The Costa Daurada (English: Golden Coast or Coast of Gold, Spanish: Costa dorada) is a 216 kilometers long coastline located on the coast of Catalonia, Spain, in the comarques of Baix Penedès, Tarragonès, Baix Camp and Baix Ebre.
It is an important tourism area.
The origin of the Daurada (Golden) epithet is the colour of the extensive beaches which are the main attraction for tourists. The sand itself is a product of the erosion of the hinterland due to deforestation in the middle ages and later. Infrequent flash floods continue to provide fluvial material, some of which continues to nourish the beaches aided by the Northeast to Southwest current which flows along the coast. There is minimal tide in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, so beaches are generally stable. Considerable effort is made to maintain the cleanliness of these beaches, and to provide policing and infrastructure for the users. Many European "Blue Flags" are awarded annually to the Costa Daurada beaches.
Most of the Costa Daurada towns have their own beaches which are enjoyed by locals all year round, and by visitors in the season from May to October. The town of Coma-ruga has one of the most extensive and under utilized beaches. The town of Salou claims to be the capital of the Costa Daurada, having an infrastructure well developed to support tourism. Its population varies from 15.000 in Winter to in excess of 250.000 in Summer.
Fishing, based mainly in the attractive towns of Tarragona and Cambrils, continues to be an important activity and both these places have excellent fish restaurants where local and regional dishes can be tried.
Towards the Southwest the coast becomes rockier, and the towns smaller, but they have unique charm and are worth visiting and investigating individually - Amettla de Mar and Ampolla being two of note. The southern limit of the Region is marked by The Delta of the Ebro river another feature of the extensive erosion of the hinterland, and a surprisingly young feature in geological terms being only some 600 years old over most of its area. It is a marvelous bird sanctuary and a very active agricultural region.
