Rota | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Rota port | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
.png) Location of Rota | |
  Rota Location in Andalusia | |
| Coordinates:36°37′N6°21′W / 36.617°N 6.350°W /36.617; -6.350 | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Province | Cádiz |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | José Javier Ruiz AranaPSOE |
| Area | |
• Total | 84 km2 (32 sq mi) |
| • Land | 84 km2 (32 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.00 km2 (0 sq mi) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 29,289 |
| • Density | 350/km2 (900/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Roteño |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Website | www |
Rota is a municipality and town in theProvince of Cádiz,Andalusia, Spain. Its surface area is 84 km2 and is bordered by the towns ofChipiona,Sanlúcar de Barrameda andEl Puerto de Santa María. It is located near the city ofJerez de la Frontera and is 36 kilometers away from the provincial capital,Cádiz. It had in the year 2009 28,516 inhabitants, with a density of 339 inhabitants / km2. It belongs to two associations, the Association of Municipalities of Cádiz Bay along with the municipalities of Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, El Puerto de Santa María,San Fernando,Chiclana andPuerto Real; and the Association of Municipalities of the Lower Guadalquivir that comprises municipalities of Northwest Coast ofAndalusia.
Located along theBay of Cádiz in the Atlantic Ocean, it is halfway between Portugal and Gibraltar, is predominantly a tourist town, a vacation/holiday destination for travelers from all over Europe. During the low season, its main business activity is the fishing industry. In the municipality is located theNaval Station Rota, which is the largest source of employment to the municipality. It also served as atransoceanic abort landing site for the Space Shuttle program.
Archaeological evidence suggests that there was aBronze Age settlement on the present site of Rota. The current town was founded by thePhoenicians at approximately the same time as Cádiz. Rota is assumed to be the same city known asAstaroth of theTartesian empire. It later passed to the Romans, who knew the town asSpeculum Rotae.
Following the arrival of theMoors in Spain, the city became known asRabita Rutta ("watchtower of Rota"), from which it derives its present name. In 1217 the city was raided by a group of Frisian Crusaders en route to the Holy Land.[2] From 1248 onwards, the Moors were gradually expelled from Spain, and the city became Christian. In 1297,Sancho IV awarded the town toAlonso Pérez de Guzmán in honour of his defence ofTarifa. Later, Pérez de Guzmán gave it to his daughter, Isabel, as a wedding present when she married Fermin Ponce de León, Maestre ofAlcántara and First Lord ofMarchena. Construction of theCastillo de la Luna (Castle of the Moon) had begun in 1295, two years prior to the bequest to Pérez de Guzmán, as part of Sancho IV's effort to develop strong coastal defenses, especially near the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. During theMiddle Ages, the town was an important port for trading with North Africa. In 1780 the 11thDuke of Arcos died without issue, and the city was rendered to theDuke of Osuna.
Rota is primarily aresort town, offering eight hotels and nearly two thousand beds. It is a summer destination for tourists from all over Europe. During the off-season, its main commercial activity centres on the fishing industry.
Rota is also the location of theRota naval base, a jointSpanish andU.S. naval base, opened in 1955 (which also hostsU.S. Marine Corps andU.S. Air Force units). It is also the usual first and last port of call for U.S. naval vessels after leaving theMediterranean Sea. Once contributing up to 80 percent of Rota's economy directly or indirectly, the significant decrease in the American presence since about 1995, and the city's modern infrastructures that enable those remaining to commute readily from surrounding towns and cities, the base has given way to tourism as the leading source of revenue.
The surrounding area is used for agriculture; the predominant crops arecotton andsunflowers, as well as sweet greenpeppers,tomatoes, andpumpkins.
