![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Cartagena%252C_Mar_Menor%252C_i_Cap_de_Pals_%2528foto_sat%25C3%25A8l%25C2%25B7lit%2529.jpg/640px-Cartagena%252C_Mar_Menor%252C_i_Cap_de_Pals_%2528foto_sat%25C3%25A8l%25C2%25B7lit%2529.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Mar Menor
Coastal saltwater lagoon in Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mar Menor (Spanish pronunciation: [ˌmaɾ meˈnoɾ], "minor/smaller sea") is a coastal saltwater lagoon in the Iberian Peninsula located south-east of the Autonomous Community of Murcia, Spain, near Cartagena. Its name is the opposite of the Mediterranean, which is the Mar Mayor (greater/larger sea) of the region.
Designations | |
---|---|
Designated | 4 October 1994 |
Reference no. | 706[1] |
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Cartagena%2C_Mar_Menor%2C_i_Cap_de_Pals_%28foto_sat%C3%A8l%C2%B7lit%29.jpg/640px-Cartagena%2C_Mar_Menor%2C_i_Cap_de_Pals_%28foto_sat%C3%A8l%C2%B7lit%29.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Isla_del_Bar%C3%B3n_%28Mar_Menor%29.jpg/640px-Isla_del_Bar%C3%B3n_%28Mar_Menor%29.jpg)
Four municipalities border the Mar Menor: Cartagena, Los Alcázares, San Javier and San Pedro del Pinatar. With a surface area of 135 km2, a coastal length of 70 km, and warm and clear water no more than 7 metres in depth, it is the largest lagoon in Spain.
The lagoon is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by La Manga ("the sleeve"), a sandbar 22 km in length whose width ranges from 100 to 1,200 metres, with Cape Palos in its south-eastern vertex making for the lagoon's roughly triangular shape. There are five islets located within the lagoon: Perdiguera islet, Mayor or El Barón islet, Ciervo islet, Redonda islet and del Sujeto islet.
Its relatively high salinity (which aids flotation), low waves, and remarkable sporting infrastructures makes it a popular place for a wide variety of water sports.