Lloret de Mar

Lloret de Mar (Catalan: [ʎuˈɾɛd də ˈmar], Spanish: [ʎoˈɾe(ð) ðe ˈmar]) is a Mediterranean coastal town in Catalonia, Spain. One of the most popular holiday resorts on the Costa Brava, it is 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Girona and 75 kilometres (47 miles) from Barcelona. With a population of 39,363 in 2009, it is the second largest town in the Selva comarca of Catalonia.

Lloret de Mar attracts summer visitors on package tours. Its main beach (length: 1,630 m; width: 45 m; small, gravel-like stones) is one of the most popular Costa Brava beaches and is consistently awarded the Blue Flag for cleanliness.

Geography

The town of Lloret de Mar covers 48.9 km (30.4 miles) has 9 km (6 mi) of coastline and 27 km (17 mi) of forest. It borders Vidreres and Maçanet de la Selva to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, Tossa de Mar to the north, and Blanes to the south.

Climate

Lloret de Mar has a coastal Mediterranean climate, with temperatures always much softer due to thermal effect moderator of the sea. Nevertheless, it should be taken into account that the Mediterranean is a warm sea all year round, which means that the characteristic moderation of temperatures is more noticeable in winter than in summer. The summer dry period normally lasts three months and the maximum rainfall occurs in the autumn months.

Costa Brava

The Costa Brava (Catalan: [ˈkɔstə ˈβɾaβə], Spanish: [ˈkosta ˈβɾaβa]; "Wild" or "Rough Coast") is a coastal region of northeastern Spain, consisting of Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà and Selva, in the province of Girona. The Costa Brava stretches from Blanes, 60 km (37 mi) northeast of Barcelona, to the French border. In the 1950s, the Costa Brava was identified by the Spanish government and local entrepreneurs as being suitable for substantial development as a holiday destination, mainly for package holiday tourists from Northern Europe and especially the United Kingdom and France. The combination of a very good summer climate, nature, excellent beaches and a favourable foreign exchange rate, which made Spain a relatively inexpensive tourist destination, was exploited by the construction of large numbers of hotels and apartments in such seaside resorts as Blanes, Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar. Tourism rapidly took over from fishing as the principal business of the area.

Etymology

The coast was named Costa Brava by Ferran Agulló (in Catalan, Ferran Agulló i Vidal) in an article published in the Catalan newspaper La Veu de Catalunya in September 1908. Agulló, a journalist born in Girona, referred to the rugged landscape of the Mediterranean coast which runs from the River Tordera, near Blanes, to Banyuls with the name Costa Brava.Costa is the Catalan and Spanish word for 'coast', while Brava means 'rugged' or 'wild'. This term was officially recognized and promoted in the 1960s as it was deemed suitable to promote tourism in the region. Before Costa Brava became the official name, other names were suggested, such as Costa Grega (Greek Coast), Costa del Corall (Coral Coast), Costa Serena (Serene Coast), Costes de Llevant (Levant Coasts) or Marina de l'Empordà (Empordà Marine).