Tabernas Desert
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2013) |
| Tabernas Desert | |
|---|---|
 A view of the desert | |
| Area | 280 km2 (110 sq mi) |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Desierto de Tabernas (Spanish) |
| Geography | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Andalusia |
| Province | Almería |
| Population center | Tabernas |
| Coordinates | 37°00′N 2°27′W / 37°N 2.45°W |
The Tabernas Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Tabernas) is a desert in Spain and Europe, located within Spain's south-eastern province of Almería. It is in the interior, about 30 kilometers (19 mi) north of the provincial capital Almería, in the Tabernas municipality in Andalusia.[1]
Due to its high elevation and mountainous location, it has slightly higher annual precipitation (more than 220 mm (8.7 in) per year), and lower annual average temperature (temperatures below 17.9 °C (64.2 °F)) than coastal areas of Almeria. It is a nature reserve (protected area) that spans 280 square kilometers (110 square miles).
Climate
The Tabernas Desert is defined mainly by a
In the lowest elevations of the Tabernas basin (about 400 m (1,310 ft) above sea level), the average annual temperature is close to 18.0 °C (64.4 °F).[2] Due to its relative proximity to the coast and its relatively high altitude, temperatures in winter vary between 0–12 °C (32–54 °F) in the higher altitudes to 6–15 °C (43–59 °F) in the lower altitudes while temperatures in the summer vary from 16–29 °C (61–84 °F) in the higher altitudes to 20–31 °C (68–88 °F) in the lower altitudes.[3] The annual average precipitation is 15–22 cm (5.9–8.7 in) (depending on the zone[3]: 1 & 4/30 ) with only one-third falling in the hot season (May to October). The average annual sunshine is about 2900 hours.[citation needed]
Thus the climate, from 400–800 meters (1,310–2,620 ft), is an
At the highest elevations, 800–1,000 meters (2,620–3,280 ft), the precipitation increases, thus reducing sunshine during the summer, while the temperature drops during the winter. At these elevations, the Tabernas basin climate is not arid any more but Mediterranean, or at the highest points, even continental temperate, experiencing several frozen winter months.
Geology and biology
The little rainfall that occurs is usually torrential, so that the ground, consisting of
Flora and fauna
The desert is well endowed with vegetation for a desert. Plants such as the sea lavender (
Reptiles and amphibians
The reptilian population of the desert includes
inhabit the moist areas of the desert.-
A ladder snake -
Ocellated lizard
Birds
-
A jackdaw -
Bonelli's eagle
_d1.jpg)
Mammals
The desert does not have a great number of mammalian species, with the total number approximately 20. The Algerian hedgehog, besides significant rabbit, hare and dormouse species, is one of the most important mammals inhabiting the area.
-
The Algerian, or North African, hedgehog (Atelerix algirus)
Cinema
Because of its similarities to deserts in the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, northern Africa, and Arabia, Tabernas has been a popular area to shoot many films since the 1950s. The Spaghetti Westerns were shot at the three main studios, Texas Hollywood, Mini Hollywood, and Western Leone.[6][7][8]
The
Nowadays, many video clips and television commercials are shot, although from time to time it is still the setting for a film or television series, taking advantage of the photogenic landscape of the Almeria desert and thanks to the western settlements that are still standing. From the late 1950s to the present day, more than 300 films have been shot in this desert, most of them westerns.
In 2002, it shot the comedy western film 800 Bullets, directed by Álex de la Iglesia and starring Sancho Gracia. It was also filmed an episode of the seventh season of the well-known British science fiction series Doctor Who, entitled A Town Called Mercy, broadcast on BBC One on September 15, 2012, as well as several episodes of the third season of Penny Dreadful in 2015. In 2016, the desert was used as a set for the music video of Shout Out to My Ex by the British girl group Little Mix included in their fourth album. The same year scenes were also filmed for the sixth season of Game of Thrones, depicting Dothraki territory. In 2017, the exteriors of the Black Museum episode of the fourth season of the Black Mirror series were filmed.[11]
See also
References
- ^ a b Williams, Jo. "DESIERTO DE TABERNAS NATURAL AREA". Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ Y.Cantón, A. Solé-Benet, R. Lázaro. "Soil–geomorphology relations in gypsiferous materials of the Tabernas Desert (Almería, SE Spain), page 4/30)" (PDF). Elsevier. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ AEMET. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
- ^ Georges Viers (1990), Éléments de climatologie, Paris, Nathan
- ^ "Almería Medio Ambiente". www.almediam.org. Archived from the original on 2007-05-10.
- ^ Top Movie locations http://www.unique-almeria.com/movie-filming-locations.html Retrieved 19 November 2012
- ISBN 9780137526758.
- ^ Simmons, Bob & Passingham, Kenneth. Nobody Does It Better: My 25 Years of Stunts With James Bond and Other Stories, 1987, Blandford
- Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- Prisa. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "Almería se luce en el último capítulo de 'Black Mirror'". LA VOZ DE ALMERIA. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
External links
