Barbate

Barbate is a Spanish municipality in the province of Cádiz (Andalusia). According to the INE, in 2020 it had 22,556 inhabitants. Its surface area is 143.4 km² and it has a density of 159.42 inhabitants/km². It has an average altitude of 10 meters and is located 64 kilometers from the provincial capital, Cádiz. It belongs to the region of La Janda and, in turn, to the sub-region of Janda Litoral.

It is located at the mouth of the Barbate River, on the coast near Cape Trafalgar, in front of which the battle of the same name took place. Traditionally it has been a fishing town, dedicated both to fishing in the Moroccan fishing grounds and tuna fishing through the traditional art of the almadraba.

The natural park of La Breña y Marismas del Barbate and Cape Trafalgar, declared a natural monument, are located in this municipality. It also occupies part of the Acebuchales SCI in the Campiña Sur de Cádiz.

The town became independent from Vejer de la Frontera on March 11, 1938, with its own consistory. From 1950 to 1998 it was officially called Barbate de Franco. On March 7, 1998, it recovered its name, eliminating the term "Franco", by Decree of the Junta de Andalucía.

History

Prehistory

The term of Barbate has been inhabited since the Lower Paleolithic, highlighting the sites of the Laguna de la Janda, where bifaces and cleavers from the Middle Acheulean have been found, antecedents of the producing societies that were formed around the VIII millennium to. C. In the Sierra del Retín there are several caves with southern rock art, such as La Fuente Santa, Las Marianas or Fuente Mariquilla, and certain examples of megalithism such as the dolmens of Caño Arado.

Between the 4th and 1st millennium BC. C. the first peasant societies were developed in the surroundings of the Janda lagoon, highlighting the town of Los Charcones, later emerging other settlements in the Fuente del Viejo, the Cañada de la Breña or the Chorro. The indigenous population probably experienced its upheaval with the arrival of the Phoenicians on the Cadiz coast around the IX century B.C. C..

Ancient Age

The Phoenicians found in the Barbate marshes an important enclave to extract salt for salting fish, as well as to practice the almadraba. The discovery of an Egyptian alabaster amphora in the Barbate river could prove that it was also a point from where they practiced their commercial relations.

The pre-Roman peoples that inhabited the area must have been the Turdetans or the Bástulos, heirs of the Tartessian civilization. The Peñón del Aljibe is located in the Sierra del Retín, an oppidum that could have been its main population center, around which Carthaginian settlements have been found. On the coast there is no evidence of the existence of a similar nucleus until Roman times, from which date the remains associated with the ancient city of Baesippo, cited in the classical texts of Pliny the Elder and Pomponio Mela.

Baesippo was a stipendary city of the Roman Empire, which meant it had freedom to govern itself in exchange for paying an annual tax to Rome. It had an important fishing industry, and was located at the confluence of two Roman roads, the Via Heraclea and the Via Asido. Together with Baelo Claudia and Carteia, it was a prominent export center for garum, a highly coveted fish sauce in Rome.

Baesippo, a few kilometers from the coast of Africa, and having a navigable river, became an easy scene for looting by pirates and corsairs, which led to the progressive depopulation of the city and practically the entire Strait, a condition that was maintained until many centuries later.

Middle Ages

After the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Visigothic era, the disappearance of Baesippo accelerated. Christianity and the rural world were the axes of life for the Visigoths, who focused their attention on rural areas, such as La Oliva and San Ambrosio, where they founded the hermitage of La Oliva and the hermitage of San Ambrosio. Other factors that probably led to the end of the city were the invasion of the Vandals, the invasion of the Byzantines and, finally, the Muslim conquest.

The Arabs, within the heart of Sidonia, created a defensive fortress at the mouth of the Barbate river, which they called Barbat, which was perhaps surrounded by a small village. It was reconquered in the xiii by Alfonso X el Sabio, making it dependent on Vejer.

The border condition with the Arab world, together with the piracy actions, further aggravated the depopulation of the area. The depopulation was such that Alfonso XI, in the middle of the xiv century, to attract population, offered pardon to murderers who served in the defense of Tarifa during a year and a day With this, the almadrabas acquired a bad reputation due to the low class of its people, giving rise to the expression "take the route of Tarifa". The kings also created the Hazas de la Suerte, communal lands whose usufruct it was raffled among the population, as another incentive to protect the border and repopulate the area. the dominion of the almadrabas of the region.

