Tarifa

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Tarifa
View of the Puerta de Jerez, the traditional entrance to the old city centre.
Flag Coat of Arms
Location
Location of Tarifa
Coordinates : 36º28' N -6º12' W Time zone : CEST
General information
Native name	Tarifa (Spanish)
Spanish name	Tarifa
Demonym	tarifeño/a
Postal code	11380
Website	to [1]
Administration
Country	Spain
Autonomous Community	Andalusia
Province	Cádiz
Comarca	Campo de Gibraltar
Neighborhoods	Tarifa, Bolonia, Casas de Porro, El Cuartón, Facinas, Tahivilla, La Zarzuela
Mayor	Miguel Manella Guerrero (PSOE)
Geography
Land Area	419 km²
Altitude	7 m AMSL
Population
Population	17,199 (2005)
Density	41.05 hab./km² (2005)

Tarifa is a small town on the southernmost coast of Spain. It is part of the province of Cádiz, which, in turn, is part of the Andalusia region. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz ("coast of light") and across the Straits of Gibraltar from Morocco, from which the lights of Tarifa are visible at night. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe. There are five smaller villages who depend economically on Tarifa. They are Tahivilla, Facinas, Bolonia and Zahara de los Atunes.

There are regular ferries between Tarifa and Tangier and bus services between Tarifa and Algeciras, about 20 km to the northeast, and Seville about 200km to the north. There is frequent illegal immigration of Africans to the coast near Tarifa.

Tarifa is well known for its buzzing social scene during the days of summer. It provides a small-town friendly atmosphere, with many activities for children, while also offering exciting activities for adults at night. In recent years it has become a popular spot for northern-Europeans to spend their summers.

Near the port of Tarifa there is a well-preserved castle, the Castillo de Guzman. The coast of Tarifa is also popular with windsurfers and kitesurfers due to the strong winds of the straits. For this reason Tarifa is also dotted with hundreds of wind turbines. Tarifa is an excellent place to watch migrating birds, in particular the storks which cross the Straits of Gibraltar in spring and autumn. Also whale and dolphin watching can be done on the 14 kilometer wide Straits. Like the name Costa de la Luz suggests, Tarifa enjoys many hours of sunlight each year.

Tarifa is sometimes credited with being the origin of the word, tariff, since it was the first port in history to charge merchants for the use of its docks, but other sources^[1] point to the Arabic word, ta'rïf, as the origin. The name "Tarifa" itself is derived from the name of the Berber warrior, Tarif ibn Malik.

Image gallery

A statue of Sancho IV, king of Castile and León from 1284 to 1295, in front of the Castillo de Guzmán.

Tarifa as seen from the Spot Satellite.

Demographics

Source: INE (Spain)

Climate

Weather averages for Tarifa
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	15 (59)	15 (59)	15 (59)	16 (61)	18 (64)	20 (68)	22 (72)	23 (73)	22 (72)	19 (66)	17 (63)	16 (61)	18 (64)
Daily Mean °C (°F)	13 (55)	13 (55)	14 (57)	15 (59)	17 (63)	19 (66)	21 (70)	22 (72)	21 (70)	18 (64)	16 (61)	15 (59)	17 (63)
Average low °C (°F)	12 (54)	12 (54)	13 (55)	14 (57)	16 (61)	18 (64)	20 (68)	21 (70)	20 (68)	17 (63)	15 (59)	13 (55)	16 (61)
Precipitation cm (inches)	4.56 (1.8)	4.02 (1.6)	5.27 (2.1)	3.17 (1.2)	1.63 (0.6)	0.55 (0.2)	0.67 (0.3)	0.43 (0.2)	1.20 (0.5)	5.35 (2.1)	5.61 (2.2)	7.37 (2.9)	39.83 (15.7)
Avg. precipitation days	10	10	7	8	4	3	1	1	2	7	9	11	73
Source: Weatherbase[2], MSN Weather[3] (for precipitation cm data)

References

1. ^ Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, New York, 1997, ISBN 0-550-14230-4
2. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Tarifa". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=85480&refer=&units=metric. 
3. ^ "Weatherbase: Monthly Averages for Tarifa". http://weather.msn.com/local.aspx?wealocations=wc:SPXX0237&q=Tarifa%2c+ESP. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tarifa

• Ayuntamiento de Tarifa
• 360º Panoramic tour through Tarifa
• Tarifa.com - news about Tarifa
• Visitas Tarifa
• Surfing with Tarifa wind
• Tarifa photo gallery
• Estrecho Natural Park (Spanish)
• Lances Beach Natural Paraje (Spanish)

Coordinates: 36°01′N 5°36′W / 36.017°N 5.6°W / 36.017; -5.6