maestre" acquired the
northern part of La Manga. Then, at the beginning of the year
1960, Tomás Maestre bought from the family Celdran the rest of
the peninsular and in 1963, inspired by the newly created "Law
of Centres of Tourist Interest" the plan to develop La Manga as
a tourist resort was conceived. One year later the first
apartments were built at the very beginning of La Manga and were
given the name "Black Tower" due to the appearance created by
the tiles used on the exterior. This was quickly followed the
opening of the first two hotels, the Entremares and the Galúa
and from that point on La Manga has grown as one of the largest
and most interesting resorts in Europe.
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