Modern Age

In the 16th century, after the expulsion of the Arabs, attacks by Barbary pirates increased considerably. It was mainly due to the confrontation of the Turkish Empire against the European Christian powers, which also took advantage of the context of the uprooting of expatriate Moors.

To protect the coasts and alert the population, Felipe II, within the plan for coastal watchtowers, ordered his royal commissioner Luis Bravo de Laguna to build watchtowers along the entire Andalusian Atlantic coast. Next to Barbate, the Tajo, Meca and Cabo de Gracia towers (current Camarinal Lighthouse) were built, as well as interior towers to communicate with Vejer, such as the Buenavista de San Ambrosio tower and the Corredera de Vejer tower. The Castle of Santiago, now disappeared, was also built next to the Barbate river, in order to protect its entrance. These measures were successful and made it possible to repopulate the area.

Contemporary Age

Map of the order of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Between the 18th and 19th centuries Barbate was a small village of which there is hardly any record. It is only worth noting the arrival in 1778 of the Maltese immigrant Paulo Mallia, who is said to be the founder of the current Barbate. Likewise, the coasts of Los Caños de Meca were the scene, in 1805, of one of the most tragic battles for the Spanish Armada, the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the English squadron, led by Nelson, defeated the Spanish army, an ally of the French, commanded by Villeneuve.

The great change occurred at the end of the 19th century, with the exploitation of the traps by the Romeu family. The local economy began to experience significant growth and one of the Romeu family, Serafín Romeu Fages, promoted numerous improvements to Barbate and Zahara at the beginning of the xx century., such as the conduction of water and the paving of the streets, as well as various procedures to undertake large works. At the request of the Barbateños, King Alfonso XIII granted him the title of Count of Barbate on March 6, 1922.

Growth skyrocketed during the Second Republic, thanks to the arrival of fish canning companies and the improvement of port infrastructure. The greater dynamism and population of Barbate evidenced the need to become independent from Vejer. These ideas were disseminated by the newspapers "El Heraldo de Barbate", "La Independencia de Barbate" and "El Destello", promoted, among others, by the journalist Miranda de Sardi, the businessman Aniceto Ramírez and the village mayor Tato Anglada. The latter was one of those assassinated during the immediately subsequent Spanish civil war. It was during the conflict, on March 11, 1938, that Barbate became independent, with Agustín Varo Varo being the first mayor.

In full economic and demographic vitality, between the end of the 50s and the beginning of the 60s, important infrastructures were inaugurated, such as the Albufera Port, the Town Hall and the Atlantic Cinema. The latter, currently defunct, was inspired by the Berlin Zoo Palast, and was a unique cinema in Spain. On December 8, 1960, the fishing boat "Joven Alonso" It disappeared with its 39 crew members, being one of the greatest maritime tragedies experienced by the town. In these years the fishing sector began to decline, while the tourism sector began to gain importance. It was precisely when the consumption of fish in Spain began to reach unusual levels and it had to be imported from other countries.

From the 1980s, the expropriation of the Sierra del Retín, including part of the Hazas de la Suerte, in 1982, to convert it into a Military Training Camp, stands out, a situation that continues today. In 1989, the Andalusian Parliament declared the natural park of La Breña y Marismas del Barbate. For its part, at the end of the nineties the fishing treaties with Morocco were broken, which, however, have been subject to partial renewals.

In the 2000s, the filming of the film Atún y chocolate (2004) by Pablo Carbonell, which screened the idiosyncrasies of Barbate nationally, and the fatal sinking of the fishing boat " stand out.;Nuevo Pepita Aurora", which claimed several lives, on September 5, 2007. Lastly, since 2016 the Cabo de Plata festival has been held in the municipality, in which numerous national artists and some international.

In 2019 it premieres anthem and flag.

Geography

Urban Geography

The urban centers of the municipal term are the main nucleus of Barbate, the hamlet of Los Caños de Meca and the autonomous local entity of Zahara de los Atunes, constituted in 2011. The rest of the territory is rural, without prejudice to the scattered in Zahora, San Ambrosio, Ribera de la Oliva, El Soto, Manzanete and El Cañillo.