Rota has a hot-summermediterranean climate (KöppenCsa) with mild winters and hot summers. Rota has significant maritime influences from theAtlantic Ocean. The average temperature during the coldest month (January) is around 11 °C (52 °F) while the average temperature during the hottest month (August) is around 25 °C (77 °F).[3] Rota is very sunny, as the annual sunshine hours are above 3,000h. The average sea temperature is around 16 °C (61 °F) during the winter and around 23 °C (73 °F) during the summer.[4]
| Climate data for Rota averages.Rota Base Naval 1991-2020 normals, 1988-2025 extremes, 21 metres (69 ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 23.9 (75.0) | 25.2 (77.4) | 30.1 (86.2) | 33.0 (91.4) | 38.2 (100.8) | 40.8 (105.4) | 42.2 (108.0) | 42.7 (108.9) | 41.0 (105.8) | 33.8 (92.8) | 27.7 (81.9) | 24.8 (76.6) | 42.7 (108.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) | 17.4 (63.3) | 19.7 (67.5) | 21.5 (70.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 27.8 (82.0) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.7 (87.3) | 28.0 (82.4) | 24.7 (76.5) | 19.9 (67.8) | 17.0 (62.6) | 23.2 (73.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) | 12.4 (54.3) | 14.7 (58.5) | 16.5 (61.7) | 19.5 (67.1) | 22.7 (72.9) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.3 (77.5) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 15.1 (59.2) | 12.5 (54.5) | 18.1 (64.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.5 (43.7) | 7.3 (45.1) | 9.6 (49.3) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.3 (57.7) | 17.5 (63.5) | 19.4 (66.9) | 19.8 (67.6) | 17.8 (64.0) | 14.7 (58.5) | 10.3 (50.5) | 7.8 (46.0) | 13.0 (55.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −4.7 (23.5) | −2.3 (27.9) | 0.4 (32.7) | 3.6 (38.5) | 6.8 (44.2) | 10.8 (51.4) | 11.5 (52.7) | 13.3 (55.9) | 10.3 (50.5) | 6.2 (43.2) | 0.0 (32.0) | −1.6 (29.1) | −4.7 (23.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 66.9 (2.63) | 51.4 (2.02) | 57.5 (2.26) | 45.6 (1.80) | 31.3 (1.23) | 4.7 (0.19) | 0.5 (0.02) | 2.0 (0.08) | 26.0 (1.02) | 80.6 (3.17) | 87.5 (3.44) | 81.1 (3.19) | 535.1 (21.05) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 6.2 | 5.6 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 3.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 6.1 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 50.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 76.2 | 72.3 | 69.5 | 66.9 | 63.1 | 61.9 | 62 | 63.8 | 68.3 | 71.9 | 74.2 | 77.2 | 68.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 177.2 | 191.6 | 238.4 | 266.6 | 323.8 | 351.1 | 375.4 | 343.8 | 271.7 | 228.5 | 181.5 | 162.5 | 3,112.1 |
| Source 1: AEMET OpenData[5] /AEMET[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:NCEI[7] | |||||||||||||
A traditional dish is thearranque made with chopped bread, tomatoes, green peppers, garlic, salt and olive oil. The local wine, known astintilla, is made with dark, ripe grapes. It can be found in the numerousbodegas spread over the old town, one of them beingEl Gato which produces its own wine.
Spanish, Andalucian, Cádiz, and Rota gastronomic delights are many and varied. Most Spanish people enjoy dishes such ascaracoles (snails),menudo (tripe soup),chicharrón (deep fried pork rinds), a variety of wines, and of coursegazpacho (cold tomato soup taken as a drink).
The FoundationRuiz Mateos delivers a biannual award called Villa de Rota in the field of theplastic arts, music and literature.[9] This constitutes nowadays an extensive art collection which is being shown in the Museum Ruiz Mateos since opened its doors on 4 February 2005.[10] This museum gathers a total of 102 works composed of oil paintings, watercolors, engravings and sculptures, and includes all first prizes awarded in the course of the national contests “Villa de Rota” as well as individual donations received. Among other artists, Antonio Utrera, Francisco Luque and Dominika Grisgrabed have won the contest.
Traditionally the town has four predominant parties:People's Party,Spanish Socialist Workers' Party,United Left, and the local Roteños Unidos (United Rotanians). While there are occasional independent parties, the only one to successfully enter the Town Council is Roteños Unidos.
Rota has two football (soccer) teams: CD Rota and UD Roteña, and also a basketball team: C.D. Don Bosco 88.
WMO number: 8449
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