The town of Rota, which is situated in the north of the bay of Cadiz, is compared to a balcony with views to the Atlantic Ocean. It is difficult to establish the origin of the town because there are not enough archaeological remains but we could emphasize the Muslim founding (although we can also find other remains). Rota has a castle of the 13 th century called "Castillo de Luna" which is a symbol for the inhabitants of Rota and it is linked to its history as we can see it in the shield of this town. Rota also has fortifications which are very well known nowadays as "Puerta de Jerez" or "Arco de Regla" and it is also known as "Puerta de la Carne" because it was in this place where people used to buy and sell meat and its derivatives.
Although there is much outstanding architecture as "La Capilla de San Roque" or "La Capilla de la Caridad" (two important churches and one of the main instances of the baroque style of Rota) the most important one is "La Iglesia de la O" another church in which we can find a mixture of Baroque, Plateresque, Elizabethan and Gothic style.

Another important monument of this town is "Los Corrales de Rota", a natural rocky area in a beach called "La Almadraba" that is declared Natural Monument by the environment ministry of the Andalusia board . In this area, one of the main things done by sailors from the town is called "marisqueo" that consist of catching different species from the sea as octopuses, cuttlefish, hedgehogs, crabs, spider crabs...
Rota has been the scene of many historic events because of its strateic position and recently it has been transformed into a Spanish American naval base. Because of this fact and the great tourism that visit its beaches and Costa Ballena every year, Rota is growing quickly.

The gastronomy of the town is based on native products from the town which are linked to the country and the sea. From the country tomatoes, peppers and pumpkins are obtained. The tomato is the the authentic protagonist of the town dish as in "El Arranque" which is based on tomatoes, garlic, onions, bread crumb, oil and salt. The most famous dish is called "Urta a la Roteña" in which the country and the sea are linked together. This dish is based on a big fish called "urta" (which is the typical fish of the area) cooked with products from the country. Many other dishes are highlighted in Rota as "La Berza", shrimps omelette, "ortguillas", fried fish, a type of sausage called "butifarra" and the most valued wine as "La Tintilla" which is thick, fruity and sweet that quenches the palate of the most discerning people.

Rota is surrounded by 16 kms of beautiful beaches with gold and thin sand. Within these beaches it would be important to highlight "La Costilla" and "El Rompidillo" (that have wonderful seafronts) and natural beaches as "El Chorrillo", "Punta Candor" (the last one mentioned is backed by "El Pinar de la Almadraba", (that is, a pined forest) and "La Ballena" in which we can find a tourist resort called "Costa Ballena" situated between two towns, Rota and Chipiona. This tourist development has 400 hectares of coast border and almost 4kms of virgin beaches.
In Rota we can also enjoy of wonderful natural areas as "El Parque Atlántico"(which is a large park situated very near to the beach) "Parque Mayeto" (a park built in honor of Manuel Liaño who was a famous country person of the town), "Parque Natural de la Almadraba" (another famous park) and a botanical garden called "Celestino Mutis".
"Costa Ballena" is designed so that its inhabitants enjoy their life as much as possible. Parks, gardens, groves, artificial lakes, golf fields, swimming pools, hotels, sport facilities as equestrian, sailing and the tennis make Costa Ballena the most innovative and advanced tourist resort of Europe.

The town of Rota has a fishing marina port called "Astaroth" because of the fisrt name that the town received, meaning flagpole port. Nowadays there are many crafts that sailors use as entertainment or to do their labour in the sea. This port also has a market ( apart from other markets situated in different parts of Rota) known as "La Cooperativa" where sailors leave just caught fish from the sea that arrives directly to buyer's hands.

The town of Rota has a large programme of cultural activities and festivities as carnival in February, holy week, processions in April as "San Isidro Labrador" (in which the Patron Saint is taken from the church to the pine forest where the procession is celebrated) and the spring fair that takes place in Rota's fairground. In this fairground in the middle of August another festivity is celebrated called "La fiesta de la Urta" in honour to the typical dish of the town called "Urta a la Roteña" which is a big fish cooked in the oven with tomatoes, peppers .. This fair, where we can also find a competition of the typical dish of the town, is declared as National Tourist Festival..
We cannot forget the town's annual festival in honour of a Virgin called "Virgen del Rosario", that is the main Patron Saint of Rota. It takes place at the beginning of October and it lasts several days. We can find in it a parade, fireworks, the lady-in waiting is chosen and the Parton Saint before mentioned is taken in a procession all around the town of Rota.