Locations in the municipality of Barbate (2011)
Name	Rank	Coordinates	Distance to Barbate (in km)	Population
Barbate	Nucleus and capital of the municipality	36°11′24′N 05°55′12′′O / 36.19000, -5.92000	-	19 949
Zahara de los Atunes	Autonomous local entity	36°00′10′′N 05°50′45′′O / 36.00278, -5.84583	12	1250
The Caños de Meca	Pedanía	36°11′09′N 06°00′41′ / 36.18583, -6.01139	10	279
San Ambrosio	Caseros and dissemination	-	11	342
Zahora	Caseros and dissemination	-	11	478
Ribera de la Oliva	Caseros and dissemination	-	0.5	437
The Soto	Caseros and dissemination	-	-	97
Manzanete	Caseros and dissemination	-		34
The Cañillo	Caseros and dissemination	-	1	19
TOTAL MUNICIPAL TRMINE	MUNICIPIO	-	-	22 808

Physical Geography

Acantilado del Tajo y ensenada de Barbate.

Location and relief

The town of Barbate is located at the mouth of the Barbate river, between the La Breña hills and the river marshes. The municipal area is bordered to the north by Vejer de la Frontera, to the east by Tarifa, and to the south and west with the Atlantic Ocean.

In the relief of Barbate, the Sierra del Retín stands out, which occupies the east of the municipality and is over 200 meters high. It is also worth mentioning the hills of La Breña, La Porquera and El Següesal, among others, located between the West and the North, which barely reach 200 meters.

The 25 kilometers of coastline of the municipality correspond mostly to the Barbate cove, which extends to Cape Gracia, now in Tarifa. Along it you can find Cape Trafalgar, the cliffs of La Breña and fine sandy beaches. From West to East, the beaches of the municipality are the following:

• Playa de Mangueta. Virgin beach that is beautiful with the beach of El Palmar de Vejer.
• Zahora beach. It runs alongside Zahora's design. It forms the cove of the oil by reaching Cape Trafalgar.
• Playa de Los Caños de Meca. It is usually divided into the beach of Trafalgar, to designate the part next to the end, beach of Marisucia, for the urban area, and cove of the Cortinas, for the part near the cliffs.
• Playa de la Hierbabuena. Barbate virgin beach, separated from the urban center and framed in the natural park. At its western end are the cliffs and some hard-to-reach coves.
• Playa del Carmen. Urban beach of Barbate, equipped with promenade and various services.
• Playa del Cañillo. Continuation of the beach of Carmen after crossing the river Barbate. It is also known as "Botero Beach".
• Playa de Pajares. Virgin beach at the foot of the mountain range. It is separated from Zahara beach by the River Cachón.
• Zahara beach. Semi-urban beach, which runs through Zahara de los Atunes until reaching the municipality of Tarifa, from which it receives the name of Atlanterra beach.

Northwest: Vejer de la Frontera	North: Vejer de la Frontera	Northeast: Vejer de la Frontera
West: Atlantic Ocean		This: Rate
Southwest Atlantic Ocean	South: Atlantic Ocean	Sureste: Atlantic Ocean

Geology

The lands of the Janda Litoral have origins that go back to the period between the Jurassic and the Quaternary. The Barbate River estuary serves as a dividing line between two types of material, pre-orogenic and post-orogenic:

• The first are located in the southeast, and include materials such as the Jurassic Calizas of the Rock of Gibraltar and several flyschoid formations ranging from the Middle Cretaceous to the lower Miocene (arcillas with quartzites, clays with margous sandstones). The saws of the Retinum and of the Silver originate in the tangential tectonic forces of the Orogenic movements of the last alpine phases, which displaced and stripped thick sandstone banks with few fine materials. In these saws the faults and divers are numerous.
• Postorogenic materials are less diverse than the previous ones, and cover ages dating from the Higher Myocene to the Quaternary. These are biogenic calcarenites, ostionary and conglomerate limestones, seaweeds and basal sands.

Hydrography

Barbate hydrographic map.

The most prominent river in the municipality is the Barbate River, which together with the Guadalete form the two main rivers in the province of Cádiz. In this sense, in terms of water resources management, Barbate is included in the Guadalete-Barbate river basin district. The river forms some marshes that are in an advanced phase of filling, for which reason they present a progressive loss of the incidence of the tides.

The Barbate river has two tributaries in the municipality, which are the Melón and Mondragón streams. Both are born in the hills of La Breña and flow into the right bank of the river. The San Ambrosio stream is also born in La Breña, which flows into Zahora forming a flood plain.

The other streams originate in the Sierra del Retín. The Canchón de Concho stream is born on the western edge of the sierra, and flows out forming a wide plain. Also noteworthy are the streams of Caño Arado, Quintanilla, Garganta del Águila and the Cachón stream, which runs through Zahara de los Atunes.

