Poniente Almeriense

Poniente Almeriense is one of the seven comarcas in the province of Almería, Andalusia, Spain. This comarca was established in 2003 by the Government of Andalusia.^[1][2] It is sometimes also known as the "sea of plastic" (Mar de plástico) due to the numerous greenhouses that cover the area. The comarca contains ten municipalities (the tenth, Balanegra, was created in 2015 from part of Berja municipality) and 283,858 inhabitants^{[notes 2]} in an area of 970 km². The "sea of plastic" was one of the subjects of We feed the world, a 2005 documentary; and the setting of Spanish crime drama Mar de plástico.

Poniente Almeriense
Comarca
"Sea of plastic" and the town of El Ejido
Location of Poniente Almeriense in Andalusia, Spain
Location of Poniente Almeriense in the province of Almería
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Almería
Municipalities	List Adra, Balanegra, Berja, Dalías, El Ejido, Enix, Felix, La Mojonera, Roquetas de Mar, Vícar
Area
• Total	970 km2 (370 sq mi)
Population  (2024)[notes 1]
• Total	283,858
• Density	290/km2 (760/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Largest municipality	El Ejido

The typical agricultural products of the greenhouses are: cucumbers, watermelons, eggplants, zucchinis, peaches, peppers and tomatoes.^[3]

The comarca borders the Alboran Sea to the South, the city of Almería to the east, the Sierra de Gádor to the north, and the municipality of Albuñol (in Granada province) to the west.

Municipalities

The Poniente Almeriense contains the following ten municipalities:

Arms	Municipality	Area (km2)	Population (2024)[4][notes 3]	Density (/km2)
	Adra	89.62	25,515	284.70
	Balanegra	31.60	3,016	95.44
	Berja	185.66	12,939	69.69
	Dalías	141.32	4,169	29.50
	El Ejido	225.40	90,135	399.89
	Enix	66.78	598	8.95
	Felix	81.20	770	9.48
	La Mojonera	23.87	8,677	363.51
	Roquetas de Mar	59.65	109,204	1,830.74
	Vícar	64.29	28,835	448.52
	Total	969.39	283,858	292.82

Almería sea of plastic as seen from the International Space Station

Notes

1. Census at 1 January 2024: National Statistics Institute (Spain)
2. Census at 1 January 2024: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Madrid.
3. Census at 1 January 2024: National Statistics Institute (Spain)