Los Nietos is a locality that belongs to the municipality of Cartagena, in the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, Spain.
Located on the southwestern shore of the Mar Menor in the natural region of the Campo de Cartagena, to the east of the municipal area. It is 24 kilometers away from Cartagena.
It has two beaches separated by the nautical club: to the east, Lengua de la Vaca Beach and to the west, Arenal Beach.
The climatic conditions of this locality correspond to what is defined as a dry Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and hot summers. The temperature can reach 38 °C in July-August and usually does not drop below 5 °C in winter, with an annual average of 16-18 °C.
Rainfall is scarce, between 200 and 500 mm per year, occurring mainly in spring and autumn. The average is about 323 mm annually, but the humidity also helps the existing vegetation. However, during September and October, torrential rainfall can occur due to high-altitude storm formations, popularly known as the “gota fría,” which can cause significant flooding.
Winds often blow from the southeast or southwest (dry lebeche) and in autumn from the east or northwest (levante), sometimes accompanied by clouds and rain in this last season. Occasionally in autumn, the lebeche or northwest wind also blows and clears the sky of clouds. In contrast, in summer the winds are stronger and if they come from the south (Africa), they will significantly increase the heat.
The Rambla de Ponce and the Rambla de la Carrasquilla are the southernmost dry riverbeds, with short courses of no more than 7 km from El Llano del Beal and Atamaría, respectively. They also drain the Cartagena-La Unión Mining Range and flow east and west of the urban center of Los Nietos.
At one end, the eastern side heading towards Islas Menores, is the end of the Carrasquilla or Los Belones dry riverbed, which empties into a small delta, Punta de La Lengua de la Vaca; La Lengua de Vaca is one of the critical reproduction areas for the Fartet (Aphanius iberus). The Rambla de la Carrasquilla begins near Atamaría, in the vicinity of La Manga Club, and passes through Los Belones. This dry riverbed is a livestock trail (“Colada de la Carrasquilla”), which intersects there with the “Colada del Mar Menor.” These public paths are of great environmental value in the area, as they act as genuine ecological corridors.
At the other end, the western side heading toward Los Urrutias, near the area called El Arenal, is the dry riverbed known as the Barranco de Ponce.
The Ministry for the Ecological Transition, through the Segura Hydrographic Confederation, has planned a series of hydrological-forestry restoration projects to reduce flood risk and improve the environment in the dry riverbeds of Las Matildes, El Beal, Barranco de Ponce, and Carrasquilla, with the aim of retaining sediments accompanied by heavy metals from the tailings ponds and waste heaps of the Mining Range before they enter the Mar Menor.
Cabezo Mingote is a volcanic hill near Los Nietos Viejos. It is a Geological Point of Interest (LIG).
Between Los Nietos and Los Urrutias (closer to the former) is the Lo Poyo salt marsh, a protected area with the status of Natural Park, SCI (Site of Community Importance), and SPA (Special Protection Area).
Los Nietos suffers the consequences of the Mar Menor’s degradation, caused by the shift from a dry-farming model to an irrigated agriculture model (intensive farming) that discharges nitrates into the sea and into the Campo de Cartagena Aquifer, leading to eutrophication, commonly known as “green soup.”
