COSTA ALMERIA ALMERIA: the province of Almeria, is located in the South East Spain. Almeria is above all a sunny region, registering more than 3100 hours of sunshine annually and an average temperature of 12.6°C in winter, 18.5°C in spring, 23.2°C in summer and 16.2°C in autumn. For this reason the Spanish-German astronomical centre has been installed on the outskirts of Gergal, with the most powerful telescope in Europe, and in Tabernas the most important solar energy plant in Europe. The kindness of the climate with the natural protection of the mountain range of Sierra de Gador avoiding the penetration of the north winds, has converted this agricultural zone into the most productive in Europe with more than 10,000 hectares of greenhouses, plenty of vegetables, flowers and garden production cultivated under plastic. Almeria has an extensive coast line with more than 190 km of private and public beaches which includes a great variety of little bays, inlets and cliffs where naturism can be practiced as well as all types of aquatic sports especially underwater fishing. MOJACAR: this coast offers sports lovers a wide variety of alternatives, from golf to tennis or sailing. There are numerous marinas or schools for sailing and long sandy beaches. A short distance from Mojacar is Carboneras and this is becoming more popular owing to the clearness of its water, its 16 km of golden sandy beaches, the quality of the sand and the beauty of the landscape. VERA: another town well worth a visit is Vera, with Roman and Arabic heritage and maintains some of its past through the churches of La Encarnacion and San Agustin, as well as in the interesting Museo Arqueologico. Meanwhile, its coastline, as in Garrucha, again offers a wide range of tourist activities, with the special attraction of Europe's first nudist hotel, located in the area's best known complex, Puerto Rey. Vera offers a long strip of sand of 5 km long, which is known as El Playazo. It is a must to dine out and sample the outstanding ingredient in the cuisine of Almeria; wonderfully fresh fish. In Garrucha, squid and red mullet are served grilled, while in other towns fresh fish form part of the fish chowders, a true speciality of the region.