According to the Prevention Plan for floods and floods in Andalusian urban channels, three areas with risk C are mentioned in Barbate (the third level of four). Two of them are in the scattered Ribera de la Oliva, in the part where it connects with the Mondragón stream and the Barbate river, respectively, and the third is located in Zahara due to the influence of the Cachón stream.

Finally, it is worth noting the presence of the Vejer-Barbate detrital aquifer, from which the municipality's supply partially originates.

Fauna and flora

Pino piñoneroPinus pinea).

The fauna and flora are present within the three main elements that make up the landscape of Barbate, which are the pine forest, the cliff and the marsh:

• Pain. Among the fauna of the pinear, among the birds are the common mirlo, the hurdle, the charcoal, the raven, the jilgero, the common herrerillo and the common clot. Among the reptiles are the snake, the bastard snake, the oceled lizard, the tridactyl rash, the salamanquesa, the body of water, the snake of horseshoe and the chameleon. The presence of the amphibians is restricted to the wet areas, and the sapo, the jasper triton, the green frog and the sparrow sap may be cited. Regarding the flora, the existing pine comes mostly from a repopulation of the beginning of the centuryxx of pine. Other xerophile species are lentisco, rosemary, retama, bufalaga, sabina and gayomba. Among the mesophile species are the carrasco pine, the juniper, the coscoja, the common acederator, the madroño, the coronilla and the muraje.
• Acantilate. Of this element stands out its avifauna, among which you can observe the common gazette and the raven, which exert predators on the layings and calves of the bullock. There are also the common harvest, the Brazilian dove and the only populations of ibis eremita of the whole European Union. From the flora stand out the juniper, the savannah, the gatuña and the white jaguarzo.
• Marisma. Regarding this element, among its marine fauna are gold, robbing, tongue, eel and smooth. The mollusc banks of commercial interest (soak, ostion, mussel and verdant) are conditioned by the quality of the water and the type of substrate. Except the coquina, the rest of the molluscs limit their area of dispersal to the salinity zone of marine influence. Langostino is part of its cycle in the Barbate river, penetrating the larva and raising in the richest areas of salt water, in winter to leave the river going out to the sea. There are also species of shrimp and crabs. With respect to avifauna, on the grasslands of high areas of washed soils are sneezing, oxen clays and trigueros. In winter abounds and, in lesser number, golden chorlitos. In the saline plains breed the marshland and the common. Propios of these areas are also the canastera and the clot. In the vicinity of the water we find white lavenders and buoys, and the vulture is frequent. Regarding the flora, the sojo, the sweet den and the small curls of existing grass, with little coverage, stand out. Hordeum marinum, Triglochin barrelieri and Spergularia spThey denote a high salinity of the ground.

Climate

The climate of Barbate and the rest of the Janda Litoral corresponds to the Mediterranean, with a low thermal amplitude and mild temperatures throughout the year. Summer is free of extreme temperatures, as the hottest month (August) has an average temperature of around 23°C. During the winter months there are minimum daily temperatures above 8 °C, which means that there are no frosts.

Average temperature parameters of Barbate, Spain
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	15.3	16.2	17.8	19.5	21.9	24.8	27.1	27.4	26	22.6	18.8	16.1	21.13
Temp. medium (°C)	8.2	8.8	10.7	12.2	14.2	17.1	19.2	19.8	18.2	15.1	11.3	9.1	13.68
Total precipitation (mm)	100	103	109	61	33	11	0.0	3	19	74	116	134	763
Source: Climate-Data.org, climate data for cities worldwide. 30 August 2013

Regarding rainfall, the influence of the Azores anticyclone in the summer months gives rise to a dry season, with 0 mm in July and 3 mm in August. Total rainfall is intermediate, about 763 mm, due to the marked Atlantic influence. The rains are concentrated mainly in the winter months, with December being the rainiest month with about 134 mm.

Demographics

Demographic developments

The municipality of Barbate has experienced great growth throughout the xx century, multiplying its population by twenty between the years 1900 (1024 inhabitants) and 1970 (20,297 inhabitants). The period of greatest growth corresponds to the years after the independence of Vejer (1938). Since the 1990s, except for some ups and downs, the population figures for Barbate have remained practically constant, with 22,808 inhabitants as of January 1, 2015.

Graphic of demographic evolution of Barbate between 1900 and 2005

Source: National Statistical Institute.

