San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain

San Pedro del Pinatar (coordinates: coord|37|49|N|0|45|W) is a small town and municipality in the autonomous community and province of Murcia, southeastern Spain. The municipality is situated at the northern end of Murcia's Mediterranean coastline, the Costa Cálida, and borders with the province of Alicante. It has an area of almost 22 km², and a population (2007) of over 22,217. The region is popular with tourists along with it's twin community of Míl Palmeras (translated "A thousand palm trees").

Geography

San Pedro del Pinatar is about 49 km from the provincial capital, Murcia. The municipality is situated between the Mediterranean Sea coast and the Mar Menor ("Little Sea"), a coastal saltwater lagoon which is the largest in Europe. The Mar Menor coast belongs to other three municipalities: San Javier, Los Alcázares and Cartagena. The latter is not by the Mar Menor itself, but in the Mediterranean.San Pedro del Pinatar occupies a small peninsula with 14 km of coastline between the two seas. The terrain is a mostly low-lying littoral depression, with an average elevation of only 13 m above mean sea level.

Economy and Industries

Fishing and related processing industries have been a mainstay of the local municipal economy, with tourism– and services–related industries playing an ever-increasing role .

Since Roman Empire the salt ponds are worked.

A small port in the Mediterranean Sea exists, with a centered activity in the fishing and the transport of the salt; as well as with a sport port with enough points of mooring. There is another sport port in the Mar Menor next to the market of the fish and the wharf of the fishermen.

Entertainment

Entertainment is a must in this town. English bars are located all over San Pedro Del Pinatar, a few are located near the Thalaysia Hotel up to and past the Mar Menor beach and spanning past the night clubs. There are very few german/french bars/cafes around San Pedro Del Pinatar as it's mainly an english tourist hot spot. There is a tourist train that starts at the local fayre that's on throughout the whole spanish summer bringing thousands to the area. The train goes around Lo Pagan and through San Pedro Del Pinatar and costs 3 euros and stops off at all the hot spots in the area. Some hot spots are the old wind mill, the salt ponds, the night clubs, along the beach and many other places.

Events are hosted all the time at the Mar Menor Beach and has been host to a few famous actors and sports persons out on holiday.

However the true entertainment still lies within the spanish cultural celebrations.

Celebrations

* Procesionales parades in Easter
* At the end of June, San Pedro Apostle.
* The 16 of July, "romería" of the Virgin of the Carmen.

Monuments and Places of interest

* Ethnographic Archaeological museum (Calle Dr. Mirón de Castro: It contains paleontological fossils, objects, etc. It has an exclusive room for submarine archaeology and another one for the ethnographic type dedicated to the last centuries (from the 18th century).
* Museum of the Sea (Calle Ingeniero Lorenzo Morales, 2.): marine and marine article collections.
* Conservation and research center of the Humedales "Las Salinas" (Avda. de las salinas): it offers interesting exhibitions on the natural park and the work in the salt mines.
* "Casa del reloj" or Villa of San Sebastian (Avda. Artero Guirao): an example of modernist architecture. Its Spanish president, Emilio Castelar y Ripoll passed away in 1899. From end of century XX It has been reconstructed and turned a restaurant.
* Church of San Pedro Apostle (Plaza de la Constitucion): it is a temple that began being a franciscana hermitage in century XVII.
* Palace of counts Villar de Felices or Casa of the Russian (C/ Victor Pradera s/n): building in neo-mudéjar style constructed in century XIX by order of Baron de Benifalló.
* Market of fish in Lo Pagán (Explanada of Lo Pagán): the auction of the fish to the traditional style can be contemplated.
* Natural park of "Salinas y Arenales" of "San Pedro del Pinatar".

Beaches

"In the Mediterranean Sea:"
* Beach El Mojón
* Beach of La Torre Derribada Playa
* Beach of Las Salinas
* Beach Punta de Algas
* Beach of La Barraca Quemada

"In the Mar Menor:"
* Beach of La Mota
* Beach of Villananitos [great beach]
* Beach of La Puntica

Others links

*es [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salinas_y_Arenales_de_San_Pedro_del_Pinatar Salinas y Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar]

External links

*es [http://www.sanpedrodelpinatar.es/ Local Government ("Ayuntamiento") website of San Pedro del Pinatar municipality]