Isla del Fraile (Friar's Island) is a steep island located east of the urban centre of Águilas (Murcia), Spain. It has infra-Mediterranean vegetation and one of the richest seabeds in the southeast of the peninsula, especially due to its populations of oceanic Posidonia. It is a place of passage and sighting of dolphins and has an important colony of seagulls. Geologically it belongs to the Subbaetic System, as a part of the Maláguide and Alpujárride systems. During the Late Roman period (5th c.), a garum factory was erected in the island, with several processing vats.[1][2] It has been declared a Protected Natural Area.
It has been proposed that the oronym "Fraile" ("Friar") could have evolved from the term "farellón" (equivalent to farallón, 'sea stack').[3]
It is a popular place for practicing nautical sports due to its particular orography and the protection it offers from the east, the predominant wind on its coast.
References
- ^ Quevedo, Alejandro; Hernández, Juan de Dios (2020). "La isla del Fraile: una nueva propuesta de investigación arqueológica (Águilas, España)". Saguntum. 52: 135–152.
- ^ Quevedo, Alejandro; Hernández, Juan de Dios; Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Mario; Moreno-Martín, Francisco José; Mukai, Tomoo; Capelli, Claudio (2024). "Impact of trading networks on a small island at the end of Late Antiquity: Isla del Fraile". Antiquity. 98(397) (e5): 135–152.
- ^ Llamazares, Ángel (1989). "Toponimia de Águilas: orónimos e hidrónimos". Anales de filología hispánica. 4: 127–146.