Rota

History and Overview

Located to the north of Cadiz Bay, the village is a mixture of flat land and coast, where the highlights are its long beaches and dune formations, not forgetting the fishing enclosures, specially prepared for a traditional method of fishing which is typical of this area.

Though probably of Phoenician origin, Rota did not acquire village status until the time of the Moslem occupation and subsequent Christian reconquest. Places of interest here are Luna Castle, Our Lady’s Church and St. John the Baptist Chapel.

Rota is a town of approximately 26,000 people in the Andalucia region of Spain, located in Cadiz province. It is bordered by the Spanish towns of Chipiona, Jerez, and El Puerto de Santa María.

Located on the Atlantic coast, approximately halfway between Portugal and Gibraltar, it is primarily a resort town, a summer destination for tourists coming from all points in Europe. During the off-season, its main commercial activity centres on the fishing industry.

Rota is also the location of both a Spanish Naval base and a U.S. Naval base (which also hosts U.S. Marine and Air Force units). It is also the entrance point of U.S. Naval Vessels entering the Mediterranean Sea.

U.S. Naval Station Rota (NAVSTA Rota) is the largest American military base in Spain and houses U.S. Navy and Marine personnel and their dependents. There are also small Army and Air Force contingents at the base as well.

The base, described by the Navy as the "Gateway to the Mediterranean" is home to an airfield and a port; the airfield has often caused the base to be misidentified as "Naval Air Station Rota". The base is the headquarters for Commander, U.S. Naval Activities Spain (COMNAVACTSPAIN), as well as one of the primary gateways for Air Mobility Command flights into Europe.

NAVSTA Rota has been in use since the 1950s when Francisco Franco opened relations with the Americans in order to bring in some foreign currency to his closed society. While never crucial to the Cold War strategy, this base did have nuclear weapons stationed on it for some time, and at its peak size, in the late 1970s, was home to 10,000 U.S. personnel. Once the nuclear submarine facilities were torn down, the base's population dwindled.

The base is technically a tenant faciliy of the Rota Spanish Navy base. As such, certain U.S. military customs are not observed on this base such as the display of a U.S. Flag, which is only allowed during the annual Fourth of July celebrations.

NAVSTA Rota has served as a primary holding facility for troops and supplies on their way to and from the Middle East during the recent operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

You can check out the website by clicking on the following link

Places of Interest

- Jerez de la Frontera (Bodega Tours & Very Historical Centre)

- El Puerto de Santa Maria (Beaches, Restaurants and Nightlife)

- Cádiz (Historical Centre & Narrow Street Shopping)

- Sanlucar de Barrameda (Beach Horse Racing in August, check dates)

- Arcos de la Frontera, Medina Sidonia or Vejer de la Frontera (White hill top towns)

- Tarifa (Surfers Paradise)

- Tangiers, Morocco (Day trip shopping and haggling)