Cape Punta Tarifa
also serves to divide the waters of the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic
Ocean, which cross right in front of the city itself. Cape Punta
Tarifa is located at the narrowest part of the channel or strait of Gibraltar. At a maximum distance from the Moroccan coast
of 14 kilometers, Tarifa is the european city nearest to the African continent.
Tarifa has a municipal area whose length is 414.56 km ², making it the largest
in the region of Campo de Gibraltar.
Tarifa makes up 27.4% of Campo de Gilbraltar’s territory.
Tarifa is bordered on the east by the
municipalities of Algeciras
and Los Barrios, on the north by the end of Medina Sidonia, and the Northwest
with the cities of Vejer and Barbate. The limits to the West, South and
Southeast are not physical but political-administrative. The western part of the city borders the
Atlantic Ocean, and the South and Southeast border the Mediterranean
Sea.
Tarifa’s patrons are the Virgin of Light, San Sebastian and San
Hiscio.
There are more than fifty caves and rock
shelters in Tarifa. The caves contain
art, known locally as Southern art. All
of these sites highlight the Cueva del Moro, with 20,000-year-old engravings of
horses.
Due to the large size of the municipality
of Tarifa, there are other nucleus
populations or districts, including:
Bolonia, near the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Baelo Claudia.
Facinas
Tahivilla
Porro Houses
Atlanterra next to Zahara de los Atunes on the border with the municipality of Barbate
La Zarzuela
Tarifa is a town in
the province of Cadiz,
Andalusia, Spain. In 2008 it had 17,736
inhabitants. It is situated at a height of 7 meters and 101 kilometers from the
provincial capital, Cadiz.
The town of Tarifa is at the southern tip of the
province of Cadiz, occupying the western part of the
region of Campo de Gibraltar.
The southernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula,
Punta de Tarifa, or Isla de las Palomas, is considered part of the town. The coast of Morocco can be seen from the point.
Today Punta de Tarifa is united to the city by a street, and there is access to
the lighthouse that is located there.
Activities
Whale watching
Among the activities that may be in Tarifa is whale watching, encompassing both
whales and dolphins. Sightseeing ships
can be seen departing regularly from Morocco and heading toward
Tarifa. Whales and dolphins are seen in
the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and in the middle of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Cultural events
The African Film Festival was developed in Tarifa in 2003. It is a festival that is unique in its field,
and is usually celebrated between late April and early May.
Sports
Tarifa is known internationally as an important meeting point for fans and
practitioners of windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing. In fact many believe that Tarifa is the
European capital of Kite, which is why there are a large number of schools
involved in the initiation and teaching these sports.
Other popular sports are mountainbiking, which offers the possibility of riding
on the beach, and hiking. Paintball has
also become a fashionable sport in the area.
Seven species can be sighted, four of which
can be seen by residents all year round; the common dolphin, the Striped
dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin, and the pilot whale or common Calderon. Two
species are semi-resident and their presence is associated with feeding
periods. From July to September the orca
can be seen. The sperm whale is seen
mostly between March and August. The common mink whale is a migratory species
and uses the strait on its routes. These
whales can be observed mainly between May and August.
Migrating birds
In the town of Tarifa, several birds can be
tracked through the Gibraltar
Strait. Censuses of both
resident and migratory species are conducted regularly by volunteers. Among the
most important species migrating through the passage are storks, black kites,
booted eagles, eagles, and falcon toed honey buzzards.
