Barbate is a Spanish municipality in the Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is a coastal town located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, close to the Strait of Gibraltar. Covering a total area of 142.17 km2, it has, as of 2019, a registered population of 22,518.

Geography

Barbate is at the mouth of the River Barbate, 11 km along the coast east of Cape Trafalgar and within the La Breña y Marismas del Barbate Natural Park. The "Tómbolo de Trafalgar", a local point of interest, comprises a sandy isthmus joining Cape Trafalgar to the mainland. It is ascribed to the comarca of La Janda.

History

Barbate has been traditionally identified as the Roman oppidum of Baessipo although there are also recent tentative suggestions about a location of the aforementioned settlement in nearby Vejer de la Frontera. From the 1930s the town was known as Barbate de Franco because General Francisco Franco spent leisure time there. It ceased to be called this in 1998 after a decree was passed by the Junta de Andalucia. Barbate has a long history of fishing stretching back to Roman times when fish salting was at its peak. The town has a central square, "Plaza de la Inmaculada", flanked by the Town Hall and the Church of St. Paul. Barbate is popular with Spanish tourists in the summer, but attracts few foreign visitors.

Fiestas

Barbate celebrates several fiestas during the year:

Nearby villages

Beaches

This part of the coast has a number of beaches, among them:

Demographics

Economy

The main industries of the economy are fishing, rural tourism and beaches.

Gallery