Guardamar del Segura
Guardamar del Segura (Valencian pronunciation: [ˌɡwaɾðaˈmaɾ ðel seˈɣuɾa]) or briefly Guardamar is a municipality of the province of Alicante located at the mouth of the river Segura in southern Valencia (autonomous community), Spain. It is a Mediterranean resort, with a large pine forest abutting an 11-km-long white sand beach.
Guardamar del Segura | |
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Municipality | |
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Flag Coat of arms | |
Guardamar del Segura Location in Spain Guardamar del Segura Guardamar del Segura (Valencian Community) Guardamar del Segura Guardamar del Segura (Spain) | |
| Coordinates: 38°5′23″N 0°39′18″W | |
| Country | Spain |
| Autonomous community | Valencian Community |
| Province | Alicante |
| Comarca | El Baix Segura / La Vega Baja |
| Judicial district | Torrevieja |
| Founded | 10th century |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Carmen Verdú (2011) (PP) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 35.58 km2 (13.74 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Population (2018) | |
| • Total | 15,058 |
| • Density | 420/km2 (1,100/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Guardamarenco (m) guardamarenca (f) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 03140 and 03149 |
| Dialing code | 965 and 966 |
| Official language(s) | Spanish and Valencian |
Historically an area of fishermen and farmers, Guardamar del Segura is the southernmost point where Valencian is spoken. A Phoenician colony, called Herna by Roman geographer Avienius in his book Ora Maritima was the first settlement near the mouth of Segura river, In Spanish, "guardar" means "safekeeping" and "mar" means "sea", and this is another possible basis for its current name.
Guardamar is the southernmost Catalan-speaking town and in 1991 41.8% of the town's residents could speak it. Guardamar hosts local festivals like Moros i Cristians, L'Encantà, and Fogueres de Sant Joan, which commemorate its history.