Population pyramid

The difference between the male and female population in Barbate follows the general trend, with more male births and a higher life expectancy for females. The imbalance between both sexes is not excessively pronounced, and starts from 65 years, much later than in other Spanish municipalities (approximately 40 years). Another singular difference of this pyramid is the superiority that men present over women up to 59 years of age (41.99% compared to 39.38%).

The population pyramid of Barbate shows one more example of a modern demographic regime, in which a shrinking of the base can be observed, a bulge in the central part and a slight widening at the top, which denotes an aging of the population. However, this example of a modern regime is not very pronounced, since, unlike what happens in many places in Spain, the population over 60 years of age (18.12%) is still less than the population of less than 20 years (22.77%). The 30-50 year old bracket is the one that concentrates a higher percentage of the population (32.39%).

Foreign population and migratory movements

Of 22,885 people registered in the census in 2011, 745 were foreigners, representing 3.26% of the population. Most of the immigrants come from Europe (55.84%, Germany standing out with 138 people), although we must highlight the population from Morocco (161 people), which is the country that contributes the most (21.61% of foreigners and 0.7% of the total population).

In 2011, internal emigration was estimated at 503 people and internal immigration at 395. There were 29 emigrations abroad, of which 7 were Spaniards and 22 foreigners. Lastly, 52 immigrations from abroad took place, of which 10 are from Spaniards and 42 from foreigners. These data follow the trend started the previous year, giving rise to a negative migratory balance in both.

Economy

Tuna fishing in Barbate.

Primary sector

The traditional economic activity of Barbate, fishing, has lost importance due to the restriction of Moroccan fishing grounds. Purse seine fishing, known as "traíña", and the almadraba, the which is a seasonal activity and that generates auxiliary activity. It takes place during the migratory passage of the bluefin tuna towards the Mediterranean and during its return to the Atlantic after spawning.

Secondary sector

Within secondary activities, Barbate has traditionally been dedicated to the canning and salting industry. A significant achievement in the sector was the construction in 2008 of the "El Olivar" industrial estate, which attracted to the main local companies dedicated to the fishing sector and the auxiliary industry. Apart from traditional industrial activities, a company dedicated to the production of luminaires based on technology led.

Tertiary sector

It is the most important area of activity in the municipality, since it employs 66% of the employed population (data from 2007). Barbate lives mainly from tourism, with Zahara de los Atunes and Los Caños de Meca standing out as important tourist centers. It has 703 places in hotels and 729 places in hostels and pensions, throughout 43 hotel establishments.

Evolution of outstanding municipal debt

The concept of outstanding debt includes only debts with savings banks and banks related to financial credits, fixed-income securities and loans or credits transferred to third parties, excluding, therefore, commercial debt.

Graphic of evolution of the living debt of the City of Barbate between 2008 and 2021

Living debt of the City of Barbate, in thousands of euros, according to data from the Ministry of Finance and Public Service.

Administration

Local Government

The Barbate City Council is a common system, so, according to its population, it is made up of 21 councilors, elected by universal, free, direct and secret suffrage every four years. It is currently chaired by the mayor Miguel Molina, from the Andalusian Party.

The autonomous local entity of Zahara de los Atunes has autonomy in certain powers, and is organized in a Neighborhood Board made up of 5 members.

Inter-municipal administration

Barbate belongs to the Commonwealth of Municipalities of La Janda, established in 1995, which brings together all the municipalities of the region as well as San José del Valle (of the Campiña de Jerez).

Autonomic administration

The Administration of the Junta de Andalucía has a presence in Barbate through the Public Agency for Ports of Andalusia, which manages the Port of La Albufera, and the Andalusian Employment Service.

National administration

Dependent on the General State Administration, Barbate has a Maritime District, a local Office of the Marine Social Institute, a Property Registry office and two Courts of First Instance and Instruction, headed by judicial district no. 14 of the province of Cádiz, which also includes Vejer.

Infrastructures

Urban planning and architecture

Despite the existence of urban centers such as Baesippo or Barbat, the current configuration of Barbate dates from the mid-xix century. This has two main consequences in its urban planning: the absence of irregular layout in the streets and the recent historical dating of the town's infrastructures.

The oldest houses in the town are found in the old town, with pedestrian streets and a less regular layout than the rest of the town. In Nuestra Señora de la Oliva street, there are a series of fishermen's houses, dating from the beginning of the xx century approximately, which are built using masonry and they have a gabled roof with curved tiles on a framework of wooden beams. It was from the segregation of Barbate in 1938 when, accompanied by the demographic and economic increase, the urban expansion of Barbate took place, in which they were elementary figures Agustín Varo and Serafín Romeu as promoters and Casto Fernández-Shaw Iturralde from Madrid as architect.

