The waters of the oceans hold many mysteries and tragic stories. Sailors set off in search of new lands, but under the influence of the elements, not all ships returned to their native harbor. Many remained at the bottom of the seas and oceans. With the development of shipbuilding and navigation, ships began to be used for military purposes. No one can say exactly how many ships sank in the waters of the oceans, and how many treasures lie at its bottom. However, to this day, many treasure hunters spend huge amounts of money on searches in the hope of finding the treasure in one corner of the ocean or another.
There is also such a place in the Atlantic - this is the Gulf of Cadiz, which will be discussed in this article. You will find out where it is located, what is its area and much more. We will also introduce you to some of the secrets of the bay.
Where is the Gulf of Cadiz?
To answer this question, just look at the map.
The waters of the Gulf of Cadiz wash the shores of Portugal and Spain. Lengthcoastline - 320 km. It stretches from the Portuguese city of Foru to the tip of Cape Trafalgar, where the border of the Strait of Gibr altar passes. The area of the Gulf of Cadiz is 7 thousand km2. The maximum depth is 100 m. The bay belongs to the Atlantic Ocean. Large rivers such as the Guadalquivir and Guadiana flow into it.
What is the shore?
The coastline of the Gulf of Cadiz runs through the territory of two Spanish provinces (Cadiz, Huelva) and the Portuguese Algarve. There are daily tides, the height of which reaches three meters. The coast of the bay in Spain is in the lowlands. It is slightly indented and marshy. The coast of the Gulf of Cadiz in Portugal is mainly composed of rocks formed by coal shale and sandstone.
Main Ports
The Gulf of Cadiz has a convenient location. Numerous rivers flow into it, there is an outlet to the Mediterranean. It also refers to the open bays of the Atlantic Ocean. All these factors led to the fact that port cities began to be built on the coast. Shipping developed rapidly in this region, especially after Christopher Columbus discovered a new continent.
Today, there are four Portuguese ports in the Gulf of Cadiz:
- Faro;
- Tavira;
- Vila Real de Santo António;
- Olyan.
On Spanish territory is Huelva, Cadiz and San Fernando.
Partcoastline in Spain refers to the resort of Costa de la Luz. This place is especially popular among windsurfers. Doñana National Park lies near the mouth of the Guadalquivir River.
Port cities located in this area play an important role in the economy of the two countries. The Gulf of Cadiz is not only a commercial and tourist region. Fishing is well developed here, and gas fields have been found in the Guadalquivir depression.
Seismic activity
Seismic activity has been observed in this region in recent years. Although the tremors in the Gulf of Cadiz are rather weak, they have a certain periodicity. So, on March 2, 2016, an earthquake occurred in this region, the strength of which reached 4 points according to Richter. The epicenter itself lay at a depth of ten kilometers in the Atlantic. Seismic activity has been observed along almost the entire coastline in Andalusia. The tremors were especially strong in the south of the region.
Treasures of the Gulf of Cadiz
There were times when the Spanish Empire owned vast territories outside of Europe. After Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, shipping developed rapidly. Valuable goods, including precious stones and metals, were delivered from various colonies to the territory of Spain with the help of ships. But not everyone reached their destination. Many ships sank in the depths of the sea, and their we alth now rests at the bottom. According to rough estimates, in the Gulf of Cadiz, treasures worth116 billion euros. But this is only data that has documentary evidence. In fact, there may be many times more treasures, since in those days, in addition to the accounted gold and silver, ships delivered a lot of contraband.
Initially, all ships from the New World came to Seville, but after a while, the function of the trading port was taken over by the city of Cadiz. Raw materials for production needs and jewelry were brought here from America to replenish the royal treasury. We alth flowed "river" to Spain. To appreciate their scale, it is worth looking at the numbers. Only in the period from 1530 to 1560, 560 tons of silver and 101 tons of gold were brought into the country.
Hundreds of ships found their home in the Gulf of Cadiz. In just 4 years (from 1816 to 1820), 720 ships sank in the waters, including the famous galleons that delivered valuable cargo from Latin America. These numbers are impressive. But why did this bay become a deadly place for such a huge number of ships? The fact is that strong Gibr altar currents pass in this region and hurricanes arise, and this is a serious problem for sailors.
Why haven't the treasures of Cadiz been found yet? The thing is that the waters where the sunken ships are located, territorially belong to Spain. However, the state authorities do not finance the search work and do not show much interest in this issue. The problem lies also in the legislation of Spain. For example, in the United States, if a treasure was found on a sunken ship in the territorial waters of the country, it is dividedinto three parts:
- to the American government;
- to the person who found the treasure;
- country to which the ship found belongs.
Any treasure found in the territorial waters of Spain belongs to the state, and therefore there are no people who want to look for treasures in the Gulf of Cadiz.
