Location
Marbella is a Mediterranean coastal resort within the Costa del Sol region of Spain. Spain is the 5th largest country in Europe and is in the south-west corner of the continent where it neighbours Portugal and France. Costa del Sol, the region where Marbella is located runs along the southern coast of Spain near to the international borders of Morocco in Northern Africa. Marbella is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea however just down the coast in a south west direction is Gibraltar where it is the meeting point of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The resort is split into 4 main areas which are: Marbella Town, Puerto Banus, San Pedro de Alcantara and Estepona with Marbella town being the main central area.
Map of Europe
Source: http://www.nationsonline.org/maps/countries_europe_map.jpg
Map of Spain
Source: www.worldatlas.com
Maps of Resort (Source: www.spain-holiday.com)
The resort is often popular with many Spaniards and people from abroad because of its ideal location with being near to cities. It is only 52km from the city of Malaga and Malaga International airport (5th largest city in Spain), 186km from Granada, 243km from Cordoba, 209km from Cadiz and 268km from Seville of which are all major Spanish cities and is 601km from Madrid, the capital of Spain.
Other destinations that are closer to Marbella that may have an impact on the number of tourists are:
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Torremolinos (43km North East along the coast) - One of the most famous resorts within Costa del Sol region and the Mediterranean
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Benalmadena (36km North East along the coast) – A popular tourist resort
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Puerto Banus (7km West) – Known for its rich lifestyle and harbour this is an area within Marbella that attracts many more tourists to the resort
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Gibraltar (58km South West) – Famous for its history and landscape it is a popular destination for tourist excursions
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Fuengirola (20km East) - Huge tourist resort that covers 10km of coastline
Marbella is 1406m south of London in England. The location of Marbella has a huge impact on the number of tourists there because of it being so near and having easy access to some of the major cities in Spain such as Malaga where there is an international airport. As well as being near to some of the major cities it is also within very easy reach of some of the most popular Mediterranean resorts in southern Spain and Europe itself, for example Puerto Banus and Torremolinos. The region received a total of 8.5 million visitors back in 2005 of which 40% were Spanish and 31% British.
This excellent location that Marbella is situated in is one of the main reasons as to why it appeals to so many Spaniards all over the country and tourists from abroad and therefore has grown to become one of the most popular Mediterranean resorts in Europe.
Landscape
The landscape across the region of Costa del Sol is very extreme and varied ranging from sandy beaches and sea to snowy mountains and deep valleys. This wide variety of landscapes is one of the greatest attractions of the coastline and helps to persuade millions of people to visit the region every year. Marbella is situated between the sea and the Sierra Blanca coastal mountain range that rises up directly behind the resort and therefore affects its flatness dramatically. The mountains climb to 300 metres above sea level and provide spectacular views of the 23km coastline and the resort itself where tourists are able to escape the busy atmosphere and experience the tranquil environment. There are many harbours within the region that Marbella is based in because of the high tourism demand for cruises and yachts. Marbella’s Puerto Banus harbour has became Europe’s playground for the rich and famous over the years with its big yachts and fancy cars and as a result has gained a reputation that makes it one of the most famous harbours in Europe. Marbella town has its own marina which has 337 moorings whereas Puerto Banus’s marina just along the coast has a whopping 915 moorings and therefore helps to create a very wild nightlife with a range of casinos, pubs and clubs. Other destinations that have thriving harbours along the coastline are: Estepona, Fuengirola, Benalmadena, Malaga and Torremolinos. The rivers and streams within and surrounding Marbella are mainly short in distance, run into the Mediterranean Sea or have been grounded by land, however out of the existing ones the most important ones are Guadalmina, Gaidaiza and Verde y Real. Concepcion reservoir, Pantano Nuevo and Viejo y Medranas are some of the dams within the area, these provide some spectacular views and therefore attract many sight seeing tourists.
Marbella Marina and Seafront
The old town of Marbella is enclosed by a 9th Century Arab fortress and is very historical with buildings dating back to the 16th Century. The old town is further away from the coast towards the bottom Sierra Blanca mountain range. The streets are very narrow and are lined with the old white traditional Spanish buildings and their balconies with flowers on. At the heart of the town in the centre is Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square) which is referred to as this because it has a lot of tropical plants and trees including orange trees. It consists of both modern and traditional international restaurants which are popular with the locals as well as the tourists. The main resort of Marbella where all of the more modern buildings (mainly hotels and apartment blocks) have been built is situated in between the coast and the old town of Marbella. The majority of these new buildings as well as the old buildings in the town are white because it reflects the sun better and therefore keeps it cooler for the residents. Marbella’s beaches are obviously one of the key landscape tourist attractions where it provides tourists with a place to swim, sunbath, play and have a go on the water sports. Marbella has a total of 27km of coastline that is distributed into 24 different beaches. The Paseo Maritimo promenade follows the coastline of Marbella town for over 6km all the way to Puerto Banus and is the longest waterfront in Marbella. It is mainly built up with café’s, restaurants and apartment buildings and provides the local residents and tourists with a great walk and a place to people watch.
