page_title: Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park
section_title: Geology, geography, climate, and vegetation
hierarchical_section_title: Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park / Geology, geography, climate, and vegetation
caption_attribution_description: English: The "petrified wave" and other volcanic formations of Playa de Mónsul, a landmark of Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata, and one of its defining beaches. Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, in high resolution, including volcanic formations such as the "petrified wave"
context_page_description: Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in the southeastern corner of Spain is Andalusia's largest coastal protected area, a wild and isolated landscape with some of Europe's oldest geological features. Spain's southeast coast, where the park is situated, is the only region in mainland Europe with a true hot desert climate.
  The eponymous mountain range of the Sierra del Cabo de Gata, with its highest peak El Fraile, form Spain's largest volcanic rock formation with sharp peaks and crags in red and ochre hues. It falls steeply to the Mediterranean Sea, creating jagged 100-metre high cliffs riven by gullies, creating hidden coves and white, sandy beaches.
  Offshore are numerous tiny rocky islands and extensive coral reefs teeming with marine life. Its climate is the driest in Europe, with rainfall below 160 mm a year and average yearly temperatures above 19 °C. In 1997 it was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In 2001 it was included among the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance. Due to the adsorptive properties and low permeability of its clays, the area was studied as a possible place for deep storage of sealed radioactive waste.
context_section_description: Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is characterised by volcanic rock formations -
  lava flows, volcanic domes, volcanic calderas. The park joined UNESCO's Global Geoparks Network in 2006, and is also a member of the European Geoparks Network.
  Between the village of San Miguel and the Cabo de Gata point are salt flats (Las Salinas de Cabo de Gata) separated from the sea by a 400 m (1,300 ft) sand bar.
  The salt flats are a Ramsar site.
  Its coasts have seagrass beds of the genus Posidonia and offshore coral reefs, both dramatically increasing the numbers of resident and transient marine species. A 120 km² (46 sq mi) part of the total designated protected area is a marine reserve, extending underwater to a depth of 60 m (200 ft).
  The area has a Hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh) with rather mild temperatures year round for the heavy maritime influence. The annual average temperature is about 19.1 °C (66.4 °F), and the average annual rainfall is of 156 mm (6.1 in), recorded at the Faro del Cabo de Gata (36°43'18.8 N, 2°11'34.69" W) during the period 1961–1990, making this area the driest place in Europe.
  The characteristic vegetation in the terrestrial zone is drought-adapted flora: largely agave, prickly pear, dwarf fan palms, and a number of xerophytes (some of which are endemic). There is Posidonia seagrass in the marine zone.
caption: Volcanic rock-formations at Playa de Mónsul, possibly the most popular beach
exif: {"Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D7000", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "QuickTime 7.7.1", "Image DateTime": "2012:01:03 18:53:05", "Image HostComputer": "Mac OS X 10.7.2", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "256", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "616", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4635", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "13", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:12:25 13:45:42", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:12:25 13:45:42", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "37/10", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "18", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area"}