Torrevieja

a seaside town lying to the south of the Valencian Community, is surrounded by two large and beautiful natural salt-water lagoons, the Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja, which occupy more than half the municipal district. Declared a natural reserve, they are considered Europe's largest salt-producing lakes. Their combined effect is to give the municipal district the appearance of a salt island.

The high concentration of salt and the existence of their most typical inhabitant, the Artemia salina,, a species of small crustacean, lend them a pinkish tinge, especially noticeable in the case of the Lagoon of Torrevieja. The local microclimate is a particularly healthy one and has been recommended by medical specialists the world over.

The town owes its name to an Old Tower (Torre Vieja) formerly sited in the vicinity of the Eras de la Sal or Salt Flats. Although it has a relatively recent history, since the first urban settlement only dates from the 18th century, it was granted the status of a city in 1931 by King Alfonso XIII. With its long maritime tradition and its privileged climate and beaches, it has become a leading tourist destination.

Dynamic and hospitable, it is embarking upon the new millennium with every confidence in the innovative projects that, added to the existing range of cultural, leisure and sports activities, will serve as an added inducement to visit it.