Mar Menor - Located on the Costa Calida coastline within the region of Murcia, the Mar Menor is Europe’s largest salt water lake, having an area of 170km2 and a depth no greater than 7 metres it is a unique location. The saltpans to the north of the Mar Menor are some of the most important wetland areas in Europe with a rich and varied wildlife, and are particularly important for bird species of which there are many.
The Mar Menor was known to the ancients and was in fact settled during the Palaeolithic Era. The Phoenicians and Greeks knew of the Mar Menor and would have no doubt stopped off there whilst trading along this part of the coast. The Romans established settlements along the coast and were the first to understand the importance of the huge salt deposits to be found in this part of Spain, they began the salt extraction industry which still remains important to this day. The Romans called it Belich and used the Mar Menor as a harbour (it is believed to have been deeper at that time) and built Spas to make use of the healing powers of the salt water.
There were further settlements during the Arab occupation of Spain (8th to 13th Centuries) and the Moors were well aware of the healing properties of the salt water and founded some resorts (for instance Los Alcazares) as places of relaxation and recuperation, the Moors also put in place some excellent irrigation systems which enabled the hinterland of the Mar Menor to become an important area for agriculture. The Arabs also introduced some unique fishing methods which resulted in the Mar Menor having a successful fishing industry.