Between the 1940s and 1950s, Casto Fernández-Shaw planned the construction of the town hall, which is still used as such, and the fish market and slaughterhouse, which have been converted into multipurpose spaces. For the town hall, the architect was inspired by the neoclassical style, with the idea of making the City Hall a monumental and solemn building. On the other hand, what is now the Lonja Vieja de Barbate was one of the most characteristic works from Madrid. It is a sample of architectural rationalism, in which the functionality of the building prevails over its image. Despite this, the building clearly evokes the figure of a ship stranded on the banks of the river, thanks to a tower as a figurehead and some openings similar to portholes. For its part, for the slaughterhouse, now converted In the cultural center, Casto Fernández-Shaw opted for traditional Andalusian architecture, which has elements such as the organization around a patio (like a closed farmhouse), the gabled tile roofs and the whitewashing of the walls.

Monuments

As has been said previously, the Barbate that is known today is recently founded, so its urban center does not have very old architectural vestiges, not being the case in the rest of the municipal area, where we can find some unique constructions.

Within the civil architecture, in the vicinity of the natural park of La Breña and Marismas del Barbate are the watchtowers of El Tajo and Meca, the first built in the century xvi and the second in the xix. Close to the natural park is Cape Trafalgar, on which the lighthouse of the same name and the Trafalgar Tower, which dates from the same date as the Tagus Tower and fulfilled the same defensive functions. Unrelated to architecture, Cape Trafalgar is protected with the formula of natural monument under the name of Trafalgar tombolo.

Regarding religious architecture, the hermitage of the same name is located in the population entity of San Ambrosio, of Visigothic and paleo-Christian origin, declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. Returning to civil architecture, San Ambrosio is also located a unique hacienda from the 18th century, popularly known as "El Palomar de La Breña". Currently inactive and converted into a rural hotel, it is the largest dovecote in the world, registered in the Guinness Book of Records.

In the autonomous local entity of Zahara, an example of civil architecture stands out, the Castle of Zahara de los Atunes, which dates from the 15th century and was dedicated to articulating and completing the processing of tuna. Lastly, as important archaeological remains, in the Sierra del Retín there are numerous shelters with cave paintings, among which the ones of La Fuente Santa and Morjana stand out.

• 

  Chapel of Saint Ambrose.

• 

  Hacienda de La Becausera, better known as "El Palomar de La Breña".

• 

  Zahara de los Atunes Castle.

Industrial facilities

Poniente de la Puerto de la Albufera.

The main facility of these characteristics is the Albufera Port, inaugurated in 1961 to replace the old port located at the mouth of the river. The port of Barbate, managed by the Public Agency for Ports of Andalusia, includes a marina, a fishing port and a commercial port. It offers services such as a weather station, fire-fighting service, garbage and used oil collection, shipowners' room, showers and changing rooms, parking, dinghy sailing ramp, gantry lift, dry dock, clean point and electricity outlet.

In addition to the port, the other industrial center of the municipality is the "El Olivar" industrial estate, located on the A-314 road towards Vejer. It is a publicly promoted industrial estate, which occupies an area of about 261,463 m² and is not yet completely urbanized.

Public endowments

Cultural centres

• Old Lonja. Old fish lonja located in the old river port, reverted into a multi-acting lounge.
• House of Culture. Old Abbot Market, which hosts exhibition rooms and talks.
• Youth House. It hosts several youth associations that organize various play activities.
• Centro cultural el Matadero. Former Barbate slaughterhouse, which hosts the municipal library and the headquarters of the municipal radio.
• Multipurpose room. Multi-acting room available to citizens.

Abbot Market

The food market of Barbate is called 'Mercado de Abastos Andalucía', although it is popularly known as "Plaza de Abastos". It is located in the center of Barbate, and has numerous stalls open from Monday to Saturday. It also houses the Municipal Consumer Information Office (OMIC).

Pensioner ' s home

The municipal pensioner's home is a day center for the elderly that is located in the center of Barbate. In it is the soup kitchen of Barbate.

Sports facilities

• Municipal sports. It has football, basketball, paddle, tennis and covered pavilion. It also houses the Municipal Sports Stadium, seat of the CF Barbecue.
• Municipal pool. Located next to the municipal sports center.
• San Paulino sports clubs. In the Pinar bar.