Photo of Marbella’s main seafront and Sierra Blanca Mountain range
Source: www.selfcateringhols.com
Photo of an ordinary Marbella town street
Source: www.marbellainfo.com
Ronda is a beautiful town that lies within the Serranía de Ronda mountain range 48km away from Marbella at an altitude of 739 meters. The town is split into two different sections by a 100 meter deep gorge called El Tajo and is joined by the Puente Nuevo (which stands for New Bridge). The bridge was built in 1751 and took a total of 42 years to build; this is a key tourist attraction that brings many tourists to Ronda year in year out. Iglesia Mayor de la Encarnacion is a historical church in Marbella that was originally built in 1505, however most of the building was raised in 1712 and is now claimed to be the city’s most important church which makes it popular for tourist visits. Alcazaba Wall (Marbella town’s castle) and the 16th century town hall in the centre of town are two of Marbella’s nicest buildings; these are opened up for visits and excursions and therefore help to attract more tourists to the area. Constitution Park, La Alameda Park and Arroyo de la Represa are three of Marbella’s main local parks. Constitution Park which was once a garden of private residence is now used for concerts and plays throughout the summer whereas the Alameda Park and Arroyo de la Represa park are mainly used by the old Spanish locals and tourists to relax and talk in the quiet tropical gardens.
Throughout the whole of the Costa del Sol region there are different coastal mountain ranges that provide good areas for things such as natural parks, natural reserves and natural monuments that attract tourists. Most of the vegetation throughout the landscape is very dry due to the high humidity however some of the natural parks are looked after and well watered. There are a total of 23 protected areas within the region; a good example of a protected area is the Montes de Malaga Natural Park situated 14km north of Malaga city with altitudes ranging from 91 to 1031 meters above sea level and a total area of 4996 hectares (49960000 square meters). The beauty of the landscape and the services that are provided for the tourists by the Natural Park (e.g. picnic areas, parking spaces and toilet facilities) work together to attract many different kinds of tourists. The different kinds of plant species that can be seen at the park are: Pine, Lentiscus, Carob tree, Scarlet Oak, Madrona, Olive, Cork Oak, Stone Pine, Monterrey Pine, chestnut, black poplar, wild olive, ash, willow and strawberry. As well as these different plant species there is also a wide variety of animal species, these include: Genet, badger, fox, skunk, long-tailed newts, eagle, sparrow hawk, goshawk, wood pigeon, red-legged partridge, dove, thrush, jay, cuckoo, tit, bunting, nightingale and kestrel.
Photo of Montes de Malaga Natural Park
Source:
Source: www.spain.free-animations.co.uk/spain_6.html
Climate
The climate of Marbella would commonly be known as having a typical Mediterranean hot climate with hot summers and mild winters. It sustains an average annual temperature of 19 degrees with little precipitation in the winter and on average over 320 days of sunshine. The resorts latitude is 36 degrees north which means it is not too far from but not too close to the equator, this influences the high temperatures because the nearer to the equator you are the hotter it should be. The centre of Marbella is located 25 meters above sea level; this will only have a small effect on the temperature of the resort because for every 100 meters in height the temperature decreases on average by 1 degree. The Sierra Blanca mountain range that rises up behind the resort provides shelter from the cold northerly winds and therefore keeps the temperature high. A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water. The strait of Gibraltar is the strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea; Marbella is just 58km from Gibraltar and therefore is affected by this meeting point. Due to the Mediterranean being non tidal and the Atlantic being tidal it produces a renewal of water and as a result increases the sea temperature, this in time causes the resort to experience higher temperatures.
The resort is located right on the coast, this helps keep the winters mild because the sea retains the heat for much longer and therefore the land within close range of the sea will be warmed. Throughout the summer the land heats up faster than the sea and the opposite happens, this means the sea has a cooling effect.
Climate Graphs
Given below are graphs of the Average Temperature (°F) and average precipitation (inches) throughout the year at Marbella. The reason for the significant fall in the precipitation graph is that there are consistent high temperatures that do not condense enough for clouds to form and therefore causes a high humidity with very low precipitation in the summer months.
The climate of Marbella encourages tourism both in the winter and the summer. The hot summer climate encourages people who do not mind or want hot sunny weather whereas the mild winter climate encourages more elderly tourists. Even though the climate is not as warm and sunny at that time of year it is still warm compared the UK’s winter and lots of elderly people like to get away from the cold winter. As a conclusion it is clear that the resort’s climate is a huge influence on the number of tourists that go there and therefore is one of the main reasons to why it has became so popular over the years.
