Most of Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Níjar is a montane coastal strip on the southernmost
tip of the province of Almería, Andalucía, Spain. Its three sections extend from
Cabo de Gata to Carboneras, Almanzora north east of Carboneras and the mountains
behind Níjar. The focus of this website is the coastal strip from Cabo de Gata to
Carboneras. Designated an international Geopark it now has a geology and mining museum
at Rodalquilar.
The sketch map shows key places mentioned in the website; Almería is to the west
and the textured area represents the coastal volcanic mountains. Between Cabo de
Gata and these mountains on the western edge is an old saltings, also part of the
Natural Park.
‘The Plastic’ is the sardonic name given by people to a large alluvial plain, El
Hornillo and Campohermoso (‘Beautiful pastures’ - a serious misnomer now), filled
to overflowing with Dutch polythene, leaving little uncovered ground, neither pretty
nor ecologically sane but a powerful economic boost (perhaps even a bubble?) in a
previously economically deprived area.
