Due to its high elevation and mountainous location, it has slightly higher annual precipitation (more than 220 mm (8.7 in) per year), and lower annual average temperature (temperatures below 17.9 °C (64.2 °F)) than coastal areas of Almeria. It is a nature reserve (protected area) that spans 280 square kilometers (110 square miles).
In the lowest elevations of the Tabernas basin (about 400 m (1,310 ft) above sea level), the average annual temperature is close to 18.0 °C (64.4 °F).[4] Due to its relative proximity to the coast and its relatively high altitude, temperatures in winter vary between 0–12 °C (32–54 °F) in the higher altitudes to 6–15 °C (43–59 °F) in the lower altitudes while temperatures in the summer vary from 16–29 °C (61–84 °F) in the higher altitudes to 20–31 °C (68–88 °F) in the lower altitudes.[5] The annual average precipitation is 15–22 cm (5.9–8.7 in) (depending on the zone[5]: 1 & 4/30 ) with only one-third falling in the hot season (May to October). The average annual sunshine varies from 2800 to 3000 hours.[5]
Panoramic view of Tabernas Desert from A-92 (GPS 37.016773 -2.446092)
Solar energy
A solar platform (the largest in Europe: the solar platform of Almería[1]) has been installed to conduct experiments on solar thermal energy. High-tech research is carried out in the same place.
Millions of years ago, the corridor between the Sierra Alhamilla and the Sierra de Filabres was covered by the Mediterranean Sea. Over time, the level of the Mediterranean Sea decreased and eventually became a sedimentary basin.
The little rainfall that occurs is usually torrential, so that the ground, consisting of marl and sandstone with little vegetation, is unable to retain moisture. Instead, the rain causes erosion, forming the characteristic landscape of badlands.
The desert contains approximately 20 species of mammals. The Algerian hedgehog is one of the most important mammals inhabiting the area, in addition to rabbit, hare and dormouse species.
The Algerian, or North African, hedgehog (Atelerix algirus)
Cinema
Map showing the different film sets built west of TabernasA street of Mini Hollywood Oasys
Nowadays, many video clips and television commercials are shot, although from time to time it is still the setting for a film or television series, taking advantage of the photogenic landscape of the Almeria desert and thanks to the western settlements that are still standing. From the late 1950s to the present day, more than 300 films have been shot in this desert, most of them westerns.
In 2002, comedy western film 800 Bullets was filmed in the Tabernas Desert. An episode of the seventh season of the British science fiction series Doctor Who, entitled A Town Called Mercy, was filmed in the desert, as well as several episodes of the third season of Penny Dreadful in 2015. In 2016, the desert was used as a set for the music video of Shout Out to My Ex by the British girl group Little Mix included in their fourth album. The same year, scenes were also filmed for the sixth season of Game of Thrones, depicting Dothraki territory. In 2017, the exteriors of the Black Museum episode of the fourth season of the Black Mirror series were filmed there.[13]
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