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 This is the easternmost end of the Peninsula. Open to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, the city has vast beaches, furiously lashed by east winds.
Tarifa became an important city back in the 10th century, under the rule of Abd-al-Rahman III, when the caliph castle that we find in the historic quarter was built. The influence of the Arab period can be seen in the present appearance of the city, with narrow, winding streets. It also has other interesting monuments, such as the Gothic-Mudejar chapel of Santiago; the convent of San Francisco, and the churches of Santa María and San Mateo. The township has almost 38 kilometres worth of beaches, most of which are shallow and have very fine sands, as is the case with Lances Beach, declared a Natural Site.
Tarifa is a small town on the southernmost part of Spain and of the European continent. It is part of the province of Cádiz, which in turn is part of the Andalucia region. The name Tarifa is derived from the Berber fighter Tarif ibn Malik. The town is located at the Costa de la Luz (coast of the light) and the Straits of Gibraltar, opposite the coast of Morocco, from which the lights of Tarifa are visible at night.
There are regular ferries between Tarifa and the nearby Moroccan city, Tangier. There is frequent illegal immigration from the coast near Tarifa. There is also a bus connection between Tarifa and Algeciras, which is about 20km northeast of it.
Near the port of Tarifa there is a well-preserved castle, the Castillo de Guzman. The coast of Tarifa is popular for windsurfers and kitesurfers. Tarifa is an excellent place to watch migrating birds such as storks cross the Straits of Gibraltar in spring and autumn.
Like the name Costa de la Luz suggests, Tarifa has very many sun hours per year.
Tarifa is credited with being the origin of the word tariff since it was the first port in history to charge merchants for the use of their docks.
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