Public services

Basic services

• Drinking water and sanitation. The municipality perceives the water of the coastal aquifer of Barbate, as well as the Water Consortium of the Gaditana Zone, which supplies water from the reservoirs of Los Hurones and Guadalcacín. The water is stored in a deposit of 3200 m3, from which the supply to Zahara, which has no direct connection with the Consortium, unlike Meca-Zahora Caves, which do have connection to the Consortium through a deposit of 9,750 m3. For its part, the management of the municipal water service, which includes sanitation, is entrusted to Aqualia by concession since 2012.

• Waste collection. This service is carried out by the workers of the corresponding municipal delegation, except the collection of cardboard, plastic and glass, which is entrusted to the company GSA.

• Energy. Barbate receives electricity from the substation to 66 Kv of Saint Lucia (Vejer), by means of medium voltage air network to 20 Kv, which reaches to Zahara de los Atunes. Of this substation also part of the stretch for San Ambrosio and Caños de Meca-Zahora.

Security Forces and Corps

The Security Forces and Corps that have a presence in Barbate are the Civil Guard and the local Police force.

• The Guardia Civil has in the municipality a main post in Barbate, which is house-house, and an auxiliary post in Zahara.
• The local police, dependent on the town council, has its headquarters in a police station, located on the avenue of the Sea.

Education and health

Barbate has ten public educational centers dependent on the Education Council of the Junta de Andalucía, six of which are Infant and Primary Education schools (CEIP Giner de los Ríos, CEIP Estrella del Mar, CEIP Bahía de Barbate, CEIP Maestra Aúrea López, CEIP Juan XXIII and CEIP Baesippo), three are Compulsory Secondary Education institutes (IES Torre del Tajo, IES Vicente Aleixandre and IES Trafalgar) and one is an adult education center (Guadibeca). The IES Trafalgar is the only one that offers Baccalaureate, in addition to several intermediate and higher level training cycles. Zahara, San Ambrosio and Zahora have their own rural schools, where up to 2nd year of ESO is taught, and later their students continue their studies at IES Trafalgar. The closest university is the University of Cádiz, specifically the Puerto Real Campus.

Regarding public health coverage, both Barbate and Zahara have primary care centers of the Andalusian Health Service, belonging to the Bahía de Cádiz-La Janda health district, and have the University Hospital of Puerto Real as a reference hospital.

Public transport and communications

By road

Entrance to Barbate on the A-314 road.

Barbate has three road accesses:

• CA-2223from Zahara de los Atunes.
• A-314from Vejer de la Frontera, where it links with the A-48.
• A-2233from the Mecca Falls.

At the main entrance to Barbate there is a bus station run by the company Transportes Generales Comes, concessionaire of the Junta de Andalucía. Intercity buses depart from Barbate to:

Other

The nearest train station is San Fernando-Bahía Sur, and the nearest airport is Jerez airport.

Culture and leisure

Gastronomy

Tuna hovering, typical beard food.

The gastronomy of Barbate is part of the gastronomy of the province of Cádiz, focused on seafood, especially almadraba tuna. Among the different dishes offered, the following can be highlighted:

• Mojama. Product obtained from the loin of the tuna, which is subjected to a process of cured by seasoning and drying in the air. Barbate, together with Isla Cristina (Huelva), concentrates most of the Andalusian production of mojama, and since 2015 it has Geographical Indication Protected (IGP).
• Ijada. It is the meat of the tuna belly, the most juicy, which is salted in brine and later cured.
• Tuna hovering. It is done with the tuna part known as "mormo". It is the most outstanding dish in the area.
• Fideos with mackerel.
• Bowl in adobo.
• Tuna in tomatoes.
• Fried brunette.

Parties

Our Lady of Carmen, Patron of Barbate.

• Carnival. It takes place in February or March, a week after that of Cadiz capital. In the weekend, a cottage is installed in the vicinity of the river and, in the next few days, the barbarian groups and often those of other localities act in different places, especially in the square of the Six Faucets. Next week, the so-called 'Carnival de los Jartibles' is celebrated, with groupings in different bars and rocks.

• Holy Week. In the Holy Week of Barbate, the sisterhoods leave in procession on Palm Sunday, every night from Monday to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday.

• Romería de Fátima. On May 13, the barbarians travel in Rome in honor of the Virgin of Fatima to the "Jarillo" in the natural park. This celebration culminates in a popular verb.

