The Costa Cálida (, "Warm Coast") is the approximately 250 km stretch of Mediterranean coastline of the Spanish province of Murcia. This region has a micro-climate which features comparatively hot mean annual temperatures (and hence its name, "Warm Coast") and a relative degree of aridity (precipitation averaging less than 34 cm annually), scoring a semidesert and even in the southern parts even desert status in Koppen classification. Geography and location The Costa Cálida extends from El Mojón in the north near the province of Alicante, to near the municipality of Águilas in the south bordering on the region of Almería province. The northern end of this coastline includes the Mar Menor ("Lesser Sea"), a coastal saltwater lagoon which at around 170 km2 is Europe's largest. The Mar Menor is separated from the Mediterranean by a 22 km-long spit of land called La Manga, on which most of the tourism development for the region has been constructed. Cartagena and Mazarrón are two other important coastal towns in the region. Golf is a popular pastime for visitors and residents. There are many PGA championship courses such as Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort which hosted the 2009 and 2010 Spanish Pro Golf Championship, El Valle which hosted the PGA European Seniors Tour in June 2011, Hacienda del Alamo which is the longest golf course in Spain and the famous La Manga Club. External links Official Tourism site of Murcia, Spain (click on English at the bottom) La Verdad Calida Landforms of the Region of Murcia