Almerķa is the capital of the province of Almerķa, Spain. It is located in southeastern Spain on the Mediterranean Sea and all its area is an important Mediterranean resort. Almerķa has an international airport, named Almerķa International Airport. Almerķa has the largest naturist beach in Europe (also surrounded by naturist accommodations) called El Playazo despite current attempts to reduce the naturist extent of it. A great part of Almerķa's economy is based on agriculture, which is located mainly in the west part of the region. There we can find a sea of plastics, which are in fact green houses which produce tons of fruit and vegetables, more than 70% of the product is exported to the rest of Europe. In 2000, a team of geologists found a cave filled with giant gypsum crystals in an abandoned silver mine near Almerķa. The cavity, which measures 1.8x1.7 meters, would be the largest geode ever found. The entrance of the cave has been blocked by five tons of rocks, and is under police protection (to prevent looters from entering). According to geological models, the cave was formed during the Messinian salinity crisis 6 million years ago, when the Mediterranean sea evaporated and left thick layers of salt sediments (evaporites). The cave is currently not accessible to tourists.
