Cunit

Cunit, Baix Penedès
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Cunit within Baix Penedès, Catalonia.
Cunit, Baix Penedès Location in Catalonia
Coordinates: ES 41°11′54″N 1°38′26″E / 41.19833°N 1.64056°E / 41.19833; 1.64056Coordinates: ES 41°11′54″N 1°38′26″E / 41.19833°N 1.64056°E / 41.19833; 1.64056
Country	Spain
Government
• mayor	Montserrat Carreras García (2015)[1]
Area[2]
• Total	9.7 km2 (3.7 sq mi)
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population (2014)[1]
• Total	11,989
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,200/sq mi)
Postal code	43881
Area code(s)	977
Website	cunit.cat

Cunit is a coastal town on the Golden Coast (Costa Daurada in Catalan) in the Baix Penedès region part of the province of Tarragona in Catalonia, Spain. It is on the northeast coast of Spain on the Mediterranean Sea.

Location and site

It is located in the district of Baix Penedès and the province of Tarragona but is included in the third crown of the Urban Region of Barcelona. Bordered by Segur de Calafell (location of the municipality of Calafell), in the same area, as well as Cubelles in the district of Garraf and Castellet i la Gornal in the region of Alt Penedès, both from the province of Barcelona.

History, culture and art

Cunit origins date back to prehistoric times, with archaeological remains found dating back to 3700 BC.

First settlers

The first settlers are documented in a total of six well-documented sources.

This is a large and dispersed settlement. It is similar to neighbouring coastal settlements of the Baix Penedès which used to trade a great deal with punicobusitans traders. A relationship that no doubt had its own weight in the transformation of the habits and customs of the early settlers.

Land

• Departament de Cultura i Educació de la Generalitat de Catalunya
• Fondo d'en Roig

Architectural heritage and Edificio Los Diamantes

• Historical and artistic heritage of Cunit

Plaça Catalunya, known as Plaça del Casal

Demographics

The 1590, although the town had been almost depopulated by the incursions of the Saracen pirates and Turkey (1581), the Mas of Vilaseca remained populated. There are also references to a fishing settlement on the beach, documented in 1638 in 1670, residents from time immemorial were licensed to fish on Sundays and religious holidays, on payment of a stipend of one tenth of the catch to the local parish.

From 1960, Cunit began to become a summer vacation centre for the BarcelonaMetropolitan Area. At the same time, it started to become a major residential area of the Golden Coast

Climate

Mediterranean climate provides mild winters and hot summers.

Environment

Beaches

One of the main attractions of the town are the 2 and a half kilometers of sandy beaches in the form of golden beaches, protected by seven longitudinal breakwaters and four in the form of islands. These breakwaters had to be built in the early 1980s due to construction of the reservoir of Foix and the ports of Cubelles (to the north) and Segur de Calafell (to the south) which caused a disruption of the morphodynamic equilibrium, the effect being a visible loss of the beaches. Since 1997 it has been receiving the award of blue flag given by the European Foundation for Environmental Education.^[4]

Coast management

Proposed reform of the coastline - Comparison with the situation in 2007

The concentration of large environmental infrastructure on the territory and the coast, as the future Cubelles marina,^[5][6] the existence of a combined cycle thermal plant, the location of a desalination plant ^[7] has opened a debate that includes a beach protection enhancement project developed for the Spanish Coastal Authority following guidelines for littoral enhancement set by the Ministry of the Environment's coastal zone management plan. This long stretch of beach constitutes probably the most important asset of the Municipality of Cunit which relies on tourism as the main income source. The coastal front development combined with beach erosion in the 1980s resulted in beach protection with detached breakwaters creating a series of pocket beaches. Despite to the strong armouring of the coast, erosion problems are still evident and critical at some points of the coast, as well as flooding. On the other hand, the existing structures represent also a hazardous condition for swimmers. As a result, a critical analysis of the existing structures has been overtaken, which together with detailed analysis of the coastal processes, have allowed to provide a new solution, replacing the hard structures with soft protection.

Currently awaiting to receive the report on the management of beaches commissioned the University of Cantabria to adopt a solution to the coastal areas of Cunit.

Seabed

World Wide Fund for Nature proposes to town for inclusion in the official lists of Site of Community Importance for the maritime grasslands described as Posidonia oceanica.

References

		Castellet i la Gornal
	Calafell		Cubelles
		Cunit
		Balearic Sea

Municipalities of Baix Penedès
Albinyana L'Arboç Banyeres del Penedès Bellvei La Bisbal del Penedès Bonastre Calafell Cunit Llorenç del Penedès Masllorenç El Montmell Sant Jaume dels Domenys Santa Oliva El Vendrell

Municipalities of the province of Tarragona
Aiguamúrcia Albinyana Alcanar Alcover Aldover Alfara de Carles Alforja Alió Almoster Altafulla Amposta Arbolí Arnes Ascó Banyeres del Penedès Barberà de la Conca Batea Bellmunt del Priorat Bellvei Benifallet Benissanet Blancafort Bonastre Bot Botarell Bràfim Cabacés Cabra del Camp Calafell Camarles Cambrils Capafonts Capçanes Caseres Castellvell del Camp Colldejou Conesa Constantí Corbera d'Ebre Cornudella de Montsant Creixell Cunit Deltebre Duesaigües El Catllar El Lloar El Masroig El Milà El Molar El Montmell El Morell El Perelló El Pinell de Brai El Pla de Santa Maria El Pont d'Armentera El Rourell El Vendrell Els Garidells Els Guiamets Els Pallaresos Falset Figuerola del Camp Flix Forès Freginals Gandesa Garcia Ginestar Godall Gratallops Horta de Sant Joan L'Albiol L'Aldea L'Aleixar L'Ametlla de Mar L'Ampolla L'Arboç L'Argentera L'Espluga de Francolí La Bisbal de Falset La Bisbal del Penedès La Canonja La Fatarella La Febró La Figuera La Galera La Masó La Morera de Montsant La Nou de Gaià La Palma d'Ebre La Pobla de Mafumet La Pobla de Massaluca La Pobla de Montornès La Riba La Riera de Gaià La Secuita La Selva del Camp La Sénia La Torre de Fontaubella La Torre de l'Espanyol La Vilella Alta La Vilella Baixa Les Borges del Camp Les Piles Llorac Llorenç del Penedès Margalef Marçà Mas de Barberans Masdenverge Masllorenç Maspujols Miravet Mont-ral Mont-roig del Camp Montblanc Montbrió del Camp Montferri Móra d'Ebre Móra la Nova Nulles Passanant i Belltall Paüls Perafort Pira Poboleda Pontils Porrera Pradell de la Teixeta Prades Prat de Comte Pratdip Puigpelat Querol Rasquera Renau Reus Riba-roja d'Ebre Riudecanyes Riudecols Riudoms Rocafort de Queralt Roda de Berà Rodonyà Roquetes Salomó Salou Sant Carles de la Ràpita Sant Jaume d'Enveja Sant Jaume dels Domenys Santa Bàrbara Santa Coloma de Queralt Santa Oliva Sarral Savallà del Comtat Senan Solivella Tarragona Tivenys Tivissa Torredembarra Torroja del Priorat Tortosa Ulldecona Ulldemolins Vallclara Vallfogona de Riucorb Vallmoll Valls Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant Vespella de Gaià Vila-rodona Vila-seca Vilabella Vilalba dels Arcs Vilallonga del Camp Vilanova d'Escornalbou Vilanova de Prades Vilaplana Vilaverd Vimbodí Vinebre Vinyols i els Arcs Xerta