• Tuna Gastronomic Week. It has been held since 2008 in May. It is a gastronomic fair in which, as its name indicates, tuna is the main element. In the first five editions it was located in the fairground, but since 2013 it is located in "La Chanca", next to the mouth of the river. During these days you will install holiday houses, some attractions and stands from local companies where you can taste the different dishes of the fair. Finally, in 2019 after several complaints of noise, the Junta de Andalucía banned activities that could produce noise in that place. That is why this year he returned to the fairgrounds taking advantage of the Supersol in front of the newly closed port so that in the parking lot the houses and in the building the place of the main acts.

• Verbena de San Juan. The Aldermans, in their relations with the Barbate, were the ones who brought this party to the town. On the night of June 23, in the vicinity of "La Chanca", the "juanillos", imitations of man and woman, take the figure of the most outstanding characters of the year, to celebrate the arrival of the summer. It is customary among the beards to go down to the beach and refresh yourself at sea after seeing the burning.

• Feria del Carmen. It is held for a week around the weekend closer to 16 July, local holiday, in honor of the patron, Our Lady of Carmen. The houses and attractions are installed in La Chanca (until 2018, then at the fairgrounds), and only open at night. The most important feast takes place on 16 July, which begins with a procession of the patron saint's praises to the fishing lonja, where the Eucharist and the function of the brotherhood are celebrated, and which is followed in the afternoon by a maritime procession, ending with the procession back.

Popular tradition

• Oral tradition of Pablo Malia the Maltese. The Maltese immigrant Paulo Mallia is considered by many as the "founder" of Barbate. He was the one who brought to the municipality the name Malia, the endemic name of Barbate, which points out some local historians correspond with an important lineage that goes back to the minoid civilization. Likewise, the same studies postulate that the name Varo, another of the most repeated in the town, is believed to originate from some Roman patricians that arrived to Baesippo.
• Legend of the Ardero. "The Ardero" is as it is known in Barbate to a figure of Jesus Nazarene which is found in the church of St Pauline, whose name has its origin in a historical event. Between March and June of 1927, the Government prohibited the fishing of sardine, whose fishing system was called in Barbate "arda". This had a huge negative impact on Barbate, as sardine fishing was of great importance in the local economy. In the face of this situation, the barbarian fishermen organized a demonstration on Palm Sunday day and, taking advantage of the fact that there was an act of blessing on that day, they came to the Nazarene Christ to beg him to stop the restrictive measure. According to popular tradition, this figure of Jesus Nazarene offered protection to Barbate and succeeded in ending the conflict. In fact, on the same day of Palm Sunday the central government reported the end of the restriction.
• Origin of the term "cachondeo". It is said that the river Cachón, the stream that runs through Zahara de los Atunes, is the one that gives the name to the word "castle". They say that Miguel de Cervantes, during a stay in Zahara, was amazed to see how the river was a fountain of jolgorio for the Zahareños, because when they left work they all went to him to have fun. According to this story, of that impression the writer linked the well-known expression.

Speaks Barbatenian

The speech of Barbate and its surroundings is characterized by two types of aspects. In the first place, phonetic aspects, such as the lisp and the omission of the final /s/, /r/, /l/ and /z/, like many other municipalities in Western Andalusia. On the other hand, regarding the lexical aspects, several issues stand out:

• Strong presence of the fishermen's jargon: "jarampa" (percentage gained by the sale of a fish box), "ronqueo"...
• Usual use of words that in many areas of Spain are in disuse: "jocifar" (aljofifar, passing the fregone), "andancia" (andancio, epidemic disease), "orozú" (orozuz, herbaceous plant), carpalcio (carpeta, archivador)...
• Great variety of words related to local toponymy and history: "Zapal" (barrio de chabolas), "Ardero", "Chinar" (barriada de Barbate, the meaning is unknown), "Tarayuela" (atalayuela, small watchtower), "Huerto Purito" (cementerio)...
• Creation of own Gentiles: "vejeruco" (Vejer), "conilato" (Conil), "meinato" (Medina-Sidonia)...
• Flame adverbial locutions: "there ribota" (up there), "trejantié" (day before yesterday), "enviant" (about a short time ago)...
• Composite words: "dehuye" (mordihuí, small insect), "cochelahora" (line bus), "calmosca" (fly hunting)...

Sports

Featured Characters

Twin cities

• Larache (Morocco).

References and bibliography